The q350 series has higher wattage as compared to q150. But, we're here at Stereophile, an established Audiophile's reference Journal, absorbing the findings of inspired writers who take the time to carefully and fully evaluate various things of interest to our "tiny" group. As a general thumb of rule , to optimise the audio experience one should place their speakers six to ten inches apart, that is if you own a pair. Imagine how I felt as I lay on the couch in my night-dark, candlelit apartment, feeling like I was surrounded by the stone walls of a Gothic cathedral begun in 1295. This eventually leads to higher gain and less power consumption, very similar to the q150 series. The KEF q150 speaker range comes with an MDF cabinet which is very sleek in look and reduces all the extra vibrations and distortion, and hence provides excellent quality of the sound. Even Foxconn has stated it could move some production overseas. (The new KEF LS50 Meta is their current media darling. Worked into the now complete system the performance of the HT system is a true force of nature. As the maximum of the controlling attuning of the sound is executed by the amplifier. Audiophiles who like more bass should still match this with a subwoofer. Kef Q350 customer reviews It is your task as a reader to accept their expertise or not, and to apply your own filters such as country of manufacture. The SONY CSS5 at $78-$128 per pair outperforms this $499-$599 speaker easily in definition, detail and instrument separation. The Q Acoustics 3020i are available in several different colors and because they are a few years old you can often find them discounted. I scoured the internet for any comparisons or comments and found very little worthwhile info. I do not use a sub as a result. This voltage criteriais a measurement of a speakers volume, and it should be expressed as 2.83V RMS at a distance of one metre. The Q150 also have a nominal impedance of 8 ohms, making them fairly easy to drive for most amplifiers. A common analogy used f, More and more, musicians and streaming services are offering high-resolution audio playback for music files. Will these Audiophile smart phone people connect the dots, discover Stereophile and end up buying Q series KEF loudspeakers ? The KEF LS50 Meta is available in four colors: carbon black, titanium gray, mineral white and a special edition crimson red. The Borea BR03 are French-made passive bookshelf speakers that push way beyond their $450 price tag. We can say that KEF q150 is the upgraded version of q100 bookshelf speakers. 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. You can drive these with 35-50 watts and wipe the floor with any wireless loudspeaker for many years to come. The Alpha P5 have a lot of competition below $600, but they manage to win the day with an impressive level of transparency, detail and dynamic punch that works with almost every recording you try. NEW 2023 : SECRET New Hi-Fi & Home Theater In-wall speaker LCR7. As a Manufacturer, how can I approve the concept of moving our labor supply "offshore", strictly to improve my Corporation's P/E ratio ( momentarily ). The Q150 comes with just enough bass for small to medium rooms and does not instil a vibration. Excellent . Triangle BR03; Save Share. or is Waste Management the only option. Another significant design factor of the LS50 is that it's intended to be used with heavy Sand filled Stands so that the added mass would further dampen it's Cabinet resonances. Mistahhhhhhhh Space., You're Not Suggesting Block or unblock port if using with subwoofers? From the bits I did gather, there seemed to be a general consensus that the Q150 had cleaner treble, but the Q350 sounded bigger, warmer, had better mids, and more bass. Someone please define Chinesium: aside from the fact that many of the best built best sounding audio products I know are both designed and manufactured in China, I must tell you: Throughout the 1980s I lived in a giant factory-loft builting in Brooklyn. This strategic positioning of the tweeter helps decrease the noisy frequencies of the sound to the front side. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . You are racist. KEF q350 is another popular variant of the bookshelf speaker. Apart from the Driver and design, both speakers also share the same crossover frequency of 2.5Hz, the same technology of the Uni-Q array/CFD port, and a nominal impedance of 8ohms. In simple words, we can say that KEF q150 has a very wide soundstage and sounds fantastic even at low volume with neutral sound. Unfortunately, there was a leanness that turned dry and flat through the uppermost octaves. I bought and auditioned the Triangle Bro 3, the Klipsch RP 600M, Elac Unifi 2.0 and this KEF Q350. I reckon some other customer blew it out, returned it, and Amazon doesnt actually check stuff out. Feb 5, 2020 . Listening As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling speakers receives a consumer score of 9.1 (great). Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon, Marantz NR1607 Ultra HD 7.2 Channel Network A/V Surround Receiver with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Our 'British' boxes are always wonderful. Tony- You do remember that Gold Peak Industries of Hong Kong owns KEF, right. The Uni-Q driver array is at the core of the advanced Q Sequence. It was purchased new by a member and kindly drop shipped to me for testing. $799.00 sale $599.00 Add to Cart Manufactured in Canada, this all-new range takes. 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 Q350 was not released recently but . The only thing that KEF Q150 lacks is the presence of the grille, which many people might not need to maintain the aesthetics. No doubt, there are more expensive speakers available in this range, but KEF q150 stands out from all these with these stunning features. This probably explains Jones's roaming around from Pioneer to TAD to Elac. If the bookshelf speaker is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled (or both), youll likely be able to control the output through your smartphone or other device. The B&W 606 S2 Anniversary Edition is available in three finishes: black, white or oak. 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. Reply Quote. Driven by Rogue Audio's Sphinx hybrid integrated amplifier (tubes, class-D, $1299), the Q350's sound had stout bones, especially through the bottom octaves. I'm proud of my Stereophile reviews of Schiit Audio's Yggdrasil DAC ($2299) and Ragnarok integrated amplifier ($1699). I could tell where the internal brace was. Combining elegance and technology, it is a continuation of TRIANGLE's investment in favor of a target of pleasure and emotion. We sold scads of LS3/5a pairs !!! Although, the size of these bookshelves speakers varies up to a great extent. Three minutes in I was staring blankly, eyes closed, swaying slowly in my seat, astounded by how much larger and more serious every note had become. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. After this bad experience, Ive been ordering from Crutchfiield which has 60 day returns and actually checks its gear. More specific and focused drivers means more accurate, robust sound. Why have they gone overseas? The ports design has been tweaked to reduce vibration at higher speeds, resulting in little port noise and LF compression. I own the LS50s with Sound Anchor stands. Do you prefer accurate bass or loud bass? I looked up the warranty and it specifically excludes issues related to humidity . But the vast majority of people like yourself aren't willing to put their money where their mouths are and pay more for products built in the USA by people who get the (tiny) US minimum wage. Does seem to level the playing field a bit maybe even reverse the budget argument, why is that not commented on? Higher sen, Given as a range in Hertz (Hz), the frequency response is a measurement of the range of sound a speaker can produce. So what is this entry level "Audiophile" price concept being frequently touted ? https://www.av-online.hu/pictures/gallery/kef-q350_2017-09-18/big/KEF-Q350-hangfal-csatlakoz%C3%B3_big.jpg. The Q150 are the smallest and most affordable speakers in KEF's Q series. The Q350 doesn't have the same constrained layer damping as the LS50. Discover. Replaced Klipsch RP-600M with these and was literally blown away. 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. This is usually known as socialism. 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. I'm probably choosing peanut butter over steak because of this Spiritual Position. Therefore, you can either use exposed wires or banana plugs here. Clarity is enhanced by reducing the audibility of midrange leakage through the port, thanks to a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) port configuration with the port reconfigured to the speakers back. I have listened to many many speakers around this and we'll above this price range. This causes the driver t, Power handling, or peak power, is the highest wattage a speaker can accept from an amplifier before it burns out or becomes damaged. Some of the products have been objectively measured at the Audio Science Forum, some very good, and some not. This number describes the electrical resistance provided by the speaker to the power signal sent by your amplifier. The Q350's cloth grille is optional at $39.98/pair, but KEF does include concentric, two-piece foam plugs to partially or fully block the rear-firing ports when the pair are positioned near room boundaries. motion 35xti. My personal gear went up for adoption and are long gone, I should've put them into "proper" storage. It makes a significant difference to move it forward or farther away from the wall. And at $550 if they're as good as they're hyped up to be, then it's a steal. I just sold my beloved focal 726 tower speakers that cost 3.5 times are For a retail price of $500 I am so incredibly blown away. This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. The sound is FULL bodied, clear, and I have cranked it up well beyond 90 DB without ANY distortion. The Q350 was not released recently but the KEF sound with the Uni-Q drivers has been praised for many years. 