KEF LS50 Meta

John Atkinson sure likes the speaker; it’s his reference.

Of course British audiophiles, with their typically small listening rooms, are willing to forgo deep bass altogether. 50Hz? That’s mid-bass. The bottom note on a 4-string bass (the E string played "open") is located at 41Hz. Any loudspeaker that cannot reproduce 41Hz at full volume is imo not a hi-fi loudspeaker. By the way, the lowest note on a pipe organ (the bottom bass pedal) is located at 16Hz.

The LS50 has a 5.25" diameter "woofer". I have a pair of speakers which use the 5" KEF B110 as a midrange driver, which is what it’s good for. A 5.25" "woofer"? Surely you jest! IMO the LS50 is a midrange/tweeter satellite in search of a woofer. I recommend a Rythmik Audio sub, which reaches into the teens. The combo should make a killer full-range loudspeaker!

Despite their flaws, a really good speaker from a price / performance perspective. Buy a pair from Crutchfield. 90 day money back guarantee.

Thank you everyone for your input, it’s been very helpful. I have a line on a pair for about $400 and I’m thinking of just going ahead and making the purchase assuming everything looks OK.

For that price, run don’t walk!  But I agree with bdp24…they need a sub. I like REL but Rhyrhmix come highly recommended. Beware used subwoofers…they lead hard lives, and amp failure is common. 

I own a pair of the original LS-50s. The number one thing to understand is their use case. They are a nearfield monitor. If you sit more than a five or so feet from them the may sound small and lost. If you sit 3 feet from them, your are on their turf, and pretty exclusive turf that is. Simply, they are a world class speaker in every regard save low bass. The matching KEF RC-62 solves that issue, as will a REL T7. So if you have a small room, and want to listen seriously, you won't be disappointed, especially if you feed them from a good 100W/ch amp.