KEF LS50

Looking at buying ls50. ? I have is whether they will sound good on a shelf? Wife is not thrilled about stands. OK with them being on the console/rack where the hardware is. I knownits not ideal but anyone else deviated from the ideal? I had my Spend or S3/5 set up that way and it wasn't bad.

Hi,I doubt you will hear there full potential on a shelf.You mite get a good sound,but not a huge soundstage.

Hi Brianportugal,

Yes, I did own the little Minuets, LS50's and P3ESR's all at the same time being driven by a Musical Fidelity M3i integrated amp. I still own the Harbeths and Silverlines..I sold the Kefs a few weeks ago.

I'm a fan of the Silverlines, and they sound more different from the Kefs and Harbeths than the Kefs and Harbeths sound from each other.

The main thing with the Silverlines is that you can only get so much out of that tiny driver in a tiny enclosure. The music just doesn't breathe as well and can start to sound compressed where the other two don't. If you don't play big music with lots going on, you might not notice it though.

I do prefer the imaging and soundstage capabilities of the Silverlines. With them, instruments are more specifically focused and the soundstage was wider and deeper. I also thought the overall tonal balance of the Silverlines was better in that they don't have that artifical bass hump in the upper bass regions that both the Kef's and Harbeth's have in my room. FWIW, the Silverlines also measured a lot flatter with an SPL meter in that range as well.

That said, the treble and upper midrange regions are a little more refined on the Kefs and Harbeths, but remember, there is a huge price differential going on as well.

Hope that helps.

Thank you Seikosha. That is very interesting. What are you using to drive your harbeths and silver lines?

Hi Brianportugal,

The Silverlines are now actually being underutilized in my TV system, being driven by a NAD. The Harbeths are now relegated to a second system where I am running them with a Wadia 151 Powerdac since I sold the Musical Fidelity M3i that I'd previously been using with them.