The Q150 comes with just enough bass for small to medium rooms and does not instil a vibration. According to Dipin Sehdev of KEF America, the stamped basket "is equal in rigidity to the cast one" because "We designed the chassis using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to increase its strength. The position of a speaker has a significant impact on the sound quality. In 2018, it introduced the 606 bookshelf speakers and then just two years later, in 2020, it replaced those speakers with these 606 S2 Anniversary Edition speakers. Replaced Klipsch RP-600M with these and was literally blown away. I have listened to many many speakers around this and we'll above this price range. In this post, we have included a detailed comparison between KEF Q150 Vs. KEF Q350. There is nothing wrong with open and polite discussion, but not backing up any claims with insults and nationalist self-titillation gets you nowhere here. I had the Kef LS50s but they made my ears bleed after like 45 mins so I had to get rid of em. The KEF LS50 quickly became regarded as some of the best-sounding passive speakers when they were released in 2012. If you're a true music lover and you have a bigger room to set up your system (these get loud), the B&W 606 are fantastic compact speakers. It would be useful if JA could make a set of measurements for the Q350 while driven by the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium to show what would be the effect of that amp's output impedance on the speaker's frequency response. Hong Kong-based Gold Peak bought KEF (and Celestion) in 1992, IIRC. There is still no such thing as a free lunch. Nov 27, 2015 4,591 3,794 33,570. Triangles talented standmounters take the fight to the established class leaders. Even Foxconn has stated it could move some production overseas. Generally speaking, the size of the tweeter is not as important as the shape. To roughly assess the maximum amplitude of the noise produced by the Q350's enclosure, I drove the KEFs with Bel Canto Design's e.One REF600M monoblocks ($4990/pair) to play Franois Couperin's complete works for organ, with Michel Chapuis performing on the Jean-Esprit Isnard "large organ" of the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene, in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, France (LP, RCA Victrola VICS 6018). They're in the top 3 bestselling speakers and have quite a few popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin or Kanto TUK . Paired with the right amplifier, these are end-game loudspeakers that also look the part. According to Sehdev, "The lower component count for 1st order network allows us to use better quality components for the price." And these are already pretty pricey for my budget. With KEF's signature Uni-Q driver array and a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) port, the Q350s deliver detailed natural sound with high clarity and tight bass. Bookshelf speakers do a rather convincing job recreating the soundstage; the physical space (studio, garage, music hall) where the recording was made and that illusion of being there with your favorite artist is a big part of the experience. Triangle BR03 - liked them, but when comparing side by side with KEF, Triangles sounded more fatiguing. I tried to avoid buying these, but i keep finding little finger prints from my 2 year old on the speaker cones. buying an amp dependent on THD, SNR, and power balancing with the speaker is preferred. The LS50 is now a balance scale transducer system that the Pro-Audio World ( including Genelec ) are carefully evaluating and comparing , pretty much like you and Steve G. do within most of your workings. KEFs tangerine waveguide over the tweeter dome adds to Uni-ultra-wide Qs distribution. I have not heard them, but suggest that these might be good choice of subject for a future review, to find out if these are worthwhile entry level. The midrange is superb and the bass response from such a small two-way pair of loudspeakers is resoundingly taut and agile even with electronica and hip-hop and driven with entry-level integrated amplifiers. I could sense the thicknesses of the wood of the stringed instruments. . Tony- You do remember that Gold Peak Industries of Hong Kong owns KEF, right. A facility tour will reveal all. Ouch, I'm feeling like I'm getting my ass kicked, Manufacturing wise. The Q150 are the smallest and most affordable speakers in KEF's Q series. Gear Patrol participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Thanks for Naim , I'll be looking for one of the Uniti pieces. I had to play around with positioning a lot to get the Kef to sound best. 3. I think I'm reading that it's around $1,000 for DAC,Amplification & Loudspeakers ( made in chine ). Which implies more gain at lesser power consumption. In 1981 they produced the 3030 receiver which was the first model made in Taiwan, this particular model wasn't very successful, doesn't attract the cash in the used market because it does not have the build quality the Norwegian manufactured ones do. Their design, clarity, and range are head and shoulders above