Does anyone liked the KEF LS50 and lived with them but in the end moved to another speakers? I am asking this because I have a pair of LS50 and although I like them and recognize their merits they are not my favorite speakers, I don’t get emotionally involved as much as my other speakers. Maybe I am just keeping them as my reference... to feel that I like the others more
I couldn't take those f*cking orange clown colored drivers any more. Made my living room look like a circus. HATED THEM. That's why I haven't considered buying LS-50 Meta's. If they can't give me a black, or silver, or gray driver they can piss off. Oh, and new speakers - Proac Tablette Ten's. Not as punchy or loud as the LS50 but in my smallish room I consider them more musical. And God knows they look better. If I were replacing LS50's in a medium to largish room my first thought would probably be Monitor Audio Silver 100 7G. A well-rounded, great sounding speaker. Doesn't hurt that they look great either. Reasonably priced.
I like the looks of the LS50’s. They just had too much mid bass bloom for my small room. I now have Spendor Classic 3/1’s and Harbeth P3’s.
I kind of feel like the LS50's have been put on such a high pedestal it's almost impossible to maintain. Of course they aren't for everyone, no speaker is, or ever has been! It surprises me it's newsworthy that someone doesn't like them. They are $1500 speakers that do a lot of things right. They aren't the holy grail, the be all and end all. They have been so highly praised everyone buys them expecting the search is over! If you read a lot of the reviews carefully though, you can tell they allude to the fact they aren't perfect, they are a pain in the *** to tweak and power properly, and they are remarkable because of their price tag. I do agree though, they ain't the prettiest!
You don't have to like them just because they are popular or have good reviews. They are not for me but I can see why they appeal to others. The good thing is that you have plenty of alternatives, if you don't like them just move on.
I liked the pair I owned but discovered they require substantial care in placement to get the most out of them. They’re obviously not a speaker for headbangers and somewhat lacking in midbass punch. At a lower price, the Paradigm Premier 200Bs are more fun but still have great imaging and refined highs.
Mine are black with the blue driver... and I kind of like the look of it. They are indeed a pain to set-up properly and not much amplifier friendly, at least in my experience (and I have them for 4 years. I am extra carefully with the room set-up: they in 1/3 of the room’s length, on heavy (filled) Target R4 stands, and with no toe-in. But I easily understand if someone is deeply satisfied with them, maybe is a case of (lack of) synergy. Never listened the Harbeth M30 but by the description, I “feel” that can be my kind of speaker
I have a pair of the "wireless" version. They are quite good and I thought I could learn to love having a satellite/sub arrangement in the den, but turns out I like floorstanders in there. I also tried them in my office, but preferred my System Audio Aura 10's that I've had for years on my Nova 150 (Now my Cayin A50T). That's not a denigration of the KEF's just a testimony that I (amazingly as I LOVE to swap gear in and out) just alove my Aura's.
Sorry if this is a thread hijack, but can you tell me about the Nova 150 and particularly how they play with the LS50?
Sorry, I had the self powered LS50W so I never had that combo. I would think they would do well, The Nova is a very clean, relaxed amp and should complement the KEF well. Either way I would always recommend a complimentary sub with the LS50's I used a REL T3 and it was a great match.
i liked them a lot when properly positioned including 24" stand height and distance from walls. outstanding imaging and sweet spot. yet they did not have the midrange i was after and occasionally sounded metallic. spendor towers and harbeth monitors each sounded better.
I think you’d be a little disappointed with the M30s, especially given massive price difference for what is marginally better performance in a couple respects at the expense of others.
if i were in the market now i would look at the mofi falcon acoustics ls3/5a or other used ls3/5a like spendor.
I traded them in for Audio Note K/SPe speakers - though I already had the Audio Note AX Two and preferred those as well. Audio Note K Audio Note AX Two AX Two beside AN K More body and tone and just flat out more enjoyable to listen to music over the KEF-LS-50. Although I liked that speaker. But it never really moved me.
Could be indeed... but I remain curious I think I would like more presence in the low region, as my favorite instrument is bass (jazz), and those little boxes couldn’t help in that department. I have listened to the KEF LS3/5a Anniversary Edition and wasn’t impressed...
I ran LS50s with a Nova 300 for years. It was my office setup, and I had them sitting on my desk. I thought the pairing worked well, but I eventually moved on to the stuff listed in my profile. It wasn’t because I thought they were a bad match together, I just wanted to move into some new territory. OP, I own two pairs of LS50s and have used them in three different rooms with four different amps. There is a lot to like with them. They’re fairly revealing of the gear they’re paired with, and they don’t get along with every amp. Most importantly, they taught me more about where I wanted to aim with future speaker choices. As I look to shed some gear in 2022, I’ll sell one pair and keep the other. I guess they’re a reference speaker for me too.
I bought a pair probably 6 years ago. i like them but havent listened to them in a couple of years have a few more i like better i guess that are floor standers.
Had them for a year. Really liked them, excellent tone and soundstage in my 10x13 room. But I bought them concerned that a bigger speaker would be problematic to control LF. Bumped into a member of this forum who has a Linn Selekt and a pair of Sabrina’s in a small room like mine and reported that the pairing Selekt/Sabrina was the best combination after several pairings. Based on that I decided to change my LS50s for Sabrina’s X and with Linn Space Optimization my set up sounds amazing, as it should. When I turn off SO, the room modes makes a mess that would have made the upgrade useless or an endless pursuit of room treatment to sort it out.
Small boxes are never satisfying, Kef or not. At least 12 inch woofers or full rangers can provide a realistic non fatiguing music reproduction.
I used them in my main system for six years or so, purchased used here in the classifieds. They were a significant step up from my previous speakers the short lived Music Hall Marimbas (which did sound pretty great for $350 a pair). I enjoyed them very much, and as time went on I went through several different amps, finally settling on a Fisher 800C. After the Fisher was recapped I found the highs the LS50s gave me quite shrill. I also found I had a very hard time integrating the KEFs with my subwoofer, I was constantly trying to get the combo to sound right. Following a tip from another Forum member I bought a pair of Revel Performa M22 speaker on Ebay at an excellent price in near perfect condition. The Revels provide a similar sound signature to the LS50s which I consider a plus, but offer so much more in terms of dynamic range, clarity and sound stage. Plus they integrate very well with the subwoofer. I've recently switched to a near field set up and am getting the best sound I've ever heard from the Revels (and in my very odd shaped room). If I'm not too lazy I'll get the KEFs from the basement and hook them up to compare. I had no plans to sell them, I figured I would use them in one of my other systems eventually. We'll be moving later this year, so it will be fun figuring out new set-ups.
I had a pair of LS50 speakers for about two years and really liked them. I replaced them with LSA-10 Statement monitors which I like better. I had the LS50s and LSAs at the same time so could easily compare them. The LSA’s cost a bit more (I purchased them for $2k), but not that much more. The online reviews accurately describe what I hear.
I have had a pair for many years. My major issue with them is that their midrange (especially vocal) is too emphasized. Whenever I listen to them, it is as if the singer was standing 10 meters in front of the rest of the band. If I want to hear the instruments, I have to turn the volume up to the point where the vocal is too loud. The problem is worse if they are paired with amps that also emphasize the midrange (e.g., NAD). They are good for vocal music. But for everything else, I prefer other speakers.
From what I've heard about them I was almost ready to buy them, then I heard the B&W 706S2 and never looked back. I already had experience with dual concentric speakers, but never liked the sound of those kind speakers so I passed on the LS50's. Design wise I like them a lot, wide range of available colors, I like the blue/yellowish gold combination the best.
