Affiliate Links if You Want to Buy Anything... KEF Q150: howl.me/chErfTFc1On Polk R200: howl.me/cmyQr5oKOGd Klipsch RP-600M II: howl.me/cmyQsHkBKmd ELAC DBR62: howl.me/ckaQ1BALXxL Kali Audio IN-8 v2: amzn.to/45ML2Up Support the cause: Patreon: www.patreon.com/erinsaudiocorner Contribute via PayPal: www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=CLHSW4L9SBSLY A simple request: If any of you find yourselves shopping for anything sold by the retailers below please consider using my generic affiliate link. These can earn me a small commission which goes a long way toward helping me review items and make content. It is a great way you can help me continue doing what I enjoy doing without costing you anything extra. It is truly appreciated! Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner Best Buy: howl.me/ck2IPpcOp1h Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh Parts-Express: parts-express.sjv.io/Y9zoEB Newegg: howl.me/ck2IQg52L5b Samsung: howl.me/ck2IQ5qe16w Target: howl.me/ck2IRDNsIqn Thomann: www.thomann.de/de/index.html?offid=1&affid=2577 Emotiva: shorturl.at/pBEU9 Monoprice: bit.ly/3yAY6NH Arendal Sound: arendalsound.com/store/?refer=hardisj Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn't matter if it's a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!
Dude, you are becoming very polished. The content was always solid, but the delivery is far improved. You figured out how to provide the details that audio junkies want, while explaining the basic premise to newcomers, all in one concise way. Looking forward to seeing the future of Erin’s Audio Corner.
Happy to see an active speaker getting some love! DSP multiamping and calibrated measurements took my DIY man-loft system from nice to nirvana. 3(+)-way systems have many advantages but present major challenges to filtering passively while maintaining good phase response. Active presents powerful and affordable optimization tools to the designer, and I believe is the wave of the future.
@@miguelalonsoperez5609 In this case I used a modified bookshelf for the tweeter and midrange. It’s a 1 inch tweeter, 5 inch midrange and then I have a pair of small 8inch subwoofers and one mono 12 inch. So it’s basically a stereo 3 way and sub. I use dsp that has 8 outputs. I’m using 8th order crossovers and PEQ filters as well as some delays for precise time alignment. I didn’t actually build anything, just bypassed the internals of some off the shelf products. The powered subs are not modified, just used the LFE input to bypass the crossover on the sub. I didn’t use a tower speaker in this setup because it’s more of a stealth setup.
I think this is the sweet spot. I just purchased the KEF Q150s. I use a WiiM Amp (small room so it’s perfect) and I have had a RSL Speedwooder 10s MKII. All in around $1200 and I don’t see my self going much higher than that for my needs.
Great list, Erin. I have the Polk R100s on my desktop set up and I love them! I have them crossed over at 80 Hz with a mini DSP and they sound fantastic! I am sure that the R200s would be very similar, but just more of the goodness.
Your review is for new speakers, but interested listeners should also keep in mind the pre-owned market. Both the Kef LS50 Meta and Elac UBR62 can be found under $1,000 used. Both are outstanding.
I was surprised to see Ascend Acoustics here! I have the Sierra 2EX v2's, and they're without a doubt the best speakers I've ever owned. Their customer support is top-notch as well. Great work on this video!
I had the Sierra 2s and thought they were awesome. I ended up selling them and buying a pair of Lintons (mostly because of Erin's review). I am happy with the Wharfedales, but I do miss that Raal tweeter.
I also own the Sierra 2ex V2 and they are remarkable. O e thing i love about Ascend Acoustics is how transparent the evolution of all their models are as the detailed discussions and goals are put forth in the public forum.
It’s good to see the sub $1000 list Erin. I suspect this is really the sweet spot for many of us when it comes to price to performance. I have the Kef’s from this video and have been very happy with them (Black Friday $299 purchase) but think I still prefer JBL Studio 530’s at least in my room. I really want to check out the Kalis now. Thanks for all you do for the community, I’ve been a fan for a long time dating back to car audio lol.
Hey, man, thanks for the kind words and especially for mentioning the car audio days. I still try to compete. Was planning on going to a show this weekend but have a cracked rim on my car that has to be replaced. 🤬🤬
@@ErinsAudioCornerummm.... We need coverage of this PLEASE. you specifically covering mobile audio for us old heads would be great!!!! Former competitor here!!!!
hey thillyard, sub $1000 is the only price range for bookshelf speakers (at least for me), so it was great to get Erin's input on that. Above a grand, I look beyond the bookshelf speaker mentality, but that's just me. That said, it looks like "the next" price range would be from about 3k to under 10k (7k?) .. I don't know if at this higher price category that it gets easier or harder to do.. at some point, it's got to be harder because of the additional difficulty for Erin to coordinate such an endeavor largely due to size, cost, and liability constraints..😉
I concur with the KALI IN-8 V2. Thanks to you, I purchased this as a single speaker for my 9 yo's electronic drum kit. Have used for general listening too, as well as party speaker (small wedding
Good stuff Erin 👍 And glad to see the Elac dbr62's getting some love. I was highly impressed by them. Got them for $500 "b-stock" in perfect condition. What a steal.
I like the Elacs too, Casey! The Polks would probably be cool too with the right subwoofer. I thought Erin did a great job coming up with pics that at least one of them would be preferred by anyone interested in this price range.
Well, I couldn't wait any longer! Just bought a WiiM Ultra and a pair of Kali Audio IN-8V2s based purely on your reviews. Sounds incredible for a relatively budget system!
First time I've seen the Ascend Sierra 1s turn up in a list. I had these for a couple of years and they were great. Upgraded them to the Sierra 2EX with RAAL ribbon tweeters and the sound is stunning. Mind you they're no longer sub $1k speakers. But they now dissappear, with amazing horizontal dispersion.
I would put the KEF Q350 on the list, it is similar to the Q150 for almost the same price but less compromised in the bass region due to the bigger 165 mm driver (vs. 130 mm). For the KEF Q350 bass performance I just posted a little trick in Amir's review on Audio Science Review (page 27). If the bass is well balanced but not deep with the port closed and too boomy with the port open or half open you can try to extend the bassreflex tunnel by about 14cm to lower the port tuning frequency. This may give you a surprisingly deep and balanced bass extension. Of course the result is very room dependent. Details and in room measurements can be found in my Audio Science Review post. One can easily build it from a piece of slotted pipe isolation from the hardware store in a few minutes (if you don't care how the back of the speaker actually looks like) to give it a try.
