[Sound Battle] KEF Q350 vs ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52 Bookshelf Speakers w/Arcam SA10 Integrated Amplifer

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Other sound comparison videos
SRS [Sound Reference Series] - • Sound Reference Series
Amps - • Amplifier Sound Demo
Speakers - • Hi Fi Speakers Sound Demo
Bluetooth Speakers - • Bluetooth Speaker
Timecodes
0:00 - intro
1:11 - All the way up / Electronic / by Hadar Sopher
1:51 - Bedroom / Soul & RnB, Pop / by Raquel Castro, The Wildcardz
2:34 - Boost Your Power / Rock / by CustomMelody
3:32 - Chemtrails / Cinematic / by Semo
4:23 - Get Ready / Cinematic, Rock, Pop / by Midnight Noise
5:13 - Higher Love / Electronic, Pop / by Ben Fox
6:29 - Is Leroy On It / Jazz, Acoustic, Retro / by Southside Aces
7:27 - Pull Me Closer / Electronic, Pop, Hip Hop / by WEARETHEGOOD,
8:40 - Punkd / Cinematic, Electronic / by Out of Flux
9:41 - Seasons / Cinematic, Classical / by ANBR
10:51 - Star Night / Acoustic, Rock, Pop / Wonderland
11:41 - Time Traveling / Soul & RnB / Sarah Kang feat. Anthony Lazaro
13:15 - Crash and burn / Death Metal / Kissing Candice
14:40 - Magic Show / Death Metal / Kissing Candice
15:37 - Fields / Acoustic Guitar / Livio Bartolo

[@franciscoortiz6980]

First... thanks for the video. This is a massive service to all of us who can not visit a store. ONE piece of advice... please play the same audio clip with both speakers. The different parts of songs do not give an honest comparison. The same 1min of each song with speaker A and B... is more honest.

[@bencarignan2711]

The more I think about it, the more I think it could be useful to have even shorter loops that last only 1 second to 5 seconds and toggle between the speakers. For instance when chimes are struck, it would be extremely helpful to immediately switch to the other speaker to play the same section and then switch back.

[@jari121]

UB52's has crystal clear sound. Q350's sounds muddy compared to them. UB52's lacks bass, which Q350's are better at. UB52's would certainly be good with sub.

[@satyiphone]

I have UB52. The base extension is great and feels like a sub woofer to me. I often check if the subs are on while testing. I wonder why it does not come through in E’s videos.

[@TeraqAT]

@@satyiphone maybe becouse Bass reflex hole is on the front and sound is directed straigh tho is may be missing recording microphone, by a bit. Where all other speakers with rear bass reflex sounds properly on E's videos

[@satyiphone]

That makes sense. Will check other front ported speaker test videos to understand this a little more. Thanks for your comment.

[@aaronrojas5645]

For me ub52 are more equilibrante, for rock pop hihop or RB or drum and bass kef are better the 6" and back réflex are de difference, for music like vocal indie, folk or classic ub52 are superior with this 3 way, bith are great.

[@qua7771]

I think Q350's could benefit from adding some cabinet damping. I use them as surround speakers.

[@soundingoffuk]

man - this would have been more useful if you played the same passage of audio in each speaker. how are you supposed to compare a passage with deep bass and a few bars in the other speaker without it?

[@graysonpeddie]

I know I am late, but yeah I would like that as well.

[@higobatman]

The UB52s have greater clarity. Sounds more open.
KEF have more bass. The sound sounds more closed, muffled, without clarity.

[@coachafella]

Yep. The KEF in this demo sounds congested, the UB52 more open with instruments separated. Of course the imaging aspect is impossible to judge here since we're listening through our own speakers, but the UB52 is well known for excellent imaging.

[@DougMen1]

Damn! You're knocking these videos out so fast that I can barely keep up!

