Short answer: the KEF Q Concerto Meta. It ranks #11 of 84 bookshelf speakers by sound quality at $1399.99; the Dynaudio Special Forty ranks #56 and costs $3600, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the KEF Q Concerto Meta offers: Really good in-room neutrality with consistent horizontal directivity from seat to seat. Watch for: Radiation pattern measures about ±50°, narrower than the reviewer’s preferred ±60° for a stronger sense of envelopment.
What the Dynaudio Special Forty offers: Smooth, “buttery” overall tonal character consistent with Dynaudio’s house sound. Watch for: A glaring, sometimes sibilant quality around 3-4kHz was the most noticeable issue in listening, the one thing the reviewer would want notched out with EQ.
Buy the KEF Q Concerto Meta. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Dynaudio Special Forty and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Specifications Side By Side
| KEF Q Concerto Meta | Dynaudio Special Forty | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,399.99 | $3600 |
| Ranked | #11 of 84 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers | #56 of 84 in Large Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 35Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 53Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 54Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 16.3"H x 8.3"W x 12.4"D (414 x 210.8 x 315 mm) | 14.1"H x 7.7"W x 12.1"D (358.1 x 195.6 x 307.3 mm) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (3.3 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 165 mm (6.5 in.) hybrid aluminium cone woofer, 100 mm (4 in.) aluminium cone midrange, 19 mm (0.75 in.) vented aluminium dome with MAT tweeter | 5.9" MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone woofer, 1" Esotar soft dome tweeter |
| Sensitivity | 84.2dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 83.5dB (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 20.9 lbs / 9.5 kg each | 17.9 lbs / 8.1 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | ported |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More useful head-to-heads from the same speaker class:
- KEF R3 Meta vs Wharfedale Super Linton
- KEF R3 Meta vs KEF R3
- KEF R3 Meta vs MoFi SourcePoint 8
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs MoFi SourcePoint 10
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs Wharfedale Aura 2
The Two Speakers In Full
KEF Q Concerto Meta: $1,399.99 Amazon Crutchfield
Pros: Really good in-room neutrality with consistent horizontal directivity from seat to seat. Directivity holds remarkably steady from lower treble into upper treble, where many similarly-priced speakers narrow sharply as frequency rises - one of the reviewer’s top 10 picks under $1,500.
Cons: Radiation pattern measures about ±50°, narrower than the reviewer’s preferred ±60° for a stronger sense of envelopment. Needs to be pointed closer to on-axis rather than heavily toed out - combined with its rolled-off, shelved-down top end, too much toe-out makes it sound noticeably dark.
Full KEF Q Concerto Meta review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 35Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 53Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 16.3"H x 8.3"W x 12.4"D (414 x 210.8 x 315 mm) |
| Drivers | 165 mm (6.5 in.) hybrid aluminium cone woofer, 100 mm (4 in.) aluminium cone midrange, 19 mm (0.75 in.) vented aluminium dome with MAT tweeter |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal (3.3 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 84.2dB (measured average, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Weight | 20.9 lbs / 9.5 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner: HiFi Perfection? KEF CONCERTO META Delivers!
- Erin’s Audio Corner Website KEF Q Concerto Meta
- Erin’s Audio Corner: I Tested 250 Speakers So You Don’t Have To!
- Erin’s Audio Corner: HiFi Perfection? KEF CONCERTO META Delivers!
- Erin’s Audio Corner: My Absolute Favorite Products of 2024 Revealed
- Reddit Search for KEF Q Concerto Meta Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs KEF R3 Meta
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs Wharfedale Aura 2
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs AsciLab C6B
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs MoFi SourcePoint 8
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs March Audio Sointuva AWG
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs Wharfedale Super Linton
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs GR-Research NX-Bravo
- KEF Q Concerto Meta vs MoFi SourcePoint 10
- See all 14 comparisons
Dynaudio Special Forty: $3600 Safeandsoundhq
Pros: Smooth, “buttery” overall tonal character consistent with Dynaudio’s house sound. Surprisingly precise, focused imaging despite wide horizontal radiation (about ±70°) - atypical, since wide-radiating speakers usually sacrifice some image precision in reflective rooms. Strong output capability: reached 100-101dB average at 3.5 meters with no audible distortion or woofer distress, and compression testing at 102dB shows the cabinet holding up mechanically well at extreme output. Bass reaches a genuine 50Hz (potentially 40Hz) in most rooms from a rear-ported design. Distortion stays below 1% at 86dB and doesn’t cross 3% THD until about 50Hz even at 96dB. Extra weight and impact on snares and percussion around 700-800Hz that the reviewer found appealing on many tracks.
Cons: A glaring, sometimes sibilant quality around 3-4kHz was the most noticeable issue in listening, the one thing the reviewer would want notched out with EQ. Multiple enclosure resonances appear between 500Hz-1kHz across on-axis, listening window, early-reflections, and sound-power measurements, corroborated by independent third-party CSD data showing similar 500-800Hz cabinet resonances. A dip around 1.2kHz traces to a cone-edge-to-surround compliance mismatch in the driver itself (confirmed by testing the bare driver’s impedance) - a known artifact common to many similarly-sized drivers across several manufacturers, contributing to elevated second-order distortion in that region. A somewhat laid-back, recessed 1-2kHz character (sometimes described as a “BBC dip”) gives an overall subdued quality that isn’t overtly problematic but shapes the tonal balance. Impedance drops below 3 ohms in the 100-200Hz region, requiring a genuinely 4-ohm-stable amplifier rather than an AVR. Rear port means it can’t be placed directly against a wall.
Full Dynaudio Special Forty review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 54Hz (measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 14.1"H x 7.7"W x 12.1"D (358.1 x 195.6 x 307.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 5.9" MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) cone woofer, 1" Esotar soft dome tweeter |
| Impedance | 6 ohms nominal (4.9 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured, Erin's Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83.5dB (measured, Erin's Audio Corner; 86dB manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 17.9 lbs / 8.1 kg each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported |
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons