What you are generally paying for in more expensive CD's are more expensive DAC's and more expensive analog sections. This is fine if there is some compelling reason to take a line level signal out through RCA cables into an analog input on an amp. Today, someone may have several digital sources. Maybe a streaming box and such. It is only necessary to have one DAC in your system. Say you paid more for your CD player. The unit is failing due to its transport and associated electronics. If you can the CD player, you are also discarding the DAC and its analog components. By just getting a decent CD player that you can use as a transport, you effectively bypass the DAC/analog section, in favor of your main stand alone system DAC that can serve several digital sources. In my case, I use a Peachtree integrated, which has a very good internal DAC section. The trouble is, that most integrated's and receivers do not have really good internal DAC's. The main central point of control, is provided by the Peachtree iNova. It is used as a source selector, ESS Saber DAC and SS preamp. All power amps are outboard. A general advantage of having a stand alone DAC is that you can change or replace it at any time, all the while leaving your amp and other components in place. My digital sources all have their own internal DAC's, but the DAC in the iNova sounds better to me. Having one single master system DAC will mean that all of your digital sources will have the same sound signature at the analog output section. As you change these digital sources, your overall sound characteristics will remain the same. If you have three digital sources all using their internal DAC's, then each source will exhibit its own sound signature. Emotiva makes a solid CD player/transport for $599. You would likely have to spend a lot more money than get a substantial improvement from this unit and its price point. It does have a built in DAC that has dual inputs for two digital devices. I currently use an Emotiva 4k processor for my home theater surround sound. I have owned previous Emotiva models. Their internal DAC's preform well for HT, but I do find them on the "dry" side for stereo. Not that they are bad, but I prefer the DAC in the Peachtree iNova. One comment I will add, I think Emotiva products are well built, well above what their price points would tend to indicate.
Stylus and cartridges are odd creatures. As specially the stylus. The Red uses a diamond tip that is bonded to a shaft, which is then attached to the cantilever. This seems reasonable, but it just is not a good sounding stylus/cartridge combination. With the Blue, you have a single complete diamond that is directly attached to the cantilever. Both are elliptical profiles, but the Blue sounds more "authentic". I have the Bronze and Black stylus and use them on the Bronze/Black cartridge body, so I very much like Ortofon 2M products. Some people are of the opinion that the Blue is a bit sterile sounding. I think that going from the Red, which is more "muddled" by comparison, someone might come to this conclusion, due to the better detail the Blue stylus will bring out. Detail is a funny thing. There is such a thing as having too much detail, at least in my opinion. This will work for you and against you, depending of the source music and your speakers. I think this will bring out a bit of extra top end detail on your Wharfedale's. I think this will be a benefit that you are looking for. It will also do the same for the KEF's. This will add shimmer to cymbals but it might make other recordings even brighter. The important thing to remember is that everything is a trade off. The KEF's demand a fair amount of power for their size and the right amplification to both tame their high end brightness and to bring more bass into play. This generally means a more costly amplifier to get the right balance with them. No stylus alone can accomplish this.
Nah the right speaker for you is a speaker that you stop thinking about with the music you enjoy. The right speaker for you and your room take you away from this place to another special place. Don't worry, KEF made a whole bunch of LS50 Metas, if you regret returning them you can buy them again and wonder why they do some things well and others not so well (in your room with your music).
I'm looking at the current incarnation of the Revels and they seem intriguing enough to take the sting out of returning the LS50s. They're considerably more expensive than the KEFS but if I swap their $450 stands for something more reasonably priced, the price difference between the KEFs and Revels are negligible. Revel Performa3 M106 (Piano Black) How do your Revels sound with low volume/nearfield listening. If they perform as well as the LS50s at apartment friendly levels, I might be sold on Revel.
I do like warm but I also like the analytical quality of the LS50s. Is it possible to have warm AND bright, or are the two mutually exclusive?
Having just switched to near field listening I can say they sound terrific, and please note I am using a sub with mine, but set at a low level to be natural. But my set are not the same as the current models so bear that in mind. They eliminated both the treble attenuator switch and the standing or flush mount switch that my set have. There's a considerable difference in the bass depending on how you have that switch set.
