Neumann KH 150 Monitor Review

[Unfit4it]

IMO, absolutely. But that's my listening tastes in terms of content and volume, maybe it doesn't apply to your situation. I recall one post on here saying any speaker smaller than 15" needs a sub, I think that's a little extreme but subs solve more problems than just volume in almost all rooms.


This is probably the most commonly reported difference between Neumann and Genelec, one which I agree with and is why I no longer own 150/310s. I would probably sell my 80s and 120s, too, but the 120s aren't worth much anymore and one of my 80s literally went up in smoke.

Genelec support is better by far, if that matters to you. They actually talked me out of buying W371's after reviewing my GRADE report, explaining such an expensive purchase would have very little impact to my situation and I should focus my funds elsewhere (room treatment)

Thats interesting. Somehow, I still think that if I didn't have a subwoofer at the moment, I wouldn't feel like I'm missing out on much in terms of low-end reproduction.

I've got a dedicated home theater with subs that produce plenty of rumble to satisfy that itch.

For my desk setup, however, Im looking for balance, imaging and tightness, ESPECIALLY in the low-end, rather than just huge, thunderous sound. Details!

 

[Unfit4it]

This is not true. Out of the box my KH 120 came out as very treble-rich, even in a drywall room. Not to mention the EQ option.

This probably has to do more with personal preference. I naturally prefer speakers and headphones that most people find 'bright'.

 

[Unfit4it]

Reads like quite a bit of dissatisfaction with Neumann kit. Might be time to explore other brands like Genelec, Kii, D&D, ATC or others.

Ah no, I wouldn't put it that way. The MA-1 is an amazing piece of kit that I never once regreted spending money on. I think my tastes in sound have shifted away from the Neumann 'house sound' a bit, so Im just trying to explore other options. Heck, I might even wait a bit until they release the 310 MK2's, because I've been very impressed with how well their product is designed/made, as well as their reliability.

 

[tifune]

Thats interesting. Somehow, I still think that if I didn't have a subwoofer at the moment, I wouldn't feel like I'm missing out on much in terms of low-end reproduction.

I've got a dedicated home theater with subs that produce plenty of rumble to satisfy that itch.

For my desk setup, however, Im looking for balance, imaging and tightness, ESPECIALLY in the low-end, rather than just huge, thunderous sound. Details!

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea what you're after, and of course you can always add a sub if you feel something lacking. Personally if I knew 100% I would never add a sub, and was tied to the price and space constraints implied by the 8341's, I'd probably look at Buchardt actives. the A500SEs (cardioid tuning option) if you're open to used, but A10s also look great

 

[VTKZ]

Ah no, I wouldn't put it that way. The MA-1 is an amazing piece of kit that I never once regreted spending money on. I think my tastes in sound have shifted away from the Neumann 'house sound' a bit, so Im just trying to explore other options. Heck, I might even wait a bit until they release the 310 MK2's, because I've been very impressed with how well their product is designed/made, as well as their reliability.

The sad thing is that they've been saying for a few years now that the MK2 is in development. What's also disappointing is that they haven't released any larger MA1 subwoofers- the KH750 is, in my opinion, a bit too small for higher SPL and home theater applications. Plus, you can't use it for a Double Bass Array. And the KH 870 has no MA1 DSP options.

I know a lot of people buy them for their small home studios, but I don't see them as capable of reaching home cinema SPL levels (and having only one sub is never really the best option - at least two are needed). Also, you don't have the freedom to make fine adjustments. Especially for bass, I would always prefer manual DSP settings over an automatic one.

Another important point is that the competition isn't sleeping. In my honest opinion, with advancements like Trinnov Waveforming, Dirac A.R.T, and the affordable options of a miniDSP 2x4, it’s becoming really tough for the MA1 to keep up. For example, here you pay around 600 EUR for a professional installer to manually align a Double Bass Array (with at least 8 subs), while their DSP with 3,072 FIR taps costs 1,200 EUR. I promise that the DIY approach plus professional alignment will sound at least as good - if not better than two or even four KH750s + way more SPL headroom and deeper bass.

Building four passive ~40-50L subs (comfortable flat cabinets with solid drivers like a GRS 10SW-4) costs about the same as one KH750. With an amp, it’s slightly more. I don't see any reason for a home theater owner or an Atmos/Surround mixing engineer to spend 6K on four KH750 subs.

Just my opinion, but for me, it's not worth it.

I wouldn’t count on new products coming anytime soon, especially from Neumann, as they don’t release speakers often.
If I were to buy new and want to use an integrated DSP ecosystem, Genelec would still be the best choice because, in terms of system functionality and model variety, they are light-years ahead of the MA1—with different-sized subs and speakers.

Or, my preferred approach: buying a set of KH150s, building 4-8 DIY subwoofers, PA Amplifier (from IMG Stageline for example) and setting up a multi-sub or single/double bass array using a miniDSP.


