It’s been 20 years since I had to purchase floorstanding speakers (that’s why you should invest in high end speakers). My front speakers finally died, so I was looking for quality speakers to pair with my 7.1 setup. I did have size constraints, as my equipment is all built into the wall, and I didn’t want to have to bring a contractor in. The width of speakers are dramatically smaller from what they were, so height was my issue. KEF has a great reputation, but for the reasons I mentioned above, I had to go with the Q550’s. I was concerned that these speakers are the entry level in the Q series, that I would be losing out on the sound quality that I’m use to. I have to say that I’m truly impressed with the sound as relates to both audio and video. I have read some reviews that the bass was a little bit to be desired, but after breaking in the speakers (a must for all high end speakers) I think the lows were fine, even when my subwoofer is turned off. The mids and highs were crisp and clear, especially when listening to music. Bottom line, before I purchased the 550’s, I really thought I was going to be disappointed, but after putting these speakers through their paces, I was glad to be proven wrong.

[Employee of bestbuy] I replaced a pair of 20 year old Infinity reference with these bad boys. These sound great right outta box! Once they broke in... they sound even better. Crisp bright highs and mids are clear paired with a SVS 12" sub

Great sound from a relatively small tower speaker, even without a sub woofer. Didn't know what I was missing with my old speakers.

The KEF Q550 produces an amazing sound stage for a smaller tower speaker. They are efficient and look great as well. They sounded great with all types of music. They are well worth the price.

These guys pack a punch. Had a lot of trouble deciding which speakers to go for, but I'm very happy with the KEFs. Very clear and great power (without being overwhelming)