KEF releasing new version of LS50s

Break-in is brief and satisfying if you don't muck around wasting a lot of time. It only takes a couple of hours to break in a pair of speakers.

 

Right, but in asking my question, I was really hoping to hear from owners how the Metas were sounding after a bit of use, not how breaking in speakers works.

 

Right you are!

In a word, the speakers sound superb. KEF has fully solved the weaknesses of the LS50 - muddy upper bass, upper treble stridency, some brassiness in the midrange.

The LS50 Meta cleans up the upper bass response to reveal clarity and detail, low bass is clear and enjoyably strong down to the resonant frequency of the speaker system, the midrange has improved to the point where timbral accuracy and tonality is not just better but highly respectable, and the mid and upper treble has also improved for audibly better (and completely enjoyable) listening and natural sounding harmonics. Anybody who previously tried and liked the LS50 - it was always, and remains, a fun speaker - but found them to be wearing and tending toward treble harshness (something many audiophiles described as an unsophisticated sound) will be gratified and possibly surprised by how much better and, again, completely enjoyable the Meta is for long listening sessions.

I had the LS50 and the LS50 Meta running side-by-side, switching between speakers, working through a comparison review and analysis. Basically after a few hours of that I had all the data and observation notes I needed and no desire at all to listen to the previous version anymore. The LS50 Meta is for me a new standmount reference speaker for near-to-midfield listening in small to medium size rooms. It has basically displaced my Falcon Acoustics LS3/5A in that role (though the Falcons remain my LS3/5A reference).

The KEF LS50 Meta cannot be all things to all audiophiles, but in the near-to-midfield listening position in small to medium size rooms it comes very, very close to being the best of all worlds. I really like the LS50 Meta. KEF really stepped up its game to deliver a genuinely worthy update. Like the also-superb R3 (that recently displaced one of my all-time favourites - the KEF R300), KEF seems to be on quite a roll.

 

What would say that the Falcon LS3/5a speakers still have over the Metas that keep them as your reference?

 

The LS50 plus subwoofer is called the KEF R3

 

It's funny cause I have a sealed set of the LS50 V1 that I purchased but have been hesitant to even open and listen to them. I LOVE deep BASS and I read that these LS50's will be too lean for me. I'm currently using a pair of the newer Allison Fours which are 39Hz at -3db because of their acoustic suspension design. I love the weight and dynamics from a speaker that can deliver tight deep bass. Looking at the other higher end newer KEF's it doesn't even look like their top-of-the-line speakers can do 39Hz at -3db so amazingly, these Fours originally designed in the 70's, can still hold their own decades later. Even the R3 is 52Hz - 28kHz at -3db. If the R3's are 38Hz - 50kHz at -6db, these Fours I have must be 28Hz - 25kHz at -6db or better, which is amazing! They sure sound great with my 350W SS amp powering them. Amazing weight and punch for such small speakers. I paid $1400 for the newer Allison Fours which is a bit of $$ but they retailed for $3K and you just never see these for sale so I thought wtf, do it. I wonder how many were even made..

 

What do you think about the new LS50 meta compared with the R3?

 

Nothing. My general standmount reference speaker for near-to-midfield listening in small to small/medium-size rooms is now the KEF LS50 Meta.

The Falcon Acoustics LS3/5A remain my favourite LS3/5A of all time and the reference against which I compare all other LS3/5A speakers. To my ears, they’re the best and an ideal LS3/5A reference speaker.

 

I think that the LS50 Meta is the equal of the KEF R3 in several areas, specifically to my ears through the upper midrange (timbral accuracy and clarity), the lower midrange (instrument detail and vocal detail and timbral accuracy), and treble extension (the ability to reproduce whatever natural air and upper harmonics have been recorded well). Generally, from the lower resonant frequency of the LS50 Meta system through the upper midrange, the speaker is very good. In my opinion it’s a long-term keeper for near-to-midfield listening positions in small to small/medium size rooms (irrespective of their acoustical quirks).

But . . . the R3 produces deeper harmonic richness in the midrange, even greater timbral depth and accuracy throughout the midrange, even greater harmonic richness through the upper treble, along with the same excellent reproduction as the LS50 Meta of whatever natural air and upper harmonics have been recorded. The R3 reaches deeper and has the cabinet and driver size to create better balance at a greater range of listening distances and at a greater range of listening levels in everything from small/medium to large listening rooms. I would not use the R3 in anything like a nearfield (less than 6’/1.8 metre) listening position.

On complex full symphony recordings, the LS50 Meta begins to thicken up/compress and tone flattens into an indistinct mass as you reach 80dB average SPL (driven by a Naim Supernait 2/HiCap, Luxman L590 AXII, Yamaha A-S3200, Icon Audio ST40 Plus, Krell 300i, and a couple of other integrated amps that are just loafing along in the situation) at a 6’/1.8 metre listening position in a well-damped, small to medium size listening room. That’s very loud though, and on less dense music (e.g., jazz combos, chamber ensembles, all sorts of electronica, etc., etc.) you can easily get to 84-86dB average SPL before the thickening/compression and tonal flattening kicks in. A bigger room doesn’t help. So, the LS50 Meta is terrific, but it has its limits. Dial the SPL back to a far more sane but still loud 70-78dB average at the same listening position and the same room and the same full symphonic recordings, and you’re still loud but the glory comes back to the music again with a very live performance-like impression (always recording-dependent of course).

