Kef LS50 anyone hear these?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by STBob, Aug 26, 2014.

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  1. thommo

    thommo Senior Member

    Location:
    London, England
    I didn't want to influence anyone too much, because speakers are all about personal taste, but when I listened to the KEFs, the Spendors and the ATCs, I ended up buying the ATCs.
     
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  2. Lord Summerisle

    Lord Summerisle Forum Resident

    I'm putting together a new main system soonish and I think I'll seriously consider ATC's for the job. I didn't get them last week as I was only looking for active desktop speakers.
     
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  3. thommo

    thommo Senior Member

    Location:
    London, England
    The only thing I'd say is that they are pretty inefficient, so you'll need some decent watts up 'em. As long as you're mindful of that, they're superb.
     
  4. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    I have seen Guru speakers mentioned more than once when people talk about small size and big bass

    i think they look great too

    [​IMG]
     
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  5. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    The LS 50's in my 10x14' room have very good bass. They must be placed away from the walls. Mine are approximately 4.5' from the back wall, and 2.5' from the side walls.

    I haven,t yearned for more bass at all. I do with certain albums, but I attribute that to the recording.

    Is the bass bombastic? Absolutely not, but it's very good to me.
     
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  6. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    I think the bass is great for the size, but the frequency extension is limited. When I swap in my floorstanders, I remember what I'm missing...and I have a hard time living without it.
     
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  7. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Yeah, while good for their size it wasn't enough for my taste. Room treatments + careful placement + dual subs helped fill down to that last octave wonderfully.

    Bill
     
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  8. dmacg

    dmacg Active Member

    I have had the LS50's for 10 months now. Driving them with a Bryston B135 SST². Truly remarkable speakers, without a doubt one of the top 5 under $5k (imho). If your looking for a speaker that is very nearly as good as the LS50 with better bottom end I can't recommend the NHT Classic 3 highly enough ! My LS50's replaced them, though not entirely true as I will never sell them and enjoy switching them into my system just for a change. They are better than the LS50's in some ways, though the Kef's would be my choice if I couldn't have both. The other major advantage they have is that they are acoustic suspension (no port) and are much less finicky about placement. I actually consider the NHT Classic Three to be a better value for the money than even the LS5o. They're only about $800.00 a pair and destroy any other speakers under $2k I have heard with the exception of the LS50.
    Cheerio; dmacg (Doug)


     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2015
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  9. ls35a

    ls35a Forum Resident

    Location:
    Eagle, Idaho
    The Harbeths are in another league altogether from the Silverline Supreme Plus. It's not close. Not even a little.
     
  10. FWIW I compared the KEF LS50s with the Harbeth P3ESRs both powered by a Rogue Cronus Magnum II. I was really impressed with the Harbeths and bought the floor models on the spot. I really wanted to like the KEFs but they sounded small compared to the Harbeths. In their defense I think the amp pairing must have been a bad match, because I've read so many great things about the LS50s. It could have been the room placement too - the KEFs were another couple feet out in front of the Harbeths- who knows - probably not an ideal test for the KEFs.
     
  11. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    FYI for all who are interested, MassDrop is having a pretty good sale on these right now for $1150 ... that's 23% off the retail price of $1499.99

    Just wanted to pass this along as I have had a good experience shopping with them, although it does take a little longer to get your merchandise compared to buying direct from someone. So if you're looking to buy these new, now would be a good time.
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2015
    wgb113 and james like this.
  12. Paul Chang

    Paul Chang Forum Old Boy, Former Senior Member Has-Been

    Is this an authorized dealer? Will KEF honor the warranty?
     
  13. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    I believe they work directly with the factory. When I bought my subwoofer (not KEF, but another manufacturer) it came with a full warranty and customer service, etc. So I had a good experience using them. The best thing to do would be to contact MassDrop and/or KEF and ask them if they will warranty the item if there are any issues, but in my experience they offered a full warranty with the item I purchased.
     
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2015
  14. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    For those who are interested, this drop is limited to 28 pairs and they have sold 27 already ... so just one pair remaining for purchase.
     
  15. beowulf

    beowulf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chula Vista, CA
    I copied this text from the MassDrop site:

    After Receiving The Drop
    Is Massdrop an authorized seller of each product? Do you offer product warranties?

    Massdrop isn’t a store or retailer; we are an online platform that makes it possible for people to buy together. As a result, our relationships with vendors are less typical than a normal online store. All warranties, product defects, or malfunctions should be handled directly with the manufacturer. If they are unwilling to honor their product warranty, contact us within the manufacturer’s warranty period and we will coordinate the product exchange or repair on your behalf.

    What is Massdrop's return policy?

    Unfortunately, we do not accept returns for the products that you purchase on our site. Since we sell products through our drops, we do not carry inventory and we can’t resell individual items that have been returned. As such, manufacturers do not allow us to return unsold or returned products. We run all of our drops for extended periods so that you have time to become knowledgeable about the product beforehand, and know what you’re getting. If you’re not sure, ask other members of the community and they can help you decide if the product’s right for you.
     
  16. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    This was the third Massdrop offering for the LS50s in a two month period. The first was 10 pair, then 20, and now 28. Guess KEF doesn't shy away from these discounted sales, no doubt there will be more.
     
    beowulf likes this.
  17. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    My local dealer sold me my LS50's for $1200...
     
  18. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    Same here, and this was in the 50th Anniversary year when they were fairly new to the market. A good relationship or a little negotiation goes a long way.

    Bill
     
  19. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    Luckily I got mine here on the Forum for $850, couldn't pass that deal up!
     
  20. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Hell yeah!
     
  21. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Excellent buy.
     
  22. I'm at a crossroads with the LS50 now. I have listened extensively at a dealer and now it comes to taking the chance, taking a pair home to audition or continue looking. I did like what I heard but got a sense it was an illusion to the extent the bass limitation would eventually reveal itself. And it did. But the issue as suggested upstream appears to have been the fact that the demo room was extremely large and so I was able to see the man behind the curtain. My room is much smaller (10×15×7ft high) but I still have concerns that I may not get enough depth and impact on the low end. I won't use a sub so the speaker has to do it for me. I also just placed floor to ceiling bass traps and a couple of panels in the room and it has done wonders for my existing setup but I still long for more high and mid magic like I heard from the Kefs.
     
  23. wgb113

    wgb113 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chester County, PA
    My room is 10x11x9 and the bass from the LS50s alone doesn't do it for me. I'm running two 8" subs and the fill out the bottom just right.

    Bill
     
  24. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    I also "require" a sub with the LS50's. I don't miss the bass until I hear speakers with real bass. If you're not going to add a sub, I'd proceed with caution.
     
  25. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    If you need expensive subwoofers perhaps better buying a floor standing design.
     
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