I bought these in white for Father's day when they were on sale for $300. I also bought Q Acoustics 3020i's ($300) and Jamo S803's ($200) around the same time to audition them and see which pair I wanted to keep.

I ended up keeping the Kef q150s (and the Jamos).

All three are very good speakers which I think anyone would be pretty happy to have. All three look really good, which actually matters a lot to me- but I think the Kefs are the prettiest.

Build quality is similar across the board, I don't have any issues with any of them. The Jamos are certainly a step down from the other two, but they still look really sharp and nothing was concerning to me. Q Acousitcs may have a slight edge in cabinet construction over the Kefs, but all are pretty good.

The Jamo S803's are great- they have a dynamic signature that bumps up the highs and the mid-lows a bit. This is great for apartment-level listening, as I can have the speakers at a moderate level that won't bother my neighbors and still find the speakers fun to listen to. I found the Q-Acoustics very flat- to the point of being comparatively boring at the volume levels I prefer. The Jamo's don't play as deep as I was hoping- subwoofer absolutely needed. The Kef's actually got deeper than the other two by quite a bit, which surprised me because the driver is smaller if you don't count the massive surround. Anyways, the Jamo's give some energy to the higher bass, but fall off too quickly to satisfy me at least. Also, the Jamos are way less efficient than the other two pairs- they need more power. On the other hand, I have an amp rated to 20 watts per channel RMS that was capable of driving the Jamo's beyond a comfortable listening level for me in a mid-sized room. They are inefficient, but you don't need anything special for them to work.

The Q Acoustic 3020i's are also very good. I like the rounded corners. They are bigger than they look because these speakers are very deep. I think I like the proportions of the Kefs the best, but again, all three look nice and sound good. The 3020i's have a pretty flat sound signature and are certainly a bit more refined than the Jamos. Imaging and sound stage were similar between the two, however. Again, I kept the Jamos and not the Q Acoustics because I simply enjoyed listening to music using the Jamos more than when using the Q Acoustics. The 3020i's are probably "better" but I personally recommend the Jamos- even if they were the same price, but especially since the Jamos are quite a bit cheaper.

I was actually blown away to hear for myself how much better than the other two the Kefs are. In every way. I could truly hear the difference that the Uni Q (concentric) driver makes. The difference was apparent immediately - nothing sounded wrong or bad when I listened to the other speakers, but everything had more depth, space, and clarity coming through the kefs. Plus, to my surprise, these speakers got noticeably deeper than the other two. I still need a subwoofer to suit my own tastes, but these are much closer to the point where you don't need one, and for many genre's these would be perfect on their own.
Still, I think the imaging is the real standout feature of these speakers that makes me really love them. The speakers start to blend in to the background and it feels like the room is just making music when you play a well-recorded track with these positioned well. My brother in law has LS50's, and these get impressively near that experience for a fraction of the cost. The LS50s are better in every way, much the same as these Kefs are better than the other two pairs- but the Uni-Q driver is not just hogwash marketing malarkey.

At the sale price of around $300 (which these also hit during black Friday and much of the Christmas Season) the decision is easy. But at $550, it isn't clear cut whether the difference is worth the cost. That is going to be a personal decision. I would probably pick the Jamos for the best value. All three pairs of speakers are very good, but the q150's were the clear winner in my comparison.

Note: I tested these speakers in a living room, but I am going to put one pair on my desk eventually. However, for now I can't say anything about how the speakers compare near-field.

Many reading this are probably in the same predicament they find themselves in when the Q150 and Q350 frequently go on sale for $300 and $500 respectively. I too found myself on that see-saw of trying to decide which to buy and if the Q350 was worth the extra $200. I scoured the internet for any comparisons or comments and found very little worthwhile info. From the bits I did gather, there seemed to be a general consensus that the Q150 had cleaner treble, but the Q350 sounded bigger, warmer, had better mids, and more bass. That unless on a budget, one should just spring for the Q350. There's also speculation that the Q150 is inherently superior because it uses the same size driver and similar size enclosure as the LS50. So, which is it?

Let me touch on build and dimensions real quick for those unfamiliar. While I personally find the black iteration of both of these among the most beautiful bookshelf speakers out there, the build leaves something to be desired. While the binding posts might be the cheapest I've encountered and the cabinet is pretty hollow, I tend to quickly forgive these factors as long as it sounds good. The matte black vinyl looks great and I'm THRILLED it's not the black ash abomination that finds its way onto so many speakers. The edges are very sharp and clean; a great contrast to the round, centered drivers. There are no grills included, but I would have never used them. Plus, the ones you can buy look cheap and don't cover the entire face of the speaker. Why KEF didn't even bother making a grill cutout for the logo of an upcharge grill is beyond me.

I'm a huge fan of KEF and their coaxial drivers, and the LS50 still remains my favorite speaker (with subwoofer assistance). I also previously owned the Q150 a few years ago and preferred it in direct comparison to the CCB-8, UB5, and Denton. The Q350 is new for me and I was hoping it would build on what I remembered from the superb Q150. Sadly, it doesn't. To cut to the chase regarding the value proposition, if the prices were reversed with the Q150 at $500 and Q350 at $300, I'd still purchase the Q150 over the Q350. Unlike the bigger driver and higher price would lead you to believe, the Q350 is not everything the Q150 does but better, nor is it a Q150 with more bass and a bigger sound. It's a complete side step at best, and in my honest opinion, a flat-out downgrade.

