KEF LS50 disappointment :(

[Electro]

I listened to LS50s a few times and left them. Then one day I was at a different dealer and listened to them in a different setup. They were heavenly, better than anything I had heard before and bought then on the spot.

And since then I am trying to create that magic...looking to see if that was due to amplifier, room acoustics or something else ....

Possibly the dealer's chosen playlists as well? No surprise how much forethought goes in to what is played at HiFi shops in order to showcase a given product. It is usually the antithesis of what I would play to test a pair of loudspeakers during an audition, which would include complex tracks to trip them up, expose their frailty if they have one. How many times have you heard London Grammar, Diana Krall, Daft Punk or Katie Melua played by HiFi dealers during demos? Many, many times. Not because they challenge the HiFi components through which they play but because they are extremely well recorded and produced and will flatter pretty much any system/component however poor.

I always take this Cd with me if I am going to test another system , it has just about everything in it to test anything ,and it is also technically brilliant and will stimulate all you senses simultaneously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZLHFxJpe_8

 

[shkumar4963]

Add one vote for PMC DB1i.?

Now let's make sure DB1I are priced same as LS50 (about £800).

I suspect that DB1I are much higher priced (£985) and should not be a candidate.

Yeah. I think comparing KEF LS50 to these is a more reasonable approach. 

Ok. You are right. I was wrong. DB1I gets a vote.

So 2.5 for CM1 and 1 vote for DB1i. May be half vote for DB1i since they were not auditioned next to LS50.

 

[steve_1979]

Add one vote for PMC DB1i.

Now let's make sure DB1I are priced same as LS50 (about £800).

I suspect that DB1I are much higher priced (£985) and should not be a candidate.

Yeah. I think comparing KEF LS50 to these is a more reasonable approach.

Ok. You are right. I was wrong. DB1I gets a vote.

So 2.5 for CM1 and 1 vote for DB1i. May be half vote for DB1i since they were not auditioned next to LS50.

I vote DM5. *bomb*

 

[shkumar4963]

I listened to LS50s a few times and left them. Then one day I was at a different dealer and listened to them in a different setup. They were heavenly, better than anything I had heard before and bought then on the spot.

And since then I am trying to create that magic...looking to see if that was due to amplifier, room acoustics or something else ....

?

Possibly the dealer's chosen playlists as well? No surprise how much forethought goes in to what is played at HiFi shops in order to showcase a given product. It is usually the antithesis of what I would play to test a pair of loudspeakers during an audition, which would include complex tracks to trip them up, expose their frailty if they have one. How many times have you heard London Grammar, Diana Krall, Daft Punk or Katie Melua played by HiFi dealers during demos? Many, many times. Not because they challenge the HiFi components through which they play but because they are extremely well recorded and produced and will flatter pretty much any system/component however poor.

?

I always take this Cd with me if I am going to test another system , it has just about everything in it to test anything ,and it is also technically brilliant and will stimulate all you senses simultaneously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZLHFxJpe_8

Good point. But I always take my cds. One chesky records ultimate demo cd, one ghazal cd and one Tabla and Ravi Shanker cd.

Thanks for your link. I will check it out as well.

 

[dim_span]

£350 gets you these:

http://www.kralkaudio.com/bc-30.html

maybe worth auditioning and comparing them to the LS50

 

[Vladimir]

BTW any brave souls that tested their systems at 100dB with the Poem of Chinese Drums (on Burmester Reference CD III)?

 

[Vladimir]

While Led Zeppelin and Cold Play made careers stealing everyones riffs, David Philips lives his own music without a career musicianship. IMO a true bohemian talent, imperfect.

 

[dim_span]

BTW any brave souls that tested their systems at 100dB with the Poem of Chinese Drums (on Burmester Reference CD III)?

try

Fanfarra Cabua Le Le Sergio Mendes

on spotify .... 100 drums thumping away

 

[Vladimir]

Very nice, certanly loud and festive but that wont chase the mice away like this will.

Hok-Man Yim: Poems of Thunder

 

[Freddy58]

Very nice, certanly loud and festive but that wont chase the mice away like this will.

Hok-Man Yim: Poems of Thunder

That sounds great through my R300's

Chris (Covenanter), hit Vlads link, it'll blow your socks off *wink*

 

[dim_span]

Very nice, certanly loud and festive but that wont chase the mice away like this will.

Hok-Man Yim: Poems of Thunder

That sounds great through my R300's Chris (Covenanter), hit Vlads link, it'll blow your socks off *wink*

^^ very good that

 

[shkumar4963]

I was adjusting my speakers. Got a new set of stands. Changed a few settings in the amp. Changed speaker positions to hopefully make it better. Repositioned the speakers on stand with soft spacers.

