Experts prefer Kef Q150 over Kef Q350
On 5 Nov 2024 (21 days ago) we went through 77 Speakers expert endorsements .
Currently, Kef Q150 received 2 endorsements from Pitchfork (19 Nov 2020) and Gear Patrol (16 Jul 2024). Meanwhile, Kef Q350 did not receive any endorsements this month.
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | SoundGuys | ZD Net | Pitchfork | Wirecutter | T3 | Gear Patrol | Rolling Stone | The Master Switch | What Hi-Fi | hifioasis.com |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 | - | $350 | Kef Q150 The Kef Q150 bookshelf speakers are highly praised for their clear and detailed sound, versatile design, and compact and sleek appearance, making them a great choice for those seeking a midrange price hi-fi sound or for those who want to use them for a cinematic audio experience. | - | - | 11 | - | - | 9 | - | - | - | - |
N/A | N/A | $493 | Kef Q350 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Curious to see this month's entire Bookshelf Speakers ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 19 Nov 2020 Pitchfork ranked Kef Q150 as #11
Rank Speakers ... ... #11 out of 13 Kef Q150 ... ... Source: pitchfork.com - On 16 Jul 2024 Gear Patrol ranked Kef Q150 as #9
Rank Speakers Comment ... ... ... #9 out of 9 Kef Q150 KEFâs Budget-Friendly Bookshelf SpeakersSource: www.gearpatrol.com
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | SoundGuys | ZD Net | Pitchfork | Wirecutter | T3 | Gear Patrol | Rolling Stone | The Master Switch | What Hi-Fi | hifioasis.com |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | - | $1000 | Kef LS50 The Kef LS50 bookshelf speakers are highly recommended for their exceptional sound quality, versatile frequency response, unique design, and range of connectivity options, making them suitable for a range of music genres and listening environments. | - | 4 | - | - | 7 | 3 | - | 3 | 1 | - |
2 | - | $379 | Q Acoustics 3020i The Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers offer excellent sound quality, versatility, and a modern design, making them a great option for audiophiles who prioritize accuracy and transparency in their sound system. | - | - | 7 | 2 | - | 8 | - | 4 | - | 5 |
3 | - | $490 | Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 The Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 bookshelf speakers offer clear and balanced sound quality, versatile connectivity options, and a sleek design, making them a great choice for general listening purposes in medium-sized rooms and larger spaces. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
4 | - | $280 |
Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 The Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 bookshelf speaker offers clear and balanced sound quality with a sleek design and good connectivity options, making it a great choice for home theater and music playback on a modest budget. | 2 | - | 9 | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | - |
Show all rows |
Expert reviews [21]
- with a score: 4
- without a score: 17
Highest score by Old Time Music | 100 |
Average score based on 21 reviews | 92 |
Lowest score by Digital Trends | 90 |
Score distribution:
80-100 | |
60-80 | |
40-60 | |
20-40 | |
0-20 |
- Rich, warm midrange
- Smooth and remarkably clear upper register
- Heady bass response
- Deep, dimensional soundstage
- Sleek, rugged cabinets
- No speaker screens included
- Wish for more presence in upper midrange
- Amazing soundstage: the speaker sounds the same wherever you stand in the room.
- Two-way bass-reflex design: produces warm, deep, and detailed bass response.
- Redesigned interior cabinet: reduces internal resonance for clear sound.
- 1-inch tweeter: produces clear, warm, and smooth sound.
- Enhanced 5.25-inch Uni-Q driver array: delivers impeccable and accurate acoustics.
- Compact, sleek, and sophisticated design: looks great in any sound space.
- MDF cabinet: provides durability and stability.
- Midrange isn't high end: some customers may find the midrange quality not up to their personal standards.
- No speaker grills: some customers may prefer having speaker grills for protection and aesthetics.
Expert reviews [12]
- with a score: 6
- without a score: 6
Highest score by What Hi-Fi | 100 |
Average score based on 12 reviews | 88 |
Lowest score by Sound and Vision | 70 |
Score distribution:
80-100 | |
60-80 | |
40-60 | |
20-40 | |
0-20 |
- Refined and sophisticated presentation, both sonic and physical.
- Stunning sound and elegant looks at a competitive price.
- Impeccable, sturdy build with clean and modern design.
- Uni-Q driver with damped tweeter loading tube and other tweaks to reduce distortion and improve clarity.
- Revealing and even sound across frequencies with detailed and sweet treble.
- Huge scale of sound with ability to fill a room easily.
- Transparent enough to show off everything your electronics are capable of.
- Lacks a more explicit sense of drama and drive, with a touch too much refinement.
- Needs to be cranked up to fully experience the full talent of the Q350s.
- May not be as immediate and fun as some other speakers, but offers a high level of insight and clarity.
- The KEF Q350 is an affordable bookshelf speaker that sounds more expensive than it is.
- The Q350 is a versatile speaker that can handle a variety of music genres and doesn't require a powerful receiver.
- The Q350 has a sleek and understated design with a choice of colors and a cool-looking Uni-Q driver.
- The Q350 offers a natural tonality and big, deep, and broad stereo imaging with a palpable presence to the sound.
- The Q350 has a strong bass performance that is better suited to fans of rock and dance.
- The Q350's bass port on the rear panel requires a foot or more clearance from the wall or corner.
- The Q350 doesn't come with grills, but magnetic grills can be purchased for an extra $20.
- The Q150 proves that the best things come in small packages. A Uni-Q driver and CFD port mean it punches way above its weight.
- Q Series bookshelf speakers excel in small spaces. KEF's Uni-Q driver array plus Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) port tech equals high resolution and big sound.
- Read more
- The KEF Q350 bookshelf speaker is the newest iteration of KEF award-winning Q Series. The Q350 features a New cabinet, sleek New finishes, and an improved 6.5â Unit-Q driver Array.
- The Q350 contains an enhanced Unit-Q driver Array designed to smooth out treble frequencies, and reimagined crossovers to provide cleaner and more accurate bass.
- Read more
Tweeters produce the highest frequencies in sound, typically anything above 2,000 Hz. Usually located at the top of the speaker, tweeters come in different shapes (detailed below) and sizes. Generally speaking, the size of the tweeter is not as important as the shape. But, for some guidance, consider that a larger tweeter (measured by diameter in inches or millimeters) will likely be louder and able to disperse sound over a larger area.
Speakers with midrange drivers (i.e., at least three-way speakers) have a distinct advantage over two-way speakers. Adding a midrange driver to the mix allows tweeters and woofers to focus on the sound waves theyâre best equipped to produceâhigh tones and low tones respectively. More specific and focused drivers means more accurate, robust sound. Compared to the other drivers, midranges cover sounds, not surprisingly, in the middle of high/treble and low/bass tones. The human voice and most instruments fall into this range. For more sophisticated listeners, or for those who truly want the best sound reproduction, a midrange driver is crucial.
The woofer is the driver that is responsible for low frequency sounds and bass - crucial for well-rounded, booming sound. It is the biggest driver in size, and is usually shaped like a cone. When reviewing different bookshelf speakers, you will often see a measurement in the product name, starting as low as 4â and ranging to 6 ½â or more. This measurement refers to the diameter of the woofer. A general rule of thumb is a bigger woofer means louder, more powerful bass. But, as with any speaker metric, this number alone doesnât describe the loudness of the speaker and should be taken into consideration with other measurements such as sensitivity, which describes the loudness of a speaker per watt.