KEF LS50 worries - please put me at ease!

[Kyndylan]

Hello, I’m wondering if I could have some advice. I’ve got myself into a quandary, and I hope you’ll be able to tell me I’m just being silly!

I’ve got a good friend who has just offered me his current system - a Marantz PM7005 and KEF LS50 - for the princely sum of £800! (He’s just moved house, and as a result now has the space to upgrade his hifi system. He’s jumping in feet-first, and moving up to a pair of Monitor Audio PL300s, a Unison Research S6 amp and Chord Hugo DAC.)

I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming! But I also thought I’d do some due diligence and read some reviews…

What I’ve read suggests that the combination should work fine (I think the amp has enough power? Opinions seem to differ), but lots of people suggest that the LS50s are very picky when it comes to positioning. My friend has had them on stands well away from walls, but my options are a lot more limited:

- They’ll have to sit on a piece of furniture (Skovby #87).

- They’ll also be fairly close to a rear wall – the back of the speaker will be about 20cm from the wall.

- One of them will also have a wall about 20cm to the side, but the wall won’t go any further than the front of the speaker, if that makes sense? The furniture is sitting with one end against a deep chimney breast.

So, my current thinking is that even with the limitations I’d be crazy to turn down the offer – am I right?!?

For some context, I’m “upgrading” from no hifi at all, so it’s certain to be an improvement from my TV speakers. I’d also be happy to look into some kind of isolation for the speakers – maybe some kind of rubber pad/feet?

All thoughts welcome.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hello, I’m wondering if I could have some advice. I’ve got myself into a quandary, and I hope you’ll be able to tell me I’m just being silly!

I’ve got a good friend who has just offered me his current system - a Marantz PM7005 and KEF LS50 - for the princely sum of £800! (He’s just moved house, and as a result now has the space to upgrade his hifi system. He’s jumping in feet-first, and moving up to a pair of Monitor Audio PL300s, a Unison Research S6 amp and Chord Hugo DAC.)

I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming! But I also thought I’d do some due diligence and read some reviews…

What I’ve read suggests that the combination should work fine (I think the amp has enough power? Opinions seem to differ), but lots of people suggest that the LS50s are very picky when it comes to positioning. My friend has had them on stands well away from walls, but my options are a lot more limited:

- They’ll have to sit on a piece of furniture (Skovby #87).

- They’ll also be fairly close to a rear wall – the back of the speaker will be about 20cm from the wall.

- One of them will also have a wall about 20cm to the side, but the wall won’t go any further than the front of the speaker, if that makes sense? The furniture is sitting with one end against a deep chimney breast.

So, my current thinking is that even with the limitations I’d be crazy to turn down the offer – am I right?!?

For some context, I’m “upgrading” from no hifi at all, so it’s certain to be an improvement from my TV speakers. I’d also be happy to look into some kind of isolation for the speakers – maybe some kind of rubber pad/feet?

All thoughts welcome.

Yup, the combo should work well. Last Friday/Saturday I had the LS50s on dem and they sounded excellent. As regards speaker positioning, as you'll be listening to them in isolation you shouldn't have any gripes. That said, they do like a little breathing space: Had mine around 18" or so from the back wall, but I was directly comparing to my PMCs. As I said, in isolation there shouldn't be too many issues.

 

[Vladimir]

Sounds like a good deal and I wouldn't worry about using the LS50s without stands. There are nice sorbothane feet and other interesting isolation solutions. They wont sound as good as with proper stands, but they wont sound like cheap mini system speakers either.

 

[Kyndylan]

Thanks, plastic penguin and Vladimir. I read the other thread with interest before posting mine.

Encouraging to know that you don't think there would be any problems!

 

[drummerman]

I think the combination would be totally unsuitable.

Keep the amp and sell the speakers to me for £250. That way you can buy a lovely pair of Wharfedale 220's and have enough left to buy some speaker cable ... .

 

[Kyndylan]

I think the combination would be totally unsuitable.

Keep the amp and sell the speakers to me for £250. That way you can buy a lovely pair of Wharfedale 220's and have enough left to buy some speaker cable ... .

Heh, drummerman, my heart sank a little when I read the first line of your post.

Then I read the rest, and I think I detect a hint of sarcasm *acute* ... please tell me that's the case!

 

[drummerman]

I think the combination would be totally unsuitable.

Keep the amp and sell the speakers to me for £250. That way you can buy a lovely pair of Wharfedale 220's and have enough left to buy some speaker cable ... .

Heh, drummerman, my heart sank a little when I read the first line of your post.

Then I read the rest, and I think I detect a hint of sarcasm *acute* ... please tell me that's the case!

Of course.

Enjoy your new system

 

[Andrewjvt]

It will sound bfok - which means great in south african slang

 

[tonky]

Like DM - we're jealous jealous jealous - of your bargain!! Do please report back on what you think of them when installed at home.

tonky

 

[manicm]

It will sound bfok - which means great in south african slang

Didn't realise you were here too, just ordered a £11 CD from Amazon UK, landed at my door for R350, shipping taxes etc!!

 

[Andrewjvt]

It will sound bfok - which means great in south african slang

Didn't realise you were here too, just ordered a £11 CD from Amazon UK, landed at my door for R350, shipping taxes etc!!

Ouch
I sent over presents and they ended up paying more in taxes than what the presents were worth

 

[Besty]

Hi,

i posted a thread ages ago about isolation options for my B&W's which are on custom shelves. Was directed to Auralex Mopads which I skirted around then eventually bought. Properly impressive and would probably help.

I too am space limited and cannot use stands. Mine are also pretty much next to walls. Worth checking out. They are the business!

 

[Infiniteloop]

Looks like your friend has been smitten by Valves.

 

[Kyndylan]

Hi,

i posted a thread ages ago about isolation options for my B&W's which are on custom shelves. Was directed to Auralex Mopads which I skirted around then eventually bought. Properly impressive and would probably help.?

I too am space limited and cannot use stands. Mine are also pretty much next to walls. Worth checking out. They are the business!

Thanks for the tip. I've done a little searching for various isolation options - some of them seem crazy expensive for what they are! The Mopads look a lot more realistic.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I use Mopads under mine.

 

[Jota180]

You might need the foam bungs that come with these speakers. I had to put mine about 70cm from the rear wall or I got too much bass. I didn't like them close to the wall with the foam bungs in so could just move them out into the room.

But it might also be a result of them being either side of a chimney breast which protrudes 15 inches into the room. Might be a different story up against a flat back wall. But even if you bought the set and didn't like it you'd easily make your money back on them.

 

[Kyndylan]

You might need the foam bungs that come with these speakers. I had to put mine about 70cm from the rear wall or I got too much bass. I didn't like them close to the wall with the foam bungs in so could just move them out into the room.

But it might also be a result of them being either side of a chimney breast which protrudes 15 inches into the room. Might be a different story up against a flat back wall. But even if you bought the set and didn't like it you'd easily make your money back on them.

Thanks Jota180. I fully expect to play around with the bungs and see what works best. They come in two parts, don't they? So you can either completely seal the port or just half seal it.

And yes, it had occurred to me that even if I felt the setup wasn't working I'd probably not do too badly out of it!