Neumann KH 150

Sources split, but lopsidedly. ASR, Sound On Sound, AMAZONA, bonedo, Happy Mag and most owners hear a neutral, uncoloured balance — Amir actually heard it as slightly warm for a small monitor, which he put down to the deep bass. An owner who tried Genelec's 8340A found its treble harsh and the KH 150 'just right'. Two minorities dissent. Audiofanzine's reviewers, listening flat before calibration in their own room, heard a heavy, slightly overbearing lower midrange and a dip in presence, which MA 1 then removed. And an owner comparing it with a Genelec 8340 found it flatter and 'boring' in a way — though exactly what he wanted for mixing.

The headline strength. ASR was surprised by bass reaching 39 Hz from such a small box, Sound On Sound called it 'unfeasibly extended', and AMAZONA, bonedo, Happy Mag, Produce Like A Pro and Thomann buyers all say they can mix without a subwoofer in most situations. Audiofanzine, after MA 1, describes the bass as contained but deep. The limit is the bottom octave: Amir found the deepest sub-bass filtered off by the sharp roll-off and says you still need a sub, or a bigger monitor, for that.

“KH150 bass is unfeasibly extended considering the monitor’s relatively compact dimensions, yet it sounds dynamic and dependable”

Phil Ward, Sound On Sound

“These monitors reach low enough that, for many nearfield mixing situations, I would feel comfortable working without a subwoofer.”

Warren Huart, Produce Like A Pro (behind a console at about 42 inches, MA 1 on)

“Much of it is filtered due to sharp drop off in response. So for that, you still need a sub or a much larger monitor.”

amirm, Audio Science Review (on sub-bass)

Mostly praised as clear and detailed without harshness. AMAZONA hears crystal-clear highs that allow surgical work but never sound sharp, Audiofanzine calls the top end delicate and musical, Happy Mag says it is flat enough that the only harshness will be your own mix, and an owner who tried Genelec's 8340A found the KH 150 'just right'. The one dissent is a non-owner who prefers Genelecs and finds Neumanns a little less bright and detailed.

“Dazu gesellen sich glasklar aufgelöste Höhen, die chirurgische Eingriffe ermöglichen, aber nicht von sich aus scharf oder unangenehm klingen würden.”

Raphael Tschernuth, AMAZONA.de (after MA 1: crystal-clear highs that allow surgical edits without sounding sharp)

“I tried the 8340a and found the treble too harsh for me, the KH 150 was just right.”

fuzzychaos, ASR review thread

Strong agreement. Sound On Sound calls the stereo imaging rock solid, bonedo says individual parts of a mix can almost be grabbed, Audiofanzine found the image precise and wide, and owners on ASR, Reddit and Thomann single it out. Produce Like A Pro heard it stabilise further with MA 1 engaged. The only caveat is relative: one owner who also has Genelec 8351Bs preferred those for their wide, off-axis-robust image.

“The KH150 is deeply insightful through the entire audio band with stereo imaging that’s rock solid, as much mix clarity as you could ever want to hear”

Phil Ward, Sound On Sound

“Einzelne Mixbestandteile lassen sich sowohl klanglich als auch anhand ihrer räumlichen Positionierung exakt und unverwaschen heraushören, ja fast greifen!”

Peter Könemann, bonedo.de (treated room, 1.15 m triangle: parts of the mix can be picked out exactly, almost grabbed)

“the imaging is superb”

Breeze98, ASR review thread (owner, 1.1 m triangle, stands beside the desk)

Praised wherever it comes up: Happy Mag found the soundstage beautifully wide, AMAZONA heard impressive depth on orchestral recordings, and Produce Like A Pro heard the stage open up and the orchestra's layers separate once MA 1 was engaged.

“These are a fantastically rich and detailed studio monitor that provides a beautiful wide soundstage for all critical audio situations”

Tim McArtney, Happy Mag

“Auch sehr dynamische Orchesteraufnahmen gibt er mit beeindruckender Tiefenstaffelung und hoher Räumlichkeit wieder.”

Raphael Tschernuth, AMAZONA.de (impressive depth and spaciousness on orchestral recordings)

Revealing, by broad agreement. ASR found the detail excellent, Sound On Sound and AMAZONA say it exposes everything — including the flaws of the room and of poor recordings — and owners say distortion and mix errors stand out. A Thomann buyer found the studio less 'pleasant' at first, then realised it was his old mixes that had changed. The two softer voices compare it with Genelecs: one owner felt his 8351Bs reveal more in key areas, and a non-owner finds Neumanns slightly less detailed.

“Detail was excellent as were the dynamics.”

amirm, Audio Science Review

“Also distortion/overdrive of any kind is very easy to spot with these, kind of sticks out more than with other speakers I know.”

Awkward-Hurry8089, r/StereoAdvice (owner, after 25 years on Mackie HR824s)

“My first impression was that the sound in the studio is not that “pleasant” any more, but the truth is that this applies for my previous mixes, not the reference tracks :-).”

MMichalis, Thomann customer review

Plays loud and clean. Happy Mag couldn't drive it to clipping, AMAZONA and ASR found it effortless at high levels in the near field, audiore.kr's compression and multitone tests are, in Nuyes' words, beyond what its size suggests, and an owner says it's so clean you don't notice how loud you're playing. One owner felt it had less perceived punch than a Genelec 8340.