anything in their price range. Raymond Cooke of KEF got his "K" from his success in Exporting British technologically advanced Products, not from importing cheap labor Chinese loudspeakers. But the reviews have told me a lot of characteristics that appeal to me, mainly the soft dome tweeter as opposed to metal (metal kills my ears and gives me fatigue) and that separation and vocals are strong, which is what im searching for. ( just like Ivor of LINN always said ). Therefore, you can either use exposed wires or banana plugs here. But overall, the Q350s allowed the piano to sound full-bodied and musically satisfying. Your praise for Magnepan misses the point. The other control part that you get with these speakers is that you can lay down the speakers on their side. I own superb gear now but I still miss my Vintage lovelies. A painful mistake. The speaker comes with a flagship speaker, LS50. Now that we know about each speaker and their specifications, let us compare the two based on a few factors listed below: A speakers drivers are its brains. Triangle Borea BR03 (300 euro) KEF Q150 (360 euro) They would be used for nearfield listening now (desk usage), but hoping to use them in a medium-sized room at some point in the future. 1. jlm46 2 yr. ago. This voltage criteriais a measurement of a speakers volume, and it should be expressed as 2.83V RMS at a distance of one metre. Why? OK looks, but very boxy cheap cabinet with sharp edges and corners. Triangle Borea BR03, the cheaper option, tends to get more favorable reviews than Kef Q350. Often, for the highest audio dispersion, bookshelf speakers should be put on stands. On other selections on this LP, the flute made breathy, lifelike notes. The sound quality of the Q150 is comparable to that of the KEF LS50, but at a lower cost. ), Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2022. Ideally, this is great for a small room. Even maintaining a 9-inch gap between the wall and a speaker significantly improves the experience. Excellent speakers, but be weary of less-than-ideal placement, Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2017. The louder the speaker will be, the higher the sensitivity. There are many other advanced features within this price range of the KEF features. Never, never, attempt to equate speaker quality with price. The Q150 also have a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, making them fairly easy to drive for most amplifiers. On 4 Mar 2023 (17 hours ago) we went through 92 Speakers expert endorsements . These speakers are easy to drive: I am using the Aiyima A07 class D paired with a Schiit Modi 3+ DAC that I am streaming high res audio to via my laptop. In this, the main motive of the wave effect is to reduce the microscopic compression. Elac Unifi 2.0 and this KEF Q350. 0637203215728, 0637203215742, 0637203216282. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. So I returned them for refund and stated they were defective. is an intellectual rant about using poor ( but skilled ) Chinese labor force ( usually young female Farm Girls ) kept in Labor Dormitories ( like Foxcom ( who make our Apple Products ) for ultra competitive Costs resulting in the collapse of a Country's Position in Supplying any such Product. The B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is available in three finishes: black, white or oak. True audio, Tweeters produce the highest frequencies in sound, typically anything above 2,000 Hz. Of course, I suspect that HR sold most of us on our long established love affair with those LS3/5a darlings instead of the resonating paneled Qs. The BRC1 works well with the BR03. Triangle Borea BR03. Bigger drivers produce greaterbass in general. The Uni-Q driver has indeed been reconfigured to the middle of the cabinet to improve the clarity and quality of the Q Series bookshelf speakers. motion 35xti. - Oct 2018. What matters is the schema of air circulation here. These modest stand-mounted speakers let me feel that. I found the actual review rather florid, but as a current or prior owner of all the speakers referenced including KS50sabd Q300 it's about what I would expect. It was purchased new by a member and kindly drop shipped to me for testing. Luxman, Triangle and Marantz working perfectly together, #nowspinning. Description They didnt realize the R5 speakers werent playing until I pointed it out. Not sure if I understand this right, but are you saying the Q350's really need the Tontrager stands to shine? You will only use this t, For the environmentally conscious, choosing an ENERGY STAR Certified speaker may be important to you. Their task is surely not to act as an entry drug to the (IMHO) aurally bizzare cult of the LS 35a, but rather to find good products and tell us about them. To those who don't they have the same truthiness as Gizmodo. Besides, the Q series KEF speakers are almost similar to each other in terms of technology, features, and design elements. Note decays were blurry, and slightly too long. Low Stock : Order Soon Order by 2pm: Ships Today. Q Acoustics is a British audio company that makes some of the best affordable