McIntosh MA352 replacement

@kvpower getting those KEFs is a great move. They are tiny and easy to place yet go down to an astonishing 14 Hz, I think.

(I am myself a KC92 owner. A fantastic sub, but a tad larger than the KC62.)

And as other people have mentioned it is not only about adding the lowest frequencies but to fill out the entire bass range throughout the room. 

Just make sure to don’t make the common mistake and place them next to each main speaker but diagonally in the room as much as you’re able, for that very reason of avoiding bass nulls and peaks you inevitably will get if the bass only emanates from the main speakers location. 

Thank you bl.

@kvpower Wrote:

McIntosh MA352 replacement

Check out Vinnie Rossi L2i SE Integrated Amplifier with PHONO stage and DAC see here and here. 

Mike

I have the Mac 353 which might be out of your price range. I put in some PSVANE Horizon tubes and I concluded these are the tubes that should have come with the amp. Tried gold lion and they were not as good. The Psvane and better bass and clarity. If you were thinking Solid state I highly recommend Hegal which I also own. Believe it or not the LS50 loves current. I own a set of those too. You can get the PSVANE Horizon from amazon and if they don’t work out for you, they can be returned. 

@kvpower 

Most any amp you pick in the $5K range will be a sideways move at best.  However there are many things you can do to improve sound stage. 

For the amp- go to Brent Jessee audio tubes and contact him for some NOS Amperex 12AX7 and 12AT7 tubes and replace the stock garbage that came with the amp.  Amperex tubes are not cheap but the sound stage improvement is impressive.  Brent should be able to give you some decently priced deals. 

Sound stage is mostly defined by speaker and listener position withing the room. 

Make sure your stands for the LS50 are no higher than 24 inches.  KEF designed your speakers to have a rising response directly on axis and if your tweeters are ear level you are receiving too much treble.  Lower them so the tweeters are below ear level. 

Experiment with distance from walls - give them room to breathe by moving them into the room 3 feet or so if possible which will improve sound stage depth.  

Also if your listening spot is up against the wall you will be hearing too much reflected sound of all frequencies.  Try moving your spot at least 2 feet from the wall behind you. 

Lastly how many hours on your amp and speakers?  Give each at least 200 hours to sound their best.