Considering $1000 be your highest price, according to most users, the Q150 speaker model seems to be underpriced. 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 ). and.. it explains an entry level $500 LS50 re-branded as Q series. It was operating as an employee owned business when in 2014 there was a management led buyout by Sonovox Group (China). Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes (detailed below) and sizes. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes (detailed below) and sizes. answer: My old pals at Stereophile and hope to have the Industry's leading Poetically respected Philosopher crawl into bed with ( and spend some quality time with ) our lovely little Q loudspeaker, thank you ! Watched a zillion YouTube reviews. Like a TV, your speaker has to be high-res capable to play these high-res files. Wharfedale is one of the oldest loudspeaker manufacturers in the world and one of the best at designing affordable loudspeakers that can really reproduce a full-range sound. Each speaker has the same tweeter found in the L100 Classic and a smaller 8-inch woofer, but the pair still delivers the accurate, dynamic and powerful sound you'd expect from a legendary speaker. I could sense the thicknesses of the wood of the stringed instruments. . Everywhere I place them and every amp I connect them to makes a pair of speakers sound different. $799.00 sale $599.00 Add to Cart . Triangle Borea BR03 are $7.01 more expensive than the average speakers ($299.98). Might someone translate "Tony in Michigan"'s comments into plain ol' English for me? Speaker Decision - Speaker, Subwoofer and Amplifier Reviews and Comparisons What's the Best Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker? The specs are Class A, 100 watts per channel at 0.006 THD and SNR of 105db. I have not read all the comments fully, but Tony's statement has a grain of truth. The significant difference is that q100 has a front port, whereas KEF q350 has a backport. Released in 2020, the JBL L82 Classic is effectively a smaller, more affordable version of the L100 Classic (which were released in 2018). Behoove is the Duty or Responsibility to do something, I'm cautioning people about the concealed affects & effects from handing your/our cherished designs to Nation/States working to destroy our Foundational Industries. I'm sorry. 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. Speakers with midrange drivers (i.e., at least three-way speakers) have a distinct advantage over two-way speakers. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. I considered all the current bookshelf speakers that are being talked about in the current year. Why do I get the feeling that ownership of these Qs is a "period of time" specific experience, not to be confused with Ownership of a Pair of LS3/5a Rogers being a "Lifetime" experience with Grandchildren lining up to inherit the darn things ? It's the Walmart thinkers that have China making the unserviceable Land Fill Filler for us. Hence, it turns out an excellent way for saving power along with excellent sound delivery. A stronger eastern dragon makes Big Sam feeling inferior ! Tweeters (over 2000Hz), midrange (200-2000Hz), and woofers (under 200Hz) are the most common types of drivers used in speakers. KEF also gave them a more refined cabinet, a new rear recessed port, and a new cone neck decoupler and motor system. I had to play around with positioning a lot to get the Kef to sound best. Additionally, these are not very hard loudspeakers to drive and they can play very loudly without losing any sense of control or focus. Excellent speakers, but be weary of less-than-ideal placement, Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2017. At one point in my critical listening, I got up and put my hands on the sides of the Q350s' cabinets. No worries. High-rated Speakers in a similar price range. Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023. More specific and focused drivers means more accurate, robust sound. It was purchased new by a member and kindly drop shipped to me for testing. I don't want you to go out of your way. To optimise the listening experience, the Q series provides the Uni-Q driver has been repositioned to the center of the cabinet. Though the speakers have the save drivers installed along with the same enclosure material like q150. In China. In speakers, frequency response is a critical component. Also, the design and specs seem perfect for all the small and medium-sized rooms. The only real upgrade is that B&W upgraded the crossover in the speakers as everything else remained the same. Therefore, the natural-feeling energy, hip-shaking momentums, saturated colors, high-relief textures, and relaxed coherence they brought to the Q350s did not surprise me. It's the engineering and the pursuit of quality by the parent company that makes the product and KEF shows they are NOT diluting their brand, but instead, making room for a larger market of people to enjoy excellent audio. ( just like Ivor of LINN always said ). (footnote 1). Your praise for Magnepan misses the point. It is a 2-way bookshelf speaker, which comes along with a rear port as well. Walmart & Best Buy specialize in products with very short half-lives. As a Corporation I have to move my Labor Supply "OffShore" to take advantage of lower labor costs, my personal Contract and Bonuses are contingent on it. Manufactured in Canada, this all-new range takes. 