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Can the KEF LS50 rock?

Hi,

Right now my setup includes a Rel T5 sub and a pair of Wharfedale 10.1s. I just got a peachtree nova 125se which should be coming soon. For the longest time I have been looking at buying a pair of KEF LS50s. My room size is medium and I rarely get to play my music loud. All that being said if I bought the Kefs and paired it with my sub how would they do when I occasionally feel the desire to rock out? Any other monitor suggestions would be helpful. I live in a small town so there isn't much chance to test drive speakers but maybe I can take a roadtrip to Denver in the future.

Thanks!
128x128brimel1974
martykl
3,578 posts
 
To me, Bob made the really relevant comment early on:

"The LS50 begs to be high passed" (maybe low-cut would be clearer).

The speaker looks great with smooth (and very gently falling off-axis) frequency response.  However, it can't produce really clean output below 200hz and is a mess at 100hz - provided that the power in/SPL in the test is reflective of that in actual use - which is, in turn, dependent on any individual listener's preference in a given installation.

IMO, if you're using this speaker for listening to wide-bandwidth program material at real world SPL, a high quality, actively crossed sub-woofer will almost certainly produce a tremendous improvement in bass response.  I'm not sure whether I'd cross at 100hz, 200hz, or somewhere in-between, but I'd definitely add a subwoofer (or two in stereo) for this type of listening with the LS50.


mapman's avatar
mapman
21,964 posts
 

In a brief in house audition I did with ls50s a while back,   I found bass performance was very amp and room dependent.


Sounded great in smaller room with high current high power (500w/ch 8 ohm) low output impedance Class D amp (Bel Canto ref1000m),  was very underwhelming in a larger room with lower current, higher output impendence, 180 w/ch 8 OHM SS amp (TAD Hibachi), much more so than other similar size smaller monitors I have tried.

coli
291 posts
 
The Pioneer FS52 floorstanders, also designed by Andrew Jones and was on sale for like $75 each. They sound so damn good, definitely more enjoyable for music than the LS50. The ELAC is Andrew Jones’s latest creation at twice the price point using 2015/6 technology, it’s a no brainer really unless you want to learn things the hard way via your wallet. Been there done that.

If you search around, you’ll find Andrew Jones on diy forum personally explaining distortions from concentric designs and how he overcomes it with 3 way by minimizing the movement of the mid cone/guide to the woofer. This is something the LS50 lacks and is very noticeable if you A/B it.
brimel1974's avatar
brimel1974 OP
35 posts
 
Interesting. So far in this forum I am hearing a lot of negative feedback. Only one person has actually tried the Rel sub and Kef combo and was very positive about it. Kudos to you man. 

Problem for me is I live in a small town so I don't have the opportunity to listen before I buy. I'm going off of reviews mostly. The LS50's have received tons of superlatives.

I have also thought about going the sub monitor combo with the Dynaudio Excite X14's or Wharfedale Jade 3's or ditching the monitors altogether and getting a pair of the Zu Soul's or Zu Omens. Maybe even the Monitor Audio Silver 6? 

Again I am just going by reviews that seem to feature the sound I like and looks. I want whatever I buy to look good because it is going to be in my living room and I look at them as long term investments.

Thoughts?
czarivey
5,792 posts
 
When earthquake hits, everything and everybody ROCKs!
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