Kef LS 50 impressions

[Tacty]

listening them at my local dealer today...first impression, they're bass shy...bass sounded weak and dull...average soundstage, especially in the height department...general feeling of a light characther...somehow sounded light on its feet...even sterile sometimes...i think it could be hard to live with for someone who's into any kind of poorer produced music like alt rock or such or any kind of lighter instrumensts music..i dont know whats the big deal about them...i prefer richer/deeper bass speakers...i think they're overpriced too regarding sound quality...

 

[BigH]

listening them at my local dealer today...first impression, they're bass shy...bass sounded weak and dull...average soundstage, especially in the height department...general feeling of a light characther...somehow sounded light on its feet...even sterile sometimes...i think it could be hard to live with for someone who's into any kind of poorer produced music like alt rock or such or any kind of lighter instrumensts music..i dont know whats the big deal about them...i prefer richer/deeper bass speakers...i think they're overpriced too regarding sound quality...

What amp did you hear them with? What volume did you play them at?

As for overpriced someone said they are the best under £2,000 speakers.

 

[alchemist 1]

Bass shy ?...... they're not

 

[audioaddict]

i think it depends on the electronics , i heard em with a yammy as1000 and i thought they sounded terrible, all tinny and fuzz but sounded lush with quad amp and cd player

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree with the comments above.

If they are placed on solid, preferably filled stands, and driven by a good amp, they (imo) give more bass than they have any right to....though they won't have the scale of a good Floorstander. Compared with the R100s, I found the bass tighter and more controlled.

 

[p_m_brown]

Different strokes for different folks...I was a little underwhelmed when I heard them and still prefer my R100s as they sound warmer and produce a wonderful sense of space. That said, I heard them on the end of an A19 which may not have had the oomph to do them justice. As always, partnering electronics and room acoustics play a big part!

 

[damonster]

The kefs are anything but bass shy , I listened to them on 3 different systems .I thought that was one of their main strengths ,bass and detail within the bass was amazing for their size .All systems had quality amps within them .I personally preferred the Pmc db1is though as i felt their warm smooth sound would offset my neutral sounding cd player and amp .

 

[TrevC]

The kefs are anything but bass shy , I listened to them on 3 different systems .I thought that was one of their main strengths ,bass and detail within the bass was amazing for their size .All systems had quality amps within them .I personally preferred the Pmc db1is though as i felt their warm smooth sound would offset my neutral sounding cd player and amp .

The response curve on Stereophile suggests a lack of low bass. Easily fixed with a sub.

 

[damonster]

All depends how low you like your bass i suppose.cant expect earthmoving bass from standmounts.

 

[Rethep]

I found them bass-shy, and especially loose in that department, and also obtrusive in the mids (voices!). My Epos's weren softer in mids and tighter in lows. The Kef disappeared more in "soundstage" but in (not) balanced sound it was very present but not pleasant! Btw. I used a tube-amp.

 

[Frank Harvey]

This is why we keep such a range of loudspeakers. Everyone is different, and we all have our pwn preferences.

How a speaker will ultimately sound will depend on many things - your room being one, and your system being another. If the amplifier isn't sufficient for the speakers, the speakers will not perform to the standard that they have been designed to. As mentioned, stands are another factor, and can in some instances change a speaker's sound quite dramatically. Let's also not forget that how we perceive a product is influenced by what we are used to at home. As an example, those who have lived with large speakers, or particularly bass heavy ones, can take an instant dislike to smaller speakers. The same can be said of those who own smaller speakers - they tend to find larger speakers boomy and bass heavy.

The LS50's bass isn't going to be the deepest around - let's face it, it is a 5.25" driver, and as far as radiating area is concerned, you can take away the area taken up by the HF unit, so it is actually less than 5". It is a small cabinet, with a lot of bracing inside, reducing the internal cabinet volume. I usually find a little understanding of a how a product works or has been designed, helps to appreciate what they do right, rather than just dismissing them on a quick listen (in unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar system, and sometimes even unfamiliar source material).

I think a few more details from Tacty regarding the venue and accompanying system might help things

 

[Tacty]

i think it's a typical dealers room, quite large, they were driven with some big onkyo power amp ( i was surprised, didnt know onkyo make them like this anymore)...not sure about the preamp, maybe matching onkyo...source was marantz cd, 6 or 7 series...my general feeling was about light charachter..i asked dealer to change amp with roksan k2, but it didnt change my impressions for a bit...still sounded light and bass shy...

 

[Rethep]

Even my Epos sounds a bit bass-shy compared to good floorstanders. But i am listening to them because of their other qualities, for 22 years. They will be replaced by those good floorstanders in about 2 weeks.