Better than the LS50!? KEF Q150 Review 

Love your style... Most reviewers are on some esoteric level, listening to only audiophile music. I think there needs to be more guys like you reviewing "real" music. Not knocking classical or jazz, but most don't listen to that stuff day to day. Good luck with your channel.

I had these for a few years. So easy to live with, never fatiguing. Great "holographic" center imaging. Pair them with a subwoofer and you have a very good system :)

Since you are like the Ron Swanson of audio gear I will abide to your words.

I had a pair of Q150s and really liked them. In fact, the only reason I returned them is because I was really jonesing for the Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary bookshelf speakers. What can I say, I really like the look of the Wharfedale. Plus I had read rave reviews of how they pair with the Yamaha A-S501 integrated amplifier, which I own. I really could've stayed with the KEF, though. I think they're amazing at $300. I agree about the bass. I had mine about 12 inches from the back wall and ended up settling on the half/donut port plug/bung as a happy medium for more modern, bass-heavy music that was too much when the port was open, and older, bass-light music that would sound too anemic when using the entire port plug with the "donut" filled in. Liked and subscribed!

this is the chillest review ive ever watched. sold me btw.

Ok, you sold me with the NIN description. Buying these and subscribing to you!

I own both of the q150 and q100 running in the same room. These are excellent speakers. Especially in a small vinyl setup running with quality amplification. They run much better with quality amps.

Man, you just gained a new subscriber. The look of these speakers is so gorgeous.If you have a guest at home he'll think you've paid far more then you actually did and will never go unnoticed. I honestly like this more then LS50 look.Have a keen eye on its bigger brother KEF Q350 and would love a shootout between Klipsch RP600M, KEF Q350, Mission QX-2 and Triangle Borea 3 or others of this range in the near future if of course possible. Keep it up. The field of audio gear related reviewers is getting crowded lately but the viewers are able to discern the honest and objective opinion anyway.

Useful review, very little on RU-vid about KEF speakers apart from the high-end LS50 so thanks for this informative review.

Used to have a pair of Q100's They were pretty good. I should not have passed them on. I agree these are a good deal for 299.

Had LS50’s for a very short time never cared for them and I tried. Since then made me look differently at Kef’s. Nice to see a lower tier speaker in there line performs better in most areas. Thanks for another rockin review Randy👊🏻👍🏻

I got these speakers powered by an early 2000s Marantz 4021 receiver 80wpc and they sound just awesome. Was skeptical when buying them since I have owned so many different speakers but they are really good. In some songs it sounds like each instrument is playing separately since the speakers separate them so clearly. Very impressive.

You've come a long way with you presentation Randy. You are now a slick broadcaster. Yet this is one of you funnier uploads. Excellent

You have a unique sense of humour. Keep it up

i use KEF C85 floor standers. been with the family for more than 25 years. once in a while it would still surprise me how good it sounds. last christmas, we gave dad a KEF Q150.

Spot on review I will say. I have these for many months now and got them for $299.00 and think that price is worth that. I do not think that they are worth more than $400 though in a 2 channel system in my opinion.

I LOVE the "cat in a pillowcase" analogy...however, you seem to have a bit too much 'experience' in this area... love love love your reviews!

I really think most of your review is on point. But largely the amp is a huge factor in mid range clarity and treble airiness. I have mine on a Vincent SV500 hybrid amplifier. The vacuum tube input drivers and massive solid state output section makes them just surreal!

KEF C-15 was my first intro to the KEF sound bought at Goodwill for around $15, man that little speaker has some tone and soundstage. So I bought the KEF Q-150 on E-Bay auction for around $340 with shipping/tax that powers from the Rotel RB-1562 and RC-1550 separates and their best cd/dvd players that I use to power up the old B&W 607 S3's. Mind you I am use to the Martin Logan Electrostat floor speakers. After burn-in for 24 hours it is less harsh and forward. After maybe a week it really shines with the port plugs in. With Jazz and pop/rock it is well worth the money. Also I use Synergistic Research ($ silver wire $) cables and Zu Audio wires.

Awesome review!! Stumbled onto your channel and am now slowly picking my way through your content. Great stuff.

