Does anyone have experience with the Kef LS50?

[blazer78]

nice unboxing video! gotta love that dual cone speaker =)
 

 

[LifeAspect]

getting a pair tomorrow, hopefully my kandy k2 will make them shine

 

[Bones13]

Getting some home audio installed in a couple of weeks.  My installer has chosen the LS50s for my den.  They will be matched with a sub, and do double duty as left and right for the 4.1 system with the TV in that room, as well as room sound via the Sonos.
 
They are small speakers as you have seen, and while my installer likes the Golden Ear products for bang for the buck, he chose the KEF speakers for the cabinet loading that will be present for these speakers.
 
I probably will try them at least once in my man cave system with my 35 watt amp, but that room is small, and I will have to gimmick some stands.  The audio installer does not get to mess with my man cave system, which will be based on a BHSE/SR009, whenever that happens.

 

[LifeAspect]

got the LS50s, traded them in with a guy who was selling of his audio gear and needed back up speakers for a couple of months (so I "sold" him my b&w685s).
 
Amazing speakers and in every aspect better than the bowers, they also sound really good with my roksan kandy k2, although I want my new DAC already .
 
ATM, very content with it though ^^

 

[Gradofan2]

Yes... finally got them set up and playing... and... they are fantastic speakers in all respects!
 
Great soundstage and imaging - they just disappear in a wall of sound.  Pretty amazing, really!
 
And... they do have lots of bass - certainly, enough for an apt / condo, where you must be careful of your neighbors.  
 
They're mids are superb and their highs are not hot, or bright at all - very balanced.  
 
I've got them set up on VTI stands about 30" from the rear wall, slightly toed in towards the seating with the port plugs out.  Though, I can't tell a big difference whether the plugs are in, or out.  Maybe a slight bit less bass with them in.  I'm driving them with the Class D Audio SDS 470C amp (300 watts / channel - 8 ohms), and the Burson Soloist preamp, using my iPod Touch 4 docked in the Pure i20 dock as the source (Apple Lossless files).  I'm also using the BJC Belden speaker cable, and some Tweak Geek Cryo Silver interconnects.  I'll give 'em a try with my Monarchy M24 Tube DAC / Line Stage a little later tonight, or tomorrow... and... maybe some DIY Magnet Wire cables ("Anti-Cables").  
 
But... the bottom line is... they're superb.  Some of my friends say they think they sound better than the Maggie 3.7's, when teamed with the KEF R400b sub.  I don't know whether they really need a sub - they're bass is pretty substantial.   And... they really do sound like the You Tube Videos, which gives you a good sense of their balance and imaging.  
 
The reviews are all accurate - these really are "Giant Killers."
 
Anyway... you'll be very pleased, if you get a pair.

 

[yage]

Quote:

 
And... they really do sound like the You Tube Videos, which gives you a good sense of their balance and imaging.  
 

 
Wow. Maybe you should convert your Apple Lossless files to AAC and save on space, since that's pretty much the equivalent sound quality you get from a YouTube video...

 
But I'm glad the KEF's sound great!

 

[Yikes]

I'll be getting my LS50's tomorrow. Then for the next week playing in a closet non-stop, break-in is a bitch

 

[EddieE]

Quote:

But... the bottom line is... they're superb.  Some of my friends say they think they sound better than the Maggie 3.7's, when teamed with the KEF R400b sub.  I don't know whether they really need a sub - they're bass is pretty substantial.   And... they really do sound like the You Tube Videos, which gives you a good sense of their balance and imaging.  
 
The reviews are all accurate - these really are "Giant Killers."
 
Anyway... you'll be very pleased, if you get a pair.

 
I checked these out when upgrading my speakers and although they were very good, very, very good, they did not best the Maggie MMGs, which I ended up with, so not sure they would sound better than the 3.7 - that said its obviously all a matter of taste.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

 
I checked these out when upgrading my speakers and although they were very good, very, very good, they did not best the Maggie MMGs, which I ended up with, so not sure they would sound better than the 3.7 - that said its obviously all a matter of taste.

 
Yeah... I would tend to agree... it seems almost too much to believe that they can best the 3.7's.  
 
But... I also have learned the LS50's must be properly set up in the right room, with the right electronics, positioned properly, etc. etc. to sound up to their real potential.  Most audio shops don't take the time to set them up properly... and... have no motivation to do so - since they truly are "Giant Killers" when set up right.  They'd loose lots of "high-end" sales if they set them up properly - which is why they don't.  By the way... they seldom properly set up Maggies, for the same reason.  Either that... or... they're too ignorant, or lazy.
 
After refining their set up... I can only exclaim... WOW - they sound phenomenal - way better than the MG IIIA's I had.  I'm now driving them with my Monarchy M24 Tube DAC & Tube Line Stage, into my Class D Audio SDS 470C amp - simply a superb combo (more "Giant Killers")!
 
