In this review, we will be comparing Sandwich 250 and Sandwich 150, two Passive Bookshelf speakers by Leak
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Leak Sandwich 250 and Leak Sandwich 150 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
Leak Sandwich 250 Key Specs
- 3-way Design
- 1.2" Dome Tweeter
- 4.25" Midrange
- 11" Aluminium-Foamcore Sandwich cone Woofer
- 42Hz-26kHz Frequency Response
- 88.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:25-250watts
- Weight:27.30kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 655.0" x 14.6" x 11.8"( 655 x 370 x 300 mm )
Leak Sandwich 150 Key Specs
- 2-way Design
- 1.2" Dome Tweeter
- 6.5" Aluminium-Foamcore Sandwich cone Woofer
- 44Hz-26kHz Frequency Response
- 86.5 dB Sensitivity
- Impedance: 4ohms
- Power Range:25-150watts
- Weight:12.30kg
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 415.0" x 9.9" x 11.4"( 415 x 250 x 290 mm )
Sandwich 250 and Sandwich 150 are members of Leak's Sandwich series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Leak Sandwich Series
History
What size room are the Leak Sandwich 250 and Leak Sandwich 150 speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Leak Sandwich 250 |
Leak Sandwich 150 |
| Near-field |
Poor |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Average |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the Leak Sandwich 250 and Leak Sandwich 150 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking
through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Sandwich 250 is a 3-way design whereas the Sandwich 150 is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
| Driver |
Leak Sandwich 250 |
Leak Sandwich 150 |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1.2-inch
|
1.2-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 4.25-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
1 x 11-inch
|
1 x 6.5-inch
|
Sandwich 250 features a 1.2" Coated Textile Dome Tweeter , a 4.25" Midrange and 1 x 11" Aluminium-Foamcore Sandwich cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 470Hz and 3100Hz. On the other hand, the Sandwich 150 features a 1.2" Coated Textile Dome Tweeter and 1 x 6.5" Aluminium-Foamcore Sandwich cone Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2400Hz.
Frequency Response
Sandwich 250 has a frequency range of 42Hz-26kHz whereas Sandwich 150 has a frequency range of 44Hz-26kHz. With a minimum frequency of 42Hz, the Sandwich 250 can go slightly deeper then the Sandwich 150's min frequency of 44Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
Sandwich 250 and Sandwich 150 have the same Impedance of 4 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. Sandwich 250 sensitivity is rated at 88.5 dB and the Sandwich 150's is at 86.5 dB. This 2 dB difference makes the Leak Sandwich 250 a more sensitive speaker compared to Leak Sandwich 150, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
One thing to keep in mind that the lower impedance speakers, especially the ones that are rated at 4 ohms may put more pressure on the amplifier unit comared to higher impedance speakers especially at high volume levels, so make sure the amp you pair with the Sandwich 250 and the Sandwich 250 can provide this impedance level.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. While using
an amplifier within this range ensures the nominal performance , inputting a power that is higher than the
max wattage can result in a damaged speaker.
Sandwich 250 can handle a max power of 250 watts RMS from the amp the whereas Sandwich 150 has a max power handling value of 150 watts RMS, 100 watts less than the Sandwich 250.
Keep in mind that a higher max power handling value doesn't necessarily make that a louder speaker
compared to a lower max handling speaker. Loudness or the sound level is also impacted by parameters
such as Impedance, sensitivity and system efficiencies.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Sandwich 250 features Binding post type posts and Sandwich 150 has a Binding post type posts. None of these speakers feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Leak Sandwich 250's Binding post terminals
Leak Sandwich 150's Binding post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both Sandwich 250 and Sandwich 150 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Leak Sandwich 250's and Leak Sandwich 150's external dimensions. Leak Sandwich 250 has external dimensions of 655 x 370 x 300 mm ( 25.8 x 14.6 x 11.8 inch) whereas Leak Sandwich 150 has external dimensions of 415 x 250 x 290 mm ( 16.3 x 9.9 x 11.4 inch) .
Leak Sandwich 250 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 120mm wider, 240mm taller and 10mm deeper than Leak Sandwich 150.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Leak Sandwich 250 and Leak Sandwich 150 in scale.
Comparison image of Leak Sandwich 250 and Leak Sandwich 150 Size and External Dimensions
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Leak Sandwich 250 is approximately 1110.0cm2 / 172.1inch2 and base area of the Leak Sandwich 150 is approximately 725.0cm2 / 112.4inch2. The Sandwich 250 requires 53% more surface area than the Sandwich 150 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.