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Which speaker is the best one?

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CarlToft

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I have been researching a lot recently, but I am still a bit confused about which speaker to choose. I have 3 speakers I have been looking at:
1. Kef R3 Meta
2. Ascend Acoustics Sierra-LX.
3. Neumann KH 150

I am wondering which speaker is the best one for me or if there are some better alternatives.
Info:
I like Harman-tuned headphones.
I will not use a Sub woofer atm.
I live in a small apartment with only one room which is around 30 m2
I will be sitting around 2,5-3 meters away from the speakers.
I live in Denmark

Edit:
Update 1: The ascend will cost over $300 to ship with the stands and $440 for import taxes so they would be very expensive, unfortunately.
Update 2: I found a used pair of Kef's for $1455,04 which i am trying to buy.
 
Last edited:
All look like good choices on paper. The Neumanns have amplifiers built in, so that’s a budget and space impact worth considering.

Can you try them at home?
 
ahofer said:
All look like good choices on paper. The Neumanns have amplifiers built in, so that’s a budget and space impact worth considering.

Can you try them at home?
Click to expand...
No, unfortunately, no shops around my city have any of the speakers. I would maybe be able to try the Kef as someone sells them used. I will be able to purchase an amp if I choose the Kef or Ascend.
 
The prettiest one. And get a sub.
 
Digby said:
not always the best way to make friends with the neighbours in an apartment.
Click to expand...
Then start by doing something truly aweful; so that the sub will be a blessed relief. :cool:
 
CarlToft said:
I have been researching a lot recently, but I am still a bit confused about which speaker to choose. I have 3 speakers I have been looking at:
1. Kef R3 Meta
2. Ascend Acoustics Sierra-LX
3. Neumann KH 150

I am wondering which speaker is the best one for me or if there are some better alternatives.
Info:
I like Harman-tuned headphones.
I will not use a Sub woofer atm.
I live in a small apartment with only one room which is around 30 m2
I will be sitting around 2,5-3 meters away from the speakers.
I live in Denmark
Click to expand...
I am familiar with only the KEF loudspeaker. Amir liked the performance of the Polk ES20 loudspeaker. Perhaps you can use Amazon's return policy to sample a pair.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Polk Signature Elite ES20 Review (Bookshelf Speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Polk Signature Elite ES20 bookshelf speaker. I purchased it from Amazon for US $349 a pair including shipping. I really like the look and finish of this series from Polk. Despite budget pricing, it looks nice and purposeful as you can tell...
www.audiosciencereview.com www.audiosciencereview.com

 
LIke @Digby said, I think the KH150 even without a sub would be pretty good, going down to 39 Hz. You can also easily wall mount them with a VESA mount.

What preamp would you use? What sources do you have?

The KH150 might sound bright (or some might say detailed) depending on your prior system. You'll want to get their measurement mic and use their software to properly adjust them for your room. One advantage of the Neumann's is they can be tuned accurately for whatever your preferred house curve is.

I have the KH80 for my desktop system and really like them.
 
radix said:
I have the KH80 for my desktop system and really like them.
Click to expand...
Do you have a sub? I have Genelec 8010s with sub on my desk in one house, was thinking about these for the other.
 
ahofer said:
Do you have a sub? I have Genelec 8010s with sub on my desk in one house, was thinking about these for the other.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have the KH80/KH750 bundle. Expensive, but fantastic for near field.
 
Digby said:
not always the best way to make friends with the neighbours in an apartment.
Click to expand...
With proper settings, this is a non-issue. You can extend your low-end w/o having to blast your neighbors.

Of course you have to forego 20Hz tactile bass response in movies in an apartment but a solid extension down to 30Hz for music is possible.
I am an apartment dweller and have been doing this for years now.
 
KEF measurements on Klippel NFS: https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/kef_r3_meta/

Ascend LX measurements on Klippel NFS: https://ascendacoustics.com/collect...roducts/sierra-lx-pair?variant=40080757260342

Neumann measurements on Klippel NFS: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/neumann-kh-150-monitor-review.39922/

All pretty neutral on axis and with good predicted in-room response. KEF is about 3dB higher sensitivity than Ascend but also lower impedance. Ascend has wider horizontal dispersion than KEF or Neumann but has a little more unevenness there.

Overall, all look like really good performers, so you can't go wrong. Key questions being do you want built-in amps and do you prefer wider dispersion or narrower? That might depend a lot on your room acoustics and how close sidewalls would be to the speakers.
 
One other thing I should mention that stands out from the measurements: The biggest difference in response is in the midbass, from about 40-50Hz up to around 100 to 120Hz. The Neumann is basically flat. The Ascend actually has a touch more output at 60Hz than at 100Hz. The KEF, meanwhile, has a fair amount less bass from about 50Hz to 100Hz than the other two.

In room, you will get different bass responses. The Ascend with the most midbass. The KEF with the least. The Neumann in between. Which you prefer is hard to say and will also be very dependent on room acoustics and speaker placement. If you have them near the wall behind them, or near a corner, the KEF bass alignment might work best, while the Ascend and Neumann might come off as being a little too bass heavy. If you have them more out in the room, the Ascend or Neumann might work better. But this is hard to predict.
 
radix said:
LIke @Digby said, I think the KH150 even without a sub would be pretty good, going down to 39 Hz. You can also easily wall mount them with a VESA mount.

What preamp would you use? What sources do you have?

The KH150 might sound bright (or some might say detailed) depending on your prior system. You'll want to get their measurement mic and use their software to properly adjust them for your room. One advantage of the Neumann's is they can be tuned accurately for whatever your preferred house curve is.

I have the KH80 for my desktop system and really like them.
Click to expand...
I also messaged Ascend and the shipping + my country's expensive import taxes only the kef and Neumann would be options.
 
Beave said:
One other thing I should mention that stands out from the measurements: The biggest difference in response is in the midbass, from about 40-50Hz up to around 100 to 120Hz. The Neumann is basically flat. The Ascend actually has a touch more output at 60Hz than at 100Hz. The KEF, meanwhile, has a fair amount less bass from about 50Hz to 100Hz than the other two.

In room, you will get different bass responses. The Ascend with the most midbass. The KEF with the least. The Neumann in between. Which you prefer is hard to say and will also be very dependent on room acoustics and speaker placement. If you have them near the wall behind them, or near a corner, the KEF bass alignment might work best, while the Ascend and Neumann might come off as being a little too bass heavy. If you have them more out in the room, the Ascend or Neumann might work better. But this is hard to predict.
Click to expand...
I just found a used pair of Kef's for half the price of the Neumann so I am considering buying them.
 
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