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Neumann KH 150 Monitor Review

Rate this studio monitor

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 3 0.6%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 43 8.4%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 463 91.0%

  • Total voters
    509

paudio

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I just got some used 420 predecessors and I've got a pretty small room. They go very loud and effortlessly pump out the tunes. 4m is pretty far for smaller drivers if you want loud. I'm getting extension down to like 25hz with authority. I haven't had this size full range speaker for 15 years. Would be interesting to hear the kh420 vs kh150+750.

If you want multichannel and all neumann maybe smaller and more of them. I feel like they're going to keep updating their lineup to DSP. I'm not sure how well they're software works for multichannel now? I feel like you can get way more sub for the money than theirs. The KH750 is actually quite small compared to their multichannel analog bass management subs.
 

boxerfan88

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Me thinks if u get the kh420 u may not need the sub. Unless u need very high SPL for the LF.
 

teashea

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hello everyone. I am new to the forum and i just read this thread and I have a question. I currently own the 310's setup in a small room 3x4x2.3m. The room is treated pretty well. My listening distance is about 1.4 meters. I do think i have the best listening position and the speakers are positioned according to neumann's manual. I do love the sound of neumann but somehow i cannot get really comfortable with the 310's. Is my room too small for the kh 310's ? I was considering switching to something smaller because of their woofer size and maybe because of the 3 way in my room. Would a kh 150 work better ?
According to Neumann a listening distance of 1.4 meters for KH310's is fine. I think that you should listen to the Neumann audio engineers in this regard. One would thing that they know what they are talking about ---- much more than some random person commenting here.

I also have a pair of KH 120's and a pair of KH150's. All are used at close nearfield distances. I use my KH310 at 1.4 meters. They are excellent.

I think that you are overthinking the situation. Your unease is psychological - not based on actualy sound issues. Settle you mind down.

Kh150's would also be fine, as would KH120's with a KH750. But they are not going to be perceptably better than the KH310's. Just cool your jets.

20230115_182339.jpg
 

teashea

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but I did not want to open another thread for my question.

I‘m currently looking for new speakers for my living room. My budget is quite flexible, but should not exceed 8k€.
Listening distance is about 4m (13ft) in a non-treated room (of about 64m2), except for decorative „wooden“ acoustic panels with felt on the left side-wall. I currently use Nubert NuPro A-200 with an Arendal 1S Subwoofer, but would like to have a more sophisticated bass management in combination with a rather new-found interest in taking measurements of the listening room (strictly theoretical thus far).

I would be willing to sell both the speakers and the subwoofer. I am content with the Nubert speakers, but I‘m itching for an upgrade. I value „honest“ sound reproduction without any kind of coloring and ideally the speakers can be mounted on the wall. While it is not an option for right now, I would also like to add a couple of speakers down the line for a multichannel home-theater.

By reading through ASR I identified a couple of approaches and would love to hear your insights:
  1. Keep speakers and subwoofer and use some kind of external DSP (miniDSP, Trinnov)
  2. Sell system, buy KH150 with one or two KH750 and MA1
  3. Sell system, buy Genelec S360 with appropriate sub (not the 7382a) and GLM
  4. Sell system, buy (used) KH420 with some kind of external DSP (another price league, but might be worth it - „endgame“?)
  5. Sell Nubert speakers, buy KH150/S360 and use with Arendal 1S Sub plus external DSP
I do believe option 1 would be the most sensible one, as I could get accustomed to the whole room measurement (and treatment) game and upgrade later… but those decisions are not always sensible, right? And while I find the Nubert speakers to be alright, especially for their age and „degree of digitalization“, I‘m sure there is quite a lot of room for improvements.
Accourding to the Neumann audio engineers, if you are going to use KH750 as a sub, you need two of them. KH 150's are excellent.
 

Pearljam5000

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So basically what are you sacrificing when going with KH150 instead of KH310?
Bass output ? SPL ?
 

teashea

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So basically what are you sacrificing when going with KH150 instead of KH310?
Bass output ? SPL ?
You are sacrificing 4 Hz of bass extension. That is all. Read the tests of the monitors here on ASR.
 