I’m a little late to the party here, but I respectfully disagree with this assessment. As someone who was never a KEF fan, I happened to recently hear the Q150s, LS50s and the Metas and I loved the LS50 Metas so much that I bought a pair. And this was after hooking them all up to maybe 15 different amps to really get a sense of their overall profiles. The takeaway was this - the LS50 / Metas benefit from (actually, I’d even say require) being hooked up to a solid, high current amp, and with the appropriate amplification, they outshine the Q150’s in pretty much every regard. Whether the LS50 / Meta are 3 times better relative to the cost of the Q150 is subjective, but the LS50s are unquestionably the better speakers. That being said, the Q150s are not bad speakers by any stretch, and at $300 are very good speakers. But in an ideal setup, I would argue that the LS50 Metas in particular are in the conversation for best bookshelf speakers in the sub-$2k category. Again, that’s a big statement coming from someone like me, who never really liked KEF, and I’ve owned setups at various times costing $20k+ 🙃

Cheap enough to buy just for the drivers, add a hp to the coax, pair with any number of nice 5.25-8" woofers (thinking dayton epique or diysg anarchy) and a minidsp 2x4 for a killer set of bookshelves. Better lf extension than R3s if you like the q150 coaxials enough to not feel the ls series driver is worth the extra expense. Thanks for the review Mr. Swanson!

I like your "who cares" style............

I have them hooked up to a vintage fisher with graphic equalizer on it I tone the bass down to just below the point of breakup, and run an older usa mtx sub , it sounds amazing

LS50’s sound like cold shards of broken glass hitting your eyeballs....I will definitely be using that line with a few of my pals that dropped $1200 on those things. For the LS50’s to be listenable too my ears, they absolutely need to be paired with a sub...maybe two.....outstanding review and I just bought a pair of the Q150! Cheers.😎

I own the q350 and thought they sounded better than ls 50. I still enjoy them. I bought on sale for 650.00 canadian

Are these better then the wharfdale 12.2?

I grew up in a 1980s K Car wagon, so I know the "wood" of which you speak. I'm picking up a set of these on an auction for under $100 this weekend. Thanks in part to your review.

Good review, I think KEF Q150 sound good but not dynamic. Sound is mellowed and good for long listening. But I like my q concept 20 more.

best kef review cheers no flies on u down to earth not beam me up scotty

Dude, you are awesome. "Frozen shards of glass into your eyeballs"?!?!?!?! I'm cry

Two thumbs up to the music selection, 16 bit game music interlude, and the frozen shards of glass hahaha! classic!

Amazing review. I wanna be with this dude in the same room when he's reviewing speakers and possibly drinking a couple of beers or Whiskey

Thanks Cheapaudioman, now it is clear for me the possible purchase of the Q150. I will go for the Klipsch RP-600M that in Mexico are cheaper than the Q150

Great review. Structured. To the point. Keep at it. It's your style. That's what keeps me hooked. Stay on track, (don't meander as occasionally happens. Maybe because August is hot in Texas. :-) )

Hope u become famous on day!

I love a huge soundstage. Where can I get a goodly priced cat in a pillow case for 7 hours speaker?

how do the KEF Q150 compare to the Q Acoustics 3020i? I see the 3020i behind you besides the PC screens. Thanks

Kind of liked your review and comparison video. Kind of might have bought a pair. Might be enjoying them. (Takes sip of coffee, says nothing further)...

Randy, How do you rate these against the Elac References, the Triangle BRO3s , or the Klipsh 600Ms?

Got a pair yesterday they do sound big

Things just fell into place for recently picking these up over some ELAC UB51. Watched the speaker shootout that had the ELAC featured. Decided I needed a pair. Found a pair on sale at a local shop, but they were closed on Mon. OK, I can wait a day. Started watching more speaker videos on your channel and this rolled in. Mind changed so I did some searching (I'm Canadian, so there's going to be a price difference, but even my jaw dropped). Looked for both speakers from multiple retailers. Found out the local shops sale price on the ELAC's were twice the retail price at other shops! Still a bit shocked, tbh. So the KEF's were the logical choice. Pairing them with a PSW108. Followed your amp/preamp suggestion and went with the Aiyama A07/T8 combo.

You had me at Metallica 👍 Yes I agree that these have a wide soundstage and are basically neutral and tend to lean on the warmer side of neutral. Heard the bigger brother Q550 floorstanders and they are awesome. Hope you can review the Elac Unifi v2 soon. Keep up the good work.

How do you like these compared to the Sony SSC5s? I'm testing the Sonys now with my PC setup. Sounds better than my Polk T15s I was using and my Def Tech Pro 800s before those. The T15s had a more mid-forward sound, but they are not made for line-of-sight sound listening. They are made for rear surround apparently. If you listen to them dead on, and then drop down your head below them (get on your knees lol) the highs become more pronounced and clear. Doesn't work well for a desk setup. The Sony's are nice, but while I'm willing to spend money I wonder if I should consider something a little more? I found a deal on these for $200.

