KEF LS50

Johnvb - What improved about them as they broke in? They're already sounding somewhat rounder on top and I'm starting to get hints of surprisingly good bass. Imaging, soundstage and coherence are all strengths so far. So good in fact I'll be a bit torn sending them back.

But I tend to value scale and non-fatiguing presentation highly which are shortcomings. Timbre also but it's better than expected. How do you see things improving?

At the 30 hour point on mine I was right there with you. I had never owned a metallic drivered speaker before (these replaced modded Maggie MMGs) and thought this might had been a big mistake.

The biggest improvement is that metallic sound goes away, and smooths out greatly. It still has a lively sound, but I don't find it fatiguing at all. Really impressed on how percussion sounds on these, compared to the MMGs.

Of course while they were breaking in, I was also playing around with positioning and toe in. Started with extreme toe in aimed at the chair, now have reduced that to about half. So that probably has helped.

The bass has become less boomy, obviously due to the design, it is not going to be as strong as a floor model. I plan on running dual subs with these, but for the breakin period, leaving the subs (ceiling IBs) off for now.

They're getting better and better. I'm finding the music more engaging and even notice my wife singing along to the music. Put on the Brandenburg concertos before heading to the home theater room to watch a film we were waiting to see.

The music was so engaging it was hard to tear myself away. The overall presentation much improved but I'm afraid even after full break in it will still be to bright and revealing for my taste. Most people seem to like this these days, but I prefer a warmer/musical/non-fatiguing sound even at the expense of "accuracy" or every last detail. It's the overall presentation I enjoy.

Hey I never claimed to be an audiophile - I just music that sounds "right" to me. Why that should require a huge monetary investment now that recorded music has been around for nearly 100 years is beyond me.

But the value and virtues of the LS50 are revealing themselves - no question.

1) I can see that having the wrong electronics (read brighter less expensive) will make these punishingly bright.

2) It's clear so far that tubes will make these sing (still waiting for my Cary SLP 98).

3) Despite a bright presentation - these ARE musical speakers.

You don't have to buy new stands to try placing the speakers lower and see what that does. Just set them on any readily available household object that offer a sturdy platform. Milk crates or even a stack of books can work well. You can also then try tipping them upwards a bit if desired, by raising the fronts relative to rear. Just place a tightly rolled up dish rag or towel under the front bottom.

Speaker location and orientation relative to listener makes all the difference with box designs that tend to be more directional in nature.

If all sound balanced tonally but fatigue persists, then consider AC power conditioning or a decent power cord upgrade with noise control designed for the digital source as a next step.

Good suggestion - it did help having them lower even on hollow boxes.

As these are burning in I'm really starting to hate them. They do so many things well - fast, dynamic, 3d imaging and sound staging, amazing air, transients, surprisingly good timbrel accuracy for a speaker this size. But the tonal balance is too bright and revealing (tho not sibilant as the burn in) for my liking.

I find myself wanting exactly this speaker but with a darker sound. And for that I expect to pay a minimum of 5 times the price. Ouch.