KEF ls50 meta’s are on the way

Happy New Year all. 
I think after spending many hours with the new metas I can summarize and wrap things up by saying yes all the stuff you read about these ring  true.  For me they still need a sub so no shocker there but once you cover that and get things set up well these should provide many hours of musical enjoyment for even the most discerning audiophile for  a relatively modest cost. 
My room is only 12x12 so not large but in there with a powered sub I can’t imagine wanting more.  In that room and with their very good off axis response and overall tonality they are perhaps the first speakers I’ve tried there other than smaller Ohms that I am totally happy with.  The Ohms and the Metas sound are both cut from the same cloth. Not so much the older ls50s which were distinctly different. Perhaps a difference in the nature of soundstage and imaging and metas might offer a tad more detail but it would be hard to choose between the two of I had to choose only one at least for a smaller room. 
Ok ready for the next generation model now in a few years. 😉.   Can technology push the envelope even further?

Cheers!

I dont want to hear about how good a speaker is. I always like to know what things can be improved. If you are unable to figure that out thats ok but its disingenuous to pretend that they are perfect. 

Happy New Year Kenjit.

Bass extension could be improved. As I indicated they need a sub for full range.

Maybe in a larger room the little guys would show more limits. I have no plans to try and replace my larger Ohms in the next room with these though I can’t rule out that that might work out fine if done right.   A sub or two would definitely have to be in the equation. 

That’s it. The rest is subjective. You will have to look elsewhere for more or just buy a pair and find out for yourself. If you really care, which I doubt.

You seem very disingenuous! Just out to rile people up.

Nothing is perfect of course as you well know but some make the case better than others. These make the case quite well both on paper and in person, within their limits. Physics dictates small speakers will have limits compared to similar larger and thereby more expensive ones.

Maybe as technology advances the cost for even this level of “perfection” will go down even further.

Also should mention that the thing that strikes me most uniquely with the Metas is the sound does seem pretty free from cabinet sonic artifacts. They don’t sound like box speakers. Neither did the ls50s for that matter.  More like open baffle, Electrostats or planars. The Ohms are that way as well with the unique driver configuration that only uses the cabinets for bass.   I guess it’s a result of the rigid cabinet construction bolstered now by the new sound absorbing technology applied internally.   It all adds up. 

The Metas have been up and running for a few weeks now so a quick update.


Initially I left the sub settings alone. Same as with prior ls50s. I started to notice a bit too much in the bass in the last week or so so apparently that settled in further over time.

I did a total redo of the sub settings using a white noise Internet radio station as a source and a sound meter app on my iPhone. Not the ultimate in accuracy but good enough for a general integration of sub and mains.

Ended up with the Klipsch sw308 sub crossover frequency at its lowest setting of 40 hz and the level set to ~2 o’clock. Also adjusted phase. That is a much lower crossover than what I used on the older ls50s.

The Klipsch sw308 is fairly Big Bang for its size. 8” forward facing active driver and two side facing 8” passive radiators which help address bass modes somewhat and add output compared to a single driver.

Room again is 12x12 with standard height ceiling.