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Select a location to see product availability, Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2022. Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2023. But as we have already mentioned that it is a passive speaker, the customization shouldnt be expected anyways. Canadians shop for TVs, home audio, AV furniture, housewares & home electronics. OK looks, but very boxy cheap cabinet with sharp edges and corners. There will always be a market for bookshelf speakers. The Best Outdoor Speakers for Your Backyard and Summer Parties, Larger than your average bookshelf speaker, Larger than your average bookshelf speakers, Design (especially without grille covers) won't be for everybody. 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. There is a single horizontal brace in the middle of the cabinet. It uses the same Driver and framework content as the Q150. The two most popular materials are metals (aluminum, titanium, etc.) Opinions on that seem to vary quite widely. The specific effect is followed by the tangerine wave effect method. I'm interested in seeing more from Triangle. They also reproduce the scale of the recording in a far more convincing way; crank Led Zeppelins Kashmir through an HomePod mini or an Amazon Echo and you will discover just how poorly smart speakers reproduce the dynamics of a challenging track. But overall, the Q350s allowed the piano to sound full-bodied and musically satisfying. These modest stand-mounted speakers let me feel that. The soundstage is comprehensive and big, with heavy bass and reasonable treble, making these speakers suitable for confined areas. I stuck those to the bottom of the LS50s. The price of the KEF Q350 is double the price of Q150. These speakers are truly remarkable for their size and price. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. Adding the stands made a huge improvement. The Q350 features a New cabinet, sleek New finishes, and an improved 6.5 Unit-Q driver Array. Is Stereophile writing to the emerging iPhone ( smart phone ) Audiophile Marketplace where Billions of potential Loudspeaker buyers are lurking at every Apple Store, spending their discretionary incomes on evolving technologies? Thank you KEF for a well engineered product that I will enjoy for years to come. The KEF bookshelf speakers are small to medium-sized perfect, and they are perfect for any room or even for a moderate space. The LS50 has a 5.25" Uni-Q coincident array with an aluminum-magnesium alloy midrange-bass cone, a 1" aluminum dome tweeter, and a cast-aluminum basket, in a 7.5-liter, 15.8-lb cabinet made of MDF and a sculpted structural foam solid molding. The L100 speakers have a finely tuned 1-inch pinnacle tweeter and a proprietary 5.25-inch Turbine Cone midrange/bass driver, the combination of which results in an ultra-detailed sound. When the speakers arrived they looked fine but the tweeter on one speaker was blown. I hear the Bro3s are warm and easy to listen to yet detailed at the same time. Basically, if you thought KEF's previous speakers sounded good the new LS50 Collection takes that sound to the next level. Though both the variants of the speaker use the same driver arrangement, the design of the KEF Q350 speakers is also more sturdy and thicker. When reviewing different bookshelf speakers, you will often see a measurement in the product name, starting as low as 4 and ranging to 6 or more. Triangle BR03 - liked them, but when comparing side by side with KEF, Triangles sounded more fatiguing. performance to the next level with patented technology, step-up. Gray Well-known member. Having said all the above I do have to admit that the United States has had Post WW11 lack of competition because everyone else had to rebuild. This variant of the KEF speaker uses the patented Uni-Q driver technology. When the speakers arrived they looked fine but the tweeter on one speaker was blown. As a result, this tends to provide a more ideal and pure sound source for extracting and rendering her notes sounds. They bring shame to so many larger speakers setups that honestly it's quite embarrassing. The proportions of the Triangle are entirely satisfying. Even with full woofer excursion, the sound does not break up! Fairly obviously Stereophile's audience is those who already know Stereophile. 