Brandwave

KEF vs Ultimate Ears:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, KEF had more branded searches than Ultimate Ears among speaker brands worldwide. KEF had about 143,000 branded searches, while Ultimate Ears had 33,100. KEF made up 2.5% of all speaker brand searches we track, and Ultimate Ears accounted for 0.57%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about speaker brands, KEF appeared in four of the five answers and Ultimate Ears in two. KEF was mentioned before Ultimate Ears in every answer that named either.

Among speaker brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

KEF, about 4 searches for every 1 for Ultimate Ears

KEF 143K searchesUltimate Ears 33.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

KEF, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Ultimate Ears in 2

KEF in 4 of 5Ultimate Ears in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

KEF, named ahead of Ultimate Ears in 3 of 3 answers

KEF first in 3Ultimate Ears never first

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Top speaker brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, KEF was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Ultimate Ears was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. KEF was listed before Ultimate Ears in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. JBL1st
  2. Sonos2nd
  3. Bose3rd
  4. KEF4th
  5. Bowers & Wilkins5th
  6. Marshall6th
  7. Klipsch7th
  8. Ultimate Ears8th
  9. Bang & Olufsen–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Sonos5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • JBL4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • KEF4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bowers & Wilkins3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Klipsch2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Ultimate Ears2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Marshall2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bang & Olufsen0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about speaker brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is KEF or Ultimate Ears more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for KEF and Ultimate Ears by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine speaker brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

KEF and Ultimate Ears among speaker brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for KEF, Ultimate Ears. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJBLSonosBang & OlufsenBowers & WilkinsKEFKlipschUltimate EarsBoseMarshall
Oct 202572.9%12.2%5.4%3.6%3%2%0.73%0.04%0.03%
Nov 202574%12.9%4.8%3.2%2.3%2.1%0.64%0.04%0.02%
Dec 202577.6%10.4%3.8%3.1%2.2%2.1%0.63%0.04%0.02%
Jan 202675.6%10.5%4.7%3.1%2.7%2.6%0.63%0.03%0.03%
Feb 202673.2%11.8%5.3%3.5%3.1%2.4%0.71%0.03%0.03%
Mar 202672.1%13.6%5%3.3%2.9%2.2%0.82%0.03%0.03%
Apr 202679.5%9%4%2.7%2.2%1.8%0.66%0.03%0.02%
May 202675.2%11.3%5.1%3.4%2.4%1.9%0.68%0.03%0.02%
Jun 202678.2%9.3%4.2%3.4%2.3%1.9%0.69%0.03%0.02%
Jul 202678.6%9.4%4.2%2.8%2.4%1.9%0.69%0.03%0.03%
Aug 202676.7%10.7%4.8%2.6%2.4%2.1%0.64%0.03%0.03%
Sep 202675.3%11.6%5.2%2.8%2.5%1.9%0.57%0.03%0.03%

How has the KEF and Ultimate Ears comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • KEF was ahead of Ultimate Ears in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KEF’s share of searches among speaker brands worldwide moved from 3% to 2.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 168K to 143K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ultimate Ears’ share of searches among speaker brands worldwide moved from 0.73% to 0.57%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 33.1K.

How did search popularity change for speaker brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Ultimate Ears worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 40.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for KEF worldwide fell 14.9% over 12 measured months, from 168K to 143K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using KEF’s and Ultimate Ears’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

KEF

2 branded search terms

  • kef
  • kef speakers

Ultimate Ears

1 branded search term

  • ultimate ears

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among speaker brands

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