I pulled my trusty Studio 570s off mains duty and listened to the Q350 for a few days. While there is always something special to be said about the imaging coaxial drivers provide, these just always sounded way too mellow, too laid-back, and almost muddy. They lack dynamics and never really seem to emerge from their slumber until I seriously crank the volume. At quiet to normal levels, forget it. All the times I was completely uninvolved with the music, I'd instead be constantly urging them to give me MORE. Bring forth the vocals! Bring out the details! Bring up the sparkle! They are indeed very warm, overly so. Almost like KEF experimenting with a Sennheiser or Wharfedale sound. They remind me of the UB5. No glaring faults, but just blah (I still remember liking the UB5 more). The urge to connect a power station and put a trillion watts into them so they can WAKE UP! Vocals definitely suffered because of this. While soft and gentle, they're simply too muffled. Not so good for quiet, night time, or dialogue-heavy listening. Putting the 570s back in place and BAM, the veil vaporized and the injection of clarity and accompanied shock was like a splash of cold water.

I hastily ordered the Q150 after becoming increasingly unhappy with the Q350 and the fact it was no match for the 570s. Hoping I'd at least be able to keep one of the KEFs (almost just for their appearance and coaxial drivers alone), I set the Q150s in the same location, on the same stands, in the same room. 6ft apart with my listening position also 6ft away. To my relief, they were exactly as I remembered them. They had the sparkle the Q350 was completely missing. Vocals, especially female, finally came alive. Everything sounded more realistic and believable. Fine details and imaging seemed more carefully crafted and didn't get lost in the added midbass and laid-back nature like they did on the Q350. Most surprising was that the bass and extension were comparable, but cleaner and more defined on the Q150. The Q350 has more midbass and smoothness, but of what did it no favors. The soundstage and imaging between the two also sounded pretty indistinguishable and I'd likely fail a blind test. Had I not known of their prices, there is no question I would have thought the Q150 was the more expensive speaker as it has a cleaner, clearer, more balanced sound.

But, it's clear to me that the Q150 and Q350 were cut from the same cloth regarding different aspects aside from their sound profiling. For one, the Q150 is also still difficult to drive and definitely sounds better when turned up. Although, they do not suffer from low power or low level listening as much as the Q350 due to their more forward nature and better treble. Both also require a tempered expectation when it comes to bass. If pushed hard, the bass will start to fall apart and become flabby. If you're a basshead and like party volumes, I shouldn't be the one mentioning you need floorstanders and/or a subwoofer. Lastly, I found it interesting that while my ear is actually 4-5 inches higher than tweeter level when they're on my 28" stands, putting 4 inch yoga blocks underneath them to mimic a 32" stand (and become within an inch of ear level) revealed that they didn't sound quite as good, becoming thinner and brighter. Goes without saying for any speaker, but definitely experiment with speaker height, width apart, toe-in, and distance from surrounding walls.

Ultimately, the Q150 was the clear winner here in both value and sound. Many will buy them simply for the fact they're $200 cheaper"¦ and that's the real final nail in the Q350s coffin. With that $200 savings, one could purchase a nice pair of speaker stands and still have cash left over. Not to mention, the Q150 is easier to maneuver, place, and experiment with due to their size and weight reduction. They'd work brilliantly on a desk and I anticipate the smaller driver would sound better nearfield. The Q350 is big enough that placement options other than dedicated stands would be limited. Everything said, I highly recommend the Q150 and think it would fit the bill for most people and in most cases over the Q350. But at the end of the day, it's all about the music"¦ right? And that $200 you just saved.

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!

Looks: these are gorgeous speakers. Your significant other won't be disappointed with a pair in any room. I love the way the tweeter's wave guide lines up perfectly with the driver's protrusion lines. It basically projects sound outward in 9 segments (look at the product pic closely to see what I mean). The cabinet is fascinating to look at and feel. It reminds me of 3d printer plastic as it's got a wound thread look. It is quite different than most speakers, especially when the light hits it. It will never look shiny aside from the aluminum dome tweeter and woofer frame. I wouldn't bother with the optional grills as they just look campy with them on. The driver surround gasket feels very light and supple compared to other speaker's but even it is beautiful.

Sound: Very rich sound, especially in the bass region. The only other modern speakers I can compare these to is the Paradigm Atom Monitor SE's. Those are very good speakers and aren't veiled at all but compared to these, they almost seem a tad that way. These KEFs are outstanding with clarity and instrument separation. The wave guide really tames the aluminum dome tweeter perfectly. These are not bright sounding speakers yet they are not dull by any sense of the term. I'm using them in an 18' by 20' living room with a subwoofer and they effortlessly fill the space with their magnificent soundstage ability. There's a lot of buzz words like Uni-Q and such with KEF and usually buzz words are just that but I've been using these for gaming, tv, movies and critical music listening for a month now and I'm just thrilled to have them. The buzz words actually result in high quality performance in this case.

Value: I'm sure you can do way better for the ridiculous $600 price tag on these but I bought them used via amazon warehouse for $353.00 and have no regrets at all. They seem to always be readily available via that route too.

I'm running these off an smsl ao200 amp via a Schitt Modi 3+ dac and an ifi zen blue bluetooth receiver. I am pleased as can be. Some have said these start to chuff at high volume but I've taken them to the height of comfortable listening levels where I can clearly see the woofers moving and all I can hear is clean and clear music full of clarity, power and refinement. They'd pair best with a revealing amp for sure.

I'm not an audiophile by any means but this with an emotiva 8 inch sub and a toppingx3s make a good job for some types of music and kinda good for movies. I would buy it again!