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Magico A1 vs KEF Reference 1 (META) vs KEF LS50 + KEF KC62

I want to get a monitor speaker for a room that is 17'W x 22'L x 24'H and shared with my sons toys. The room actually opens up some more to a living room and a balcony on the second floor. So there is some volume to fill. I also need to use a monitor and not a more appropriate floor stander. I am limited to where I can place a speaker. It MUST be placed on a bookshelf that is 2 inches from the front wall and has the following dimensions.  

Depth: 17 3/8 "
Height: 20 1/2 "

I am currently using KEF LS50's (passive) on the bookshelf. It works well but I would like more bass and a bigger sound.

I was thinking of the Magico A1 since it is sealed and can be comfortably placed on a bookshelf. Magico even sells 5 degree angled bookshelf stands for the A1. However, the price seems very high for a 2 way speaker. 

The KEF Reference 1 is a speaker I always liked (heard it many times). However, I always heard it away from the front wall. I have been trying to get some info out of KEF on the Meta stuff and also placement of the REFERENCE 1 monitor.  However, no feedback yet. The Reference 1 is rear ported and maybe not too good close to a wall. I would also wait for the META stuff to appear on the Reference 1.

The other option is using my existing KEF LS50's + KEF KC62 subwoofer (placed on bookshelf). Though I am not sure if this combo is strong enough for my space.

I am using a KRELL K-300i integrated for this system. It would work well with the Magico and both KEF's.

So my questions are as follows:

1) Is the Magico A1 strong enough for the space? I assume it is a bit more detailed than both KEF's. I have demoed the A3.
2) Can the KEF Reference 1 be placed very close to the front wall? Would the META help in placement close to a wall?
3) Is the  KEF LS50's + KEF KC62 subwoofer combo strong enough for my room?

I guess I could also use the  KEF KC62 subwoofer with the Magico A1 and also the KEF Reference 1.

BTW -  I am seriously thinking of getting the Yamaha NS5000 that is classified as a bookshelf speaker. I have recently learned that it can be placed close to a front wall without catastrophic results. My only issue is that it is a relatively large speaker compared to other monitors and I am tight on space. This one should really be placed on the stands that Yamaha provides for it. This would make the space tighter than I would like. I think the other 3 speakers are actually more appropriate given my space restrictions.

I am looking for answers to my 3 questions and some opinions on my 3 choices.
yyzsantabarbara
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
I got the EtherRegen delivered today and hooked up. Though have not listened yet. I could be done of a while with this downstairs system.

As I said before this system is driven by the limitation in my placement options and the small form factor requirement of any gear I can use. What I have now is a homerun with respect to decent sound and the small form factor of everything I listed above. 

In the future, when my son is a bit bigger and I can throw some of his toys out I will have more space to place bigger and better speakers in this room. The KEF Reference 1 would fit in the current situation, just not sure I will do that given the quality of the LS50 and the KC62. If I get the Reference 1 I would use it with the KC62.
james633
1,047 posts
 
Did you get one sub? If so I would buy another sub before switching speakers. 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,631 posts
 
In a secondary setup, I'm using a pair of Velodyne HGS-10s with SMS-1 bass management to augment KEF LS50s.  The subs make a substantial difference, but I'm guessing a KC62 would too.  That setup uses an Oppo 205 as disc player and Roon endpoint with a NAD M-22 amp.
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
I am only using 1 sub and feel that it is more than enough bass even in this room with a lot of volume (mostly height with 20+ foot ceiling). I am not too experienced with subs but this KEF KC62 sounds very deep at the moderate volumes I listen too. Sounds great. Writing this makes me wonder why I am even considering the Reference 1. I am actually very happy with what I have now.

BTW - I got the EtherRegen hooked up to my very old Sonore microRendu and this KEF system. I did not do a ON/OFF comparison with the EtherRegen but I thought the sound was very nice with the EtherRegen in the circuit. My baseline for comparison is my Sonore OpticalRendu(s). I will do a comparison once I have a couple of weeks on the unit.
milkdudd
64 posts
 
As someone who has been interested in the Kef Reference 1, I was of course attracted to this thread. With a 9x12 listening room I also have no choice but to put my speakers close to the rear wall. About 1 ft away. Curious if anyone has any first hand experience with the Dali Epicon 2. I would be mounting on stands so no book self concerns. Price wise it seems identical to the Kef. Also I have looked some at the Canton Reference 9k which is less than half the price of these other two speakers but still seems real sweet. All opinions welcome
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