Now I have a bit more sibilance. I changed everything back except the stands but sibilance is still there. , just a but more pronounced. Not sure if stands have anything to do with it. But I just don't know. I will wait for your suggestions and then disconnect and reconnect everything. And see if that helps.

 

[BigH]

Very nice, certanly loud and festive but that wont chase the mice away like this will.

Hok-Man Yim: Poems of Thunder

That is quite similar to another chinese producer He Xun-Tian who has won several awards for sound quality. Here is one track of his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhyPx4ivKZA

Most of his seem to have disappeared off youtube, there were some much better ones.

 

[Vladimir]

Very nice, certanly loud and festive but that wont chase the mice away like this will.

Hok-Man Yim: Poems of Thunder

That is quite similar to another chinese producer He Xun-Tian who has won several awards for sound quality. Here is one track of his: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhyPx4ivKZA

Most of his seem to have disappeared off youtube, there were some much better ones.

That is quite enjoyable, thank you. A more refined and textured composition compared to the forceful poem of chinese drums.

 

[shkumar4963]

Do let us know if you audition them with LS50 and let us know what you found.

 

[Vladimir]

I was adjusting my speakers. Got a new set of stands. Changed a few settings in the amp. Changed speaker positions to hopefully make it better. Repositioned the speakers on stand with soft spacers.

Now I have a bit more sibilance. I changed everything back except the stands but sibilance is still there. , just a but more pronounced. Not sure if stands have anything to do with it. But I just don't know. I will wait for your suggestions and then disconnect and reconnect everything. And see if that helps.

Use Blutack between the speakers and the stands.

Try to toe them outwards, in case you have them toed in at your listening position.

Any glass, tile and metal surfaces in front of you and the speakers?

 

[Vladimir]

I vote DM5.

Well, that sure fell on deaf ears. *biggrin*

 

[Freddy58]

I vote DM5.

Well, that sure fell on deaf ears. *biggrin*

Deaf eyes, surely?

 

[shkumar4963]

I was adjusting my speakers. Got a new set of stands. Changed a few settings in the amp. Changed speaker positions to hopefully make it better. Repositioned the speakers on stand with soft spacers.

Now I have a bit more sibilance. I changed everything back except the stands but sibilance is still there. , just a but more pronounced. Not sure if stands have anything to do with it. But I just don't know. I will wait for your suggestions and then disconnect and reconnect everything. And see if that helps.

Use Blutack between the speakers and the stands.

Try to toe them outwards, in case you have them toed in at your listening position.

Any glass, tile and metal surfaces in front of you and the speakers? 

Could not find blu rack from Bostik so bought a generic blu rack from Ace Hardware. Works similar to how blu tack is described to work. But no change in sibilance.

Changed toe in. Not sure if made any significant difference. I will try this a bit more before giving up.

There is a coffee table in the middle that gas glass top. I covered it with a blanket but that did not change sibilance. I will see if removing it will help.

Any other suggestion?

 

[shkumar4963]

I was adjusting my speakers. Got a new set of stands. Changed a few settings in the amp. Changed speaker positions to hopefully make it better. Repositioned the speakers on stand with soft spacers.

Now I have a bit more sibilance. I changed everything back except the stands but sibilance is still there. , just a but more pronounced. Not sure if stands have anything to do with it. But I just don't know. I will wait for your suggestions and then disconnect and reconnect everything. And see if that helps.

Use Blutack between the speakers and the stands.

Try to toe them outwards, in case you have them toed in at your listening position.

Any glass, tile and metal surfaces in front of you and the speakers? 

Could not find blu tack from Bostik so bought a generic blu tack from Ace Hardware. Works similar to how blu tack is described to work. No change in sibilance.

Changed toe in a little. Not sure if it made any significant difference. I will try this a bit more before giving up.

There is a coffee table in the middle that has glass top. I covered it with a blanket but that did not change sibilance. I will see if removing it will help.

Any other suggestions?

 

[shkumar4963]

2.5 votes for CM1
No votes for LS50
1/2 vote for DM5 (was it auditioned with LS50?)
Did I hear something else...
I will vote at the end as I have auditioned CM1, CM5, ls50, r300 and PMC twenty 21.

 

[shkumar4963]

Nothing for LS50 YET?

WHAT...

 

[CnoEvil]

Any other suggestions?

What stands did you get and are they filled (and if so, with what)?

What stands did you used to have?

Is there a difference in height between the old and new stands?

What cables do you use?

Can you remind us of the rest of your system?

 

[lindsayt]

I vote for LS50's over CM1's.

It's not even close. CM1's are too sleep inducingly boring for me to get any pleasure from listening to them.

 

[chebby]

1000th post