KEF Q150 Bookshelf Speakers - Pair (Black)

Some information so you know where I'm coming from.I was first exposed to these by my partner who uses them for a 5.1 surround setup. And that is amazing! Being passive speakers they require an external amp. But they can take plenty of power and pump out the volume. Watching Dune with these is an auditory experience!However, this review will focus on my own use case as a pair of near field desktop monitors. I picked these up on sale, to replace a pair of failing mackie cr5s. And let me tell you, it was worth the money.Physically they look amazing. I love the walnut as it gives them a bit more of a classy look compared to the black or white. They are also light but solid. I wouldn't want drop them, but if I did I don't think I would be too worried. The connectors are clearly colored and can use banana plugs or a screw-on connector. (Or you can cheat and just shoved speaker wire into the port). the little cover can be a little tricky to remove. But if you have decent nails it should come out with a little finagling.Being passive you are going to NEED a separate amp to use these. These are known to like power so if you want volume pick an amp accordingly. I am using a Schiit Rekkr through a magni/modi combo. And while it's not the most powerful speaker amp it has been more than enough to run these. On the Magni's 0db gain setting (Middle on the switch) with my computer volume maxed these speakers sit comfortably in the middle of the volume dial and they are crisp and clear no matter what music, game or podcast I've put through them. With the rekkr you can crank the volume and while loud, it's certainly not deafening like you might expect so it's likely a little under powered for the purpose. But it has served me nicely so far.After upgrading I have started to use these more than my HD 6XXs the only things that beats these out for me is my Audeze LCDXs and those cost more than my entire audio setup, so take that as you will.If you're in the market for new speakers and want to take the dive into high quality passive monitors. Grab these on sale and you will not be disappointed. Just make sure the rest of your setup is up to the task to run these power hunger speakers.

I don't normally write reviews for any product that I purchase unless they really stand out to me, but I felt compelled to write one for the Q150's within minutes of listening to them.I'll admit, I initially bought these because of the looks. The pictures don't do it justice because they look absolutely stunning in person. The perfectly sharp edges and aluminum woofer give it an elegant and modern look. Not to mention, the Uni-Q Driver Array. I'm a big Klipsch fan and while they sound clear and big, the Q150's have perfect imaging. It's almost like the speakers aren't there. Since the tweeter is placed right in the middle of the woofer, it doesn't matter what height or distance you listen to them because the sound comes from a single point source.Build quality: I previously bought a pair of Klipsch RP-500m's, but I had to return them because of the poor quality control nowadays. Out of the box, I could tell that these are expensive speakers. The vinyl wrapping of the cabinet is very sleek and sharp. I couldn't find any imperfections, especially at the edges. I will caution, however, that it can easily get scratched if not being careful. The woofer is assembled perfectly and looks sophisticated with the aluminum material and waveguides. The small KEF "name tag" looks very chic and unique as opposed to other speaker brands simply printing their logo on the cabinet. It's difficult to see in the pictures, but the "Uni-Q Driver Array" is printed in a dark blue color which I thought was black. Nevertheless, great build quality.Sound quality: Wow. It's really hard to describe how these sound because it's almost like the sound isn't coming from the speakers at all. What I can detail is how clear and crisp everything is. The highs are crisp and crystal clear. The mids are clear and warm. Then there's the bass. Do not believe in the frequency range numbers. These definitely go down beyond the claimed 51Hz. I was worried about having to get a subwoofer, coming from RP-500m's, but these produce an astonishing amount of bass for the size. Provided in the box are two bass port plugs with 2 stages: both foam pieces together or you can remove the inner foam piece for just a foam ring. My advice: put them in with just the outer foam because it tightens up the bass and makes it less boomy. All in all, these sound great. I like electronic music mostly and these are perfect for EDM or house music. Deadmau5 sounds amazing on these. Likewise, these will sound great with pretty much any genre of music.I'm powering them with a Nobsound TPA3116 100W mini amplifier and it's plenty of power. I did recently purchase an Audioengine N22 amplifier and while it sounded great with the KEFS, it unfortunately had unbalanced channels. So I'm sticking with the Nobsound for now. I'm sure these would sound much better with a high end amplifier, but it shows how forgiving these are of the power source.In conclusion, these are great for near field listening: punchy bass, warm mids, and crystal clear highs. These definitely need to be broken in because they will sound harsh during the first couple of hours. After that, they become mellow and warm sounding. It's easy to listen to and pretty to look at. Can't wait to see what KEF does in the future!