[@johnsanders9688]

Your videos are quite professional however while you are using the Yamaha and Arcam integrated amps with various entry level bookshelf speakers that I am very familiar with I can barely recognize any meaningful differences between the speakers themselves! I own a pair of the Elac 2.0 B6 bookshelves that are a well rounded speaker, with excellent bass themselves but a bit too much round off at the top end! However I pair them with a Naim Nait 5si 60 watt integrated amp that makes them sizzle and does sound much better than all the combos of amps and speakers you continue to compare! A better match are the KEF Q350's with my Naim Amp! Suggest you move up the ladder and get a Naim integrated amp or from Parasound to try out various speaker combinations! Thank you for sharing!

[@jukingeo]

This was an interesting comparison as I was actually looking for these speakers paired together given that I am considering a purchase of either one. I will say that there are things that I like and dislike about each one. So, starting with the KEFs. Better bass, better mid bass, but it is lacking in the high end. The Elac's are kind of the opposite. They are lacking in the bass, and the midbass sounds kind of flat. The high end is very clear and the imaging is a bit better than the Kef's. Overall, I am not sure which I would go for sound wise. I would say that I am leaning more towards the KEF as it seems to have a smoother sound with rock music, which is what I mostly listen to. The Elacs seem a bit harsh with rock. However, with the classical, jazz and acoustical pieces, I tended to like the Elacs more. The Elacs usually go on sale for a little more than half the price of the KEFs which make them the better deal. I am just not sure if I would like them long term though. The KEFs are less fatiguing, but I certainly can tell they are very lacking on the high end. Thanks to E Project for this comparison.

[@williammiebach1798]

The UB52 has a few very strong points, but sadly for me they don't quite componsate for their weak ones. It's texturaly smooth and open sounding soft dome tweeter is more natural and pleasing to me than the Q350's. Its upper midrange response is rather opposite to the KEFs, having more air and depth, but is too forward and thin. It's bass is a bit too thin as well, and lacks both weight and depth. The Elacs have a nice soundstage and seem to have better image resolution, but it's colored midrange and lack of bass cant be completely compensated for without a good parametric EQ and a subwoofer. The Q350s stand on their own. They too are a bit colored, and upper midrange to lower midrange balance is clearly scewed. Looking at their response measurements even I am surprised I enjoy them as much as I do.
Their curve is exaggerated, but it is
a slightly extreme version of the kind I can live with and rather like. While I wish it's tweeter was more like the Elacs, I rarely fail to enjoy the Q350s rich and weighty sound. The UB52s may be sweeter sounding in some ways than the KEF R3s as well, but are really no match for them as a whole.

[@craigleoni2349]

[@aaronrojas5645]

Equalizer in a Hifi system? 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡😂😂😂😂😂🤦🤦🤦🤦 Man u are wrong in all concepts.

[@livingstone6275]

AT LEAST YOU DID A DEMO UNLIKE ALL THE OTHER EXPERT FOOLS ON TH-cam..........I WILL KEEP MY 301S thankyou

[@bugume]

exactly like that Robinson idiot

[@momodoufatty3315]

This would be more helpful if you allowed the same parts of the songs to go through both speakers. Still, a good demo. Thanks.

[@giuseppecassano7071]

For me the winner is Elac, too much bass in kef, and the clarity is superior in ub52

[@danielbencomo6562]

Is there more midbass is that why the KEFs seem to sound more veiled at times?

[@andyg.9187]

The Arcam s10 may not be a good match for the Ub 52’s. They are 6 ohm and have an 85 db sensitivity, it takes a lot of power to make them sing.

[@DougMen1]

Perhaps, but the KEF R3s are also hard to drive, with a minimum impedance of 3.2 ohms, although measrements show it dips to 1.5 ohms at 39 hz and 2.2 ohms at 226 hz, so it'a very demanding on an amp, and the Arcam has no problem with them

[@valleyguy633]

From the demonstration videos of the Kef q350's that I've seen, I get a strong rock concert vibe from them. I get an excitement from them that I don't get with the others. I think the enclosure has a lot to do with it. I think these would satisfy that type of sound when you want it, and at a reasonable price 'when on sale.' After all, Neil Young & Crazy Horse want what they want.