“Volume-wise, we had a hard time maxing these out”

Tim McArtney, Happy Mag

“No words needed — it’s a beast, delivering well beyond what its size might suggest.”

Nuyes, audiore.kr review on ASR (Klippel compression test)

“Selbst sehr hohe Abhörlautstärken meistert der KH 150 mühelos, ohne das Signal negativ zu verfärben.”

Raphael Tschernuth, AMAZONA.de (handles very high levels effortlessly without colouring the signal)

Placement guidance more than a split, because every complaint comes from a specific setup. On stands in a treated room, AMAZONA found a very wide sweet spot and Sound On Sound a well-controlled dispersion (he still set the bass switch to −2 dB for his room). On a desk shelf, bonedo found the low-mid cut made it more neutral. Behind a large console, Produce Like A Pro measured heavy low-mid build-up at 150–200 Hz and 350–400 Hz until MA 1 fixed it, and Audiofanzine heard similar room effects uncorrected. Nuyes found the light cabinet can 'walk' on a smooth surface at some frequencies — the stick-on feet Neumann supplies are the fix. A speaker designer on ASR thinks the narrowing treble makes it sound dull off-axis in a well-damped room.

“Zudem besitzt der Monitor einen sehr breiten Sweet-Spot.”

Raphael Tschernuth, AMAZONA.de (treated studio, after MA 1: a very wide sweet spot)

“There was a considerable buildup through the low mids, especially around 150 to 200 Hz, along with another pronounced problem around 350 to 400 Hz.”

Warren Huart, Produce Like A Pro (behind a large-format console, before MA 1)

“if it’s placed directly on a perfectly smooth, flat surface, a certain resonance can cause the cabinet to “walk” at specific frequencies.”

Nuyes, audiore.kr review on ASR (measured without the supplied rubber feet)

Owners and reviewers agree mixes travel well. A Thomann buyer coming from Genelec 8040s says his mixes finally translate to other systems, an ASR owner found it easy to make mixes translate (more so than on Genelec's 8340), Sound On Sound calls its tonal character trustworthy at any level, and Produce Like A Pro says it shows what is in the recording rather than what the room adds.

“Seriously now, my new mixes translate really better in other systems, which is the whole point I think.”

MMichalis, Thomann customer review (small treated room, previously Genelec 8040s with room correction)

“It helps the speakers tell you what is genuinely in the recording instead of what the room is adding.”

Warren Huart, Produce Like A Pro (with MA 1)

Quiet. bonedo heard neither hiss nor hum at the listening position, and an ASR owner running two pairs found 'not a bit of hiss at any listening level'. Faults that make a unit crackle are covered under build.

“Die Monitore erzeugen im aktiven Zustand weder ein hörbares Rauschen oder gar Brummen.”

Peter Könemann, bonedo.de (no audible hiss or hum when on; treated room, 1.15 m)

“There was also not a bit of hiss at any listening level. Not a bit.”

teashea, ASR review thread (owner, 1.3 m away, above a console)

MA 1 integration is the standout: the calibration is stored in the speaker, so nothing sits in the computer's signal path, and AMAZONA, Audiofanzine and Produce Like A Pro call it a major part of the product's value. Inputs are XLR plus S/PDIF in and out, with an AES67 network version available. The caveats: the MA 1 kit costs extra ($299), Sound On Sound noted it was stereo-only at the time, and one owner found S/PDIF at 48 kHz sounded worse than at 96 kHz.

“Der für mich ausschlaggebende Vorteil des MA 1 Systems im Vergleich zu anderen Optimierungsprogrammen ist, dass die Ergebnisse der Messung direkt im Lautsprecher gespeichert werden.”

Raphael Tschernuth, AMAZONA.de (the decisive advantage: MA 1's results are stored in the speaker itself)

“The integration with MA 1 is a major part of their value.”

Warren Huart, Produce Like A Pro

Sources split by what they handled. Sound On Sound, AMAZONA, Audiofanzine and Produce Like A Pro found MA 1 quick and simple — seven sweeps and the correction is uploaded to the speakers. The complaints are about the hardware and settings: bonedo found the rear slide switches don't always click cleanly into place (Neumann told him a new dust-sealing pad makes them stiffer), and owners on ASR dislike the 90-minute auto-standby, which MA 1 can't change.

Sources split along a familiar line: reviewers and most owners describe a seamless, precisely made cabinet with very tight unit-to-unit matching, while a run of owners on ASR report faults months or years in. One unit had to be repaired for muting itself, one went silent overnight, one lost its network port, one crackles out of warranty, and one wouldn't power up after about 18 months. Several more describe a speaker that sometimes won't wake from standby until it's power-cycled. These are reports from a forum where problems get posted, not a failure rate. One owner points out the warranty is two years, against Genelec's and RME's longer cover.

Sources split, with most on the side of 'worth it'. ASR says the price is high but so is the performance, Sound On Sound calls it relatively affordable for its class and says you'd be crazy not to add MA 1, and owners call it a bargain and incredible value even when they prefer pricier Genelecs. The dissent comes from users who point to far cheaper DSP monitors — a TV-studio engineer finds it not much better than Kali's IN-8 at twice the price — and a forum regular who'd rather have bigger speakers for the money.