But i looking forward to the Day where we have DSP + AI - where you just set everything in place, push one button and the Software do all the measuring & tweaking around with the DSP for you. When this is possible and need a few hours, i dont care, if the system aligns everything itself :- D

 

[teashea]

Ah no, I wouldn't put it that way. The MA-1 is an amazing piece of kit that I never once regreted spending money on. I think my tastes in sound have shifted away from the Neumann 'house sound' a bit, so Im just trying to explore other options. Heck, I might even wait a bit until they release the 310 MK2's, because I've been very impressed with how well their product is designed/made, as well as their reliability.

If you do not want flat frequency response and low distortion, what sound do you want?

 

[hashhar]

I think a lot of people get confused with "flat" because we usually mean "(anechoically) flat", not "(in-room) flat".

It's not relevant in this specific case but a common confusion I've seen in general.

 

[teashea]

The sad thing is that they've been saying for a few years now that the MK2 is in development. What's also disappointing is that they haven't released any larger MA1 subwoofers- the KH750 is, in my opinion, a bit too small for higher SPL and home theater applications. Plus, you can't use it for a Double Bass Array. And the KH 870 has no MA1 DSP options.

I know a lot of people buy them for their small home studios, but I don't see them as capable of reaching home cinema SPL levels (and having only one sub is never really the best option - at least two are needed). Also, you don't have the freedom to make fine adjustments. Especially for bass, I would always prefer manual DSP settings over an automatic one.

Another important point is that the competition isn't sleeping. In my honest opinion, with advancements like Trinnov Waveforming, Dirac A.R.T, and the affordable options of a miniDSP 2x4, it’s becoming really tough for the MA1 to keep up. For example, here you pay around 600 EUR for a professional installer to manually align a Double Bass Array (with at least 8 subs), while their DSP with 3,072 FIR taps costs 1,200 EUR. I promise that the DIY approach plus professional alignment will sound at least as good - if not better than two or even four KH750s + way more SPL headroom and deeper bass.

Building four passive ~40-50L subs (comfortable flat cabinets with solid drivers like a GRS 10SW-4) costs about the same as one KH750. With an amp, it’s slightly more. I don't see any reason for a home theater owner or an Atmos/Surround mixing engineer to spend 6K on four KH750 subs.

Just my opinion, but for me, it's not worth it.

I wouldn’t count on new products coming anytime soon, especially from Neumann, as they don’t release speakers often.
If I were to buy new and want to use an integrated DSP ecosystem, Genelec would still be the best choice because, in terms of system functionality and model variety, they are light-years ahead of the MA1—with different-sized subs and speakers.

Or, my preferred approach: buying a set of KH150s, building 4-8 DIY subwoofers, PA Amplifier (from IMG Stageline for example) and setting up a multi-sub or single/double bass array using a miniDSP.


But i looking forward to the Day where we have DSP + AI - where you just set everything in place, push one button and the Software do all the measuring & tweaking around with the DSP for you. When this is possible and need a few hours, i dont care, if the system aligns everything itself :- D

You are correct. Neumann monitors are not designed for use as home cinema. They are designed for studios.

 

[LTig]

You are correct. Neumann monitors are not designed for use as home cinema. They are designed for studios.

Nevertheless there are people using them in a home cinema and are very satisfied, and why not. Similar sized hifi speakers are not necessarily better suited for this task.

The same is true for many other good studio monitors.

 

[levimax]

Nevertheless there are people using them in a home cinema and are very satisfied, and why not. Similar sized hifi speakers are not necessarily better suited for this task.

The same is true for many other good studio monitors.

I agree that Neumann and other monitors are fine for Home Theater but I think the point was that the matching monitoring subs are not a good match for HT which I also agree with.

 

[VTKZ]

You are correct. Neumann monitors are not designed for use as home cinema. They are designed for studios.

Since 10 yrs i use active Studio Gear because you get more quality for your money imo (Ksdigital, Neumann, Abacus, Unity Audio..).
And of course they work for home cinema. There are also a few guys from my country (germany) wich i saw in Homecinema groups,
who using 3x KH420 in their Homecinema or Genelecˋs 1037.
Friend of mine using the Genelec 8341 in his living room music / cinema setup.

Its just a speaker at the end - an device for sound playback.

 

[mcanicos]

Greetings from Spain.
A few days ago, through a distributor, I finally managed to hear the KH150 and KH310 speakers in my studio.
My opinions are based on my subjective listening experience in my work environment.
Both models have practically similar tonality, and when I say similar, I mean almost identical.
I was particularly surprised by the KH150. Being a 6.5-inch monitor, its bass response is more than impressive, although I can sometimes perceive the group delay (due to the reflex port, I imagine) to be slightly greater than that of the KH310. The speaker's directivity and linearity are truly surprising.
The sweet spot is also somewhat wider on the KH150 than on the KH310.
I imagined the differences between the two models would be very large: three drivers, 2.8 inches versus 6.5 inches....
Curiously, that wasn't the case. The engineering in this latest model is very, very impressive, and the performance is very similar.
Many people talk about the KH310's midrange, but I found that same midrange in the KH150.

