Neumann KH 150 Monitor Review

[DJBonoBobo]

The KH810 has roughly the SPL capability of 2x KH750, and the KH870 roughly 2x 810. So the 870 can play approximately 4 times louder than the 750.

 

[changer]

It was clear almost from the beginning, after reading a couple of posts, that another chatbot had joined the forum. This time not a questioning one, but one that is fixed to a single expression.

 

[Spocko]

Yes, they doubtlessly handle most situations well. However, whenever I see glowing reviews from them I like to encourage people to try other retailers and let them know they’ve really dropped the ball specifically with people who don’t spend much there. I saw another YouTube video where a customer was complaining about a similar thing. It’s not like I have an incentive to say this other than I think their reputation is somewhat better than it would be if more people shared their negative experiences. I hope you continue to experience high-quality care but I don’t even visit their site to check prices much less buy from them. Their loss.

Doesn't surprise me that they treat big spenders well (I've bought many expensive things from them, including returns, in the last 36 months) and their responsiveness is very much concierge level service as you'll get a "personal shopper" who takes care of orders/returns/reservations, etc. which is actually better than big box retailers like Best Buy who treats everybody equally pedestrian regardless of how much you spend. I try to shop mom & pop but they often do not carry some of the brands I want.

 

[BDE]

I am not quite sure if we discussed it aready but a picture/ details on the woofer of the KH150:

The KH150 bass/mid driver however employs a broadly traditional paper diaphragm (Edward and Chester’s diaphragm was paper too) and that reflects, I think, that in truth the traditionally accepted wisdom of diaphragm material being the primary arbiter of driver performance doesn’t really stand up to much scrutiny. What does increasingly stand up to scrutiny however, to my ears anyway, is that drivers designed with an emphasis on dynamic linearity (by which I mean the ability accurately to follow the input signal) and minimal distortion, offer significant subjective benefits over drivers that prioritise amplitude response linearity and bandwidth. The implication of this for driver design is that the focus moves away from diaphragm material to concentrate on the motor system (magnetic circuit components and voice-coil), roll-surround and suspension, for those locations are where the dynamic and distortion performance of a driver is predominantly defined. And that’s also where the electro-acoustic design effort that resulted in the KH150 bass/mid driver was spent (Bruno Putzey’s remarkable Purifi drivers tread a not dissimilar path). The driver combines extraordinarily low distortion combined with an ability to remain dynamically linear over a huge (in driver terms) ±12mm diaphragm displacement range.

Source: https://musicandmiscellany.com/2023/01/03/secrets-of-the-neumann-kh150/

 

[Pritaudio]

Intermodulation distortion is a little harder to solve over the human hearing range due to the nature of the signal.

3 ways make it a little easier for a certain level of spl.

 

[Vadimchik]

anyone went from kh 80 to kh150? what are the higher impressions, and is it worth it?

 

[Niko Malt]

Hi @Vadimchik ,
I just bought a pair of KH150's because i was so satisfied with the KH80's. They sound the same but with deeper bass. But their dispersion is different, it is less wide. For me they don't work in the same room and position as the KH80's (small room for nearfield listening ca. 1,3 mtr). So i use them in our livingroom which is perfect for how i like my sound (listening distance ca. 3mtr).

 

[Vadimchik]

Hi @Vadimchik ,
I just bought a pair of KH150's because i was so satisfied with the KH80's. They sound the same but with deeper bass. But their dispersion is different, it is less wide. For me they don't work in the same room and position as the KH80's (small room for nearfield listening ca. 1,3 mtr). So i use them in our livingroom which is perfect for how i like my sound (listening distance ca. 3mtr).

150 gives a feeling of big sound and more immersion in the mix? compared to 80

 

[Spocko]

Hi @Vadimchik ,
I just bought a pair of KH150's because i was so satisfied with the KH80's. They sound the same but with deeper bass. But their dispersion is different, it is less wide. For me they don't work in the same room and position as the KH80's (small room for nearfield listening ca. 1,3 mtr). So i use them in our livingroom which is perfect for how i like my sound (listening distance ca. 3mtr).

