Comparison of $2k AUD bookshelf speakers

I recently compared the KEF Q Concerto Meta and Acoustic Energy AE500 bookshelf speakers, and thought I’d summarise the listening notes here for those curious.

When it comes to shopping for speakers online (because you can’t go to a dealer to demo them for whatever reason) I think the best thing you can do is read listening notes. It gives you something you can relate your preferences to.

The songs I used for the test were…

• Red Rain by Peter Gabriel: a well-recorded art rock song with pop elements that sounds good on most speakers.
• When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin: a rich and emotional rock classic that really shines with a lively system.
• Ghostman by Skinny Puppy: an avant garde electronic song with lots of synths, samples and post-production effects. I chose this one because (1) the drop at 57 seconds is a good test of bass response, and (2) overall it tests how a speaker can handle busy music with lots going on.

The KEF Q Concerto Meta had a big sound that seemed to fill the room. Really wide soundstage.

They had good bass extension for a bookshelf speaker, though it was a little soft. Not “boomy,” but not as tight and responsive as the AE500s.

Treble and midrange wise they were detailed while also being relaxed; they felt easy to listen to. Vocals came through clear and centred.

The Acoustic Energy AE500s had richness and depth to them, but it was more punchy. This made the bass response feel powerful, as they delivered bass hits with slightly better tonal quality and timing.

They also had a cleaner, more forward presentation in the mids and highs. Details were more obvious. Snare and cymbal hits were that little bit more distinct.

The soundstage was clearer with instruments sounding more separate, but it wasn’t as wide as the KEFs.

If you like the high-fidelity, “black background” sort of sound that reveals everything and really holds your attention, the AE500s would probably be your preference. They were strong with Red Rain and Ghostman, handling sections with a lot going on at once and giving brilliant bass punch.

The downside was that they might be fatiguing if heard at higher volumes for a long session. They also lacked the sense of ambient space that makes you feel like you’re at an actual live concert.

The KEFs on the other hand nailed that aspect. That room-filling quality really made it feel like a live show in a real acoustic space. This was amazing for When The Levee Breaks; the KEFs captured the wild, energetic feel of that song. Robert Plant’s voice sounded awesome belting out lyrics through that overdriven analog distortion effect.

The KEFs would be more forgiving for rougher recordings and definitely turn the room into a concert venue.

TLDR:

Bass extension and treble detail were similar on both. The KEF Q Concerto Meta had a wider soundstage and felt more like a live concert. The Acoustic Energy AE500s had clearer details and tighter bass, great separation but a more forward and compact soundstage. Overall fidelity was slightly better with the AE500.