The KEFs will highlight some serious shortcomings in poorly recorded Youtube videos for instance. Star Wars 4-6 are the best movies. For starters, it doesnt include a phono input to connect a turntable, so youd need to pair these speakers with an external phono preamp or a turntable that has one built in. Good luck. 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 action you just performed triggered the security solution. The KLH Albany II sounds pretty good for its fairly modest price. The Borea BR03 largely eliminates the unnatural sonic colorationssuch as boomy, thin, or harsh soundthat come from almost all less-expensive speakers, and it produces a fuller, more satisfying sound than most bookshelf speakers do. Miccas MB42X speakers are compact, but their small woofer couldnt put out much bass, and the treble had a harsh, metallic sound. *At the time of publishing, the price was $330. In our tests, the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 pair offered very good bass response and detail but had a relatively restricted soundstage. Getting your music from the cloud has never been easier. Although many inexpensive turntables have a phono preamp or Bluetooth support built in and thus dont need to be connected to powered speakers with a dedicated phono input, higher-quality turntables and older turntables do need a phono inputso its inclusion on the R-51PM makes for a clean, easy setup. They dont take up as much visual or physical space as larger tower speakers doand they dont put out as much bass, either. Except for the James Taylor tune, which was a 256 kbps MP3, I streamed all the tracks losslessly via the Qobuz streaming service so that I could be sure any flaws we heard werent due to a Bluetooth codec. They will also highlight poor recording quality, so consider your source. At a minimum frequency of 46 Hz, Borea BR03 will provide an average bass depth so depending on your use case, you may consider supplementing your system with a subwoofer. Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. 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. Theyre pared-down versions of the brands immensely popular LS50s, the speakers that propelled KEF to audiophile stardom but at a fraction of the price. Given you have an AV receiver with dubious power ratings into 6ohm i think the triangles will not be the best idea for it My 607's are on a shelf "alcove" with the wall around 10cm behind and sound great. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Considering the recent price drop for the R-51PM, and the fact that the R-51PM is already a little bass-challenged, it seems like a bad idea to go after even less bass just to save a few dollars. Passive speakers dont require power to function as theyre driven by a separate amplifier; active speakers have an amplifier housed within their enclosures and thus require power. If so, buy both. The Line/Phono switch sets the red and white RCA jacks to the right to work with a turntable output or a standard line audio source. Voices, in particular, sounded smooth, with no harshness, boominess, or chestiness, no matter the gender or range of the singer. Their dull black vinyl covering and plain design wont suit high-style living spaces (unless you want to add an ironic touch), but theyll probably sound better than all but the best one-piece wireless speakers. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. The size isnt just for presence. The Polk Audio Monitor 40 Series II doesnt sound as natural as the less-expensive Monitor XT20; high-frequency sounds like cymbals and tape hiss are accentuated, and the bass sounds boomy. The Triangle Borea BR02 sounded much like the BR03 but had less bass and sounded a little brighter and more trebly. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a28c9117a1c8b83 They are both great speakers by my standard (I'm no expert), and by the standard of many others as well as evidenced by the numerous good reviews for each. Through the years, weve tested many more speakers than what we list here, but weve deleted many older and discontinued models. Following are our impressions of some of the other speakers weve tested for this guide. Front ports can make chuffing noises more audible, but the noises are so low with the BR03 that this isnt a concern for us. The Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 sometimes drops into the price range for this guide, so we decided to test it. Here are the criteria we considered when deciding which models to test: A pair of speakers can cost anywhere from two to seven figures. To help narrow it down, weve put together our list of the best budget bookshelf speakers under $500 you can find right now. Their sound stage is more coherent and interesting to my ear. Also, wed guess that many people would prefer the S1000MKIIs styling to the plain black box look of the Monoprice and PSB models, but thats a matter of individual taste. Our panelists thought the Cambridge Audio SX-50 had a rather dull-sounding upper midrange, which made voices sound less clear. The 3030is are also considered unfussy speakers, which really just means theyll work well with most (budget) amplifiers and wherever in the room you place them. Too bad their sales aren'tbut the Q150s are excellent, and thats' a solid price for a pair. At 13.3 inches high, 11.5 inches deep, and 7.9 inches wide for each speaker, the S1000MKII pair is a little large, but the system is beautifully made, with real wood sides. A good set of passive bookshelf speakers is an investment that will last longer than most other audio gear you can buy today and will never become obsolete. Unfortunately, in our tests this pair had almost no bass and distorted easily. Triangle Borea BR03 Amazon product link: https://amzn.to/3onVXk4 KEF Q150 Show. Price: All of the speakers weve chosen are priced at $500 or below for a pair. The Klipsch R-41PM (which we did not test) is a smaller version of the R-51PM with the same features but a smaller woofer. Looking to mount your