KEF LS50 - Which Amp ..?

[Kubs]

I've been meaning to provide an update on my experiences with the MF M6500i ... just haven't had the time. I'll start with the following and hopefully provide some more detail later:

Music playback is more engaging and I find myself getting lost in the track I am listening to ...this is so cliche but I can hear notes / beats I've never heard before. The best way to describe the sound created by the amp (and supporting components) is that the instruments have move space around them .... and as a result the room feels bigger.

Piano playback is amazing ... it actually sounds like there is a piano in my front room ... you can feel/hear the vibrating cord each time is it struck ....

It's still breaking in and I will report further at a later date.

PS - the KEFs have really opened up.

 

[unknown]

I've been meaning to provide an update on my experiences with the MF M6500i ... just haven't had the time. I'll start with the following and hopefully provide some more detail later: Music playback is more engaging and I find myself getting lost in the track I am listening to ...this is so cliche but I can hear notes / beats I've never heard before. The best way to describe the sound created by the amp (and supporting components) is that the instruments have move space around them .... and as a result the room feels bigger. Piano playback is amazing ... it actually sounds like there is a piano in my front room ... you can feel/hear the vibrating cord each time is it struck .... It's still breaking in and I will report further at a later date. PS - the KEFs have really opened up.

thanks for the update.

what stands have you got the kefs on ? heavy metal or lighter wooden stands ?

are your speakers "flat" on the stands ? or have you used rubber, blutach, or a hard cone between stand and speaker ?

and dare i ask what speaker cable you are using ?

thanks for any futher updates !

 

[Kubs]

Stands:
http://www.whathifi.com/review/atacama-aurora-6

Filled with glass pebbles / on spikes / the spikes are on Atacama feet.

The speakers are sitting on rubber pads that came with the speaker stands.

Speaker cable is:
http://www.whathifi.com/Review/QED-Silver-Anniversary-XT-Biwire/

mikefarrow are you planning on getting a pair of KEF LS50s?

 

[CnoEvil]

Stands: http://www.whathifi.com/review/atacama-aurora-6 Filled with glass pebbles / on spikes / the spikes are on Atacama feet. The speakers are sitting on rubber pads that came with the speaker stands. Speaker cable is: http://www.whathifi.com/Review/QED-Silver-Anniversary-XT-Biwire/ mikefarrow are you planning on getting a pair of KEF LS50s?

You might like to try Telurium Q Black / Green. See if you can borrow some to try in your system.

I would also try a Power cord on the amp from Clearer Audio (possibly Copper-Line), which you can have on a 60 day trial period.

These things can be tried and sent back if no improvement is heard.

 

[unknown]

Stands: http://www.whathifi.com/review/atacama-aurora-6 Filled with glass pebbles / on spikes / the spikes are on Atacama feet. The speakers are sitting on rubber pads that came with the speaker stands. Speaker cable is: http://www.whathifi.com/Review/QED-Silver-Anniversary-XT-Biwire/ mikefarrow are you planning on getting a pair of KEF LS50s?

thanks for detailed reply !

i'm looking into a speaker upgrade and a budget of £800 has been suggested for an upgrade to my current old b&w 601 s2 speakers.

(no funds gathered as of yet however........)

therefore the kef ls50 plus the b&w cm5 have been suggested. not sure my 75watt musical fidelity xa2 is good enough for the kefs !

(your amp is a bit more powerful !)

did ask kef what stands they use as a reference when testing the ls50 - no reply !

i suppose i would have to experiment but it seems these speakers require a heavy mass loaded stand. current speakers sound best on

lighter stands (?). thanks again for reply.

 

[nima]

I think you should try new speakers with your existing kit and see where it gets you. As I remember XA2 it's not bad at all and if kefs work much better with it, great. And I think they might, B&W 600 series was not the most lively out there. You can expeeriment with different stands and amps latter. If you feel you need to.

