Speaker Comparison Review - Klipsch RP500M vs. ELAC Debut 5.2 vs. KEF Q150
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- čas přidán 17. 04. 2023
- This is a speaker comparison review between the Klipsch RP500M, the ELAC Debut 2.0 B5.2, and the KEF Q150. I decided to compare these three because they’re similar in terms of size, weight, and general design. If you can find them on sale, they’re also similar in price. At the time of my purchase, all three were on sale at Crutchfield, an awesome and reputable online A/V dealer in the USA - the ELAC were $230 (MSRP $290), the KEF were $300 (MSRP $600), and the Klipsch were $380 (MSRP $480). All prices here are USD and rounded up to the nearest dollar.
While I don’t address the price discrepancy in the video, I will say that the ELAC is an excellent deal with an MSRP under $300, while the Q150 I feel is overpriced at it’s MSRP of $600, but a good deal at $300, and the Klipsch is good deal with an MSRP under $500, and an outstanding deal if you can find it under $400.
I drove them using an Onkyo 8050 stereo receiver, with a variety of sources and styles of music - sources included a Rega Planar 2 turntable through the PHONO input on the Onkyo, high-res digital files through both the analog and digital inputs streaming from Apple Music and Qobuz, and both compressed and uncompressed files on my computer.
These are my impressions of each speaker as directly compared to the others. This is my first audio related video, if you like what you see, hit subscribe, and please pass the video along to anyone who may be interested.
Thanks for watching! - Věda a technologie
This is legit the best speaker review I've ever watched.
Thanks Mark!
I absolutely agree with you!
In fact, before I found this video, these are the exact three speakers I was trying to decide upon! That review definitely helped a lot!
I second Mark Linton, the description is phenomenal. You have my subscription. Looking forward to your next videos and other videos. 4 thumbs up.
Some reviewers are FULL of THEMSELVES in their review. they are the center of the universe. So it's not about the product, it's about their "profound" and "special" knowledge, not about the product. So their review is HIGHLY DISCOUNTED. This review is not one of those, it's balanced and the articulation of the sound is very impressive. I could hear it in my head when I listened to his words. Keep it up Mark, do more.
Thanks for the kind words!
@@markvsounddesign5026 I would love to hear your take on the Kef Q150. It's affordable but quite pricey for an entry product. Seriously, listen to it.
@@wiebl5266 You mean the speaker I reviewed in this video?
@@markvsounddesign5026 Yeah, have you done an exclusiv on it?
You are really good at this. Hope to see more reviews in the future.
Wow, fantastic review. Your detailed descriptions were clear and relatable
Thanks!
Finally someone that speaks the damn truth. I got banned from Crutchfield for excessive returns on speakers that were recommended by well known reviewers. I always ignored the klipsch because of what they said was, “bright” and “fatiguing”. Finally, after finding flaws with all the well know Reviewed speakers, I went with klipsch bookshelf and center speakers. Man! As soon as I fired up the Yamaha, I immediately fell in love with the sound, even my wife from the other room immediately commented, “those sound clear babe”. I could’ve saved a lot of $$$ on return fees. I don’t understand why these superb sounding speakers are hated so much. Never thought a speaker could sound so good after listening to all the “acclaimed” hyped speakers. You’re right, the kef on midrange is odd, even with their ls50’s. Good review, spot on.
Thanks for the comment! I feel the same way. The Kipsch RP600M has received a lot of good press and good reviews, but it does seem like KEF and ELAC are brands that get a lot more press and praise. I haven’t heard older generations of Klipsch, but the horn loaded design can lend itself to a bright or fatiguing listening experience depending on how well they’re designed and made, and depending on the source material. But my personal experience with this generation of Kipsch design is that they accentuate the mids in a really desirable way, and it sounds like that’s been your experience too. Thanks for watching!
This was amazing. you should do more reviews.
Thanks!
What a review sir you should continue this hobby.
Thanks!
Excellent review! We need more reviews from you though. I own the RP600m, along with several other contemporary bookshelf speakers, and enjoy swapping them with several amps in rooms throughout my home. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with them. Thanks for taking the time to record and share this!
Thanks for the comment! I haven't heard the RP600m, but if they have similar sonic characteristics to the RP500m, I'm sure I'd like them. What do you love and what do you hate about them?