Great review Randy. Have you had any experience with the KEF Q350 speakers? I'm very interested in them.

Q series is for AV. I had Q350, it could not compete with my then LS50w, R3 and now my LS50 meta regarding high fidelity-faithful sound with least distortion, i.e. hifi. That’s why LS50 meta is more expensive than Q950, the flagship loudspeaker in Q series

You will never like the LS50 when you connect them to cheap ( audioman ) equipment and listen to Hard Rock. The LS50 will reveal every fault in your equipment and recordings you listen to ( did you ever listen to "so what" on the LS50 with good equipment ). I've occasionally experienced a bit of the sound characteristics you mention on LS50s with equipment that doesn't match them ( PS Audio Stellar and RME ADI-2 FS DAC ) but usually on rock. I hooked them up to m y NAD M32 and they actually become a neutral to warm sounding speaker. That is why some audiophiles ( who can afford any speaker thy want ) will combine the LS50 with $20 - $30,000 in electronics. Although that doesn't make sense to me either it's because the LS50 has so many amazing qualities and that is also why they are the most awarded audio component ( not just speaker ) of all time. One thing I like is not only is the soundstage wide but equally vertical and is capable of completely filling a decent size room while able to handle large amounts of power (200+ clean watts per channel ). Now the LS50 is by no means an end all speaker ( although some will argue that ). I use the Q350 ( for side surrounds ) and the Q150 ( for rear surrounds ) in my theater room because of their soundstage and bass capability. The LS50 is not made to create low frequencies ( it's a "MINI" monitor ), match it with a sub, just like Randy states in his recent video on Bookshelf vs. Tower speakers ( October 22 2021 ). Equipment matching is pivotal and Randy knows that and also knows Hard Rock is not what you test the quality of speakers with, although there is some that is quality produced and recorded ( just about anything by Tool ). Randy just seems to love being the contrarian because it works for RU-vid and the audience he is trying to reach and I get that, but don't crap on a fine piece of equipment because you listened to it on crap equipment. Comparably speaking, because cheap audio continues to make strides. And to close I'll mention another comparison. I purchased the NAD M32 because I had purchased a pair of Focal Aria 948 ( used - can't afford them new ). They too sounded harsh and crappy ( which some people claim they just naturally are in the higher frequencies ) at higher volumes because I matched them with the wrong equipment. Hooked them up to the M32 and they are "HOLY CRAP" UNGODLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! Smooth and fast lows, wonderful mids and accurate and detailed highs without any harshness and overall sonic texture out the ying yang ( with quality recordings )!

I've noticed that cold shards are better than warm sharts ( ask Joe B). What kind of cat and what kind of car?.

Hey! Love the videos. Question: KEF Q150 or Fluance HFS ? (Canada)

If you want to go one step further grab the Q100's, better that Q150's in my opinion, and front ported, they make amazing desktop speakers, pair them with old second-hand Denon amp and you've got yourself a bargain setup.

Looking forward to the Shootout!!! 👍

If this KEF Q150 is "better than the LS50" that is not saying much for the KEF LS50.

I RU-vid spluring before bedtime and Congrates on passing 4K subz!

They do sound bigger than they are. I had a pair isolated on top of a pair of Klipsch floor standing speakers. I would play them and guests would think they were hearing the big Klipsch. I do run them w/a sub.

I just ordered these and they should be here in a week or so. Should be a huge step up form my 50 dollar Daytons. However, if I cannot tell a real difference they are going back. I love you music selection ads it is similar to mine and listening to music at 85 at home, while family is there is loud!

These just went on sale for $300 at Amazon and Bestbuy.

KEF Q150 vs Elac Debut 2.0 5.2 vs Qacoustics 3020 which one?

Great video as usual! 13:29 LOL!

Everything is there but it's quieter = less dynamic

Two comments on the same day! I'm on a roll -- Did you, or do you, ever test with tube amps? I find I really like the acoustic, or similar music on these on a tube amp. in my case I use a 6 watt per channel REISONG A10 and i love it - You've earned my sub - Thank you sir!

So you prefer these to the 350's...?

Holy crap! Gonna go listen to some Nails on my new q150s. Love em by the way.

love your humor! Love KEFs, but would like to try other brands... I've got the Q100/Q150/LS50s.

Best review of the Q 150's so far online. Well done.

