Mar 25, 2021. Edit: The Q150 benefits the most of a subwoofer. For fun, I listened to the Q150s in a Best Buy Magnolia store with my 16 yr son. Whether its finding great products or discovering helpful advice, well help you get it right (the first time). The Q150s are renowned for their soundstage. Matching with an amplifier: Theres too much in this to go through here, but in general, youll want to avoid connecting speakers with a lower impedance (measured in ohms) to an amp with a higher minimum impedance. New 5.1 speakers to accompany Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080 - B&W. The Q Acoustics 3020i set has enough bass for most music styles, but with just a 5-inch woofer, its no low-end powerhouse. In the charts below, the flatter the trace is, the more natural the speakers sound. It should last for years and deliver better performance than you can get from the majority of all-in-one Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers that are all the rage now. Very cool Victor! AVForums.com is owned and operated by M2N Limited, I intend to use whatever I pick for a long time, so I may in the future use it in the living room of a small apartment in New York, if this should in any way affect my decision making. The pair I like better depends on my mood and what I'm listening to. say 350 - 400 ( I have no idea if this is a good price range for an amp, as when I bought my Pioneer, it was on a steal price for 169). The room I am trying to fill is 12.5x9 FT so its an odd shape bedroom and I don't think I can return something that isn't faulty in the UK. So if you have multiple analogue sources like a record player and cassette deck then you will probably need a traditional stereo setup with passive speakers. Thats why this speaker sounded a little trebly. SHOP NOW. Haven't tried the Kefs, but have no qualm recommending the BR02s. With the above criteria in mind, we scanned sites such as Amazon, Audio Advisor, Best Buy, and Crutchfield to see what new models were available, and we reached out to manufacturers we thought might be introducing new models in these categories. These speakers were not very picky on placement and they did not require much power to get good sound levels. Not surprisingly, the ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2 set sounded very similar to the larger B6.2 pair (listed in Other bookshelf speakers we like), just with less bass. However, the inclusion of a subwoofer output does allow you to add your own subwoofer, and the R-51PMs remote control includes subwoofer output-level controls, so you can fine-tune the bass level without adjusting your subwoofers controls. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Big (7.09 x 9.21 x 13.43 inches), black and bold, the ELAC Debut B5.2s look indestructible in that 80s sort of way if thats your jam. This set produces a generally full and natural sound, though we think it could use a little more bassbut there is a subwoofer output, so adding a sub is easy. Each speakers cabinet is finished in a vinyl wrap that looks far better than the faux wood grain you usually see at this price. I hope to be able to articulate that well someday! I would try both at home, then see which speakers you prefer. The addition of USB and optical digital audio inputs, a subwoofer output to connect a powered subwoofer, and a nice remote control give the system excellent versatility. These monochrome offerings from Triangle come in both black and white pairs and are pretty sizeable, making a true audio-visual statement. *At the time of publishing, the price was $319. The Micca COVO-S is a cute little concentric (tweeter-inside-woofer) speaker set. TRIANGLE BOREA BRO3 vs KEF Q150 - YouTube AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new features 2022 Google LLC New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Europe's busiest forums, with independent news and expert reviews, for TVs, Home Cinema, Hi-Fi, Movies, Gaming, Tech and more. As research shows, reliable, unbiased comparison tests of audio products can occur only if the identities of the products are concealed from the listener and if the volume levels are matched. It's a dense piece of music, and the Dali's really articulates all the layers whilst producing a full sound. I've been thoroughly enjoying them for music and pc gaming. Before conducting listening tests, I broke in each speaker pair for 10 hours with music. For more information, please see our So depending on how much room you have, they might be a better choice. I have to say I am a little upset that you got so many responses to your question on my post when I got nothing on mine. B & W 607's vs Elac B5.2's - Anyone heard a back to back? The Polk Audio Signature Elite ES10 is a pretty nice-sounding little speaker in the midrange and treble, but