speakers, and its 3020i are the best bet for most people. What's the Best Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker? 4. I was first drawn to KEF's Q350 because I wondered how a larger version of their signature Uni-Q driver than the one used in the LS50 would sound in a less expensive, vinyl-wrapped enclosure of larger volume and thinner walls. Although you can choose your type of amplifier can be considered as a customization feature. Low-end performance is surprisingly deep and taut making them adept with all kinds of music and they will never be the weak link in your system. I don't deny the qualities of various Chinese Mainland Artisan Companies like Cayin who manufacturer and engineer superb products. Triangle BR03; Save Share. Musical, natural and worth every penny when on discount, Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2022. Would have loved to buy it but it costs literally twice as much. Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023. KEF also gave them a more refined cabinet, a new rear recessed port, and a new cone neck decoupler and motor system. My personal gear went up for adoption and are long gone, I should've put them into "proper" storage. Discover more. . The KEF 150 is recognised for its high-quality recording and accurate soundstage. I had the Kef LS50s but they made my ears bleed after like 45 mins so I had to get rid of em. I considered all the current bookshelf speakers that are being talked about in the current year. The Q350 doesn't have the same constrained layer damping as the LS50. Kef Q350 were released in 2017. I tried the foam plugs for Really wanted to like this speaker but I returned it. It's the stuff you'll find at places like Best Buy and Amazon. Let us know your views about the KEF Q150 Vs Q350 speaker comparison in the comment section. Turntable and Speaker Combos That Make Vinyl Easy, The Best Furniture for Your Home Audio System. Speakers with midrange drivers (i.e., at least three-way speakers) have a distinct advantage over two-way speakers. I reckon some other customer blew it out, returned it, and Amazon doesnt actually check stuff out. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes (detailed below) and sizes. Triangle Audio. The Q Acoustics 3020i are available in several different colors and because they are a few years old you can often find them discounted. 43.8K subscribers Triangle Borea BR03 Speakers https://amzn.to/2ybOCwj Price: $549 (April, 2020), Overall Rating: Pros: Detail Sound, Clean Midrange and Bass, Good Sound Stage. I just did a bit of a Search on the LS50 to discover that KEF originally intended the Design to be a more modern replacement for the LS3/5a. PSB has been manufacturing award-winning loudspeakers for over 40 years. Ending Thoughts - KEF Q150 Vs Q350. Below are their opinions. Throughout the five weeks of my listening, I never stopped adjusting the Q350s' positions, but not because they never sounded rightthey sounded fundamentally good everywhere. The KEF bookshelf speakers are small to medium-sized perfect, and they are perfect for any room or even for a moderate space. This may require an app from the brand, such as Yamahas, Speakers with built-in Bluetooth allow you to stream audio content directly from device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) on the speakers. HR found that the "Q350s really liked tubes", specifically the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium stereo amplifier. KEF going Asian is KEF racing to the bottom. Buy from. I read a zillion reviews. The Q350 has a new cabinet, new colours, and a 6.5 Uni-Q driver array that has been upgraded.The Q350 features an improved Uni-Q driver array that smooths out treble frequencies, as well as reinterpreted crossovers for smoother, more precise bass. However, because active loudspeakers are an entirely different breed they have numerous wired and wireless connectivity options and demand a significantly higher price tag we've omitted them from the below list. I will of course note that most of the companies you praise are foreign, and some manufacturer their products in China. The frequency response of these two speakersdiffers. Today Is the Best Time to Save, The Full-Size HomePod Is Back, and More Affordable, This Fun Bluetooth Speaker Looks Like Nothing Else, Sonos Is Selling Refurbished Speakers for Cheap. 