A Heritage Hi-Fi Company Reimagines a Classic Bookshelf Speaker from 1969

These entry-level bookshelf speakers pay homage to the British audio maker’s 1969-released loudspeakers.

Published October 16, 2024

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

KEF recently overhauled its lineup of entry-level loudspeakers when it released the Q Series Meta. The new lineup — comprised of bookshelf speakers, floorstanding speakers and home theater speakers — replaces the 2017-released Q Series.

Every loudspeaker in the Q Series Meta features new drivers and technologies — such as KEF’s 12th-generation Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), which is used in its higher-end R Series Meta range — for improved sound at a still-affordable price.

This includes an all-new speaker that KEF added to the lineup, the Q Concerto Meta, which pays homage to the British audio maker’s Concerto loudspeakers originally released in 1969.

The new Concertos

KEF Q Concerto Meta

Specs

Speakers	Three-way bass reflex bookshelf speakers
Recommended Power	15 — 180 watts
Frequency Range	40Hz — 20kHz

Heritage dating back to 1969

The original KEF Concerto loudspeakers were released in 1969 and were notable because they were the brand’s first bookshelf speakers to have a three-way design. Their production run ran from 1969 to 1977, when they were antiquated by KEF’s Cantata loudspeakers.

The Concerto’s three-way design was unique (and still is) among bookshelf-sized speakers, most of which were two-way loudspeakers with a tweeter (for high frequencies) and mid-woofer (for the midrange and bass).

KEF Concerto 1969 loudspeaker — The original Concerto loudspeakers remained in production until 1977.

The three-way design added a dedicated midrange driver. Not only did this help the loudspeakers better handle midrange tones — and cover “the critical vocal range,” according to KEF — but it also freed up the tweeter and woofers to focus more on the high-end and bass, leading to a more balanced and detailed sound.

According to KEF, the original Concerto offered “full range reproduction with low distortion, high power capacity and wide dispersion.” And they were designed for professionals and serious audio enthusiasts.

(Check out KEF’s archives to learn more about the Concerto heritage loudspeakers.)

A classic reimagined

Admittedly, KEF’s new Q Concerto Meta bookshelf speakers are considerably different than the company’s 1969 heritage loudspeakers. They’re smaller, more powerful and have a three-way driver array that looks a lot different.

This is mainly due to the fact that the Q Concerto Meta speakers feature KEF’s proprietary Uni-Q driver — which was first introduced in 1988, well after the original Concertos — which places the tweeter inside the mid-woofer. While its Uni-Q driver handles the highs and midrange, the Q Concerto Meta has a separate third driver (a woofer) that handles the bass.

The Q Concerto Meta loudspeakers get their name simply because they’re KEF’s first bookshelf speakers in its entry-level Q Series to have a three-way design.

Like the original Concerto were the brand’s first three-way bookshelf models, KEF claims these new Concertos share “the same concept of making high-fidelity sound more accessible to more people.”

KEF Q1 Meta speakers — Admittedly, the three-way driver array looks a lot different on the new Concertos.

Price and availability

The KEF Q Concerto Meta, the company’s new entry-level three-way bookshelf speakers, are available now for $1,299/pair. You can buy them in one of three finishes: satin black, satin white and walnut.

The other two bookshelf speakers in KEF’s new Q Series Meta, the Q1 Meta ($600) and the larger Q3 Meta ($800) — both have a two-way design — are both more affordable.