Experts recommend Klipsch R-51PM more than Kef Q150
As of 7 Mar 2024, experts prefer Klipsch R-51PM over Kef Q150, but both Speakers have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Klipsch R-51PM received 1 recommendation: from ZD Net (13 Feb 2023). By contrast, Kef Q150 received only 2 recommendations from Pitchfork (19 Nov 2020) and Gear Patrol (5 Jan 2024).
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | SoundGuys | ZD Net | Pitchfork | Wirecutter | T3 | Gear Patrol | Rolling Stone | The Master Switch | What Hi-Fi | hifioasis.com |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | N/A | $400 | Klipsch R-51PM | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
19 | -1 | $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 | - | - | 10 | - | - | - | - |
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 5 Jan 2024 Gear Patrol ranked Kef Q150 as #10
Rank Speakers ... ... #10 out of 12 Kef Q150 ... ... Source: www.gearpatrol.com - On 13 Feb 2023 ZD Net ranked Klipsch R-51PM as #1
Rank Speakers Comment #1 out of 5 Klipsch R-51PM Best bookshelf speaker overall... ... ... Source: www.zdnet.com
After counting and adding up the 80 expert endorsements of the March rankings, Klipsch R-51PM outranks Kef Q150. This is not to say that Kef Q150 is a bad option. Like Klipsch R-51PM, it is recommended by experts, but less.
Customers like Kef Q150 a bit more
At ReviewFinder we prefer to focus on professional product reviews, because customer reviews can be disproportionately affected by unrelated factors such as delivery, specific seller listing problems, and, of course, fake reviews. With that said, below is the summary of consumer sentiment.
Klipsch R-51PM
CS of 10 is similar to a 4.8 star review, CS of 0 is similar to a 2 star review.
Kef Q150, the cheaper option, tends to get more favorable reviews than Klipsch R-51PM.
As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling speakers receives a consumer score of 9.1 (great). Both Kef Q150 and Klipsch R-51PM receive customer reviews that average out above that median threshold.
Kef Q150 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
|
Klipsch R-51PM |
In comparison:
9.4 Amazing
|
Median best-selling Speakers |
In comparison:
9.1 Great
|
Klipsch R-51PM is more popular than Kef Q150
It's fairly safe to say that Klipsch R-51PM are more popular speakers than Kef Q150, based on their 2,000+ reviews. Popularity is determined based on product sales. Note that older and cheaper products tend to sell more.
To consider
Table: Top compared alternatives for Kef Q150 and Klipsch R-51PM | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bose 301 | $380 |
In comparison:
10.0 Amazing
| No expert recommendations | Better Reviews | |
Triangle Borea BR03 | $319 |
In comparison:
9.7 Amazing
| 2 expert recommendations | Cheaper Better Reviews | |
Klipsch RP-600M | $349 |
In comparison:
9.9 Amazing
| No expert recommendations | Cheaper Better Reviews | |
Pioneer SP-BS22-LR | $399 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
| No expert recommendations | Better Reviews |
Rank | Change | Price | Speakers | SoundGuys | ZD Net | Pitchfork | Wirecutter | T3 | Gear Patrol | Rolling Stone | The Master Switch | What Hi-Fi | hifioasis.com |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | - | $1600 | 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 | 2 | - | 3 | 1 | - |
2 | +1 | $359 | 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 | - | 9 | - | 4 | - | 5 |
3 | New * | $700 | Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 1 |
4 | +1 | Check price | Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 The Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition bookshelf speaker delivers excellent sound performance across the frequency range, with punchy and dynamic bass, a wide frequency response, and a purposeful design, making it a great choice for music and home theater use. | - | 5 | - | - | 5 | 7 | - | 9 | - | - |
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 |
Expert reviews [3]
- with a score: 3
- without a score: 0
Highest score by 7Review | 100 |
Average score based on 3 reviews | 93 |
Lowest score by Audio Direct | 90 |
Score distribution:
80-100 | |
60-80 | |
40-60 | |
20-40 | |
0-20 |
- 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
- Powered monitor
- Bluetooth wireless technology
- Phono/line analog (with switch and ground screw terminal)
- 3.5 millimeter analog Mini jack
- USB digital
- 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 they’re best equipped to produce—high 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 4” and ranging to 6 ½” 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 doesn’t 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.
- • Bluetooth® wireless technology
- • Phono/Line analog (with switch and ground screw terminal)
- • 3.5mm analog mini jack
- • USB digital
- • Optical digital
Kef Q150 are a very popular option on the higher end of the price range. They're in the top 3 bestselling speakers and have dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Definitive Technology D9 or Klipsch RP-600M .
Kef Q150 were released in 2017. There are dozens of newer speakers on the market. Show newer Speakers
Kef Q150 are $86.99 more expensive than the average speakers ($263).
Klipsch R-51PM are a very popular and one of the more expensive options. They're in the top 3 bestselling speakers and have dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Edifier S1000MKII or ELAC Uni-Fi Reference 3-Way .
Klipsch R-51PM were released in 2018. There are a few newer speakers on the market. Show newer Speakers
Klipsch R-51PM are $136.99 more expensive than average speakers ($263).