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. I had the Kef LS50s but they made my ears bleed after like 45 mins so I had to get rid of em. Exceptional soundstage. i always look for your reviews. There are people on the Internet whose job is to review products. ( at the cost of crushing our local suppliers of quality ) dam em. A general rule of thumb is a bigger woofer means louder, more powerful bass. I have listened to many many speakers around this and we'll above this price range. 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. The Q350's resonance radiating chassis panels is a old trick from the cheap reciever speaker days. These items were sold in major retail stores across America. The BRC1 works well with the BR03. A low distortion inductor is settled inside the speaker to reduce all the abrasion sounds, which tend to distort the quality of the sound. The vibration I felt, especially toward the bottom front of each side, was not subtle. This has been my Life-Long hobby and part time Career Path. I bought and auditioned the Before buying these KEFs, I like many others obsessionally belabored the choice. I used the powerful Bel Cantos to hear how well these little speakers could reproduce the sound of a big organ recorded in a giant cathedral. KEF Q150 has a current market retail price of $299/pair. Sign up for the latest news and exclusive promotions. Triangle Borea BR03. They didnt realize the R5 speakers werent playing until I pointed it out. Inner construction has been modified to eliminate internal resonances and increase audio quality. 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 These Kefs blow all the speakers in this price range clear out of the water. . In Summary ( from my perspective ), Chinesium Loudspeaker can be made to sound dam good if you play them with Outstanding-Superb-Carefully Selected-Well Made front ends ! I'll figure around $5,000 US ! Triangle had cleaner, tighter bass but nowhere near the extension as the 12's on the JBL's. I then listened non blind with one of my Pioneer AJ 5 1/4 towers. 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. With AI, rising wages, communist gov't interference there have been companies including Oracle and Seagate that have packed up some of their production and left. Besides, the Q series KEF speakers are almost similar to each other in terms of technology, features, and design elements. Speakers with midrange drivers (i.e., at least three-way speakers) have a distinct advantage over two-way speakers. I considered all the current bookshelf speakers that are being talked about in the current year. However, if I'm KEF and need some dam good "Print" reviewing, where on earth do I go? Wharfedale D220 also developed the bass extension that I did not expect. debut reference dbr62. Triangle Borea BR03 are $7.01 more expensive than the average speakers ($299.98). Triangle Borea BR03 are a popular option in the middle of the speakers price range. you explain everything to me and not above me.not meant in a bad waycall off the dog, this has changed my outlook on bookshelf speakers. Years ago I read B&W's first foray into manufacturing speakers in China resulted in a surprising find; after production for B&W's entry speakers stopped for the day at the factory, night shift workers had copied the original B&W speaker and were producing exact copies without B&W's permission, for the Chinese market, and in some cases badging them with the B&W logo for sale. I bought these and a new set of Monoprice speaker stands. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I would definitely recommend these speakers. 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. Although these speakers do not come along with amplifiers, you need to use a medium-watt amplifier if you want to experience the full sound capacity of these speakers. Audio, Albedo, Antal Audio, Triangle, Electrocompaniet, Wireworld, Gramophone Dreams #70: Sutherland Engineering SUTZ & Lounge Audio Copla headamps, Dynavector DV-20X2 & XX-2 MKII phono cartridges, Aretai, Convergent Audio, Aurender, ViaBlue, PAD Hifi, TAD speakers and electronics, Synergistic, Jocavi. Check our recent content on speakers, soundbars, headphones and earphones. It's too dam bad that we have to have our Cherished Local Brands plastered all over cheaper asian products !, KEF is doing exactly what Cooke avoided: diluting the Brand, our Brand if we own KEF stuff and our children's Brand if they hope to work in the Audio marketplace.