 

[unknown]

I think you should try new speakers with your existing kit and see where it gets you. As I remember XA2 it's not bad at all and if kefs work much better with it, great. And I think they might, B&W 600 series was not the most lively out there. You can expeeriment with different stands and amps latter. If you feel you need to.

thanks for your input nima ! both my amp and cd player (the matching mf x ray) have both recently been upgraded via js audio repairs, and they now sound much better than the original units. like you say, a better speaker such as the kefs should work well, was just unsure wether the 75watt output was enough. only a test will tell but as stated no funds as of yet !

 

[unknown]

I've been meaning to provide an update on my experiences with the MF M6500i ... just haven't had the time. I'll start with the following and hopefully provide some more detail later: Music playback is more engaging and I find myself getting lost in the track I am listening to ...this is so cliche but I can hear notes / beats I've never heard before. The best way to describe the sound created by the amp (and supporting components) is that the instruments have move space around them .... and as a result the room feels bigger. Piano playback is amazing ... it actually sounds like there is a piano in my front room ... you can feel/hear the vibrating cord each time is it struck .... It's still breaking in and I will report further at a later date. PS - the KEFs have really opened up.

any further changes kubs ?

 

[Kubs]

I'm loving the MF M500 ... It seems to surprise me every time I use it ... Its very lush, velvety and detailed with space aroubds the instruments .... As I mentioned before it feels like my listening room just got bigger. Anyway, I'm sure you've all read these types of descriptions in other threads.

I wanted your views on a speaker upgrade ... Like I said, I enjoy the sound but feel that certain types of music could do with a little more definition and slam. I've been eyeing up the sonus Faber venere 2.5 and the omc 23 ... Although the PMC may not have the bass extension or slam. How about a sub ... The kef r400?

I'd welcome your thoughts.

 

[Native_bon]

I did have a listen to the Venere just a fews weeks ago & did not like it at all. I actually prefered the Sonus faber toy over the Venere 2.5. The bass of the Venere just sounded so boxee. The Venere was all midrange & no bass. Was very disappionted with the sound. Must say it has a very rich sounding midrange but the bass was disappionting to say the least.

Again it will depend on the type of music you listen to.

EDIT: It could well be, the pair I listened to has not be run in well.

 

[Kubs]

nks for your thoughts Native_bon. I am assuming the veneres must have been out of the box .... Can you recall what source and amplification was feeding the Venere ?

 

[Native_bon]

AUDIO LAD M-DAC FED BY OPPO 105. AMP: MUSICAL FIDELITY, M6I. I THINK YOU NEED TO GIVE IT A DEMO YOUR SELF & FOUND OUT WHAT YOU THINK. YOU MAY LIKE THE KIND OF SOUND IF PRODUCES. ONE MAN'S MEAT....

 

[T1mb0]

Kubs

I'm running the PMC Twenty 22s with an MF M3i and A5cr power amp (the predecessor to the current M6 PWR - very similar) and the pairing works very well. WIth your M6500i I can only imagine it would sound really sweet.

Worth checking out the 22s as well as the 23s if you're considering Twenty series PMC.

Cheers

Tim

 

[TreeOfLiberty]

I use nad c326bee to drive ls50,and replay APEs online,still enjoy it,although a bit too bright.
and mostly pop music to listen ,A sub necessary.
---
TreeOfLiberty from fareast

 

[Kubs]

Hi cno, thanks for your a suggestion regarding the tellurium q black ... I have a pair (speaker cables) on home loan. They are everthing all the reviews say they are. On some tracks its like I'm listening to 5.1 channels rather than 2 ... The music is enveloping ... Thanks for the tip!

 

[nopiano]

Hi cno, thanks for your a suggestion regarding the tellurium q black ... I have a pair (speaker cables) on home loan. They are everthing all the reviews say they are. On some tracks its like I'm listening to 5.1 channels rather than 2 ... The music is enveloping ... Thanks for the tip!