Agreed, the nearfield speaker dispersion characteristics at 1.3m in a small room requires a different type of speaker, although DSP is still highly recommended.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Sound demo:

 

[Niko Malt]

150 gives a feeling of big sound and more immersion in the mix? compared to 80

For the distance, yes. I had Revel ultima studio's (serie 1) in the same place, they sounded bigger and with more deep bass but also less precise. You hear more with the KH150's. I think because of the narrow dispersion, you hear more of the speakers and less of the room.

 

[Vadimchik]

For the distance, yes. I had Revel ultima studio's (serie 1) in the same place, they sounded bigger and with more deep bass but also less precise. You hear more with the KH150's. I think because of the narrow dispersion, you hear more of the speakers and less of the room.

thank you)

 

[sunandmoon]

I am not quite sure if we discussed it aready but a picture/ details on the woofer of the KH150:

Source: https://musicandmiscellany.com/2023/01/03/secrets-of-the-neumann-kh150/

thanks for posting this, very good read

 

[Pearljam5000]

Is there any use for it for us audiophiles ?

 

[HarmonicTHD]

After a first very quick look: Impressive specs (DR up to >130dB-A for the Inputs) and features (DSP etc). Knowing Neumann I am sure it will also deliver the published specs. Thomann lists it at ca 2000 EUR MSRP.

 

[Tovarich007]

Likely, this new interface has been co-deigned by Merging and Neumann, the two companies being now in tight links since a few months.
This MT 408 looks a bit like the Merging Anubis. But it ain't sure the headphone output is as performing and powerful as in the Anubis.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Likely, this new interface has been co-deigned by Merging and Neumann, the two companies being now in tight links since a few months.
This MT 408 looks a bit like the Merging Anubis. But it ain't sure the headphone output is as performing and powerful as in the Anubis.

 

[JustCoolin‘]

This is difficult to answer. To me the KH150 sound much, much bigger than they are. Even from a distance of 1,8 m. I bought the Geithains because I'm an audiophile in midlife crisis who doesn't care for cars or motorcycles . A reasonable person would buy a pair of KH150 and be happy. To me they sound big enough and do have enough bass. But just to make this clear: I do not even consider to get rid of my Geithains...

Paging Berlin!

I‘d love to hear a few more thoughts from you regarding the KH150 and your lovely Geithains, now that - I assume - you‘ve used them more. How do they compare, how do you use each?

I live in Nürnberg, and there’s a 300km-wide Geithain distribution black hole around me. :-(

 

[Berlin]

Paging Berlin!

I‘d love to hear a few more thoughts from you regarding the KH150 and your lovely Geithains, now that - I assume - you‘ve used them more. How do they compare, how do you use each?

I live in Nürnberg, and there’s a 300km-wide Geithain distribution black hole around me. :-(

The Neumanns are currently in my bed room (approx. 35 m^2) and the Geithains are in my living room (approx. 60m^2). The listening distance to the Neumanns is below 2 m (< 3 m to the Geithains). Both rooms are untreated (but this might change in the future). I performed measurements at both listening positions and corrected boomy bass frequencies accordingly. I like both speakers very much. If I wouldn't suffer midlife crises the Neumanns provide all I need. The Geithains and Neumanns are the best speakers I have heard so far. I recently attended a listening session of a 350 kEUR system here in Berlin and was pretty much disappointed.

Subjectively the Geithains have a more 3D soundstange since they are positioned in the middle of my living room. When it comes to tonality both speakers just sound great.

Current Neumann set-up:

I also have a Genelec system in my little home office. Genelec makes room correction really easy...!!!

 

[JohnnyNG]

Such a cool monitor. Pondering what I would gain vs. my Revel M106/1ET400A/sub combo. Lower distortion below 200Hz for sure but I do high-pass at 120Hz. I wish active monitors would include a high-pass (80Hz would be fine) among the EQ options on the back since every sub has its own low-pass.