In this review, we will be comparing Elysian 2 and Q150, two Passive Bookshelf speakers from Wharfedale and KEF. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and KEF Q150 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into details in order to better understand how Wharfedale Elysian 2 and KEF Q150 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that Elysian 2 is a 3-way design whereas Q150 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. Elysian 2 features a 27x90mm" AMT (Ribbon) Tweeter , a 6" Midrange and 1 x 8.5" Coated Fiberglass Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 360Hz and 2900Hz. On the other hand, Q150 features a 1" vented aluminum Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 2500Hz.
Frequency Response
Elysian 2 has a frequency range of 35-22k Hz whereas Q150 has a frequency range of 51-28k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 35Hz, the Elysian 2 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the Q150's min frequency of 51Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers under Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
Impedance and Sensitivity
Elysian 2 is a 4 ohms speaker compared to Q150 which has a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. These two speakers also have different sensitivity levels. Elysian 2 sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and Q150's is at 86 dB. This 3 dB difference makes Wharfedale Elysian 2 a more sensitive speaker compared to KEF Q150, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Bookshelf Speakers
Power Range
Elysian 2 has a power range of 25-250 watts RMS whereas Q150 has a power range of 10-100 watts.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
Elysian 2 features Post posts which makes bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. Q150 has a Post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Wharfedale Elysian 2's Post terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
KEF Q150's Post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Elysian 2 has a bottom firing port whereas Q150 has a rear firing ports. Wharfedale Elysian 2's bottom-firing port gives more flexibility in placement in regards to proximity to walls compared to KEF Q150 with its rear-firing port.
KEF Q150 Port
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 Wharfedale Elysian 2's and KEF Q150's external dimensions. Wharfedale Elysian 2 has external dimensions of 700.0 x 334.0 x 462.0mm ( 27.5 x 13.1 x 18.1inch) whereas KEF Q150 has external dimensions of 303.0 x 180.0 x 278.0mm ( 11.9 x 7.0 x 10.9inch) .
Wharfedale Elysian 2 is clearly the larger of the two speakers. Its body is 154mm wider, 397mm taller and 184mm deeper than KEF Q150.
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and KEF Q150 in scale.
Comparison image of Wharfedale Elysian 2 and KEF Q150 Size and External Dimensions