What happened to the tweeters a couple of minutes before what happened to the port was totally appropriate. Proper order of operations. 👌🏼

Your presentation is hilarious and honest, I love it! ^_^ X

I've had both the Q150s, LS50s. They have different signatures so I can totally see some people just generally preferring the Q150 over the LS50. That said LS50 are a lot more amp picky (as in to get the most out of the LS50 you really need a good pairing). Big issue with the LS50 is they are hard to drive properly. Sure they're 8ohm nominal but dip to 3.2~3.5ohm at some frequencies which means you need an amp with high current (best way to tell this is an amp that has near 2x the 4ohm power rating as it's 8ohm). 2 good options are the Schiit Vidar (100w 8ohm / 200w 4ohm), or the IOTAVX SA3 + PA3 combo (ones an integrated ones a power amp. The two bridged is 100w 8ohm and 180w 4ohm). Granted your channel is called "cheapaudioman" so for cheap/budget yeah the Q150 on sale which work better with cheaper gear makes perfect sense. But I still wanted to leave my comment here so if someone wants to hear the LS50 at their best they have something to try.

upper midrange with female vocals...a Schiit Loki can fix

Hey, did you ever consider reviewing the KEF LSX? I am wondering how it would stack against the Q150 which you like, and the LS50 which you hate :D The LSXs have builtin DSP so I am presuming they can be better adjusted to ones preference, although their apps and the remote are apparently total "schiit".

pair them with a SMSL A300 and they shine

well i can honestly say the Q150 is a gem, esp for the price point. Just out of a demo session at my local audio geek, used my rega brio, bluesound vault 2i using spotify and a small selection of cd’s…. the speakers tested using the same audio tracks for each were B&W 607s2 Anniversary, 606S2 Anniversary, Kef Q350 and Q150 and out of them all the little kef was head and shoulders above the rest. It had loads of bass, not going to break windows but more than enough to compliment all of the selected source material, great detail, nice highs, more than adequate lows, midrange was there in spades, i couldn’t believe it, i had to go through a few runs on each speaker just to double check, absolute gem….. needless to say i have a set en route. tracks used Eric Clapton Unplugged running on faith spotify Blind Faith can’t find my way home spotify Jose Gonzalez Heartbeats spotify Damien Rice Cannonball CD Pink Floyd Breathe CD Pink Floyd on the run CD Pink Floyd Time CD Iron Butterfly In a gadda da vida spotify Man to Man male stripper spotify Cypress Hill I wanna get high CD Cypress Hill Lock Down CD Cypress Hill hits from the bong CD ACDC walk all over you spotify obviously there were highs and lows to each speaker for the selection but the one that carried them all with pure enjoyment and the one that i was less critical of was the little Q150….it has great soundstage, detail, clarity, Bass, treble and mids……..again at the price point a real kick in the head to its pricier big brother and it’s competitors….. so there you go, Rega Brio with Q150…..a great match….totally subjective i know, but try it for yourself….. the proof of a pudding is in the eating!!

Thanks again for yet another great review. Pulled the trigger on getting these for my Cambridge AXA35 amp as my daily listening set up. Very nice combination if you like warmer presentation but without losing clairty. The bass is perfect as im not a huge bass head. I watched this clip as well as your Sunday Speaker Shootout Under $300 5 inch versoin probably a couple of times each which ultimatly conviced me to get these on black friday. The walnut wrap looks suspiciously like the wood paneling on the 83 Oldsmoblie Cultass Cruiser Wagon My parents had when I was a kid.

Excellent deadpan style .... To the point review , no nonsense or BS.....

Thank you, I subscribed from Barcelona

Does buying secondhand IQ3 for 220 CAD in 2024 make sense?

hi, there i'm new to your channel, I recently bought the Yamaha RX A8A Flagship Receiver, but NOT yet picked up in store, I currently have Kef Q350 for Front L/R and Kef Q150 for REAR and Energy RC MINI - REAR and "Klispch Cinema 8 RSX4 x4 - RCX4 for Center Speaker" and R41M for Surround REARS , and a Cheap Small size Jamo Subwoofer , for my SMALL Size BEDROOM SETUP, Speakers might change in the future, but i hope these will do great on my new A8A Receiver. I mainly use for movie watching , for my home theater setup

You lost me when you said they sound better than the LS50. I have both, and given good power and sources, they're not in the same league. Powered them with a McIntosh MH150, the MC452 , and the Marantz M-CR611 the LS was overall sharper and detailed. The Q150 does have more bass, but it is less tight.

You had me at Sad But True. Currently have Polk XT20. Want to see how these compare to Q150.

