KEF LS50 - Which Amp ..?

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Kubs

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2007
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Hi All,

Just wanted your opinions on suitability of amplifiers to partner my KEF LS50:

MF M6i - too powerful, too higher price bracket?

Primare i32 - same questions as above.

I like a detailed, smooth, wide sound stage with a deep taut tuneful bass

Cheers,

Kub
 
Not heard either with the KEFs (which I have heard) but you are in the right area. Too many folks are tempted to pair them with something weedier! I think KEF were usng Leema at the Bristol show, and they have an Arcam A38 in their HQ to demo the LS50 (according to a recent article).
 
Kubs said:
Hi All, Just wanted your opinions on suitability of amplifiers to partner my KEF LS50: MF M6i - too powerful, too higher price bracket? Primare i32 - same questions as above. I like a detailed, smooth, wide sound stage with a deep taut tuneful bass Cheers, Kub
Click to expand...
Your amp options have ample grunt. What you need to compare are other aural qualities that will live best with the KEF LS50's. You will need to try them out with the speakers in a physical setting. The KEF's will let you know within a minute or so, I bet! They are very transparent / unforgiving.
 
I would not worry about those amps being "too good" for the LS50s....though they will sound very different.

At less money, the A19 works well, but the amps you listed should be better.

Also consider the Electrocompaniet ECI-3.
 
I heard these recently with an Arcam A19 and wasn't that impressed. Think you need something with ample drive so the A38 mentioned above is a good shout, especially as Kef use it as reference equipment
 
According to a German magazine, Musical Fidelity M3i is a perfect match for them. The Kef LS50 is bright and the MF is warmer sounding. If you have the money MF M6i is great too with extra power but the M3i is good enough.
 
I heard the Kef's too, with a valve-amp. Too lightweight to my taste, compared to my Epos's. But a Creek Destiny could do some good there i think.
 
I heard the LS50s with Musical Fid. M3 and they were fairly good, I don't know if it is the ideal amp. I also tried the Audiolab 8200A which was very similar but had less power. I have heard the Pioneer A50 recommended which is cheaper (£500?), also the Audiolab 8200P (power amp). As you have the RK maybe adding a power amp would be the way to go.

Not sure you will get deep bass with the LS50s but should be taut and tuneful without any boom.
 
Hello All,

Thanks for the replies. When I upgrade the amplifier I want to make sure it's future proof in terms of power and being 'good enough' if I upgrade any other components in my set-up to a similar price bracket as the amplifiers mentioned above.

I guess I should book some auditions ..... I need to understand if the price increases between amplifier buys a 'better sound' (I know - it's subjective and what does better sound mean anyway).
 
I tried the Kefs with a Harman Kardon HK 990, Ayre AX-7E and now my densen pre/power combo.

Has sounded very good on all 3 occasions. They really benefit from quality of amplification, but the sound signature remains very enjoyable, so I wouldn't worry tooooo much about your choice of amp.
 
Speaking from very little experience. However, i've heard them being powered by a Roksan Kandy K2 amp and was blown away by them. Not sure if the speaker or the amp but I wouldn't rule it out. Especially for the value of it.
 
Evening All,

Would a Musical Fidelity M6500i be overkill for the little KEFs (ls50) ..... ? I have an opportunity to home demo and purchase at a decent price .... just wanted peoples opinions on the fore mentioned amp ..... And .. are the rest of my components up to the job ...?

Thanks for your thoughts as always!
 
Kubs said:
Hi All, Just wanted your opinions on suitability of amplifiers to partner my KEF LS50: MF M6i - too powerful, too higher price bracket? Primare i32 - same questions as above. I like a detailed, smooth, wide sound stage with a deep taut tuneful bass Cheers, Kub
Click to expand...

Absolutely not.

Depending on what is available to you, buy the best amp you can afford, the two you mention are very different though, do try to audition.

Personally I rather like Primare, though the British market is a difficult one for amplifiers in this price bracket.
 
Why doesn't the speaker manufacturer help us out? In this case answering the question: What would be the minimum requirements/specs of an amp in order to enjoy your investment in the LS50's to a reasonable/minimal level. I dropped the question at KEF whether my PM6005 amp is suitable to drive the LS50, fair question I reckon, no answer though. Why isn't there more TRANSPARENCY in this world where an amp without a speaker or a speaker without an amp couldn't exist?
 
I think the transparaency is there in the price and the design. The LS50s are an £800 mini monitor designed to give high resolution performance, whilst the Marantz is a £350 amp designed to do as much as possible - D/A conversion, tone controls, phono input, switching for two pairs of speakers, headphone output etc. The Marantz is fine within its limits and used with similarly priced speakers but it won't power more difficult speakers as well as something where the investment is either larger OR more focused.

I originally heard Dynaudio DM2/6s a couple of years ago when I had a PM6003. I didn't like them (or so I thought). I then heard them again with the Arcam A18 when I had that and again I felt the same. Soft, slightly diffuse sounding and quite flat tonally. Something made me try them again when I got the Exposure and the difference is quite startling and taught me an important lesson. The Exposure is not a terrifyingly expensive amp but it is much simpler in design than the Marantz or Arcam and the investment has been focused on the elements that really matter. All the extra features have been stripped out but the highest quality components required to amplify the signal and control the speakers have been specified (within what is possible at the price). The 1010 makes the Dyns sing at a wide range of volumes (including, at this very moment, very low levels). They sound open but have good weight to the sound and voices and instrumental timbres have a tangibility I've been yearning for. I love listening to my music now and it is all through a loudspeaker design I twice rejected, a rejection I now understand was down to the inadequacy of the amplification.
 
Pjotter said:
Why doesn't the speaker manufacturer help us out? In this case answering the question: What would be the minimum requirements/specs of an amp in order to enjoy your investment in the LS50's to a reasonable/minimal level. I dropped the question at KEF whether my PM6005 amp is suitable to drive the LS50, fair question I reckon, no answer though. Why isn't there more TRANSPARENCY in this world where an amp without a speaker or a speaker without an amp couldn't exist?
Click to expand...

On the face of it, this may seem an easy thing to do.....but unfortunately, the printed specs of an amp often don't tell the whole story.
 
Bagged myself an MFM6500i .... I'll write up my thoughts once I've had a chance to see what it can do ... I will say though, its massive and very heavy ... I need a new equipment rack. First thoughts ... Allot smoother than my Roksan which I prefer ....
 
Kubs said:
Bagged myself an MFM6500i .... I'll write up my thoughts once I've had a chance to see what it can do ... I will say though, its massive and very heavy ... I need a new equipment rack. First thoughts ... Allot smoother than my Roksan which I prefer ....
Click to expand...

At least now, nobody can tell you that the amp doesn't have enough power :twisted: .......it should be an amazing combination. :rockout:
 
Kubs said:
Bagged myself an MFM6500i .... I'll write up my thoughts once I've had a chance to see what it can do ... I will say though, its massive and very heavy ... I need a new equipment rack. First thoughts ... Allot smoother than my Roksan which I prefer ....
Click to expand...

how are you finding the m6500i / ls50 combo ? any futher updates ?

thanks in advance
 
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