The kef q350 is an amazing speaker, especially for the price, they can rival much much more expensive speakers, and personally I enjoyed them more than the ls50 and ls50 metas I had.
Both really good speakers, but many people (including me) prefer the Q150 to the 350. 150 being more clear, balanced and with a better soundstage. 350s may have an edge in larger rooms tho; I listen to the 150s from about 10 ft in a 15x15 ft room and they fill the room easily. I compared the 150s to my beloved classic large Advents in a much larger room, and the KEFs could not keep up.
I suggested Erin to review the KEF Q350 before too. Here in the EU they are as you say almost the same price as the Q150 (in the US, I think the difference is significantly larger though, and I think that's why they are not on Erin's radar). I have a pair and they are fantastic with EQ. They are too warm and muddy for me in the lower midrange default. But EQ'ed they play down to 35 Hz in my small room at adequate SPL to satisfy me.
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that I upgraded my speakers and bought the Klipsch RP-600M II based on your recommendation. Can confirm, they are great. They are also very versatile. For shows and movies, I like the "Klipsch sound" as it brings out more details in the dialogue (I don't like subtitles). Even my wife doesn't need subtitles anymore! For music, I use the EQ settings from your main review video (with some very slight modifications) and now I have excellent music as well! Thank you for doing such an extensive review of this set of speakers. It really helped with my decision making process. PS. I wish you had Canadian affiliate links. I wanted to buy them using your link, but I am based in Canada.
Another great video, on a subject near and dear to most of us these days. Keep up the great work Erin, I'd say you are prolly the #1 internet audio guy right now brother. From the devout ASR monks to the voodoo cable kooks, everybody loves Erin (even the Tekton guys).
Good stuff! I love these comparisons. What I find interesting is your reasoning behind choosing these particular speakers instead of any others you've reviewed in this category.
@ErinsAudioCorner exactly what's important and what shows good transparency from your side! This is really hard to come by in this YT world - everyone is stating an opinion, which is subjective, but hardly anyone is ready to own up to it. That's perhaps why we have so much of those "this is the best..." titles on the reviews
Thank you for the compilation. A long time ago I bought the R3 Metas because of your review and they've been great. i'm definitely looking to see if I can buy an IN-8s in the future for another setup.
Great list Erin, nice to see the variety of brands and costs. I don’t think I’ll be retiring my OG Debut B6 or RP600M anytime soon, but glad their lineage made the list.
Outstanding as always and what a great list Erin. Only a couple of these have ever made my short list to buy over the years but that short list just got bigger after this episode. I'm especially intrigued with the Ascend Acoustics. Thank you and keep up the great work.
@ErinsAudioCorner Excellent comparison. 👍 IMO one significant thing that I think should be noted about the KALI Audio IN-8 2nd Wave Studio Monitors (which also applies to most other active studio monitors), is that there are a good deal of frequency response shaping controls on the back panel of each speaker that can help to balance the response in your room depending on speaker placement and/or the acoustics of your particular room, as well as personal preference. I'm using the KALI IN-8 v2 in my "casual listening" bedroom setup combined with an iFi ZEN Blue v2 Bluetooth receiver and taking advantage of its LDAC codec 900/990kbps high quality wireless streaming. With my limited placement options for these speakers in the bedroom, those tonality-shaping controls made it very easy to balance the in-room response without having to resort to additional EQ in my playback source. For most setups like this, and/or smaller rooms, I would even say that KALI IN-5 2nd Wave is the better option AND value, as it's a bit smaller but doesn't give up much on the low end extension or in overall output capability (see Erin's reviews for both). If you really want those lowest octaves from 20-40Hz with authority, you'll want a subwoofer either way. But in my particular use case scenario, I don't feel the need for a subwoofer at all, and I think the smaller KALI IN-5 v2 would've been the better choice because I ended up switching the bass response down on the IN-8. I'm a drummer, and good kickdrum/bass drum reproduction with realistic impact & dynamics is important to me, along with realistic upright acoustic bass and electric bass guitar playing their lowest notes. The Kali IN-8 v2 have no problem bringing a smile to my face in this regard. Cheers
I have just enough experience to recognize someone who has More! ha! I have never heard such a useful way of describing speaker measurements, amp power, room acoustics, etc in a complete picture with zero bull crap. Amazing. Where else can you go to see both $300 speakers and $30k speakers with all hype removed?!
excellent vid! i have the older ascend acoustic sierra v1, love that the company uses bamboo, they’re so solid. and i mix on the kali in5s (which i bought based on your review couple yrs ago.
Hey Erin Another excellent comparison 👍👍 Have you tested the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 ‘s They could well be the favourite of those who place higher priority on bass and or value Pretty sure they’re the only small-ish bookshelf speakers with an 8” woofer. They also look sleek, and the tweeter has a small waveguide My reading around suggests they are the best value of the four different Monitor Audio bookshelves: a smaller Bronze 50, and two more exp Silver Usually $725, though at least one place is selling some colours for only 450.
Love my KEF Q150s, glad to see they made your list. I run them with a Denon receiver as stereo speakers and as fronts in a 5.1 HT set up. The denon mellows the highs a bit (at least I think it does…) and the 150s make excellent HT speakers due to their spacial sound and wide soundstage. They do need a sub as you noted. I have them on ear height stands about 6” from the wall, would love your thoughts on optimal placement.
Have you tried the Edifier S1000MKII? These active bookshelf speakers are a total audio blast! Even though the Edifier S2000MKIII 2.0 has planar tweeters, the Edifier S1000MKII seems to play a bit better! Edifier is much lower priced, but a real good audio and quality! Edifier is a company made by audiophiles too!
Love your baseline description of how far you pull a speaker away from the wall and on axis seating position. I gives us an idea of how you measure and review a particular speaker. I the abundance of sub $1k speakers on the market, feel you covered some of the best that this price range has to offer. Thanks
I have the RP-600M2s as my L/R mains. I recently replaced my "zipwire" Monster cable with a pair of 12G Mediabridge cables and noticed an immediate difference...the whole sound field lowered (more bass and less shrilly treble) I have them paired with an RP-1200SW and and an SPL-120 (along with the rest of my H/T system for multi-channel entertainment). My next upgrade will likely be a 65" OLED or Mini-LED to replace my 50" QNED. Looking forward to Prime Day or Black Friday!! I currently have the speakers on axis towards my single seating position.