speakers on a stand? Have you had a chance to compare those two yet? As for the Triangle BR03's, also fantastic speakers. The Polk Audio Monitor XT20 comes very close to the performance of the Q Acoustics 3020i, with clear highs and natural-sounding voice reproduction, but its bass sounds slightly boomy and for the price, its looks are rather plain. I've been thoroughly enjoying them for music and pc gaming. Triangle Borea BR03 are a popular option in the middle of the speakers price range. KEF Q150. Planning on throwing the V601s into the mix once we get em down there? Triangle Borea BR03. For now I will be driving both sets by the tiny Loxjie A30 but I aim to build a more robust system around those kef speakers in my living room. Just a question for you: which one did you keep? The B652s 6.5-inch woofer covers most of the audio band, from the bass to the mid-treble. The Edifier S1000MKII is the best affordable powered speaker system weve heardas was its predecessor, the S1000DB, the former top pick in our now-retired guide to the best wireless powered bookshelf speakers. TVs are made for great pictures, so we recommend the best ways to get great sound too. These monochrome offerings from Triangle come in both black and white pairs and are pretty sizeable, making a true audio-visual statement. Measured bass output was impressive, at 106.3 dB from 40 to 63 Hz, and it stayed strong all the way down to 31.5 Hz, where the system output 84.7 dB. Among all the powered speakers we tested, the S1000MKII pair produced the most enveloping sound; its vocal reproduction was realistic, too, and its bass was impressively full. If youre looking for powered speakers that cost less and sound good, check out our best computer speakers guide. These versatile, good-sounding speakers offer the widest variety of connection options, including a phono input for a record player. A larger version, the Kanto YU6, won over two of our listeners, but the others werent impressed. Copyright 2000-2023 M2N Limited E. & O.E. Just want to know which would sound better for a desktop setup. 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. 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. I was pleased with the performance of the DBR82 but they didnt stand out in any specific way to me beyond what the KEF speakers were already giving me. 1 Home Entertainment Tech Resource. 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. For movie and TV watching, a pair of good bookshelf speakers can deliver much better dynamics and vocal clarity than the speakers built into any TV, and many of our recommendations have a matching center speaker designed more specifically for dialogue reproduction. Triangle Borea BR03 (300 euro) KEF Q150 (360 euro) They would be used for nearfield listening now (desk usage), but hoping to use them in a medium-sized room at some point in the future. It has a phono input and a convenient front volume/input-selector knob, which the S1000MKII lacks. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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 Dayton Audio B452 is a smaller version of the B652. I have the Dali Oberon 1s going through a Denon 2600h receiver and I've been blown away. The lower it falls below the reference, the more subdued the sounds in that frequency range are. KEF Q150. Some powered speakers (including one of our picks) even incorporate a phono preamp so you can plug a turntable straight into them. It also had much deeper bass response than the other two models. I'm auditioning both the BR03s and Q150s right now through an Emotiva TA-100 for a desktop nearfield setup. I started reviewing speakers professionally in 1991 as senior editor of Video magazine, and Ive since served as an editor or writer at audio-focused publications such as Home Theater, Sound & Vision, SoundStage, and HomeTheaterReview.com. But since you listen to jazz, maybe you well find the kef a bit analytic. Excellent Review Victor! What Do You Get When You Spend More for Speakers. (Whats a phono preamp? Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required as is 20 years of participation in forums (not all true). Next up are the ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 speakers, which arrived the day after the LSiM703. Was just curious! 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. That means voices and instruments will sound pretty much like theyre supposed to. These $549 Triangle Borea BR03 and $599 KEF Q150s are just the kind of speakers that I enjoy listening to and evaluating. The BR03 offers binding posts to connect the speaker wire. highend666. Its massive. Very good sound and couple of guys on here also speak well of them. Interesting comparison to the Q150s, maybe they're not quite the steal at $600 I thought they were when I owned them. As I said earlier, this was not a slam-dunk but I do appreciate the differences between the speakers enough to decide to keep them. 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. I liked the look of the black fascia with the Walnut cabinets but the bare metal grill over the tweeter really stood out to me and I felt it would have looked better had it been a flat black or a gloss black instead. The proportions of the Triangle are entirely satisfying. You must log in or register to reply here. Buy. Nina SimoneMy Baby Just Care for Me BOREA BR03 ,BOREA BR03 The availability of four different finishes (white, black, gray, and walnut) makes this speaker easier to match with your room. The Dayton Audio B652-AIR is basically the B652 with an air-motion transformer (AMT) tweeter. On sale, they're hard to beat. With most female voices and higher-pitched instruments, such as cymbals and acoustic guitars, the tweeter is more active, and the sound can become harsh and fatiguing if you play it loud. These speakers also had a less attractive finish and were harder to drive than some other models. This means that voices and instruments sound natural, and the speakers dont add much coloration of their own. Its fairly common to see audio enthusiasts using refurbished 50-year-old speakers with modern amplifiers and sources. 