2. But if those aren't deal breakers and you're looking for loudspeakers with unmatched retro flair, the JBL L82 Classic is about as cool as it gets. Also, due to the better and more strategic position of the tweeter in this version of the speaker, it delivers a more powerful sound even at the higher frequencies. I can't wait to get mine, been on backorder for a few weeks, but they had absolutely glowing reviews from YouTube channels I trust, and they're cheap! The frequency range is wide, too, as you're getting lows in the 50Hz range and highs up near 50kHz. There are so many LS3/5a choices in the market, including Graham Audio, which makes both an LS3/5 and an LS3/5a, and reviews such as this are very informative. Kef Q350. Thank you for the comparison of various LS3/5 offerings, very valuable indeed. On the strength of this review, if I was not already satisfied by my vastly more expensive and bigger speakers I would be going to my local KEF dealer this morning. Manufactured in Canada, this all-new range takes. This tends to deliver super powerful sound with broader coverage. The Best Active Speakers of 2022 The Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers for Summer The Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers The Best Outdoor Speakers for Your Backyard and Summer Parties. Well, the increment in prices is only due to the larger size of the driver. Seas (makes some very nice tweeters, midrange, woofers) was founded in 1950 as a spin-off of the Norwegian radio manufacturers Radionette and Tandberg. The JBL L82 Classic won't be for everybody. However, the driver size and other technical requirements are different. Higher sen, Given as a range in Hertz (Hz), the frequency response is a measurement of the range of sound a speaker can produce. I'm probably choosing peanut butter over steak because of this Spiritual Position. This variant of the KEF speaker uses the patented Uni-Q driver technology. Is there anything coming out of China that has "Lasting" Value, is there anything Chinese that our Grandchildren will be taking to their Antique Road Show ? Trust me and ignore any negative reviews for this speaker. So, which is it? I bought these and a new set of Monoprice speaker stands. ELAC DBR62 - liked these too, but similar to Trangles, when comparing side by side with KEF, Elacs were more fatiguing. The drivers installed are also the same in KEF q150 and q100 speaker ranges. The trade-off with any active loudspeaker is that you are committed to how the final product sounds. Browse online or visit our disribution center in Richmond Hill Ontario. What, get outa here, a chinese outfit owns KEF. Product of the year? ( for gods sake ) "Real Wood" & pride of ownership ! Triangle Borea BR03 are a popular option in the middle of the speakers price range. The speakers need to be 3/4 to 1 metre from side and back walls. Apparently my outfit is buying wiring harnesses from these people and they are said to mostly keep their noses out of the Loudspeaker operations. It's here. In this variant of the KEF speaker, the position of the tweeter is in the acoustic center of the line instead of the usual mid-range of the speaker where the twitter is embedded at the very heart of the uni-q driver technology. Decent mid/high detail but bass is overwhelming, very undefined and sloppy, Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022. Released in 2018, they're the next-generation versions of the 3020 and, compared to their predecessor, the 3020is are slightly taller and have a 25-percent deeper chamber to deliver more punchy bass. Nuff said, done here. I just sold my beloved focal 726 tower speakers that cost 3.5 times are much at the Q350s, and I also own a pair of Polk A3s. A low distortion inductor is settled inside the speaker to reduce all the abrasion sounds, which tend to distort the quality of the sound. This website displays data from third party public sources. Triangle Borea BR03 Hi-Fi Bookshelf Speakers Pair (White) for Home Theater Systems or Music, 100 W Power Handling, High Efficiency Horn-Loaded Tweeters, Excellent Realism, Fast and Accurate by triangle Color: White Change Write a review How customer reviews and ratings work Top positive review All positive reviews Story Angel Music that was recorded in stereo needs to be listened to in that format unless we are content with listening to single loudspeakers again that attempt to simulate stereo or even surround sound with multiple drivers packed into an enclosure the size of a coffee can. We can't guarantee correctness and completeness of all the data presented here, and therefore will not accept liability for any issues arising from usage of this data. and they're cheap! You must log in or register to reply here. And I also hear they have a 'different' and . Also, the dimensions of the KEF q150 speakers are relatively smaller, almost very similar. The Borea BR03 are French-made passive bookshelf speakers that push way beyond their $450 price tag. Triangle Borea BR03 A step up in sound quality The Borea BR03 is one of the best bookshelf speaker sets we've heard, with extraordinary clarity and spaciousness plus plenty of bass. The BasX A-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier, SMSL Q5 Pro, or Dayton Audio DTA2.1BT are all viable options. They're still based around the company's proprietary Uni-Q driver, which housed a 1-inch tweeter inside a 5.25-inch woofer resulting in excellent and accurate sound, but KEF refined them in a number of key ways. The Q350s replicated Couperin's "Parish" and "Convent" organ masses with greater scale and finer, more intricate detail, but less forcefulness, than did the LS50s with the same amps. Compared to the other drivers, midranges cover sounds, not surprisingly, in the middle of high/treble and low/bass tones. 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