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. There is still no such thing as a free lunch. The Q 350 is a remarkably well engineered speaker at a very good price. Please keep in mind that the KEF Q150 is a 2-way concentric design with the tweeter dwelling in the middle of the woofer while the Polk is a 3-way design with the midrange on the top, the tweeter just below it, and the woofer below that (The woofer is housed in a separate chamber inside of the cabinet; isolating it from the midrange driver and * Magnetic Grilles sold separately. Nov 27, 2015 4,591 3,794 33,570. Discover more. The Paradigm DCS-208IW3, the perfect blend of performance and practicality. There is a single horizontal brace in the middle of the cabinet. As a result, this tends to provide a more ideal and pure sound source for extracting and rendering her notes sounds. Opinions on that seem to vary quite widely. 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. The updated speakers feature B&W's Continuum cone driver technology, which has been a signature feature of the company's higher-end speakers for years, and both speakers have a rear-firing port that helps the speakers deliver surprisingly punchy bass. I too found myself on that see-saw of trying to decide which to buy and if the Q350 was worth the extra $200. 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. 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. 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. The KEF LS50 quickly became regarded as some of the best-sounding passive speakers when they were released in 2012. The human voice and most instruments fall into this range. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision! The Q350 features a New cabinet, sleek New finishes, and an improved 6.5 Unit-Q driver Array. Lower sensitivity speakers require more power from the amplifier to achieve higher volumes. How many bookshelf speakers are included? The drivers installed are also the same in KEF q150 and q100 speaker ranges. Fairly obviously Stereophile's audience is those who already know Stereophile. The speakers entire functioning is based on the unique arrangement of the driver, which is dubbed and integrated with uni-Q technology. Paradigm | High Performance Audio - Crafted in Canada 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. performance to the next level with patented technology, step-up. I tried to avoid buying these, but i keep finding little finger prints from my 2 year old on the speaker cones. I bought these and a new set of Monoprice speaker stands. These speaker series follow the tangerine waveguide. I do buy valuable products made by skilled artisans and workmen, products like PS Audio, Sennheiser, Festool, Brisson Interfaces, Electrocompaniet, Thiel Audio, Meridian, Linn Products. Also, not all the receivers come along with these elements. #1. This is a special type of wire that makes an electrical connection and transmits sound signals. 0637203215728, 0637203215742, 0637203216282. The BRC1 works well with the BR03. Noticeably missing from this ( beautiful turning of phrases ) AB comparison is the Magnapan MG.7 for a US $ price of "Affordable" and a Decades long Audiophile reputation for A+ performance level. Canadians shop for TVs, home audio, AV furniture, housewares & home electronics. It is the biggest driver in size, and is usually shaped like a cone. This number is given in watts. The soundstage is comprehensive and big, with heavy bass and reasonable treble, making these speakers suitable for confined areas. OK looks, but very boxy cheap cabinet with sharp edges and corners. They key to quality in a woofer materia. Raymond Cooke of KEF got his "K" from his success in Exporting British technologically advanced Products, not from importing cheap labor Chinese loudspeakers. This is a 2-way popular bookshelf speaker. Dali Oberon 1 (280 euro) 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. 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 ? The cost reductions might be hidden internally in an oversimplified crossover using excessively cheap components and maybe a thin unbraced cabinet, or maybe not. You are racist. Seriously. ps. Overall, the KEF q150 and q350 are the perfect choices that you can make to get your hands on the best bookshelf affordable speakers.