Looking for Speaker Recommendations


Hi,

I am getting a new system and am looking for speaker recommendations. I will have a ma8950 and will, at least initially, be streaming exclusively. Focal and B & W are too bright and fatiguing. Wilson SabrinaX are good except for the price. Any thoughts? Thanks.

wast314

My two favorite affordable systems at AXPONA this year are highly recommended for the OP-

1) The new Luxman 507Z amplifier paired with Harbeth M30.2 XD speakers. Wow what a smooth luxurious high end sound !

2) For something with more snap the Audio Note system with Cobra integrated amp and AN-E D Hemp speakers was outstanding.

 

 

Why upgrade your speakers when you can upgrade your entire system (amp/streamer/speakers/speaker wires) with all in one speakers like the Kef LS60-

 

I would take a serious look at the Wilson SabrinaX.  I heard them at the dealer and they sounded amazing.  
 

There is a new in box pair advertised on US Audio Mart right now at a discount to list price.  Maybe you should check those out?

 

I agree with @kota1 . I sampled the KEF LS60 and they're perfect for rock and and home theatre. They're very much a KEF speaker, i.e. no personality (no obvious coloration). 

I just have a few nitpicks:

- The design. The LS60 looks a lot like a tower fan. It's not much to look at. The colors are weird and remind me of laundry detergent pods. It's a very modern appliance look, a Bosch logo wouldn't look out of place. They don't look like 7000€, they look like a run of the mill Bose home theatre kit with fancy tweeters. I just can't get over the overly industrial design when everything around us is fake wood, and synthetic fabrics/materials... Give me real wood veneer for the price and now we're talking. Kudos to KEF for standing out nevertheless. Perhaps you could make the LS60 look good next to a beautiful wooden bookshelf and plants to camouflage it. But I digress...

- The KEF LS50 Meta sounded 80% as good for a fraction of the cost. I'm sure the gap between the LS50 and LS60 will close completely if you add a KEF KC62 sub. Yeah it's exactly what you'd expect and it's clear and neutral. To the LS60's credit, it's a complete solution. You don't need to add stands, cables, an amplifier, a streamer with a DAC and a subwoofer and DSP... So an LS50 Meta with all of the fancy electronics and stands will cost almost as much as an LS60.

Ultimately, the LS60 is the easiest speaker in the world to live with. Non-fatiguing. easy to setup. Fullrange sound. It would be pure decadence to ask for more.