Love these speakers. I generally hate subs, and luckily, these don't need one for my taste. i love the bass the way it is with excellent definition and agility. I think a sub would just mess that up. I would recommend experimenting with different amplification before reaching for the sub band-aid.

hi Randy. I was on the verge of grabbing these, until you mentioned the treble. Far away cymbals are not for me. Monitor audio silver 50 would be a better bet? Whats your thoughts?

ty for review...bought a par at 220 Euro...i like it a lot!

Talk to me man. Q Acoustics 3020i or these KEF Q150? Thanks for the help dude.

wish you would have done the knuckle wrap test like you've done on some other vids....I'd like to know how well these are braced. Also, what amp you are using to test. Thanks. I like your reviews!

I just saw these speakers today at best buy.on sale for 349.00 pair. Unfortunately there demo room is crap and you can't listen to anything except for a brief sound clip o a computer screen. So in other words you can't bring your own CD or music. But I liked the build and construction quality of these speakers. No comment on the sound due to what I said about the demo room. Try them out in your own home and see if you like them.

Very helpful video! Regarding speaker stand height, what's your opinion on the 'ideal' height (is there such a thing) - is it aligned with the conventional wisdom of tweeter height at ear level? I've watched a few videos and some suggest placing it higher than ear-level, and there's also a small minority that advocate for below ear level. I am looking at the Q150 speakers - and the manual for the Q150 suggests 18" - 24" (45-60cm) speaker stands - that seems awfully low and would be below ear level if I sit on my (or any conventional) couch. But the KEF designers/engineers surely must have put this in the manual for a reason? Does this mean they designed or voiced the Q150s in a way that aligns with 18" - 24" and therefore it would be prudent to strictly stick to getting stands within 18 - 24"? If not, should I go with 28" or 32" inch? 32" would be putting it at or just 1" above ear level I'd say, but given how conservative KEF were in their manual, I was wondering whether 28" would be a better choice too... Any advice here would be so helpful! Thank you.

Just ordered a pair for $244. Is that a good deal Sir? Randy wake up already let’s go to the show!

Hello I’ve recently just found your channel and it’s be incredibly helpful. I’m looking to purchase my first real hifi setup. So far I am looking at a Rega P1 with a Rotel RA 820 integrated (already owned, 30W per channel continuous) and some speakers. I’m looking at speakers in the £300 range and have read around the: Elac Debut B5.2 (your review of which lead me here), Dali Spektor 2, Wharfedale D12.1. Having seen you’ve reviewed a number of these and other speakers, do you have a recommendation of which to buy? The music being listened to will vary a lot so being able to cover a variety of genres classical/jazz/rock/rap would be optimal.

Thanks for a great review. I’m buying a Denon DM41 amp and can’t decide whether to go for the KEF Q150s or the Q3020is. Are the KEFs worth the extra £110?

I was thinking of these with the KEF Q250C Center for a 3.0 bedroom set up. I don’t want a bright speaker in a smaller room.

What a knowledgeable review, remarkable! Thank you and Subd!

Also i think the best affordable speakers are : Wharfedale Diamond 11 series , EVO series and Elysian series designed by Peter Comeau. They sound and look like speakers that cost 3 or 4 times more , they are unique and very good built. I HAVE SPOKEN

I want to see a review of some home theater speakers. Like towers, subs, and centers. I would really enjoy a cheap subwoofers shootout.

Sir speaker could pIr witha sony amp str hd190

My big question how does it compare to the Q Acoustics 3020i. I'm on a budget but want good quality. I just ordered the Fosi Audio BT30D Bluetooth 5.0 Stereo Audio Receiver Amplifier. Any input on this Receiver amplifier combined with either of these speaker. My budget is not to exceed $900. Also, what is a very good CD player? Also, I will be hitting you up on Patreon with a donation with your advice. Thanks sir.

Ok kef 150 or the q acoustic 3020i which one would you pick .

If the speakers are up against a curtain (about 15" away actually) hanging in the middle on the room would that have the same affect as a solid wall?

Hi Randy, my listening room is small (20 x 16 feet). As such I need to have my speakers close to a wall. Would the Kef Q150’s work ok.

Is my 35 watts per channel amplifier would be enough to drive these speakers?

And great vid & style BTW. just subscribed!

unfortunately in my country they are still same price no discount here, the cost the same than for instance, q acoustics concept 20 and also dynaudio emit m10 which in usa are much more expensive, weird but true, which one will you choose?, elacs are not avaliable here, thanks