[@LDBaha]

I think the ELACs paired with a subwoofer would be a much better setup overall

[@DougMen1]

I really have nothing much to add here. My opinion of both of these speakers remains the same as in past videos featuring them. The UB52 is too thin and edgy sounding, and the KEF can be a bit soft and veiled at times, but that can be mitigated by a different amp, or one with tone controls, and once my ears acclimate to its sound, it no longer sounds too soft to me. I still prefer it overall, by a wide margin, over the disappointing Elac. I'd rather have the Polk XT20 over the UB52, as well as many other speakers in the UB52's price range, the Polk R100 and 200, the Q150 and 350, the Diamond 12.2, and the cheaper Elac Debut B6.2. I even prefer the MA Bronzes to the UB52. This is not one of Andrew Jones' better efforts, IMO

[@zeppzepp1234]

They are very different in tonality. Maybe it's time for R3 vs UB52?

[@robertbradley6393]

Yep

[@davidcarr2216]

E's the main man. The Q350s have got to take it. They make the UB52s sound a bit wonky in the mids/upper mids and the UB52s lack some bass and bass punch. I sound too much like a KEF fan boy but at least they do get the basics right. As i said before, I could live with the Q350s for all but super critical listening.

[@user-zu5re5nn4d]

Both have audible coloration, but KEF have less of it to my ears. What's more important is overall balance: Q350 have a warm/dark/a bit dull sound while ELAC is brigther but also hollow in bass/lower mids. Between these two I'd choose KEF buth rather I wouldn't buy neither of them.

[@geevee1045]

The sound quality on these videos is very bad. Are we supposed to listen on headphones instead of speakers, and that's why?

[@williammiebach1798]

I knew there was a big contrast between these two. Turns out there's a
Reeeally BIG one.
I had reasonably high hopes for the UB52, but they have some issues. The Q350 wins. I'd elaborate more, but I'm a little verklempt right now.

[@DougMen1]

It appears that maybe Mark is right, and Elac just isn't as good at concentric designs as KEF is

[@williammiebach1798]

@@DougMen1 Shhh, don't say that too loud!
Elac and A.J. have been quite dissapointing to me lately.

[@williammiebach1798]

@@DougMen1 Although I didn't totaly love it, I think the origional UB5 may have beem better balanced. Havn't heard the Unifi Reference yet, but they don't seem to be on a hot streak to me. Even the Velas sounded slightly strange to me.

[@williammiebach1798]

The thing about that is the concentric designs seemed to be Jones's initive, so he should have got them better at least.
The JET tweeter designs were an Elac thing he had to adopt wich Im not sure he'd done before. Still he's supposed to be a great speaker designer.

[@DougMen1]

@@williammiebach1798 No one is perfect, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. It could also be that the powers that be at Elac wanted him to make some concessions that he wasn't happy with and that's why he left. I'm pretty sure that's why Laurence Dickie left B&W and formed Vivid, where he didn't have to conpromise at all, which is why Vivid speakers cost a fortune! I haven't heard the Velas, but the Solano BS283 sounded good to both of us, because we both commented that we liked it in that video, which was before we knew each other. The UB52 sounded really good to me in Ron's (at New Record Day) video with them, and the Carinas sounded great to me too in the video at Dong Fong Audio, where the floorstanding 249.3 sound spectacular. I've also liked the DBR62 in some videos with them. I hate to say this, but I wonder if E Project has changed something in his recording setup that is different than in older videos, as that might explain why some amps and speakers sound wonky compared to other videos with them, and even compared to older videos with them here. I say that not only because of the B6.2 having a lot more bass in older videos, but the Q350s also sound a lot clearer and more open in some older videos here, as does the Marantz to some extent

[@user-rr4rn3gs9m]

Kef q350 sound good

[@revelatortestor237]

Les voix plus crédibles avec q350 et la
UB52 manque d'assises dans les graves.

[@davidmund7823]

Your not really playing these speakers.