KEF LS50

[mattytun1514]

im thinking about the KEF LS50

Has anyone got this product what's your rating what ive read sounds good

Or would you recommend anything else for the same money.

 

[kmlav]

Do a forum search for the LS50 as there has been quite a few threads for them. For the most part everyone raves about them.

 

[BigH]

Good but not for everyone. Need decent amp to drive them and not so good at low volume.

 

[plastic penguin]

Good but not for everyone. Need decent amp to drive them and not so good at low volume.

More importantly, amp synergy.

 

[CnoEvil]

Here are a few questions that may help get you useful feedback.

- Are you going to listen for yourself?

- What system are you going to slot them into?

- Are you drawing up a list of other speakers, and if so, what do you have in mind.

- What size is your room and how big is your budget?

FWIW. (IMO) Correctly set up, given a decent source and driven with an appropriate amp, there is little better for the money.

 

[Singslinger]

I've heard them - very nice sound but I'm not too keen on their looks.

 

[mpapo]

Together with a Benchmark DAC-1 & an Ayre AX-7E amp the LS 50's were extremely good performers.

I just needed some speakers with more bass weight & that were able to take some more abuse (read: really loud volumes) & that's why I went for the Opals. If not, I would be very happy to return to my old LS 50 set up, very highly recommended.

 

[paulhh1967]

Correctly set up is very important.

Give them a decent heavy stand and blu-tack these babies on it. Just toe them in a little (max 10 grades). Use a good amp for feeding them (not to analytic and enough watts: 75 or more) and they will rock your socks off. O....and almost forget: give them some space to breath, they will sound much better when you placed them away from corners and backwall. Don't put it on a shelve, table etc this will do them no good.

 

[unsleepable]

Very recently I was able to audition the Kef LS50 with three different integrated amplifiers: Rega Brio-R, Musical Fidelity M3i, and Exposure 2010s2.

In short, the Rega Brio-R, while sounding great, lacked the sonic presence of the other two.

I was utterly impressed with the imaging of the Exposure 2010s2. In the Elevation version in the All That You Can't Leave Behind U2's album, I could clearly hear all the instruments, and exposed in their right positions 😉. On the other hand, the version of this same song in the Tomb Raider Soundtrack—a terrible mix, I believe, bright and thin—sounded ok, and in my opinion the amplifier is forgiving with not so good recordings.

Bass was simply great in the Musical Fidelity M3i. In Maya Jane Cole's Easier to Hide, the bass was tight and well defined—while in the Exposure 2010s2 seemed to rather be a grave murmur. Regrettably, sound staging in the M3i was simply not comparable, by far, to the one given by the 2010s2.

But my main conclussion after this audition is that, after all, the LS50 are not that impressive. Currently I own a pair of Kef R100, which I believe have a better bass reproduction, and produce a tad mellower sound, than the LS50. I was thinking of upgrading to the LS50 and, after this session, I don't have it so clear… I think that the combination of the Exposure 2010s2 with the Kef R100 could be great and that's what I plan to audition next. The issue is that I would like to also audition the Arcam FMJ A19, and where I live (Braunschweig, Germany) there is no Hi-Fi shop that carries Arcam.

 

[BigH]

Very recently I was able to audition the Kef LS50 with three different integrated amplifiers: Rega Brio-R, Musical Fidelity M3i, and Exposure 2010s2.

In short, the Rega Brio-R, while sounding great, lacked the sonic presence of the other two.

I was utterly impressed with the imaging of the Exposure 2010s2. In the Elevation version in the All That You Can't Leave Behind U2's album, I could clearly hear all the instruments, and exposed in their right positions 😉. On the other hand, the version of this same song in the Tomb Raider Soundtrack—a terrible mix, I believe, bright and thin—sounded ok, and in my opinion the amplifier is forgiving with not so good recordings.

Bass was simply great in the Musical Fidelity M3i. In Maya Jane Cole's Easier to Hide, the bass was tight and well defined—while in the Exposure 2010s2 seemed to rather be a grave murmur. Regrettably, sound staging in the M3i was simply not comparable, by far, to the one given by the 2010s2.

But my main conclussion after this audition is that, after all, the LS50 are not that impressive. Currently I own a pair of Kef R100, which I believe have a better bass reproduction, and produce a tad mellower sound, than the LS50. I was thinking of upgrading to the LS50 and, after this session, I don't have it so clear… I think that the combination of the Exposure 2010s2 with the Kef R100 could be great and that's what I plan to audition next. The issue is that I would like to also audition the Arcam FMJ A19, and where I live (Braunschweig, Germany) there is no Hi-Fi shop that carries Arcam.

Can you get Creek where you are, if so I would give the 50A a try I preferred it to the Arcam it was much more engaging. I have not heard the Exposure yet. I did hear the LS50s with the MF3i.

What amp. do you have now?

 

[CnoEvil]

But my main conclussion after this audition is that, after all, the LS50 are not that impressive. Currently I own a pair of Kef R100, which I believe have a better bass reproduction, and produce a tad mellower sound, than the LS50. I was thinking of upgrading to the LS50 and, after this session, I don't have it so clear… I think that the combination of the Exposure 2010s2 with the Kef R100 could be great and that's what I plan to audition next. The issue is that I would like to also audition the Arcam FMJ A19, and where I live (Braunschweig, Germany) there is no Hi-Fi shop that carries Arcam.

This is a classic example of why a demo is so important. Blindly rushing out to buy the "must have" product can be disastrous, and I say that as an owner of the LS50s.

TBF, I think you can only conclude that the LS50s were unimpressive in the context of the systems you heard them with, your taste, and the room they were in; but it is vital that you have discovered that they are not for you.

IMO. The LS50s are a "mini reference" speaker which just get better and better as the amp improves.....but they can be a bit ruthless about the system in which they are placed.

I hope you find what you're looking for......the R100s are very good.

BTW. Welcome to the forum.

 

[MickyBlue]

The ls50's are amazing speakers and indeed require good amplifications, some of the mentioned amps listed here are quite frankly not up to the job of powering these speakers to there full potential, also bear in mind its not about WATTS its about current, so the likes of rega brio,arcam a19,marantz 6005 will not be any good for the ls50's although they will run them they will not dig out the best from them.

 

[CJSF]

The ls50's are amazing speakers and indeed require good amplifications, some of the mentioned amps listed here are quite frankly not up to the job of powering these speakers to there full potential, also bear in mind its not about WATTS its about current, so the likes of rega brio,arcam a19,marantz 6005 will not be any good for the ls50's although they will run them they will not dig out the best from them.

. . . so you are saying a decent valve amp then . . . ?

 

[unsleepable]

Right now I have an old Denon UDRA-F10 in need of urgent replacement—hence the audition—, and an Arcam irDAC.

What did you think of the Musical Fidelity M3i?

 

[unsleepable]

(Removed duplicated post)

 

[mpapo]

You could also have a look at the Hegel H80 amp. I have one paired with the Kef's and the combination is truly excellent. Kef also uses Hegel to demo their speakers in the Netherlands.

Good match for sure!