KEF LS50 Wireless -- wow!!!
I have ls50s and think they are very good, as good as most anything, with proper amplification and within their limits regarding bass extension and ability to go loud. Best suited to smaller rooms which is where I use them (12X12) with a sub to help. Gottta drive them well and keep them within their limits though or things can head south. |
@justjames72 -- I sold the CM10s shortly after I got the KEF LS50 wireless. I have never owned the passive version so cannot compare. But yes, at the time, and in the same room, the LS50W sounded better to my ears. The balance, clarity and imaging was better than the CM10s. But I agree with mapman that the KEFs are not designed for large'sh rooms. Having said that, I bought a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs for my study a couple of years ago ... now I might eventually sell the KEFs at some point, but I don't see myself selling the baby Harbeths anytime soon. |
As I recall, those Harbeth are not very big either like the ls50s but go for a good bit more $$$$ than ls50 these days. I thought them very small for the price when I saw them. Never compared the two directly but two significantly different sounds I suspect. Would be interesting to compare side by side. Both would benefit from a well integrated sub or two no doubt. |
I am also using the KEF LS50 wireless speakers and extremely satisfied with the sound quality. I know its a little bit expensive as compared to other brands. But If you can get a good amp, then you are good to go. If you want to read more about KEF LS50 wireless speaker, you can check out this article just released. Since KEF is a well regarded company known to measure their speakers scientifically I don't think you should worry too much - they designed the amps in the LS50W to drive the LS50W. I bet they measure better than 95% of standalone DAC/Amps pairing with the LS50. |
Yeah, came here to say this. The convenience of the LS50W comes in handy, the simple tone controls are nice for tweaking the sound, and adding a sub in the future is a cinch. It's also just pretty. I'd give the edge to the Genelec or Neumann in a nearfield scenario because of the better on-axis, but with more room sound in the mix, I feel the LS50W's smooth vertical response would likely balance out the one big flaw in its on-axis response, the dip around 1.8k. That dip is pretty obnoxious, and I don't know why I stopped at 60 degrees instead of the usual 75, but you can see the dip straightens out by 60 degrees. Can't say for sure, but presumably, it would continue to be relatively even further off-axis. Treble tilts down a bit, but you can tweak that a bit in the app. you can get more info from there |