This weekend, I sent back the KEFs and drove straight to Guitar Center. I bought a USA made Gibson SG and still had hundreds of dollars left over from my return. Ultimately that was my biggest problem with the LS50s. It was just too expensive with not much improvement over more modestly priced speakers. I did, however, walk away with a few lessons/observations. 1) I'm beyond impressed that my $300 Wharfedales held their own against $1600 speakers. I learned that it's possible to have great sound for very little money and spending more doesn't always buy an improvement. 2) Break in is REAL. When I first brought home my LS50s, they were VERY bright and forward. Initially I found them fatiguing and would often turn down the volume. By the end of the audition period, I was actually turning UP the treble control on my amp. Suddenly they sounded almost warm instead of overly bright. 3) The KEFs had me thinking about equipment instead of just listening to music. I kept envisioning how they would sound with a subwoofer or an upgraded amp. With my old Wharfedales I just enjoyed the music. Thanks to everyone that replied to this thread and offered their insight. I'm still a little sad to be without the KEFs but a genuine Gibson and hundreds of dollars in the bank certainly eases that disappointment.
As long as you're happy with the outcome that's all that matters! I'm 3 months in on my Metas and they amaze me more and more. I put a better amp on them and got them positioned just right and they do an astounding job on any genre. Different strokes I guess! Enjoy that guitar!
Maybe when the right room comes along you can start over again and have a better appreciation of how much a room controls the eventual sound from a hi-fi system. Enjoy the Gibson and the money in the bank! JG
Congrats on getting a SG ! The SG is by far my favorite guitar to play, I have an American Strat, a Danelectro, a Jazzmaster and have owned Gretsch & Godin ... None of those could take the place of my SG. oh ... and also good on you for returning theLS50's, just because they get good press doesn't mean they're for everyone .
Honestly, I can see myself giving them another shot in the future. I'd love to not only hear them in a proper room, but in conjunction with a sub.
Thanks! I've only had the SG for a few days but I already love it. I'm used to playing a Strat and the SG feels and sounds so different. It's nice to have both guitars at my disposal.
I’m a musician first, so I fully support spending the money on a guitar. Once I was happy there I started spending money on hifi stuff. I’ve always spent a lot on music.
i second that….i owned the LS50 Wireless and while initially impressed, i sold and never looked back. Oddly, in my experience they were very underwhelming and uninvolving at low volumes. I felt like i needed to give them some juice to open up. I thought the KEFs were good with small ensemble type music, folk, and some jazz, but they were not all rounders. I also added a subwoofer (REL t/9i), yet didnt get a real smooth mix. My biggest issue with the KEFs was the clinical uninvolving sound. They just didnt draw me into the music and i didnt find them a relaxing sound. My ears were always on high alert, playing defense. They give a good first impression with their clarity and transparency, but wear thin quickly. Maybe that’s why there are so many up for sale in the used market.
Hi Dennis, I have just read the first few pages and the last two of this thread. I have a MARANTZ PM8005, the predecessor of your 8006 and I paired it with Dynaudio Excite X18 standmounts. A wonderful match - giving a warm sound but also very detailed and amazingly lifelike. I also tried these speakers with a Creek integrated, but the sound was so kuch fuller with the MARANTZ, so I kept the latter. I listen to a wide variety of genres and the Dynaudio speakers are great in all. For quite some time I had them without an active sub but then I got a good price for a closed one (that is not ported) and I actually had the space to add it. It was easy to integrate it in my system and room. I know the Excite series is discontinued now but there is the newer Evoke 20 I can also recommend.
Here’s one good thing about this hobby - there is no one size fits all solution. Find what brings you the most joy, and go with it. I have the non-Meta LS50’s paired with the Marantz PM 8005, and I love it. I do also have a REL sub. To each his own. Enjoy.
Kef speakers are very clean sounding. Though with LS50 you need a pair of good subs. The problem with clear speakers is that you hear the what is in original mix, and in most cases there is no much pleasant content there: garbage in - garbage out. I never had issues with listening high quality records through Kef speakers. In my case I settled on fact that I refuse to listen poorly mixed and mastered records regardless of the source.
These days i want a well rounded speaker where i can listen to ALL my music. Obviously, some music and recordings will sound better than others, but when i feel the need to stop listening to certain music cause it’s not even enjoyable, then i look for another speaker, but that’s just me.
and i agree the KEFs can sound stellar with well recorded music…listen to Jonathan Edwards, Paper Doll - simple song, but very present on the KEFs…
i only heard the Excite 34 in that series, but really liked it…considered buying the Evoke 10s unseen, but their low efficiency scared me away…still have my Dynaudio XEO 10s for sale on usaudiomart….
