The Usher will be slightly slower and less detailed but will have more bass and a more romantic sound. Definitely bigger sound. When I had mine I didn't think they paired well with tubes. YMMV.
Usher Audio BE-718 or Kef LS50
Hi Everybody,
For some reason, I’ve become enamored with the Usher BE-718 Tiny Dancers, even though I’ve never heard them. I own Kef LS50s. I drive the LS50s with a pair of modified ASL DT200 Hurricanes fed by a PS Audio PWD II going through a Dodd battery powered tube preamp. The first question I usually get is “shouldn’t that rig be driving a better pair of speakers?”. Well, maybe. The reason I have LS50s is because I had to downsize my audio room 4 years ago and the Thiel 3.6s wouldn’t work in an 11 x 16 x 10 room. I also had to learn room acoustics and treat the new tiny room. I tried a pair of Golden Ear Triton 2s but I couldn’t tame them. I probably pulled the plug a little early on those but that’s another story. I replaced the GE T2s with the LS50s. Say what you want but the LS50s are a nice speaker for the money and they are dialed in. However, I find myself still wanting…go figure. What I’m trying to do now is find another small speaker that is incrementally better than the LS50 that won’t break the bank. In other words, I’m not financially ready to go buy a pair of Joseph Audio Pulsar’s or even a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5Ts and call it a day.
Enter the Usher BE-718s. I’ve heard good things about these speakers and you can get a used pair for about the price of a new pair of LS50s. I’m looking for some wisdom here. Can anybody tell me about the 718s? Has anybody heard both? And yes, I know that the 718 cost ~ $2600.00 new which is $1100.00 more that the LS50 new, which means that it is supposed to be a better speaker but I also know it doesn’t always work out that way. I’m trying to get some info before I buy an older speaker named Dancer that ends up having two left feet at Christmas!- ...
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Thanks everybody. Thanks to 3 very good responses, I think that I already have my answer. It's great to know more about the history of a product. It really helps with future buying decisions. I will definitely check out Watkins Gen 4s and the Friedl Art products. And lastly, I'm in the process of obtaining a Parasound A21 to help with future equipment auditions. Happy holidays!!! |
Sounds like an awesome holiday! Keep us posted! (And I just saw, btw, that Trenner and Friedl are releasing a new version of the Arts soon. Might be an opportunity to pick up the current version for a really good price? http://thevinylanachronist.blogspot.com/2018/10/new-trenner-friedl-art-monitors.html?m=1) Cheers- Margot |
I just sold a $3K monitor speaker because I preferred the LS50 instead. Which is on sale now at KEFDirect.com for $999. I had both for a long time. So price is not always a true barometer of what you end up liking. Saying that I remember listening to the Tiny Dancer and really liked it. My audio recollection is telling me that the Dancer sounded bigger than the LS50. |
Thanks Margot. I will keep everyone posted. It might take a while though. I didn't mention it but I also have a pair of Thiel CS3.0s that I might cram into my little room just to see how they sound. These little experiments take time because I have to put a cable package together. Thiel's can be bright with the wrong equipment. Then I have to make room acoustic adjustments. Lastly, I have to listen to them for a couple of weeks. Best, Darrell |
- 14 posts total