I know not everybody will consider the used market, but what you can get for up to $1k is crazy. I’m grabbed a pair of beautiful Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand’s for well under $1k!
I love my DBR62's paired with an 8" pioneer sub and 10" monoprice sub. Sounds absolutely amazing in my office! All ran from a simple Yamaha 100watt AVR.
Erin, given this review was 6months ago, I was curious to seek your advice between these 3 bookshelf speakers; Elac debut 3.0 db-63, Polk reserve R200 and Elac DBR62. I plan to use them off axis in my mid sized living room cum kitchen, place about 8 to 10”from wall.
14:45 You might double check with Kali, I was told it was the lip of the plastic around the waveguide. Their SMC model should fix that and will likely be a Genelec killer, minus GLM.
I talked to them about it when I did my original review. If you do the math for a 9kHz wave the first half-wave (cancellation) is at 0.75” which is in line with the physical dimension from the center of the center to the pice of the former that sticks out. And that piece sticks up a good bit.
The Santa Monica series are not powered speakers. They are expensive, not available yet and will likely be plagued with QC issues. I'd be more interested in Erin's opinion of some Genelec 8020 or 8030 monitors matched with a Genelec sub.
@@najones They have powered versions of the SMC speakers at their headquarters in Los Angeles. They also have some EQ software for them, but it's not as advanced as Genelec GLM.
Elac DBR62 is legit, you could run those as L/C/R in most a surround rigs without issue. As good as the lower tier Elac debut 6.2 is, the DBR is head and shoulders better. IMO it's better than the bottom two Revel books using the same size woofer, certainly for the $$.
I use Yamaha HS8 and I'm happy with them (before that I used HS5, and before that KRK Rokit8). But, wanna upgrade to bigger cabinets (12" or 15" woofers) when I have money. I'd love to see you review Yamaha DZR12 or DZR15... I know they're a PA, but wanna see their data results as a HiFi/home speaker (yes, its' unintended use). It may be a good alternative and a poorman's JBL L100 Classic or Klipsch Forte/Cornwall. I hear nothing but good things about them - the most neutral PA ever, super clear, detailed, accurate, not shrill/harsh like typical PAs, very pleasing sound, nice tone, etc.
I considered some ridiculously priced speakers but after researching for about 2 years settled on Heco Aurora 1000's as I am not interested in blowing money on a depreciating asset and could not ascertain why I should spend more. I am very happy with what I am hearing with them blended with 5 subwoofers in my room.
I would have to add in the klipsch nines (class d amps) and focal alpha 80 (class ab amps if early version, new 80 evo class d) if including powered speakers, both are very very good in my opinion.
Preference for which one to use primarily for HT? 2.1 system in a large bedroom with vaulted ceilings. My seating position is roughly 10-12’ away. I’ll drive them with a power amp but haven’t picked one yet. I have Polk R700’s in my family room running on a Rotel RB-1582 and they’re great. I’m tempted to try the RP600m but I have no experience with Klipsch. I also have Kali Lp6’s in my office because of you and they’re great. Thanks for all your work.
Will you or can you do a comparison review of the Klipsch Reference Premier RP-600 M II vs the Polk Reserve R200 bookshelf speakers for their music quality as a primary listening source rather than home theater use?
I think it’s telling that we didn’t see any floor standing speakers in this video. I’d guess that was due to larger cabinets having resonance issues at the lower price point.
I really like your reviews of speakers. While the Kali IN-8 V2 is a very good speaker, it's designed to be a near field studio monitor where the listener usually sits 1 to 2 meters away and on-axis. The looks are pretty utilitarian, which isn't a big deal for home studios, but wives might not dig seeing them in the living room. Lastly, they're designed to be used with a +4 db pro audio input signal, rather than the -10 db consumer audio input signal. It can accommodate the -10db signal, but it affects the internal amps' performance a bit. Once again, good job with the reviews.
Wow, this review supports "for me anyway" that (very good, not excellent mind you) speakers can be had for below $1,000. As for me, based on downsizing to a smaller place I sold off my complete $10K system and replaced it with an approximate $550 integrated amp and the Elac dbr62's. This system provided me 80ish% the refinement, but 95%/ 100% overall listening pleasure to my previous system (maybe this is because of my room, or I'm getting easier to please?!?)
Fantastic, thorough and brave list! Which smallish speaker would you recommend, if they need to be placed almost on the corners of a room, and therefore very close not only to the back wall but also to the lateral ones (I could install acoustic panels on the corner walls if necessary)? The amp is an Accuphase E-202, currently paired with a pair of Elac Debut DB-52 which are way below it's league. Your review got me having wet dreams of the Kef Concertos, but I wouldn't want to spend that much if they are not a good choice for this damn room. Thanks in advance Erin!
I really enjoy that you post detailed measurements. About a year ago I tried the KEF Q150, it sounded pretty good but it seemed to make all drums sound like snare drums by adding a metallic effect. Zero Fidelity noticed this also. I was wondering if that peak a little past 1K or the rise starting at 7K on up is responsible for that issue. Did you notice the metallic sound, Erin? Good video, thanks.
Would you suggest bookshelfs with an amp or studio monitors. Just want accurate ish audio for a larger room. Mainly for mixing for videos but hopefully soon for some music
Great video Erin! Would something like a Neumann monitor make your list if we were talking about a tad higher price point? And in general, what do you think about something like genelecs or neumanns for purely music enjoyment. Appreciate your content and knowledge!
Professor Erin, another well taught combination of reviewing and audio education. You breaknit down, in easy to digest pieces for us common folk. Actually, am on the fence about buying the Ascend Sierra lx V2. The sensitivity has me concerned. My current standmounts are css criton 1TDX. They are sweet, power hungry and a bit on warmer side. Looking for a sound that can offer little less warmth, more air but retain detail articulation. Any suggestions around the Ascend Sierra lx prices or under?
Awesome information, great presentation, subscribed Aren’t the Kalis intended to be studio monitors, and therefore too neutral and void of character for typical home listening use? Also, what’s the best way to integrate active speakers into a complete system, with a turntable and streaming digital content?
