KEF LS50 disappointment :(

[Vladimir]

I wanted to derail the discussion on the topic of Mark Levinson HQD (the ones with stacked 4 x Quad ESL57, 2 x Decca ribbon tweeters and 2x24" Hartley woofers). But shkumar kept asking for more questions about the 4" 2-way bookshelf LS50. *biggrin*

 

[his dudeness]

*yahoo* those would fit lovely in a average uk room,no problem with placement,lol

 

[Gazzip]

Oh for goodness sake! If you like them, buy them. If not, don't.

That's far too sensible and would have stopped this thread 900 posts ago...so a real killjoy attitude.

If you want to know how bad the LS50s are, listen to somebody who hasn't lived with them...or better still, somebody who hasn't heard them. *scratch_one-s_head*

*biggrin*

I have seen them. Well a photograph of them which is just as good. They don't look like they would sound great to me. *pardon*

 

[CnoEvil]

Oh for goodness sake! If you like them, buy them. If not, don't.

That's far too sensible and would have stopped this thread 900 posts ago...so a real killjoy attitude.

If you want to know how bad the LS50s are, listen to somebody who hasn't lived with them...or better still, somebody who hasn't heard them. *scratch_one-s_head*

*biggrin*

I have seen them. Well a photograph of them which is just as good. They don't look like they would sound great to me. *pardon*

You're a veerry funnny boy! *wink*

 

[Gazzip]

Oh for goodness sake! If you like them, buy them. If not, don't.

That's far too sensible and would have stopped this thread 900 posts ago...so a real killjoy attitude.

If you want to know how bad the LS50s are, listen to somebody who hasn't lived with them...or better still, somebody who hasn't heard them. *scratch_one-s_head*

*biggrin*

I have seen them. Well a photograph of them which is just as good. They don't look like they would sound great to me. *pardon*

You're a veerry funnny boy! *wink*

*mosking*

 

[Freddy58]

are the LS50's any good? I'll get me coat > *biggrin*

 

[BigH]

Well someone voted for them, won the readers product of the year 2 or 3 years running? I think the problem with any hyped up product there will people out to knock them. I would say they are one of the better standmounts around £800 I heard. No speaker will suit everyone.

 

[Freddy58]

Well someone voted for them, won the readers product of the year 2 or 3 years running? I think the problem with any hyped up product there will people out to knock them. I would say they are one of the better standmounts around £800 I heard. No speaker will suit everyone.

Amen to that

 

[shkumar4963]

Quote: Again if 70% of people dnt like the sound of any speaker, it matters not if stereophile likes it or not. People from stereophile are humans like any other person. Stereophile has its own opinion. Stereophile saying its a superior speaker as you say, does not mean people will then automatically like the sound of the LS50's

End of Quote

That is fine if Stereophile actually felt that LS50 were Class A speakers. What I want to make sure that it was not part of a KEF funded marketing campaign.

I hope not.

Stereophile love British speakers. How many bad reviews do you see in stereophile?

Not giving a bad review is one thing. But calling it a class A among all other British stand mount speakers shows that Stereophile felt that LS50 were significantly above the rest. And the rest included all units from B&W, PMC and other British, American and European brands.

That is something else. How many other standmounts in the history of Stereophile have been ranked as Class A? Really does anyone know? Probably never or not many.

 

[shkumar4963]

Quote: Again if 70% of people dnt like the sound of any speaker, it matters not if stereophile likes it or not. People from stereophile are humans like any other person. Stereophile has its own opinion. Stereophile saying its a superior speaker as you say, does not mean people will then automatically like the sound of the LS50's

End of Quote

That is fine if Stereophile actually felt that LS50 were Class A speakers. What I want to make sure that it was not part of a KEF funded marketing campaign.

I hope not.

Stereophile love British speakers. How many bad reviews do you see in stereophile?

Not giving a bad review is one thing. But calling it a class A among all other British stand mount speakers shows that Stereophile felt that LS50 were significantly above the rest. And the rest included all units from B&W, PMC and other British, American and European brands.

That is something else. How many other standmounts in the history of Stereophile have been ranked as Class A? Really does anyone know? Probably never or not many.