@@markvsounddesign5026 I suppose ‘hate’ is a strong word, lol. My love would be their overall treble definition, especially while listening to live recordings. However, my dislike is that I can barely make it through an entire album before the fatigue sets in. I can extend my tolerance by listening off-axis or using tone controls, but that’s another step that I don’t have to take with my Elacs, Wharfedales or CSS. Another dislike are the gold ‘Cerametallic’ woofers. Not a fan of gold. I like sitting down and playing a good live recording with kick drums and guitar. Tom Petty sounds great. The Klipsch are noticeably more dynamic and can get my feet tapping quickly, before my ears start bleeding that is…. My pair are currently getting theater duty as my front R&L. They are sensitive enough to sound loud with just about any AVR.
Interesting. Sounds like you’re experiencing some harshness in the highs and high mids. Horn loaded drivers can do that, although the RP500s don’t sound that way to me, and you definitely shouldn’t have to listen off axis or roll frequencies off with EQ. How close are the speakers to your listening position? I’ve noticed that I do need a few feet of distance between me and the Klipsch before they sound good. Horn loaded drivers throw sound differently than regular high frequency driver, so if you’re listening too close that might make them sound harsh.
@@markvsounddesign5026 I sit about 8 feet in front. Funny thing I just swapped the 600s in this week for my fancy Critons and I’m happy again go figure lol. I have watched several reviewers with similar favorable opinion of the RP500s vs. the 600s…. I might have to try them! Thanks for the insight!
@@4thewinir344 I’ve heard that leaving the grills on helps lessen the treble fatigue. Have you noticed any difference between having the grills on or off?
I think the time alignment of the tweeter setting further back makes the sound cleaner , without competing with the low drivers timing .
Mark V Sound Design What one would you recommend for a compact turntable setup?
I own the q150 and I’m very very very happy
just bought a pair. what amp you running? pretty clueless
Is Marantz PM5005 amplifier good enough to drive Elac B5.2?
Any thoughts on which would be better for TV living room speakers? Based on what you said about the Q150s having the most forgiving sweet spot, I was thinking those might be best for watching TV with a bigger group of people
Good question. I didn’t do much TV watching with these when I was doing my critical listening, but I do use the RP500M now as my main speakers for my stereo and TV, and are quite happy with them. First off, I think all three pairs will be great for TV watching, and so much better than any TV speakers. So in that respect, you can’t go wrong! I’d be less concerned about the sweet spot with TV watching, as the sweet spot really just means getting the truest stereo image, which is something I personally don’t prioritize when watching TV - for me it really only applies when sitting down and listening to music. For TV watching I’d prioritize the clarity of dialogue over everything else, so the bump in mids, and the way the horn directs those mid and high frequencies in a more pronounced way, would still make me lean toward the Klipsch. But that’s just me guessing, based upon the attributes of the speakers as I remember them. YMMV. Thanks for watching!
Hi! This video is very helpful & I keep going back & forth between speakers lol. Which ones would you say sound best for hip hop and R&B vinyl records?
It’s hard to say definitely, and all three of these speakers do sound very good. With vinyl it’s also going to depend on your turntable, phono preamp, cartridge, etc. I still think that the Klipsch are the best sounding overall of these three pairs for most genres of modern music. But I’d make sure you have a phono cartridge that is neutral sounding and not overly bright or mid-rangy, because the horn loaded high frequency driver on the Kilpsch already has those sonic characteristics.
I have a Denon amplifire and Kef Q150, both has a warm, balanced and neutral sound, i like Jazz and R&B. they sound very good. For vinyl records i have an Ortofone cartridge very neutral too and perfect for that music.
You explained the reason why i don't like Klipsch speakers, they sound too bright to me. I like the Kef, more natural and neutral sound.
Thanks to share this interesting video. I need to ask a question please. I need 2 speaker to listen TV. I make video editing and I make documentaries with narrator voice. I'm thinking to buy Elac Debut b5.2. In your opinion are there other better speakers with the same price and for this purpose? I thank you.
I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you looking for speakers to use to help you edit documentaries? If so, I think you want to look into near field monitors. The speakers in this video are not designed to be listened to very close, like you would on a desk or work station while editing on a computer.
Or, are you looking for speakers to use while you’re watching TV? If that is what you want, then all of these speakers will work well, but I still recommend the Klipsch over the others.
I’m currently deciding between the RP500MII vs Q150 so this is super helpful. Thank you!
To me it seems the RP-500M I/II is just not as popular despite going toe to toe with the KEFs. It’s harder to find reviews/comparisons for the RP 500M I/II specifically.
Yes that’s true! Thats one of the reasons I decided to make this video. The RP600M seems to be a more popular speaker, and has a lot more reviews, but I really love the size of these. Thanks for watching!
@@markvsounddesign5026 Hello I have the Q 150 paired with a NAD C316 BEE V2 class AB amplifier, all frequencies are warm and I do not perceive here the absence of midrange, I like that the treble does not fatigue at all, the amplifier is important to be able to reach a verdict, it plays as a variable in the result of the sound, so complex but true!