The R3, by contrast, can handle the 80dB average SPL at a midfield and slightly longer listening distance (from a little over 6’ out to 10’/3 metres - that’s the longest listening distance I can accommodate at home) with aplomb. All the instrument tonality and the emotional depth of the performance is reproduced to the limits of the recording. That’s really something, and 80dB average SPL at 10’/3 metres is really loud in a medium size room. Listening at that level for any significant length of time is unhealthy.

The R3 does everything in medium to large rooms that the LS50 Meta does in small to small/medium size rooms, and at higher average SPL, and with deeper, accurate bass extension and somewhat more timbral richness in some areas. I always thought that the KEF R300 was the definitive sweet spot of musicality and price and moderate physical size in the KEF lineup. The R3 has, IMO, built on that strength and created a laudable update that remains the absolute KEF sweet spot. By contrast (again), the KEF LS50 was always a fun speaker that really stood apart from the different KEF model lineups. It was never a true audiophile speaker because it’s upper and lower registers were unsophisticated (though the LS50W fixed a lot of the problems, no doubt). Not anymore - the LS50 Meta is excellent by any measure now - a true audiophile speaker that is tremendously versatile within the listening distance limits and room size limits I‘ve described.

If someone has a pair of LS50 speakers that they’re considering selling or trading away, doing that in favour of a pair of the LS50 Meta should seriously be considered. Just as well, anyone who is getting ready to audition small to medium size standmount speakers for any application should add the LS50 Meta to the audition list.

 

Detailed and explained with the right arguments ... excelent!

I bought recently the R3, because i previously compared with the ls50 and the R3 are really better (also i think the ls50 are fantastic on their size / price).
1 month after ... appears the ls50 meta " ... but, ok, i'll wait for the new R meta series

 

I'm in a room that is 19ft wide by 25 ft. deep. I use a couple of subs in my system as well with the cross overs set at 80Hz. Would the LS50 meta work for me or do I need something else? I usually don't listen to much over 85dB as over that is hearing damage. Sometimes for short periods I will go up to 90dB but not very often and not long. The speakers are about 11 ft away from me.

 

Thanks for that detailed comparison! Very helpfull as I was thinking about auditioning R3's.

 

I think that, dual subwoofers taken into account, the LS50 Meta and all other speakers that size are unsuited to such high volume listening in a very large room of the size you described. If the listening position is also suitably distant at-scale in the very large room, pushing enough power through the LS50/LS50 Meta to balance musically with dual subwoofers at 85dB average is basically an invitation to clipping and distortion from the speakers.

Sustained listening at 85dB average is really, really loud. Long-term, I'd advise against it. But, I admit it's also really none of my business.

You've got to balance midrange power into the room with the dual subwoofers already in place. You need more midrange driver area and higher power handling to create a truly balanced musical experience in your very large room. I think that's well outside the LS50 and LS50 Meta capabilities.

I know someone who has repeatedly stated that he uses LS50 speakers successfully in small auditoriums and in very large listening rooms. I've heard both sorts of installations. They sound completely average, and usually also strained and unmusical. It's a terrible application for the speakers.

 

No, they don't. I've owned P3ESR and LS50's at the same time and it's swings and roundabouts as they say across the pond.

 

The more I read about these the more I feel I need to try them again. I've had them in my setup twice and found them revelatory (perfect, perhaps) in many ways and yet exhausting over time. If they've solved that, I'm game. It's a small room and I'm about 7' away.

 

its all subjective isnt it?
to me, the p3esr runs circle to the ls50 lol

 

Well, they are over twice the cost too, almost 3x the cost at current pricing of the original LS50.

 

yes indeed.
quality comes at a cost

 

Diana Krall = P3, Daft Punk = LS50.

 

agreed but

diana krall= P3
daft punk= atc scm7 v3

when i had the scm7, ls-50 and p3esr here, ive setlled on the scm7 cause they can rock and still be excellent with voices and jazz. was the best middle ground hence ive kept the scm7

 

Got the feeling SG was just off the cuff emphasizing the accuracy of the LS50s and Meta, meaning LS50s don't sweeten the source.

They have a sound, a vibe, but don't "make something sound harsh". If the T Rex record is harsh, (it is a kind of intentionally compressed and crunchy sound) that's what we get! Fun I'd say.

I own Meta they are just a few days in my system, and wow, really sound beautiful. I listened to later Paul Simon recordings and Pat Metheny first and whew... I second SG's enthusiasm.

Went with black/copper driver which is not piano shiny finish kind of satin finish I'd call it, and the driver color is much more subdued that the OGs. Owned OGs then Black edition (liked the low key black driver's appearance and slightly sparkly cabinet finish)

 

I've never heard an ATC speaker but I know people really like them.

 

we have the biggest powered ATC's at work for events/monitoring. they're really incredible. all i'd ever need but they're really pricey (for me...and probably anyone). I've never heard them in a domestic setting, though.

I'd really like to the Dutch and Dutch speakers (or Kii's). Makes me wonder if ATC will ever do some DSP trickery like those guys.

 

Thank you for the response. Any ideas of what I should be looking for in the 2K and under price range? I listen to rock, metal, jazz, ambient and drone music. Quite a diverse and eclectic range of music really. Would like to at some point update my old speakers and improve on them.

 

whenever someone cites the same musical interests as me, I feel compelled to recommend Snell Js or E’s. At one point i was running Snell J’s on Skylan 4-posters with a Line Magnetic 508i and Mytek Brooklyn front end. I thought that was killer and might go back to the same setup when my kids grow up (but maybe try Audio Note).

My genres are your genres and I’d personally recommend going for big boxes.