Hexspa

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Sep 6, 2022
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Nahh, it was just a formality. Either way I was within the returning window and I like I said, I'm Sweetwater customer since 2002 with 2 accounts, one personal and one for business.
I had a question about keyboards and a manager asked how much I’ve purchased from them. When I said, “Some strings,” they never returned my call. Just letting people know that Sweetwater does not guarantee good service.
 

Grotti

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So 2-way vs 3-way in this case is irrelevant?
Having a mid driver doesn't give the KH310 no advantage over KH150?
You can answer this by yourself by carefully comparing Amirs measurements. But you certainly know that by now...
 

Sokel

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You are sacrificing 4 Hz of bass extension. That is all. Read the tests of the monitors here on ASR.
You also sacrifice physical impact by the mid-bass.
And at 4 meters this will become VERY obvious.
 

nnitr

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I just got some used 420 predecessors and I've got a pretty small room. They go very loud and effortlessly pump out the tunes. 4m is pretty far for smaller drivers if you want loud. I'm getting extension down to like 25hz with authority. I haven't had this size full range speaker for 15 years. Would be interesting to hear the kh420 vs kh150+750.

If you want multichannel and all neumann maybe smaller and more of them. I feel like they're going to keep updating their lineup to DSP. I'm not sure how well they're software works for multichannel now? I feel like you can get way more sub for the money than theirs. The KH750 is actually quite small compared to their multichannel analog bass management subs.
Yeah, I believe the value is not outstanding for the KH750. Although there is no actual alternative, if you want to use the integrated DSP of the Neumann monitor,

Accourding to the Neumann audio engineers, if you are going to use KH750 as a sub, you need two of them. KH 150's are excellent.
Yes, I would probably wait for a bigger DSP sub from Neumann or get two KH750.

You also sacrifice physical impact by the mid-bass.
And at 4 meters this will become VERY obvious.
That is an insight, I did not know until now. Would a subwoofer negate this flaw?

Genelec S360 and all you need is a streamer.
I am actually really leaning towards this solution, as I could get a quite good deal for the S360 and I much prefer the white speakers (although this is not a priority). As I understood, a sub would be mandatory for movies? Afaik the GLM system is more appropriate for multichannel solutions as well.
Would you say the S360 is a fitting match, even if I never „need“ all SPL reserves (as is the case with the KH420)?
 

Sokel

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That is an insight, I did not know until now. Would a subwoofer negate this flaw?
A sud reaches mid-bass ok but it also may have different placements and it would be fully localized if it would give you that mid bass straight impact.
It's hard to define but it's the reason I would prefer a generous 3-way than a state of the art 2-way any day.
Your taste and habits may differ,that's my personal one.
 

Sokel

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That is an insight, I did not know until now. Would a subwoofer negate this flaw?
Here's a couple highlighted points taken from this article by James Larson ,they explain the impact I'm talking about:


chest.PNG



chest2.PNG
 

teashea

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I had a question about keyboards and a manager asked how much I’ve purchased from them. When I said, “Some strings,” they never returned my call. Just letting people know that Sweetwater does not guarantee good service.
I have made many dozens of purchases from Sweetwater. For the first time I had to return an item (and SSL Fusion) because of a very very small cosmetic defect. Not only did they take it back, they sent me a replacement before I returned the Fusion and of course they paid shipping. In addition, they were so nice about the whole thing. They did not do it grudgingly - quite the opposite. They were sweet and helpful about the entire process.

That is why I deal with them and that is why they are overwhelmingly successful.
 

teashea

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A sud reaches mid-bass ok but it also may have different placements and it would be fully localized if it would give you that mid bass straight impact.
It's hard to define but it's the reason I would prefer a generous 3-way than a state of the art 2-way any day.
Your taste and habits may differ,that's my personal one.
I prefer to rely on objective measurements instead of subjective impressions.
 

teashea

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So 2-way vs 3-way in this case is irrelevant?
Having a mid driver doesn't give the KH310 no advantage over KH150?
Not necessarily. It depends on the design of the speakers. My KH310's have no advantage over my KH150's except the very sligh bass extension. They are both terrific systems - Read and study the measurements ----- That is what this forum is all about.
 
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