Speakers or room

I had similar room problems: ceramic tile around the fireplace, an opening to the foyer on one side, windows, etc.

Based on my experience ("your mileage may vary"), I wouldn't change anything until the room was at least somewhat under control. I'm using a combination of GIK Alpha Panels and Bass Traps with range limiters. Don't count out diffusion! I chose absorption plus diffusion after trying the Alpha Panels both ways (they can be ordered with cloth on both sides so they can be turned around for either pure absorption or absorption plus diffusion)

I also used a calibrated USB microphone and REW software to really see what I was dealing with, and sent the data to GIK for advice. But clapping your hands and listening to the echo to gauge relative changes works, too.

(I have no business relationship with GIK! I'm just a satisfied customer.)

I'm not at all a fan of the LS50. I had a pair, and even with an all tube system (also tried solid state), the highs could burn your ears out. This was before the room was treated, but in direct comparison to other speakers under the same conditions (JR 149 - cousin of the LS3/5A, Sony SS-M7) they were extremely bright even after trying their matching stands, different room placements, etc. They've received numerous glowing reviews, so maybe I was doing something wrong, but I just couldn't get them to sound good.

Lots of misinformation here.  
I would guess that I have more experience with LS50W’s than anyone who has commented on this thread.

Treat your room!  Get the wife excited to pick out your treatments from GIK.  Get the art panels or the new panels that have the wood faces.  Look online at what people have done.  Get creative with colors and shapes and the way you piece them / join them together on your walls.  Get a nice, big, fluffy rug made out of natural fibers, not poly.

Treating your room will make your room a more enjoyable place to be even when not listening to music.  It is easier to understand speech and conversations in a treated room.  Don’t move your set-up.  Make it more enjoyable for everyone in the bigger, living room.

Pull the LS50W’s out from the back wall and out from any sidewalls.  Adjust the settings under DSP.  
LS50W’s are phenomenal speakers when positioned properly, adjusted correctly with the dsp, and the room is treated a little bit.

They also take 200 hours of playtime before the harsh, bright edgy sound relaxes and they come into their own.  Let them play quietly overnight or during the day while no one is home.

Paired with a sub or two, they are exceptional and would knock the socks off any of your friends.  The waf is high on the LS50.  She might file for divorce if you brought some big clunky wooden boxes into the room that looked like they were styled in the 70’s and 80’s (insert Klipsch).

And if it mattered at all, the LS50W has a class A/B amp on the tweeter.  The crossover is handled in the digital domain as well, which can be beneficial.  It’s a point source design with exceptional phase timing and coherency.  The imaging and dispersion is exceptional.

LS50W’s rock.  Don’t give up on them until you have played them for 200 hours, placed them properly, set them up properly with the dsp and treated your room.  Remember, room treatments will benefit any future speaker should you decide to sell the LS50W’s.

I do t know how people call the LS50 bright
I have had mine from the beginning and 
mine never sounded bright
I don’t even have a hi end system 
I use my apex peak volcano hybrid headphone amp and pre amp with a 150 watt NAD amp and a balanced Havana tune DAC 
from day one never sounded bright
if any of them do is their synergy with your other equipment!
they are in my bedroom rig and I will never get rid of them! Fantastic speakers for the money. Also why would the reviews change , that makes no sense. If they change is because people just want new stuff. I am not saying I don’t like new stuff but it is silly and makes no sense.

if they were that good nobody would be buying Wilsons or Magicos

I would start with treating the upper and lower corners of the room. Eliminating Echo slap will provide significant reduction of artifacts.

I was in a reverberant space years ago with high ceilings and many corners. Even using the very small and thin Roomtune corner traps fixed a tremendous amount of the problem

As suggested already, curtains over the window is a no brainer since it will be aesthetic as well.
A nice Persian rug looks great and may help.

With those basics done, you can listen then decide what other areas to treat.

As mentioned, you should get the speakers away from the rear walls.

If you end up with decent results, then consider upgrading to a more appropriate speaker. No use doing so unless and until you improve the room.




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