Is there anything in a speaker's spec sheet that makes it appropriate for small spaces? I live in a Studio apt so it's basically a rectangular area & I'd be sitting around 7ft away or closer.
I have the DBR62 on stands at ear height, toe'd out by around 10 degrees, but they're in a very wide room. There is minimal side wall on one side, as it's open into a dining area. The other side is as far away from the speaker as they are apart, with a sofa running along that entire wall and round into the listening position (it's a large L shaped sofa). What effect will that have on the in room response? I'm using the room correction feature in Wiim Ultra but I'm not completely convinced by it's efficacy and resorted to using spectroid app and a tone sweep.
I use all klipsch reference speakers. I talk to many people who are getting into HT and tell them not to spend money on the very best if your hearing can't tell the difference. Not many have perfect hearing. If it sounds good to you that should be your yardstick Not the pricetag
I need something for on a bookshelf where distance to back is ~6" and had my eye on the DBR62 due to the front port. Erin's advice on that unit here shoots that down.
So for home theater use only, if I wanted to use 3 identical bookshelves for my entire front stage what would be the recommendation? I was considering the HSU ccb-8 but these obviously havnt been reviewed by Erin
Hey, first time here. Appreciate this. Not only is this price range "Goldilocks", but I like those graphs and objective measurements. Yes, beauty, taste, etc is all subjective, but nothing like hard data to back up the subjective feelings. Like measuring out the amount of sugar in soft drinks, for example. I'm surprised the Kali can both perform well in sound, plus be powered, at that price. Buying an external amp can easily be another $1,000 (Goldilocks range again). How do they do it? Unless all the other manufacturers are just making fatter margins.
Thanks Erin. Excellent review. Of the 5 speakers you reviewed which one would work best in my situation where I only have 6" distance from the wall to the back of the speaker. Also the side of left speaker is only 3" from the wall.
The increase in volume at the edges of the frequency range may be due to the fact that the listener who chooses these speakers likes to listen quieter. Equal loudness contour.
what avr would you recommend to pair them? im actually eyeing a pair of kef q150 now that prime days are coming, thanks for the amazing reviews btw, your content rocks!
It’s good stuff, but doesn’t quite make the list for me. With equalization they can really be helped, but I think I could say that for all the speakers on this list too.
The Q150 is much more expensive where I live. I can't find them for anything less than $570usd. Whereas a JBL LSR305 is often $220-$270. Is it worth getting the Q150 still?
First of all, I want to congratulate you on your videos, they are excellent. I'm about to buy some speakers for around €500 (I'm in Europe) between the Polk R100 (€450), ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 (€500) or make an effort to get the Dali Oberon 3 (€550) or the PolK R200 (€600). €) or even the Klipsch RP-600 M (550€)? Use would be with Wiim Ultra (possibility of Wiim equalization) and turntable (no possibility of equalization). What is your opinion of the best among the first two and the second two/three? Thanks
Good to know your definitions. A driver in theory is paired with a box of a cirtain volume. (Sorry no spell check and not my languge.)😢 That air volume of the box can take different shapes. So the exact same driver and that uses the same air volume but if it has a narower/slimer front baffle but the same height. Then it need to be deper to give the same air volume in the box.🥰 And you meassure the back of the box to the wall distance. So in the above example the driver will get further from the wall than another box with the same driver and air volume that is wider and/or taller but not that deep.😮 So to be more precice and not dependent that much of the box shape then meassuring from the driver (front baffle) to the wall behind it would be more acurate.🤓 For example Elac had the same speaker in two diffrent shaped boxes there one of them they called "slim" with just slimer front baffle..🤔 So if you talk about a elac model that is comming in two diffrent box shapes then your meassurement back of the box to wall is just apliying to that model you are testing and not the other model of the same speaker..😢 But if you use front bafle to wall distance INSTEAD then that will be more accurate for BOTH of the speaker models.👍 (I know it is little like doing a hen from a fether. But just a improvement thought.)❤
I understand that these are a significantly older pair of monitors, but I’d love to see a review on the Yamaha HS8s with your setup since I’m curious about the vertical/horizontal dispersion and the optimal off-axis position.
I’ll answer my own question. Yes, that’s the setup. The follow-up is that I hope they also make the “home” version with digital inputs the way the MM-6 did for the LP6. Streaming digital music to go DAC, ADC, DSP, DAC is a bit silly.
I am currently wondering why digital isn't the standard signal pathway all the way to the speakers. Putting extra A/D and D/A conversions in there, doesn't look smart too me. But i guess it has to so with cost: needing one amp and one DAC Vs needing a DAC, DSP and amp on every single speaker/driver.
They go slightly above the 1000€/pair, but I love my Genelecs 8030 cpm! Think they possibly can reach the budget barrier if B- stock Thanks for your video!
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I'm so glad I can design and build speakers 😊I get so much more for my money
Dude, you are becoming very polished. The content was always solid, but the delivery is far improved. You figured out how to provide the details that audio junkies want, while explaining the basic premise to newcomers, all in one concise way. Looking forward to seeing the future of Erin’s Audio Corner.
Yep
You are the absolute best speaker reviewer of all time. Objective and honest. 🎉
Happy to see an active speaker getting some love! DSP multiamping and calibrated measurements took my DIY man-loft system from nice to nirvana. 3(+)-way systems have many advantages but present major challenges to filtering passively while maintaining good phase response. Active presents powerful and affordable optimization tools to the designer, and I believe is the wave of the future.
I’m using a 4 way active system in my massage studio. It’s awesome.
Yep, big fan of active monitors.
@@ryanchappell5962 What a great perk for your clients!
@@ryanchappell5962 4 way? Do you mean a tweeter, a mid range cone, a woofer and what else?
@@miguelalonsoperez5609 In this case I used a modified bookshelf for the tweeter and midrange. It’s a 1 inch tweeter, 5 inch midrange and then I have a pair of small 8inch subwoofers and one mono 12 inch. So it’s basically a stereo 3 way and sub. I use dsp that has 8 outputs. I’m using 8th order crossovers and PEQ filters as well as some delays for precise time alignment. I didn’t actually build anything, just bypassed the internals of some off the shelf products. The powered subs are not modified, just used the LFE input to bypass the crossover on the sub. I didn’t use a tower speaker in this setup because it’s more of a stealth setup.