our panelists thought it didnt produce enough bass for use on its own, without a subwoofer. The KEFs will highlight some serious shortcomings in poorly recorded Youtube videos for instance. The Triangle has similar levels of resolution but roughed up frequency response, which is overall less coherent and a "sparkly". Id be interested to hear a comparison between the Triangle Esprit Comte EZ and the Polk Legend L200 as they are more similarly priced to one another and feature the same size drivers. I'm curious, between the Triangle and L200, which would you keep? The speakers are also nicely designed for the price, with custom binding posts, magnetically attached grilles, a decor-friendly 10.875-inch height, and nicely rounded corners that resist chipping. Unfortunately can't demo or return the triangles. Pair this set with an inexpensive amplifier, and it will give you better sound than most top-of-the-line wireless speakers produce, for a much lower price. I'd take a chance on them. Although the Monitor Audio Bronze 1 pair offered good bass response and a large soundstage, the treble was more muted than that of other speakers, which made recordings sound dull. We independently review everything we recommend. And measuring 8.11 x 12.36 x 14.96 inches, the Borea BR03s are the largest on this list, too. I am currently deciding on what to get out of the 2 listed and the KEF Q150. Cookie Notice 16K views 1 year ago. I have the Dali Oberon 1s going through a Denon 2600h receiver and I've been blown away. That means voices and instruments will sound pretty much like theyre supposed to. Not the surrealist Dali stands for Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries, and theyre a seasoned brand that has earned near-universal plaudits for its entry-level and mid-range hi-fi speakers. Kef Q150, especially when they were on sale half price for $300 couple weeks back. A magnetically attached grille is included to protect the speaker drivers. The package includes a remote that controls volume, source selection, and play/pause/track-skip for Bluetooth devices. You could adapt any powered stereo speaker system for use with such turntables through the addition of an outboard phono preamp, but thats more money to spend, plus an extra set of cables to connect and an extra power supply to plug in. For the price, theyre one of the best budget bookshelf speakers out there that they come from a reliable brand is just the cherry on top. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required as is 20 years of participation in forums (not all true). You must log in or register to reply here. The Marantz PM6006 would be an excellent choice have heard that amp with the B&W 607s. The Audioengine HD6 set is a larger version of the HD3 pair (which we describe in Other bookshelf speakers we like), but only one panelist in our previous testing liked the sound. Triangle Borea BR03BT-LOB All-in-One Bluetooth Speaker and Subwoofer (Pair) LIGHT OAK BLUE Canada Triangle Borea BR03BT-LOB All-in-One Bluetooth Speaker and Subwoofer (Pair) LIGHT OAK BLUE - Wireless Bluetooth Bookshelf Speaker - Borea Active BR03 BT The BR03 BT speakers create a powerful all-in-one Hi-Fi system with multiple features. I have rears for surround sound. The 3020i speakers deliver great detail and a spacious sound, and their design and build quality are better than what you get from most speakers in their price range. However, the cardboard in its packaging can be recycled. The 6.5-inch woofers in the SVS Ultra Bookshelf speakers produced excellent, room-filling bass in our tests, but our top pick and upgrade pick offer superior mid-range and treble performance. The KEF Q150, however, while also a good product at this price point, doesn't stack up against its competitors quite as well. Where I'm based (Belgium), the following deals seem best to me (but please let me know if you know of any others): Music stuff - Roksan Kandy KA1-MKIII, Dynaudio DM2/6, REL Strata III, 16.0mm 6181Y Double Insulated Cable (commonly electrical meter tails). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. But for most people and most music styles, a good pair of bookshelf speakers will deliver a satisfyingly complete sound. Looking to mount your speakers on a stand? High-end powered speaker systems can offer technical advantagessuch as separate amplifiers and digital signal processing for each speaker driver to precisely tune the soundbut in the price ranges were covering here, neither type of speaker can claim a clear sonic advantage. Big sound with wide soundstage; Bespoke and unique design; Doesn't come with speaker grilles; The Q150 are the smallest and most affordable speakers in KEF's Q series. Measured bass output of the total system was 105.4 dB from 40 to 63 Hz, just 0.9 decibel below the result from the Edified S1000MKII, but at 31.5 Hz the Klipsch sets output was 7 decibels lower, a difference youd notice when playing hip-hop and recent R&B recordings. The Dayton Audio B652-AIR is basically the B652 with an air-motion transformer (AMT) tweeter. Certain sounds like hi-hats and snares are a little softer and arguably more pleasant. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Compared with passive speakers, powered models are a more plug-and-play, all-in-one option. The SVS Prime Wireless Speaker System provides DTS Play-Fi Wi-Fibased audio in addition to Bluetooth and a subwoofer output; I liked it, but the rest of our panelists said it needed more bass. They also all have aptX HD Bluetooth. It also looks nicer than most powered speakers do, although its styling is decidedly old-school. The B5.2s are the second version of the line, but this isnt an incremental upgrade. I see that you have the Triangles for sale, have you moved on to another bookshelf speaker that you like better, or just going with your new 705s? The mid range looked quite flat, but there was a big peak at 3.6 kHza frequency often reached by the upper harmonics of female vocals, but not so often by male vocals. Front ports can make chuffing noises more audible, but the noises are so low with the BR03 that this isnt a concern for us. And last your own taste. Read More. The KLH Albany II sounds pretty good for its fairly modest price. It had some peaks and dips at different frequencies, but generally the balance of bass to mid range to treble was pretty even. For 299 they are a steal. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The 3020i set sounds more detailed and spacious, but the B6.2 pair plays louder and puts out more bassan average of 7.7 decibels more between 40 and 63 Hzso it might be the better choice for fans of bass-heavy music. The 3020i pair comes in a variety of finishes to match your decor. I am a fan of the Wharfedale 12.1's. In response to the question about the Triangle BR03, I have reviewed them. insider9 Curious to hear them in person. Triangle Borea BR03 are a popular option in the middle of the speakers price range. This pair costs little more than you might expect to pay to ship them, yet theyre fully functional speakers that sound good enough for background music in settings you might deem too hazardous for a nice set of speakers, such as a workshop or a childs playroom. KEF Q150. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Add Mission LX /LX mark 2 range if available in your country. Were inquiring now about getting these in for a listen. The switchers also let me move among the speakers (labeled only by number) without knowing which one I was hearing. If you want a slightly smaller, more affordable upgrade option than the Triangle Borea BR03: The KEF Q150 bookshelf speaker pair was our previous upgrade pick in this guide because it sounds even clearer and more detailed than the Q Acoustics 3020ibut the Triangle Borea BR03 equals the Q150 in performance while offering roughly double the maximum bass output (10 decibels more). The Kanto YU4 offers a cool design, a phono input, and a reasonable price, but only one of our panelists really liked its sound. . We also think few would complain about the BR03s design and shape. Triangle Borea BR03. The S1000MKII pair comes with a simple remote. These speakers are more forgiving than the KEFs, which may be important since it sounds like you may be using these as computer speakers in addition to music. Brent Butterworth explains what improvements you might get when you spend more. Big into jazz myself, I don't think I've ever heard in a silent way sound this good (I do own decent headphones which is my comparison) . Some metal parts of the speakers may be recyclable; the company does not have a recycling partner in the US, but in France it works with a recycler called Eco-System. These versatile, good-sounding speakers offer the widest variety of connection options, including a phono input for a record player. The Q Acoustics 3020i is our favorite pair of passive bookshelf speakers to mate with your favorite stereo receiver, while the excellent Edifier S1000MKII pair is a more complete option with built-in amplifiers and Bluetooth. Part of this clarity comes from the 3020is slightly bright tonal balance, which means the treble seems subtly emphasized. It also had much deeper bass response than the other two models. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. What Do You Get When You Spend More for Speakers. While there were no major introductions of new bookshelf speakers at CES 2023, we have found a few current models that we hope to get in for testing. Next up are the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 speakers, which arrived the day after the LSiM703. Each R-51PM speaker measures 13.3 inches high by 9.1 inches deep by 7 inches wide, so a pair isnt quite as bulky as the Edifier S1000MKII set. Is there any of these that should be a clear favourite? Frequency range: 51Hz - 22KHz (+/- 3dB) Power handling: 80W Nominal impedance: 8 Minimum impedance: 3.6 Dimensions: 17.6 cm (~7") W, 31cm (~12.2") H, 27.4cm (~10.8") D Weight: 4.87kg (~10.7 lbs.) However, the B6.2 is much larger and sports the plain, vinyl-wrapped black-box look for which speakers are often loathed. With its tone controls centered, the Edifier R1700BTs pair sounded too trebly and thin, and voices sounded coarse and crude. The BR08 fairs a little better in this regard. A larger version, the Kanto YU6, won over two of our listeners, but the others werent impressed. Despite the use of a relatively large, 6.5-inch woofer, the B652s compact enclosure limited its bass output to an average of 102.2 dB for two speakers from 40 to 63 Hznoticeably below that of any of our other picksalthough this set had fairly decent output of 89.2 dB all the way down to 31.5 Hz. First and foremost, the 3020i performs beautifully, offering a clear, spacious sound on vocals and instruments thats at least as good as anything weve heard in its price range. The Klipsch R-51PM was less even, with a bit of excess treble, and its bass response wasnt as deep. Is there any of these that should be a clear favourite? The proportions of the Triangle are entirely satisfying. Bookshelf speakers are, as their name suggests, compact units that are meant to be placed on a shelf or a mantle. highend666. Getting your music from the cloud has never been easier. Perhaps the most distinctive thing about the S1000MKII pairs performance is that it produced such a huge soundstagethe instruments seemed to spread across the entire width of the room, well beyond the speakers themselves. Triangle Borea BR03. Suggestions for amp/speaker upgrade: Marantz, Musical Fidelity, KEF, Dali - how does it all fit. The Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 sometimes drops into the price range for this guide, so we decided to test it. Archived post. Sure, you could spend upwards of a thousand bucks or pounds and get mind-blowing sound, but these options below offer incredible output in an affordable package. Triangle Borea BR03 Speakers https://amzn.to/2ybOCwjPrice: $549 (April, 2020), Overall Rating: Pros: Detail Sound, Clean Midrange and Bass . But its more than twice as costlyand the performance improvements dont merit that big of a price increase. Voices, in particular, sounded smooth, with no harshness, boominess, or chestiness, no matter the gender or range of the singer. Just found out another possible problem. The former is a big plus. I'm auditioning both the BR03s and Q150s right now through an Emotiva TA-100 for a desktop nearfield setup. Our most recent round of testing, completed in January 2022, included nine new passive models and two new powered models. Triangle Borea BR03 Vs KEF Q150. We used a wide variety of music for testing, including Tracy Chapmans Fast Car (found by audio testing experts at Harman International to be the all-around best overall choice for speaker listening tests), Lil Babys Woah, Ccile McLorin Salvants version of Wives and Lovers, and the live version of James Taylors Shower the People digitally dubbed from the Live at the Beacon Theatre DVD. This means that voices and instruments sound natural, and the speakers dont add much coloration of their own. The Spektor 2 has the best bass response, is reasonable smooth but not as revealing. I also measured the speakers at angles of 15, 30, 45, and 60 degrees horizontally, as well as 15 degrees vertically, to make sure their sound didnt change radically when I heard them from an angle. I mainly listen to classical and jazz. In all likelihood KEF will win this poll because KEF spends way more on marketing than Triangle, and the recent discount is fresh on everyone's mind. Note that all of these speakers have tone controls that will let you tailor the sound to your liking and that can reduce the sonic differences among them, if youre willing to do a little tweaking. The S1000MKII is the first powered speaker system weve tried that supports the aptX HD Bluetooth codec, a newer version of the aptX codec that runs at a higher data rate. We all hear different. I can't demo them in store now obviously, so looking for some input. For the CTA-2010 results, I averaged the output from 40 to 63 Hz to give you a quick idea of each speaker systems output. The grille uses magnets instead of plastic tabs and grommets, which gives the front of each speaker a clean look when you remove the grille. I've listened to both in my home, and I think it's going to come down to personal preference between these two, rather than one being definitively better than the other.