 

[Frank Harvey]

 

[Covenanter]

I think it is beholden on us to make another 64, sorry 63, more posts to round this up to the 1000 it deserves.

Chris

 

[Vladimir]

What interests me what are the thoughts on:

1) KEF LS50 + R400B vs. R500/R700/R900 floorstanders

2) KEF LS50 + 2xR400B vs. KEF Reference 1/3/5

What is the best sound quality?

 

[CnoEvil]

What interests me what are the thoughts on:

1) KEF LS50 + R400B vs. R500/R700/R900 floorstanders

2) KEF LS50 + 2xR400B vs. KEF Reference 1/3/5

What is the best sound quality?

Define "best"....

- Subjectively sounding better (who decides)?

- Measuring better?

- What amplification?

 

[Vladimir]

So let's see how many would like CM5 or CM1 or 685s2 compared with LS50 for their main speakers.

They are similarly priced and of similar size.

Let's here from all of yoy not based on theory but based real side by side audition.

Here is a quote from another thread.

Heard the ls50 with mf m3i a couple of years ago didn't think much of them bw cm1 sounded a lot better TBH. PMC 21s, however are in complete different league once you get them properly run in.

That makes 2 of us voting for the B&W CM1 sounding better than the KEF LS50.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Reference.

 

[Vladimir]

Reference.

KEF LS50 + R400B vs. Reference 1, the R1 wins? What would be the obvious advantages of the R1?

 

[Vladimir]

Define "best"....

- Subjectively sounding better (who decides)?

- Measuring better?

- What amplification?

Subjectively to you, your choice of amp. You have the R3?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

- What amplification?

Hi CnE

Surely only the one that does the job properly.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[CnoEvil]

- What amplification?

Hi CnE

Surely only the one that does the job properly.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

..and how often is this got wrong? *smile*

 

[kingsap]

I listened to the ls50s and have found it disappointing alot of times to be honest. Just feel it lacking something.

However, ive been to a high end audio show recently. Paired with a gryphon integrated and gryphon cd player...the ls 50 gave me goosebumps. Was my vote for best sound of show. Yes it was compared to atc scm50s, a 100k audionote system, raidho bookshelves, bower wilkin 800d, harbeth m30.1, dynaudio c4, dynaudi c1, wilson sashas 2.

Was very surprised with the results. I reckon these little speakers need alot of TLC to perform to their best. Big heavy stands, proper amp and cables (the system i tested was using a 8000dollars worth of cables.) To be fair, the other systems i tested are not in the same room, so maybe the room itself was the reason.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

- What amplification?

Hi CnE

Surely only the one that does the job properly.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

..and how often is this got wrong? *smile*

Hi CnE

It's for only when it suits.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[MUSICRAFT]

- What amplification?

Hi CnE

Surely only the one that does the job properly.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

..and how often is this got wrong? *smile*

Hi CnE

It's saved for only when it suits. Otherwise almost any amp will do *biggrin*

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Vladimir]

We designed our valve (tube) amplifier, manufactured it, and put it on the market, and never actually listened to it. In fact, the same applies to the 303 and the 405. People say, "Well that's disgusting, you ought to have listened to it." However, we do a certain amount of listening tests, but they are for specific things. We listen to the differential distortion - does a certain thing matter? You've got to have a listening test to sort out whether it matters. You've got to do tests to sort out whether rumble is likely to overload pickup inputs, or whether very high frequency stuff coming out of the pickup due to record scratch is going to disturb the control unit. But we aren't sitting down listening to Beethoven's Fifth and saying, "That amplifier sounds better, let's change a resistor or two. Oh yes, that's now better still." We never sit down and listen to a music record through an amplifier in the design stage. We listen to funny noises, funny distortions, and see whether these things are going to matter, to get a subjective assessment. But we don't actually listen to program material at all.

Source

 

[shkumar4963]

I think it is beholden on us to make another 64, sorry 63, more posts to round this up to the 1000 it deserves.

Chris

That will be a record of some kind. Not sure if any other speaker generated that kind of passion.