Told you multiple times by now in previous videos: The education sprinkled through your videos makes your content gold
I think this is the sweet spot. I just purchased the KEF Q150s. I use a WiiM Amp (small room so it’s perfect) and I have had a RSL Speedwooder 10s MKII. All in around $1200 and I don’t see my self going much higher than that for my needs.
Great list, Erin. I have the Polk R100s on my desktop set up and I love them! I have them crossed over at 80 Hz with a mini DSP and they sound fantastic! I am sure that the R200s would be very similar, but just more of the goodness.
Your review is for new speakers, but interested listeners should also keep in mind the pre-owned market. Both the Kef LS50 Meta and Elac UBR62 can be found under $1,000 used. Both are outstanding.
I was surprised to see Ascend Acoustics here! I have the Sierra 2EX v2's, and they're without a doubt the best speakers I've ever owned. Their customer support is top-notch as well. Great work on this video!
I have the Sierra LX and agree with you.
great company for sure! wish others would also start using sustainable materials (bamboo)!!
I had the Sierra 2s and thought they were awesome. I ended up selling them and buying a pair of Lintons (mostly because of Erin's review). I am happy with the Wharfedales, but I do miss that Raal tweeter.
I also own the Sierra 2ex V2 and they are remarkable. O e thing i love about Ascend Acoustics is how transparent the evolution of all their models are as the detailed discussions and goals are put forth in the public forum.
It’s good to see the sub $1000 list Erin. I suspect this is really the sweet spot for many of us when it comes to price to performance. I have the Kef’s from this video and have been very happy with them (Black Friday $299 purchase) but think I still prefer JBL Studio 530’s at least in my room. I really want to check out the Kalis now.
Thanks for all you do for the community, I’ve been a fan for a long time dating back to car audio lol.
Hey, man, thanks for the kind words and especially for mentioning the car audio days. I still try to compete. Was planning on going to a show this weekend but have a cracked rim on my car that has to be replaced. 🤬🤬
@@ErinsAudioCornerummm.... We need coverage of this PLEASE. you specifically covering mobile audio for us old heads would be great!!!! Former competitor here!!!!
check out the kali in5s, great bass still but way less huge in smaller or any room!
hey thillyard, sub $1000 is the only price range for bookshelf speakers (at least for me), so it was great to get Erin's input on that. Above a grand, I look beyond the bookshelf speaker mentality, but that's just me. That said, it looks like "the next" price range would be from about 3k to under 10k (7k?) .. I don't know if at this higher price category that it gets easier or harder to do.. at some point, it's got to be harder because of the additional difficulty for Erin to coordinate such an endeavor largely due to size, cost, and liability constraints..😉
I concur with the KALI IN-8 V2. Thanks to you, I purchased this as a single speaker for my 9 yo's electronic drum kit. Have used for general listening too, as well as party speaker (small wedding
That’s awesome!
Good stuff Erin 👍 And glad to see the Elac dbr62's getting some love. I was highly impressed by them. Got them for $500 "b-stock" in perfect condition. What a steal.
Right on!
I like the Elacs too, Casey! The Polks would probably be cool too with the right subwoofer. I thought Erin did a great job coming up with pics that at least one of them would be preferred by anyone interested in this price range.
Well, I couldn't wait any longer! Just bought a WiiM Ultra and a pair of Kali Audio IN-8V2s based purely on your reviews. Sounds incredible for a relatively budget system!
First time I've seen the Ascend Sierra 1s turn up in a list. I had these for a couple of years and they were great. Upgraded them to the Sierra 2EX with RAAL ribbon tweeters and the sound is stunning. Mind you they're no longer sub $1k speakers. But they now dissappear, with amazing horizontal dispersion.
I would put the KEF Q350 on the list, it is similar to the Q150 for almost the same price but less compromised in the bass region due to the bigger 165 mm driver (vs. 130 mm). For the KEF Q350 bass performance I just posted a little trick in Amir's review on Audio Science Review (page 27). If the bass is well balanced but not deep with the port closed and too boomy with the port open or half open you can try to extend the bassreflex tunnel by about 14cm to lower the port tuning frequency. This may give you a surprisingly deep and balanced bass extension. Of course the result is very room dependent. Details and in room measurements can be found in my Audio Science Review post. One can easily build it from a piece of slotted pipe isolation from the hardware store in a few minutes (if you don't care how the back of the speaker actually looks like) to give it a try.
The kef q350 is an amazing speaker, especially for the price, they can rival much much more expensive speakers, and personally I enjoyed them more than the ls50 and ls50 metas I had.
Both really good speakers, but many people (including me) prefer the Q150 to the 350. 150 being more clear, balanced and with a better soundstage. 350s may have an edge in larger rooms tho; I listen to the 150s from about 10 ft in a 15x15 ft room and they fill the room easily. I compared the 150s to my beloved classic large Advents in a much larger room, and the KEFs could not keep up.
I suggested Erin to review the KEF Q350 before too. Here in the EU they are as you say almost the same price as the Q150 (in the US, I think the difference is significantly larger though, and I think that's why they are not on Erin's radar). I have a pair and they are fantastic with EQ. They are too warm and muddy for me in the lower midrange default. But EQ'ed they play down to 35 Hz in my small room at adequate SPL to satisfy me.
Hello! Just wanted to let you know that I upgraded my speakers and bought the Klipsch RP-600M II based on your recommendation. Can confirm, they are great. They are also very versatile. For shows and movies, I like the "Klipsch sound" as it brings out more details in the dialogue (I don't like subtitles). Even my wife doesn't need subtitles anymore! For music, I use the EQ settings from your main review video (with some very slight modifications) and now I have excellent music as well!
Thank you for doing such an extensive review of this set of speakers. It really helped with my decision making process.
PS. I wish you had Canadian affiliate links. I wanted to buy them using your link, but I am based in Canada.
Another great video, on a subject near and dear to most of us these days. Keep up the great work Erin, I'd say you are prolly the #1 internet audio guy right now brother. From the devout ASR monks to the voodoo cable kooks, everybody loves Erin (even the Tekton guys).
Good stuff!
I love these comparisons.
What I find interesting is your reasoning behind choosing these particular speakers instead of any others you've reviewed in this category.
Cool! Just keep in mind. These are my reasons. Others may disagree and have different preferences but I like to let people know why I like what I do.