However, I absolutely disliked the KH310's configuration with the tweeters facing outward: a blurred center image, diffuse midrange, and a strange stereo field.
When I switched monitors and put the tweeters facing inward, everything made sense.
A stable center image, a sufficiently pronounced stereo, and the midrange was in place but not prominent—a 100% improvement.

It's really hard to decide which to choose.
Thanks.

 

[Drew456]

Thanks. What was your listening distance from the speakers?

 

[Pearljam5000]

Greetings from Spain.
A few days ago, through a distributor, I finally managed to hear the KH150 and KH310 speakers in my studio.
My opinions are based on my subjective listening experience in my work environment.
Both models have practically similar tonality, and when I say similar, I mean almost identical.
I was particularly surprised by the KH150. Being a 6.5-inch monitor, its bass response is more than impressive, although I can sometimes perceive the group delay (due to the reflex port, I imagine) to be slightly greater than that of the KH310. The speaker's directivity and linearity are truly surprising.
The sweet spot is also somewhat wider on the KH150 than on the KH310.
I imagined the differences between the two models would be very large: three drivers, 2.8 inches versus 6.5 inches....
Curiously, that wasn't the case. The engineering in this latest model is very, very impressive, and the performance is very similar.
Many people talk about the KH310's midrange, but I found that same midrange in the KH150.

However, I absolutely disliked the KH310's configuration with the tweeters facing outward: a blurred center image, diffuse midrange, and a strange stereo field.
When I switched monitors and put the tweeters facing inward, everything made sense.
A stable center image, a sufficiently pronounced stereo, and the midrange was in place but not prominent—a 100% improvement.

It's really hard to decide which to choose.
Thanks.

I'd get the KH150 because it's a newer model or wait for KH310 II

 

[IamJF]

I was particularly surprised by the KH150. Being a 6.5-inch monitor, its bass response is more than impressive, although I can sometimes perceive the group delay (due to the reflex port, I imagine) to be slightly greater than that of the KH310. The speaker's directivity and linearity are truly surprising.

Reminds me of my 120ii. You can hear the group delay of the ported system (port + filter) but to be honest it's pretty good what it is, I often really dislike ported speakers and here it is ok, I can forget about it for causual listening. No idea why, maybe they correct something with the DSP.
We all wait for the digital update of the KH310 ... it's really time!

 

[teashea]

Greetings from Spain.
A few days ago, through a distributor, I finally managed to hear the KH150 and KH310 speakers in my studio.
My opinions are based on my subjective listening experience in my work environment.
Both models have practically similar tonality, and when I say similar, I mean almost identical.
I was particularly surprised by the KH150. Being a 6.5-inch monitor, its bass response is more than impressive, although I can sometimes perceive the group delay (due to the reflex port, I imagine) to be slightly greater than that of the KH310. The speaker's directivity and linearity are truly surprising.
The sweet spot is also somewhat wider on the KH150 than on the KH310.
I imagined the differences between the two models would be very large: three drivers, 2.8 inches versus 6.5 inches....
Curiously, that wasn't the case. The engineering in this latest model is very, very impressive, and the performance is very similar.
Many people talk about the KH310's midrange, but I found that same midrange in the KH150.

However, I absolutely disliked the KH310's configuration with the tweeters facing outward: a blurred center image, diffuse midrange, and a strange stereo field.
When I switched monitors and put the tweeters facing inward, everything made sense.
A stable center image, a sufficiently pronounced stereo, and the midrange was in place but not prominent—a 100% improvement.

It's really hard to decide which to choose.
Thanks.

I have both KH 310's and KH 150's in my studio. I agree that the tonality is very similar / identical. This is the Neuman family sound. They are very purposeful in designing their monitors this way. The basic reason is shown in a comparison of the measurements. Flat frequency response and low distortion.

Neumann audio engineers really did an excellent job in getting the bass of the KH 150 so low.

I use them (as I do with all my monitors) in very nearfield - 1 to 1.2 meters.

It is also interesting to note that the KH 120 II's also have the same virtually identical sound, with the exception that the bass does not go quite as low.

The are all exceptional.

Best wishes.

 

[mcanicos]

Thanks. What was your listening distance from the speakers?

1m 30 cm

 

[Tovarich007]

1m 30 cm

Good for KH150 but IMO a little too short for KH310 to get an optimal imaging. This could (IMHO) explains your impressions considering you get a better pinpoint imaging with the 150 ?

 

[mcanicos]

Good for KH150 but IMO a little too short for KH310 to get an optimal imaging. This could (IMHO) explains your impressions considering you get a better pinpoint imaging with the 150 ?

I think so.
Maybe my studio space is too small for the KH310.
The KH150s fit the space better.

 

[Drew456]

Good for KH150 but IMO a little too short for KH310 to get an optimal imaging

I don't necessarily disagree (for aesthetic reasons at short distance at least) but would Neumann state 'recommended listening distance' as 1 metre to 2.5 metres (feasible from 0.75) if it wasn't 'optimal'? Which is the same as they state for the KH150 by the way.

KH 310 A - Three Way Nearfield Monitor

High-resolution tri-amplified near-field monitor, optimized for midrange and a dry bass sound.

www.neumann.com