The sound just appears out of the air as the speakers totally disappear, and it is all very well balanced - very much like the musicians are right there in the room.  
 
I would add that you really must have a DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core to "tune them" properly - eliminate the room anomalies and resonances... and... maybe adapt for poor recordings.  With that, and the rest of my set up, they sound like the best headphones available... but... with a real, life-like soundstage and image.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

 
Wow. Maybe you should convert your Apple Lossless files to AAC and save on space, since that's pretty much the equivalent sound quality you get from a YouTube video...

 
But I'm glad the KEF's sound great!

 
Yeah... there is very little difference that I can discern between the two.  I've tested the sound of the formats from WAV to Apple Lossless to AAC... and... there is no difference, until I get to AAC, where I can tell just a very slight difference (slightly less extension, detail, resolution, etc.) - enough that I think I'll stick to Apple Lossless, or it's equivalent (FLAC).  I don't need to store that many CD's on my iPOD's - I've got both a 32 and 64 gb Touch 4, which should be more than enough space for me.  When I need more, I'll just get another iPOD... or... by then maybe the price of SSD's will have come down to the point I can get one system with more space on it.   
 
As far as the You Tube Videos... they do give you a good sense of the sound qualities of various speakers - albeit you have to apply a bit of "interpolation" to make judgements about them.  And... I suppose... the sound is relative to other videos of other speakers and their respective sound qualities.  You then must make a bit of an "interpolation" or "projection" to their relative sound in your setting.  It sounds difficult, but it's really not.  And I can tell you the LS50 videos (one in particular) gives you a very good sense of what their "scaled up" sound is in your own setting.  
 
As good as the LS50's sound in that You Tube video (again... applying some "intepolation"), you really need to look up the 2 You Tube videos of the Maggie 1.6's - they're in a lab room with a orange and white tiled floor - if you want to hear a great set of speakers with a truly life-like sound.  That's how they must be set up to sound like "the real thing" - a very lively room, set in the middle of the room.  It also looks like he's driving them with some "big iron," which is also required - whether they're MMG's, or 20.7's - to realize a "life-like image and soundstage" - but, when you do, there is very little that competes with them (though you may need to ad the DMW bass panels, or good sub).  While the LS50's in my set up do sound phenomenal (very life-like in all respects) - those 1.6's in that video, I'm sure eclipse them by far.   And... when I get the room for them... that's likely what I'll have, the 1.7's, or 3.7's, but properly set up (as in the video).    Though... the LS50's do sound superb - it may be a close call.

 

[krencey]

Hey there. I tried at home some Lana Del Rey A/B comparison, flac vs MP3 320kbps and to my ears the MP3 was pretty horrible, the instruments and samples were blended into an indistinguishable mix of annoying sounds. Flac was much clearer, her voice also came through in a clearer way.

 

[john57]

Quote:

So many choices! Currently have a headache choosing between getting the kef ls50s and the emotiva stealth 8 monitors.

[size=medium]I have heard the Q300 but settle with the Equator D5 since I wanted to use a tube pre-amp and did not want to deal with additional power amp to drive the Kef's. [/size]
[size=medium]I still find that the Kef’s have a bit more transparent  open sound. The Equator has a fuller, more mellow midrange. I have getting a second set of monitors, the Emotiva Airmotiv 6's since the emotiva stealth 8 monitors are too big for my needs. If you like to read about my review of the emotiva Airmotiv 6's let me know.[/size]

 

[Somnambulist]

Probably going to get a matched front three of these to go with an Anthem MX 300 AVR and BK Monolith sub - DIY'ing omni rears for that 5.1 goodness... better start saving lol. The LS50's are cool because several resellers in the UK offer them in 3's and 5's which makes a change and means I can get an identical set across the front.

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Hey there. I tried at home some Lana Del Rey A/B comparison, flac vs MP3 320kbps and to my ears the MP3 was pretty horrible, the instruments and samples were blended into an indistinguishable mix of annoying sounds. Flac was much clearer, her voice also came through in a clearer way.

 
Yeah... you want to stick with WAV, FLAC / ALAC for CD quality resolution.

 

[Gradofan2]

[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]Right now... the sound I'm getting from this set up is "stupendous!"  Don't think it can get any / much better - certainly not for less than 10X the price![/size][/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]Using the Sony  XA5400ES SACD/CDP (the best there is), into the Anti-Mode 2.0 as a pre and DSP to eliminate the "room boom," into a tube buffer, into the Class D Audio amp into the LS50's and R400b produces real "you are there" sound.  Incredible detail, resolution, tone, tenure, texture, stage, image, bass, mids and treble... etc., etc...  [/size][/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]An XLR interconnect seems to add detail, air and soundstage.[/size][/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]Hard to believe... really... [/size][/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]Like Grado PS1000's driven by the Bryston BHP-1... but... with a lifelike soundstage.[/size][/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px]  [/size]
[size=13.333333969116211px] [size=medium]And just an incredible value![/size][/size]