@ErinsAudioCorner exactly what's important and what shows good transparency from your side! This is really hard to come by in this YT world - everyone is stating an opinion, which is subjective, but hardly anyone is ready to own up to it. That's perhaps why we have so much of those "this is the best..." titles on the reviews
Erin is the Gold Standard in audio review channels.
Thank you for the compilation. A long time ago I bought the R3 Metas because of your review and they've been great. i'm definitely looking to see if I can buy an IN-8s in the future for another setup.
Awesome comparison video. You covered a lot of excellent points, and I liked the particular attention to room effect and reflection energy tuning.
Great list Erin, nice to see the variety of brands and costs. I don’t think I’ll be retiring my OG Debut B6 or RP600M anytime soon, but glad their lineage made the list.
Outstanding as always and what a great list Erin. Only a couple of these have ever made my short list to buy over the years but that short list just got bigger after this episode. I'm especially intrigued with the Ascend Acoustics. Thank you and keep up the great work.
@ErinsAudioCorner
Excellent comparison. 👍 IMO one significant thing that I think should be noted about the KALI Audio IN-8 2nd Wave Studio Monitors (which also applies to most other active studio monitors), is that there are a good deal of frequency response shaping controls on the back panel of each speaker that can help to balance the response in your room depending on speaker placement and/or the acoustics of your particular room, as well as personal preference.
I'm using the KALI IN-8 v2 in my "casual listening" bedroom setup combined with an iFi ZEN Blue v2 Bluetooth receiver and taking advantage of its LDAC codec 900/990kbps high quality wireless streaming.
With my limited placement options for these speakers in the bedroom, those tonality-shaping controls made it very easy to balance the in-room response without having to resort to additional EQ in my playback source.
For most setups like this, and/or smaller rooms, I would even say that KALI IN-5 2nd Wave is the better option AND value, as it's a bit smaller but doesn't give up much on the low end extension or in overall output capability (see Erin's reviews for both). If you really want those lowest octaves from 20-40Hz with authority, you'll want a subwoofer either way.
But in my particular use case scenario, I don't feel the need for a subwoofer at all, and I think the smaller KALI IN-5 v2 would've been the better choice because I ended up switching the bass response down on the IN-8.
I'm a drummer, and good kickdrum/bass drum reproduction with realistic impact & dynamics is important to me, along with realistic upright acoustic bass and electric bass guitar playing their lowest notes. The Kali IN-8 v2 have no problem bringing a smile to my face in this regard.
Cheers
I have just enough experience to recognize someone who has More! ha! I have never heard such a useful way of describing speaker measurements, amp power, room acoustics, etc in a complete picture with zero bull crap. Amazing. Where else can you go to see both $300 speakers and $30k speakers with all hype removed?!
Very good group of speakers listed and Excellent explanations of the sound characteristics of each speaker, Erin!
I've used the Kali's as the primary monitor in my studio since they were first released. Great speakers.
Appreciate you doing both horizontal and vertical graphs! I've subbed and will be scrubbing through your bookshelf vids.
excellent vid! i have the older ascend acoustic sierra v1, love that the company uses bamboo, they’re so solid. and i mix on the kali in5s (which i bought based on your review couple yrs ago.
Hey Erin
Another excellent comparison 👍👍
Have you tested the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 ‘s
They could well be the favourite of those who place higher priority on bass and or value
Pretty sure they’re the only small-ish bookshelf speakers with an 8” woofer. They also look sleek, and the tweeter has a small waveguide
My reading around suggests they are the best value of the four different Monitor Audio bookshelves: a smaller Bronze 50, and two more exp Silver
Usually $725, though at least one place is selling some colours for only 450.
I've had the kali lp6 for light production/desktop monitors for years. Great bang for your buck. Not the most revealing but pleasant.
Love my KEF Q150s, glad to see they made your list. I run them with a Denon receiver as stereo speakers and as fronts in a 5.1 HT set up. The denon mellows the highs a bit (at least I think it does…) and the 150s make excellent HT speakers due to their spacial sound and wide soundstage. They do need a sub as you noted. I have them on ear height stands about 6” from the wall, would love your thoughts on optimal placement.
For small reasonable priced speakers, i think dynamic range is a huge factor too, cant be sure if music is good unless the neighbors are involved
Hi Erin, I have a pair of Kali’s IN5 enjoying the speakers so far! Cheers
Have you tried the Edifier S1000MKII? These active bookshelf speakers are a total audio blast! Even though the Edifier S2000MKIII 2.0 has planar tweeters, the Edifier S1000MKII seems to play a bit better! Edifier is much lower priced, but a real good audio and quality! Edifier is a company made by audiophiles too!
Love your baseline description of how far you pull a speaker away from the wall and on axis seating position. I gives us an idea of how you measure and review a particular speaker. I the abundance of sub $1k speakers on the market, feel you covered some of the best that this price range has to offer. Thanks
I have the RP-600M2s as my L/R mains. I recently replaced my "zipwire" Monster cable with a pair of 12G Mediabridge cables and noticed an immediate difference...the whole sound field lowered (more bass and less shrilly treble) I have them paired with an RP-1200SW and and an SPL-120 (along with the rest of my H/T system for multi-channel entertainment). My next upgrade will likely be a 65" OLED or Mini-LED to replace my 50" QNED. Looking forward to Prime Day or Black Friday!! I currently have the speakers on axis towards my single seating position.
I have and love the Kef Q 150s for my bedroom. I have it with an ayima amp and dac with a REL subwoofer.
I know not everybody will consider the used market, but what you can get for up to $1k is crazy.
I’m grabbed a pair of beautiful Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grand’s for well under $1k!
I love my DBR62's paired with an 8" pioneer sub and 10" monoprice sub. Sounds absolutely amazing in my office! All ran from a simple Yamaha 100watt AVR.
So the dbr62 doew not have deep bass??
Awesome references for people buying speakers. Hope you can share your selection for speakers under 10,000 too.
Erin, given this review was 6months ago, I was curious to seek your advice between these 3 bookshelf speakers; Elac debut 3.0 db-63, Polk reserve R200 and Elac DBR62.
I plan to use them off axis in my mid sized living room cum kitchen, place about 8 to 10”from wall.
What audio source did you use for testing the Kalis? Did you use a dac or did you connect the speakers straight from the rca/xlr ?
