KEFQ250c Center Channel Speaker (Each, Black)

I have two Q-150 speakers for the left and right channels and this center channel speaker completes the sound picture I was looking for.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about these speakers. I upgraded from Dayton Audio C452-Air which is the budgetiest of the budgetiest, so these were clearly a humongous upgrade. They're a little pricey compared to the Q150s that people usually pair with them, but the clarity they provide in conjunction with my similarly priced Q550s is pretty remarkable. I love KEF and will probably go with their R series as an upgrade.

The Good: It sounds amazing and looks awesome. KEF Uni-Q driver technology is magic. If you know, you know. Clarity is unmatched. I didn't realize how realistic sound effects could be before hooking this up. Coming from a JBL 5.1 soundbar this is a huge upgrade. Placement is easy since there's no port on the back.The Bad: The cabinet materials are a bit cheap for the price. The "walnut" finish is just a vinyl faux wood wrap. Bass response isn't great.The Ugly: Deceptive marketing on KEF's and Amazon's part. Be aware that what you are getting is one Uni-Q driver (yes technically it's 2 drivers in one) and 2 passive radiators. You have to really dig into the specifications on KEF's website to even find this information. In fact they don't outright call them passive radiators, they are listed in the specs as "Aluminium ABR". Guess what ABR stands for? "Auxiliary Bass Radiator". But they don't tell you that. Moreover the Amazon product page is touting the advanced new design of the low-frequency drivers and specifically states that the speaker has "two 5.25" bass drivers". This is patently false as passive radiators are not "drivers". I assume they just took standard marketing copy for the KEF Q-series and pasted it onto the product page, but--I can't emphasize this enough--THERE ARE NO BASS DRIVERS IN THE Q250c!Price-- When you consider that a *pair* of Q150's--which have the exact same Uni-Q driver--sells for $550 (at the time of writing it's discounted to $350). That's $275 ($175 on sale) per speaker. The only conclusion left to draw then is that you are playing $325 to $425 for two aluminum discs with rubber suspension and a bit more wood. Absolutely outrageous! The Q650c is $200 more than the 250 and it does have on actual LF driver (also it has 1 PR but you won't find that on the Amazon listing!).I have no problem with PR's in general and actually prefer it to a ported box. You get many of the advantages of a port (greater efficiency and bass response) without the disadvantages (chuffing and steep rolloff). But I do have a problem with deceptive marketing and nonsensical pricing. I don't really blame the Amazon listing because KEF is really trying to obfuscate the fact that they are cutting corners. If I didn't already have $2k invested in KEF LS50W's as front mains I would never even consider this center channel, unless it was like $300 MSRP, in which case it would be fantastic.Final word: I unfortunately can't recommend this speaker at this price even though it is a competent center channel. The only reason to buy this is if you already have KEF speakers and want to maintain the same tonality for the center channel. Even then, the Q650c is probably a better buy (if you have $600 to spend on a center then you have $800 to spend on a center) unless you have space constraints. In which case, this is really your only option. It's really an enjoyable center channel to listen to as long as you don't think about how you got fleeced when you bought it.

Great addition to my left and right KEF speakers. Very happy with the sound. Very well made.

Kef coax makes for very best center speaker IMO. Tried polk,martin logan,elac; all had issues projecting vocals. Wanted the Q650 but will not fit allocated space. Very happy with the Q250!

I bought the Q150's at their sale price of 300. Then I realized that I would need to find a matching center channel and decided that to 250c would fit my needs. As far as I know, this unit doesn't go on sale, but it is impressive and worth it in my opinion. The driver works well in a cabinet due to the uniq driver and the bass response from the woofers is powerful. I'm using mine with a powered sub, but you might opt for just this if in an apartment. Really love this speaker, my only wish is that it didn't cost so much. If you can swing it, go for it!

This is a great speaker to timber match some Q150s as I did, though I won't ignore the heavy price it demands when it is essentially a more aesthetic Q150.Why did I buy this? Well I needed something non-ported that could sit in a cubby and also had the means to pay extra for aesthetics over a third sideways Q150.I think the quality of the speaker is great and do not have any complaints on the sound of it, but had to dock two stars cause it is egregiously expensive for what it is.

Really is a great center channel. Works well with my Dolby 7.2 atmos system.