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. All the reviews I can find all say that there is nothing bad to say about any of them at this price point which isn't very helpful. The Q Acoustics 3020i also had a fairly flat response, but with less deep bass. For fun, I listened to the Q150s in a Best Buy Magnolia store with my 16 yr son. However, the Q150 is 3 inches shorter and 1 inch narrower than the BR03, and it often goes on sale for about half off the list price, in which case its a fantastic buy. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The amplifier is located in the right speaker, and the two speakers connect with a proprietary cable thats 16 feet longyoure unlikely to need anything longer. We also recognize that the following may not paint a complete picture of a products supply chain and life-cycle impact. 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.) Youre the first to write about their audition of both of them that I could find. We tested speakers with expert listeners, and we concealed the identities of the products to eliminate bias. 13.1K subscribers. I've have a pair of KEF Q300s for the past 10 years and I absolutely adore them. I was so impressed with the BR03 that I had to check out . 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. In addition to our subjective panel testing, we measured each system to get an unbiased second opinion and detect any anomalies. These speakers were not very picky on placement and they did not require much power to get good sound levels. While they may be a tad too large (7.9 x 12.8 x 13 inches) to mount on your wall, theyre advertised as being perfect for bookshelves, and they put their larger cabinet size to use with increased internal volume for clearer sound. The build quality on the DBR62 was the most disappointing of the group. I asked him to pick out the speakers playing but he couldn't, they created such a good sound stage. Triangle Borea BR03 (300 euro) KEF Q150 (360 euro) They would be used for nearfield listening now (desk usage), but hoping to use them in a medium-sized room at some point in the future. The B652s grille attaches to the speaker via plastic pegs. This website uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. It sounded similar to that model but had less bass. Compared with passive speakers, powered models are a more plug-and-play, all-in-one option. They can be a bit bright for some female vocals, making something like Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz sound a bit harsh at times. A removable grille is included. As I said earlier, this was not a slam-dunk but I do appreciate the differences between the speakers enough to decide to keep them. We independently review everything we recommend. Check the Detailed Comparison of Triangle Borea BR02 vs Borea BR03 for more details. For 299 they are a steal. The Dalis are bit warmer sounding. Where I'm based (Belgium), the following deals seem best to me (but please let me know if you know of any others): Dali Oberon 1 (280 euro)Triangle Borea BR03 (300 euro)KEF Q150 (360 euro). In the decade since its introduction, the Dayton Audio B652 has become synonymous with good super-cheap speaker. Despite its cost-slashed construction and parts, the B652 set manages to sound better than most under-$100-per-pair speakers, with surprisingly clear sonics on male voices (though female singers can sound a bit harsh). The switchers also let me move among the speakers (labeled only by number) without knowing which one I was hearing. The frequency response measurements for the S1000MKII were a little shocking in that they were the best of any of the speakers we tested. We all hear different. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 and 12.2 got similar reactions from our panelists. A keyhole mounting bracket on the back makes it easy to hang each speaker from a drywall screw; in my lab, I have a set hanging this way, which I use to produce noise for headphone measurements. The Monoprice MM-5R offers deeper and more powerful bass than either the PSB or the Edifier sets, and it includes a USB digital input and a mono subwoofer output. With most male voices, such as John Legend or James Taylor, the tweeter is barely in the mix because a filter capacitor inside the speaker limits the tweeter to frequencies above about 6 kHz (almost 2 kHz above the highest note on a piano). The Spektor 2s are among the brands most affordable speakers. A proprietary 16-foot cable connects the two speakers. The Onkyo A-9110 provides 30 W @ 8 Ohm. You can pair passive bookshelf speakers with a Bluetooth-equipped stereo receiver (such as the Sony STR-DH190) or with a streaming amplifier (such as the Sonos Amp) to get the latest music-streaming technologies, and if you decide to upgrade your system as new technologies arise, the passive speakers will still work fine. Note that we didnt make a budget pick for powered speakers because we didnt like any of the inexpensive ones we tried. TRIANGLE BOREA BRO 3 vs KEF Q150. One is that youll probably have to pay for shipping, although that was only $8 last time we checked. Bookshelf speakers are, as their name suggests, compact units that are meant to be placed on a shelf or a mantle. The Q150s are renowned for their soundstage. New 5.1 speakers to accompany Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080 - B&W. The Dali's are in their way. The looks are refined (four finish options are available), and the engineering is outstanding. Cool, figured it may have been a move up to a pricier speaker. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The S1000MKII lacks some features found on competing models, such as the Klipsch R-51PM. To use aptX HD, you need an Android device that supports it or a PC with an aptX HD Bluetooth dongle. And measuring 8.11 x 12.36 x 14.96 inches, the Borea BR03s are the largest on this list, too.