Nice list. I hv excellent kef q150, now planning to add polk R200.
14:45 You might double check with Kali, I was told it was the lip of the plastic around the waveguide.
Their SMC model should fix that and will likely be a Genelec killer, minus GLM.
I talked to them about it when I did my original review. If you do the math for a 9kHz wave the first half-wave (cancellation) is at 0.75” which is in line with the physical dimension from the center of the center to the pice of the former that sticks out. And that piece sticks up a good bit.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Now I wonder if you're going to measure the Kali SM coaxes, could be a Genelecs Ones killer 😆
I will send them an email to see if they’d be willing to send a loaner pair for review. 👍
The Santa Monica series are not powered speakers. They are expensive, not available yet and will likely be plagued with QC issues. I'd be more interested in Erin's opinion of some Genelec 8020 or 8030 monitors matched with a Genelec sub.
@@najones They have powered versions of the SMC speakers at their headquarters in Los Angeles. They also have some EQ software for them, but it's not as advanced as Genelec GLM.
Elac DBR62 is legit, you could run those as L/C/R in most a surround rigs without issue. As good as the lower tier Elac debut 6.2 is, the DBR is head and shoulders better. IMO it's better than the bottom two Revel books using the same size woofer, certainly for the $$.
I use Yamaha HS8 and I'm happy with them (before that I used HS5, and before that KRK Rokit8).
But, wanna upgrade to bigger cabinets (12" or 15" woofers) when I have money.
I'd love to see you review Yamaha DZR12 or DZR15... I know they're a PA, but wanna see their data results as a HiFi/home speaker (yes, its' unintended use). It may be a good alternative and a poorman's JBL L100 Classic or Klipsch Forte/Cornwall. I hear nothing but good things about them - the most neutral PA ever, super clear, detailed, accurate, not shrill/harsh like typical PAs, very pleasing sound, nice tone, etc.
I considered some ridiculously priced speakers but after researching for about 2 years settled on Heco Aurora 1000's as I am not interested in blowing money on a depreciating asset and could not ascertain why I should spend more. I am very happy with what I am hearing with them blended with 5 subwoofers in my room.
Erin, I have the IN5's and found the dip switch treble boost helps with that dip. Have you tried that? Love my Kali's.
I would have to add in the klipsch nines (class d amps) and focal alpha 80 (class ab amps if early version, new 80 evo class d) if including powered speakers, both are very very good in my opinion.
Preference for which one to use primarily for HT? 2.1 system in a large bedroom with vaulted ceilings. My seating position is roughly 10-12’ away. I’ll drive them with a power amp but haven’t picked one yet. I have Polk R700’s in my family room running on a Rotel RB-1582 and they’re great. I’m tempted to try the RP600m but I have no experience with Klipsch. I also have Kali Lp6’s in my office because of you and they’re great. Thanks for all your work.
Will you or can you do a comparison review of the Klipsch Reference Premier RP-600 M II vs the Polk Reserve R200 bookshelf speakers for their music quality as a primary listening source rather than home theater use?
Thanks Erin ...
"Yu 'da Mann"😂
I like the fact that you understand the measurement data to support your opinions.
Very professional....and un hyped.
I think it’s telling that we didn’t see any floor standing speakers in this video. I’d guess that was due to larger cabinets having resonance issues at the lower price point.
Which speaker kills it on drums and double kick drums for metal music?
I really like your reviews of speakers. While the Kali IN-8 V2 is a very good speaker, it's designed to be a near field studio monitor where the listener usually sits 1 to 2 meters away and on-axis. The looks are pretty utilitarian, which isn't a big deal for home studios, but wives might not dig seeing them in the living room. Lastly, they're designed to be used with a +4 db pro audio input signal, rather than the -10 db consumer audio input signal. It can accommodate the -10db signal, but it affects the internal amps' performance a bit. Once again, good job with the reviews.
Wow, this review supports "for me anyway" that (very good, not excellent mind you) speakers can be had for below $1,000. As for me, based on downsizing to a smaller place I sold off my complete $10K system and replaced it with an approximate $550 integrated amp and the Elac dbr62's. This system provided me 80ish% the refinement, but 95%/ 100% overall listening pleasure to my previous system (maybe this is because of my room, or I'm getting easier to please?!?)
I love my dbr62's. Got em paired when a 10" jbl sub and it sounds great.
I thought you liked the RP500m over the RP600m?
Thank you for your hard work and input.
Fantastic, thorough and brave list! Which smallish speaker would you recommend, if they need to be placed almost on the corners of a room, and therefore very close not only to the back wall but also to the lateral ones (I could install acoustic panels on the corner walls if necessary)? The amp is an Accuphase E-202, currently paired with a pair of Elac Debut DB-52 which are way below it's league. Your review got me having wet dreams of the Kef Concertos, but I wouldn't want to spend that much if they are not a good choice for this damn room. Thanks in advance Erin!
Thank you for your honest review. Very refreshing!
I really enjoy that you post detailed measurements. About a year ago I tried the KEF Q150, it sounded pretty good but it seemed to make all drums sound like snare drums by adding a metallic effect. Zero Fidelity noticed this also. I was wondering if that peak a little past 1K or the rise starting at 7K on up is responsible for that issue. Did you notice the metallic sound, Erin? Good video, thanks.
Would you suggest bookshelfs with an amp or studio monitors. Just want accurate ish audio for a larger room. Mainly for mixing for videos but hopefully soon for some music
How would a Kali IN-8 V2 compare to Lintons in a stereo setup for music and movies? @ErinsAudioCorner would love your opinion!
Great video Erin! Would something like a Neumann monitor make your list if we were talking about a tad higher price point? And in general, what do you think about something like genelecs or neumanns for purely music enjoyment. Appreciate your content and knowledge!
Why didn't the new Vanatoo's make the cut? Specifically the T1E+?
Professor Erin, another well taught combination of reviewing and audio education.
You breaknit down, in easy to digest pieces for us common folk.
Actually, am on the fence about buying the Ascend Sierra lx V2.
The sensitivity has me concerned.
My current standmounts are css criton 1TDX.
They are sweet, power hungry and a bit on warmer side.
Looking for a sound that can offer little less warmth, more air but retain detail articulation.
Any suggestions around the Ascend Sierra lx prices or under?
