Kef's Cheapest Bookshelf. Is the Q150 worth your money?

Would you mind doing a comprehensive review on the topic of break-in (speakers, amps, cables, other gear), with before and after measurements included?
Thanks!

I've been wanting to check these out and at the current price seems they are worth a try. Thanks for the detailed analysis!

I use the Q150 as my Rears in my 5.1 (2x R500 Fronts, 1x R2c Center) setup and i am everyday stunned how "big" these speakers sound even in multi channel stereo mode. They offer more warm mid punch than my front stage R series

I wish I understood what all this meant more easily. Audiophile stuff is intense haha. Seems thorough, keep up the good work.

As always, very detailed review, thanks for that! It's nice that you mentioned Emotiva too, I'm currently deciding between these 2..
Emo seems to measure better, less dips and more linear response, but could you please tell me which one has warmer signature? Which has richer midrange? which is more likely to be called "shouty"?

How are these compared to the q350’s?

i demoed a pair of these for 2 days in my office and returned them. you articulated my main issues or issue. i hated, with a capital H the 1-2khz zone. imagine great, presence great, midrange terrible. i found it to be just shrilly compared to the dyn emit m20 or b&w 602s3 which i also have here. without going deeper that is what killed the q150 for me. you would listen. eq down the 1-2khz zone. listen again and what you had was the same shrilly sound just less of it. the way a speaker reproduces a sound does not show up on measurements unfortunately you either like how the material resonates in you ear or you don't. side note, i didn't have the time but experimenting with dampening the box internally may affect this speakers worst attribute for the better. resonance in the cone can be an absolute killer and with subs especially i have taken a sub that did the wom-wom sound. stuffed it with polyfill and sprayed rubber coating on the interior of the box and completely changed the sound by drastically reducing resonance. that really could have been part of the issue

Been eyeballing these, but they have gone up 50% in price lately ...so no

Wharfdale b6.2 vs Elac B6.2 please

They're definitely not bad speakers, but you 100% need a sub, preferably something in the 8" to 10" range with good musicality. It does offer surprisingly decent midbass, so you can somewhat safely cross them over at standard THX mode at 80Hz. They're a pretty nice speaker if you can find them on sale.

I just bought Q150 for 400 Euros, this are great bookshelves speakers, so happy with it. The sound stage is incredible for the price. Thanks for your very professional review.

Would love to see you review SVS Ultra bookshelves and center speaker 👍

I need help between the KEF Q350 or the KEF Q150, do you have a comparison video?

currently, here, the Q350 is only 50 €\$ more expensive than the Q150

Dude, what the F with the machine are you OK? Do you need to get help? No one need a machine to text speakers like that.

Going to use about a 27 inch subwoofer

what is your speaker or studio monitor recommendation sub $500 for low volume, near field ( 2 feet ) desktop usage ? thanks

So KEF have stands that the speakers can attach to?

I use these speakers with a Martin Logan Dynamo 400 sub. You can listen to them without a sub, but after listening with a sub, it's hard to go back. To reduce bubbling, I closed the phase inverter holes.

Are they good for heavy metal?

what is a good cheap amp to buy for this

I bought these to use as Atmos front height (on wall) speakers , still waiting for them to ship

Great review! I've actually had the Emotiva B1+ and Kef Q150. It was a hard decision between but the KEF'S won on Soundstage and imaging. There are just so many good choices under the $300 range!

My 1982 Polk Series 5 monitors are the only speakers I've ever had. Recently my passive radiators are starting to go bad. Any suggestion on replacements would be appreciated. I purchased a pair of Polk XT 70's and had to return them as they just didn't sound very good to my ear.

Anyone have experience with these actually in a bookshelf with very little space against backwall?

THANK YOU !!! fantastic review and intelligent guy!!

"Treble heavy" may mean perfect for off axis listening. No need for tow-in.

Erin, is the Q150 is a monitor, but is it a bookshelf or stand-mount? Those are two very different applications. The standmount is intended for use well away from room boundaries, so should include baffle step compensation, BSC. The bookshelf type is intended for use in close proximity to room boundaries, so does not include the full 6dB BSC, though might still include some EQ for residual diffraction interference ripple and boundary reflection interference. A monitor on a stand near or against the wall is a bookshelf application, regardless the use of the stand.

Q150 @ $300 pretty much kills the competition. But Wharfedale Diamond 220 on sale @ $250 kills EVERYTHING

Have you tested the Kef Q350? Would you expect your measurements to differ very much, or is there no way to know short of running your test?
I'm considering the Q150 for a 14 ft by 17 ft room, and I do have a Rel subwoofer. Any thoughts or recommendations?
BTW, I'll date myself, but my very first speaker was a Kef105, the first speaker to have computer designed crossover 🙂

I suspect the midrange resonance is due to the bass-mid driver surround (the frequency matches the diameter of that driver).
It might be worth investing in an accelerometer so you can easily measure enclosure resonances.

Thanks for this very comprehensive test/review. My listening room is very small (12ft x 12ft x 9ft high). My listening position is unfortunately only 4ft away. I need a speaker that performs well at low volume too. Taken into consideration from what you've found, do you think the Q150 will be ok without a subwoofer too?

Still think KRK better

You look like a total hardass on the podcast but I loved this vid. Great work.

I purchased a pair of these shortly before your review came out. I was blown away by the soundstage! I'd (apparently) never heard speakers with good soundstage. I'm a very data driven person and I absolutely appreciate all you do in your reviews.

Can you review the Heco Aurora 300 also?

Ironically in car audio coaxial drivers are hugely avoided due to just overall wimpy sound. More durable as well, as my q150s have just decided to randomly shatter.
And it's not just me. Just type in "kef damage ”
in Google.
Until KEF re engineers this POS uniq driver, I would avoid these at all cost.

I have watched a few videos now and it feels like I have found the Gamers Nexus of speakers. This is incredible. I will be picking up the Kef Q150.

Wow, the bass is really that linear down to 55Hz..? A lot better than I would have expected!

What about 6.5" speaker kef Q350?

How would drapes help if they are behind you

Thanks Erin.

Adding a rejector filter might help with the high frequency bump.

NO ONE HAS ANSWERED THE QUESTION: What s the "Difference" between the LFE Signal from an AV Amplifier OR the Standard Cross-Over Input from S-Woofer Out ortr The Mains. WE see Major Differences whether the S-woofer is Connected through it's Crossover of if FROM THE AV'S LFE SIGNAL.

Hope you get a chance to take a look at the KEF Q350 as well some day. Thanks for your videos.

Thank you Erin!

How do these compare to Q100?

Are these significantly better than the q100 bookshelf speakers? Assuming I'd be using a subwoofer and center (model TBD) with either one, for a home theater