Shhh! You need to keep that quiet, as lots here will say you are imagining it. What they miss is that replaying music is all about imagining it (i.e. the original event). So if better cables work for you then great! *good*

 

[Kubs]

He he ... I've read with much amusement other members exchanging theirs views on cables and wires ... Science to one side, I can hear a difference. Before I auditioned I was leaning towards the view of not hearing a change and therefore not having to spend any money.

 

[davedotco]

He he ... I've read with much amusement other members exchanging theirs views on cables and wires ... Science to one side, I can hear a difference. Before I auditioned I was leaning towards the view of not hearing a change and therefore not having to spend any money.

We can all hear those differences kubs......*good*

The question that many people are asking is whether those changes are real or simply a function of the way our ears and brain work.

A simple example, we make a change to our system then sit down and listen to hear the difference, we are concentrating, listening more intently so we hear more than we have heard before. More detail, more precise soundstage etc, etc. Clear difference.

But has this difference been caused by our change to the system or by the fact that, having made the change (which has actuallty had no effect), we have altered the way that we are listening?

A very simple example but the subject is a complex one and strange things happen.

I have noted elsewhere my problems with speaker cables of unequal length so if, say, a particular cable makes you more 'comfortable' with your system so that you stop fretting and get more out of your system then that is clearly a positive thing.

 

[CnoEvil]

Hi cno, thanks for your a suggestion regarding the tellurium q black ... I have a pair (speaker cables) on home loan. They are everthing all the reviews say they are. On some tracks its like I'm listening to 5.1 channels rather than 2 ... The music is enveloping ... Thanks for the tip!

Good job....welcome to the land of the deluded.

Now if you really want to give the sceptics something to get their teeth into, try a Clearer Audio "Copper Line" Power Cord on your amp (which you can send back within 60 days). Give Darren a ring if you are interested.

 

[Jota180]

Then try those rock things (refreshingly expensive) that you place around your room that do something to the physics of your room and makes the sound better.

Also consider custom made, 3 degree angled pieces of outrageously expensive bits of metal to tilt your speakers slightly so gravity helps the music flow effortlessly downhill towwards your listening position. Einstein would approve.

These will improve your listening experience. Honest.

Edit. Also avoid any movement in your listening room as this will stir up the air which affects the sounds waves travelling through them.

 

[mgkwackerd]

Now if you really want to give the sceptics something to get their teeth into, try a Clearer Audio "Copper Line" Power Cord on your amp (which you can send back within 60 days). Give Darren a ring if you are interested.

Cno, its nice to see someone singing the praises of Clearer audio, Darren has been great with me, and I use all his Silverline Optimus I/Cs, just so clean and noise free, excellent and so revealing, cables do make a difference, (can of worms) and I still get "why pay £400 for a pair of I/C's" ?? I love them !!!

My mains is a dedicated spur R/F & E/M shielded to the lounge into a 15A conditioner that then uses 2 merlin tarantula blocks with all tarantula leads. I tried Darrens C/L, no difference to me, but a friend uses them and swears by them. A wholesale change seems ridiculous, so I'll keep the Merlin's.

 

[gowiththeflow]

......Also avoid any movement in your listening room as this will stir up the air which affects the sounds waves travelling through them.

Air ?

No No No. A sealed room filled with pure nitrogen for optimum results. Only on the 3rd phase of the moon though.

 

[davedotco]

......Also avoid any movement in your listening room as this will stir up the air which affects the sounds waves travelling through them.

Air ?

No No No. A sealed room filled with pure nitrogen for optimum results. Only on the 3rd phase of the moon though.

Don't be silly, the nitrogen idea is nonsense.....

The phases of the moon, now that is a serious issue. Biorythms have a noticeable effect on our moods and therefore on our emotional response to music.

To paraphrase a famous saying, "Don't do a dem when your biorythms are down".

 

[gowiththeflow]

To paraphrase a famous saying, "Don't do a dem when your biorythms are down".

Is that from a Bob Dylan song?

 

[davedotco]

To paraphrase a famous saying, "Don't do a dem when your biorythms are down".

Is that from a Bob Dylan song?

Pete Seeger.

It refers to the civil rights marches in the mid 60s.