Awesome information, great presentation, subscribed
Aren’t the Kalis intended to be studio monitors, and therefore too neutral and void of character for typical home listening use?
Also, what’s the best way to integrate active speakers into a complete system, with a turntable and streaming digital content?
Is there anything in a speaker's spec sheet that makes it appropriate for small spaces? I live in a Studio apt so it's basically a rectangular area & I'd be sitting around 7ft away or closer.
Thank you for putting this together. I may have my wires crossed but I thought you prefer the Klipsch 500 to the 600(?)
I have the DBR62 on stands at ear height, toe'd out by around 10 degrees, but they're in a very wide room. There is minimal side wall on one side, as it's open into a dining area. The other side is as far away from the speaker as they are apart, with a sofa running along that entire wall and round into the listening position (it's a large L shaped sofa). What effect will that have on the in room response? I'm using the room correction feature in Wiim Ultra but I'm not completely convinced by it's efficacy and resorted to using spectroid app and a tone sweep.
Best video of the year!!!!
Erin, nice work, love you tackle in room response. 👍
I use all klipsch reference speakers. I talk to many people who are getting into HT and tell them not to spend money on the very best if your hearing can't tell the difference. Not many have perfect hearing. If it sounds good to you that should be your yardstick Not the pricetag
I need something for on a bookshelf where distance to back is ~6" and had my eye on the DBR62 due to the front port. Erin's advice on that unit here shoots that down.
So for home theater use only, if I wanted to use 3 identical bookshelves for my entire front stage what would be the recommendation? I was considering the HSU ccb-8 but these obviously havnt been reviewed by Erin
Would you say the Kali is better than the Thomann speakers when considering price and if you live in Europe?
Hey, first time here. Appreciate this. Not only is this price range "Goldilocks", but I like those graphs and objective measurements. Yes, beauty, taste, etc is all subjective, but nothing like hard data to back up the subjective feelings. Like measuring out the amount of sugar in soft drinks, for example.
I'm surprised the Kali can both perform well in sound, plus be powered, at that price. Buying an external amp can easily be another $1,000 (Goldilocks range again). How do they do it? Unless all the other manufacturers are just making fatter margins.
Thanks Erin. Excellent review. Of the 5 speakers you reviewed which one would work best in my situation where I only have 6" distance from the wall to the back of the speaker. Also the side of left speaker is only 3" from the wall.
Thanks!
Thank you!
The increase in volume at the edges of the frequency range may be due to the fact that the listener who chooses these speakers likes to listen quieter. Equal loudness contour.
what avr would you recommend to pair them? im actually eyeing a pair of kef q150 now that prime days are coming, thanks for the amazing reviews btw, your content rocks!
Great list Erin! Ascend Acoustics are on my list to check out. How about Joe's favorite Monolith stuff?
It’s good stuff, but doesn’t quite make the list for me. With equalization they can really be helped, but I think I could say that for all the speakers on this list too.
Check out the Ascend Acoustics Sierra LX. They are mind-blowing good.
Finally my search is over.
Thank u
Should the regular klipsch rp 600m be toed out as well? If used along with a center?
Hi Erin! How would compare a pair of Kali IN-8 v2s to a pair of Kali IN-5s with the Kali WS-6.2 sub? Thanks, and love your channel!
Can you do $1500 and under towers?
The Q150 is much more expensive where I live. I can't find them for anything less than $570usd. Whereas a JBL LSR305 is often $220-$270. Is it worth getting the Q150 still?
For the ELAC, you are showing the image of the Reference version of that speaker.
First of all, I want to congratulate you on your videos, they are excellent.
I'm about to buy some speakers for around €500 (I'm in Europe) between the Polk R100 (€450), ELAC Debut Reference DBR62 (€500) or make an effort to get the Dali Oberon 3 (€550) or the PolK R200 (€600). €) or even the Klipsch RP-600 M (550€)?
Use would be with Wiim Ultra (possibility of Wiim equalization) and turntable (no possibility of equalization).
What is your opinion of the best among the first two and the second two/three?
Thanks
Good to know your definitions.
A driver in theory is paired with a box of a cirtain volume.
(Sorry no spell check and not my languge.)😢
That air volume of the box can take different shapes.
So the exact same driver and that uses the same air volume but if it has a narower/slimer front baffle but the same height. Then it need to be deper to give the same air volume in the box.🥰
And you meassure the back of the box to the wall distance.
So in the above example the driver will get further from the wall than another box with the same driver and air volume that is wider and/or taller but not that deep.😮
So to be more precice and not dependent that much of the box shape then meassuring from the driver (front baffle) to the wall behind it would be more acurate.🤓
For example Elac had the same speaker in two diffrent shaped boxes there one of them they called "slim" with just slimer front baffle..🤔
So if you talk about a elac model that is comming in two diffrent box shapes then your meassurement back of the box to wall is just apliying to that model you are testing and not the other model of the same speaker..😢
But if you use front bafle to wall distance INSTEAD then that will be more accurate for BOTH of the speaker models.👍
(I know it is little like doing a hen from a fether. But just a improvement thought.)❤
Hello, nice review!
For movies will be better the q150 or the dbr62?
Thank you !
I understand that these are a significantly older pair of monitors, but I’d love to see a review on the Yamaha HS8s with your setup since I’m curious about the vertical/horizontal dispersion and the optimal off-axis position.
Watched the whole video waiting for the klipch because of the picture, but it never came. Bad forum.
You really should review a GR Acoustics XLS Encore! I wonder how they compare to these especially if mated with a quality subwoofer.
Great video! Extremely useful. Thanks a lot!
Do the Kali speakers run an ADC and do onboard DSP for EQ and crossover?
I’ll answer my own question. Yes, that’s the setup. The follow-up is that I hope they also make the “home” version with digital inputs the way the MM-6 did for the LP6. Streaming digital music to go DAC, ADC, DSP, DAC is a bit silly.
I am currently wondering why digital isn't the standard signal pathway all the way to the speakers. Putting extra A/D and D/A conversions in there, doesn't look smart too me. But i guess it has to so with cost: needing one amp and one DAC Vs needing a DAC, DSP and amp on every single speaker/driver.
They go slightly above the 1000€/pair, but I love my Genelecs 8030 cpm! Think they possibly can reach the budget barrier if B- stock
Thanks for your video!