The rp500MII is better than the 600. That's because the crossover works better with the smaller woofer.
Which of these speakers do you recommend for listening hard rock?
Definitely Klipsch. The horn loaded high frequency driver will bring out the high-mids of crunchy guitars really well, and the music will feel more aggressive and in your face.
Absolutely great review!!! I would like to know if you tried the Kef with the foam plug in the port, it may have cleaned up the bass to your liking.
This review was so good I had to try the Klipsch and I did liked them but to my ears they sounded a little thin and weightless. I would rather have all the detail and low end of the kef than tighter bass on the Klipsch.
Thank you for such a great review!!!
Hey, thanks for your thoughts and for watching my video!
I don’t actually remember if I used the foam plugs, and I’m sure it would have attenuated that bass boost. In my experience generally, plugging a bass port won’t add detail that isn’t otherwise there, but admittedly, I didn’t do any critical listening with the port plugged, so I won’t presume to know how the speaker would have behaved.
I suppose the Klipsch, when compared side-by-side with a speaker with a more boosted low end, could sound a little weightless by comparison, but that’s definitely not the feeling I was left with when just listening to and enjoying the Klipsch. Despite having less low end presence than the KEF, the Klipsch still sounded well balanced to my ears, not lacking at all. The Klipsch low end sounded tight and punchy, which I equate to detail, while the KEF low end seemed loose and soft around the edges, despite being more pronounced. Basically, the KEF low end sounded louder but LESS detailed to me. Ultimately, one can always boost or cut frequencies to one’s liking with a decent EQ, but EQ isn’t going to also create clarity and detail if it isn’t already there.
Ultimately, I’m splitting hairs. I thought the KEF were great sounding speakers, I just liked the Klipsch better.
I'm not sure what KEF is going for with their sound signature. But whatever it is. I'm very sensitive to it. I found out fast that I'm not a KEF guy lol
I ended up sending the q150s back and got the 600Ms for the same price.
Hmmm in this price range nothing beats the Kef Q series. Strange that speaker reviews USA related always go for their own brands. 😉
The Q150s are great. In fact I bought them first, based on brand reputation and reviews, and then later decided to make a comparison video just for fun, and bought the others. I was surprised that the Q150 didn’t come out on top. Did you watch my video? I tried to give an unbiased assessment, and feel I would have come to the same conclusion even if I did the the evaluation blind.
Have you listen to these two models side by side? What’s your critical assessment?
@@markvsounddesign5026 OK I Think, the amplifier is important to be able to reach a verdict, it plays as a variable in the result of the sound, so complex but true!, you would have to compare the 3 speakers with 3 different types of integrated amplifiers: NAD C 316 BEE V2, Marantz, and Cambridge Audio, it is very likely that with a suitable amplifier for each speaker, they will all shine almost equally. Have you not thought about it?
One big reason is this:
I am a short drive between two local klipsch dealers. My closest Kef dealer is an hour away. A lot of people are in this situation and never bother drive to audition.
which speakers do you recommend for heavy metal?
Klipsch! The horn loaded high frequency driver will accentuate the punch and aggression of the guitar distortion. You want a speaker that delivers in your face midrange. Klipsch are great for all kinds of rock.
@@markvsounddesign5026how would the q150 with a decent subwoofer handle hard rock/metal?
❤❤❤
Found a pair of RP500M for $150 (display model), guess for this price its a no brainer?
Def a no brainer how did you like them
Did you buy them? What do you think?
Look at the Prices :=)
Elac's B6.2, 5.2 need 100 hours + breakin any review before this is void !!!!!!
sorry have to say this, Klipsch, bose...etc, never be highend for audiophile, B&W, Paradigm, KEF are...............
Goes to show you do not know anything. Klipsch is a premier Highend Brand, you just can’t afford it.
Heresy, Forte, Cornwall, La Scala, klipschorn
Sorry, have to say this. B&W make junk that's imported from China with cheap parts. 705s2 for 3 grand?? Don't make me laugh! The high end stuff is made in the UK. Paradigm fell off the wagon years ago. The paradigms under $3000 a pair all have pretty bad tweeters (measurably and audibly) and underwhelming bass. Kef make some metallic sounding stuff too. The LS50 are vastly overrated and there are MANY on the used market. People can believe the fake psychology of the brands all they want but many of them are badly flawed. dare I say..MID-fi.
not to be a dick, but after Randy, cheapaudioman, every dude that likes stereo equipment and a table thinks they are the next Randy. problem is, Randy is unique and freakin awesome, the rest...yawn. sorry dude. you're boring.
what a D