2. amps-preamps
  3. 128703-13771

Help selecting integrated amp for ls50

Hey everyone,
its been a long time since I e posted here but it's time to upgrade my system and I need suggestions. 

Im thinking heavily of picking up the ls50s (although I've selected these without auditioning them since no shop here has demos).  I needed something small and in a white color (and yes, these factors were influenced by decor and my wife).  So if I do choose the ls50s I would also need a integrated amplifier.  I've read tons about the necessity of careful matching of room, amp and placement so I thought I'd better ask here before I pull the trigger. 

The room ithe system will be in is concrete and is about 15'x23'. It's a combined kitchen and living room no separation. There is carpeting on the living room which is 15'x13'. The speakers will be on a sliding shelf from a wall unit/ cabinet system. The shelf will allow the speaker to stick out of the cabinet. 

Budget is ideally <$1,000 for the amp but I'll likely get a used one to maximize the buck. Any help would be really appreciated!



autre
tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,484 posts
 
@autre~ I have used the Naim Nait 5i italic, Unison Research Unico and currently a SimAudio i3.3 DPX integrated with the LS50’s.

regarding speaker isolation I can highly recommend https://www.amazon.com/IsoAcoustics-ISO-L8R155-Medium-Acoustic-Isolation/dp/B008GOP79G/ref=pd_sim_26... Isoacoustics makes several models that work very well with monitor/bookshelf speakers.
autre OP
63 posts
 
Hey Tom5987, how would you rank the three you've used?  Thanks for pointing me towards some feet, that was one of the tjhings I was going to ask next
tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,484 posts
 
To be honest all three have worked very well. Musical, dynamic and well balanced. I guess that I would prefer the SimAudio because it is so versatile. My unit has the DAC, PHONO  and Digital input options installed. The first 5 watts are class A and it has discrete circuity, excellent parts quality, a great remote and a powerful toroidal power supply. The Naim 5i-2 was my second favorite followed by the Unison Research Unico hybrid integrated.
 BTY,
Tom


joekapahulu
250 posts
 
I run a Marantz PM8500 with my Kef R300 which are very similar to the ls50. Infect, the ls50s were the other speakers I auditioned side by side itch the R300 and the Marantz.The amp delivered nicely with both speakers. I went with the R300 due to the superior bass. It otherwise uses the the same combined mid tweeter unit. The sound is neutral, resolving and pretty transparent. You can run the signal direct without preamp or With the tone controls which include a midrange control. You can get them online for around$1000 and I have seen them as low as $800-900 from Accessoriesforless.com which is a legitimate Marantz site. Before the Marantz I used a McIntosh MA5100 which worked well too. 
zuio's avatar
zuio
96 posts
 
No contest, buy the ls50 wireless, it is active = better bass, uses DSP (maximized use of the drivers, room / Speaker placement correction, wireless streaming. It is the best kitchen system and will have a better resale value.

i would not invest in $$$ high End electronics for the passive ls50. After all it is not that good. It is a low efficiency speaker with little bass and poor dynamics.

if looks are not that important I would buy a pair of JBL LSR305 or lsr 308, 1.5m Audioquest 3,5mm to cinch cable, chord mojo + poly. This is the best bang for buck system of this decade. Lacking ultimate resolution and neutrality of higher end systems but with dynamics many higher End speakers only can dream of.
More to discover