KEF LS50 Meta Passive Bookshelf Speakers - Pair (Carbon Black)

I see a lot of reviews here saying they sound bad. It's simply not true, because then I see what they are running, and its a very low tier amp. Your "200" watt Emotiva BasX or similar class amp simply does not have the torque that these speakers need. I know, I own several Emotiva amps. I'm an audiophile, and have lots of gear, it's the hobby. I'm running these off comparably priced equipment, all of my gear is in the price wheelhouse of the Ls50. My amps are Orchard Audio class D GaN monoblocks with GaN power supplies. I run a Gustard X26 Pro dac, dual mono dacs, dual mono power supplies, excellent clocks. This speaker goes down to 3 ohms. Your cheap amp is likely begging for mercy at this impedance regardless of "200 watts". You need high quality. Give these high quality components and this speaker is AMAZING. I have 7 sets of speakers. All different types, Magnepans, CSS Audio, bunch of stuff. These speakers are worth every penny! But bear in mind their performance sits right where the price range is. These are not $10000 speakers for 1600. You get what you pay for. That said, in the 2K range, they are probablyunbeatable, for overall performance. Another caveat though is I have a pair of subs, near field, 3 feet off the ground, perfectly tuned with these speakers. You need a setup like this for perfect full range sound. If you're an audiophile, I recommend starting with these, make sure you have nice, NICE components to back them up, and a pair of subs when you can do it. I'm running 2 RSL Speedwoofer 10s. If you just buy these, you don't own subs, and your equipment is like $200 dac, no preamp, $500 amp, low level stuff, you're going to wonder what all the fuss is about and return them. Do them right, you may never shop for speakers ever again.

Good speakers - very transparent - which can be a double edge sword as it really exposes the imperfections of poorly recorded songs. However, you can really hear a lot of detail with good quality recorded songs. After reading numerous postings and comments on online forums, I had prepared a 100+W amplifier and a subwoofer to hook up with the speakers, and I was not disappointed with the results.

I first auditioned these speakers at a local dealer. I was blown away. However, at the time, I had just purchased a new 2-channel system to resurrect my vinyl record collection. That system included a pair of KLH model 5 speakers. So, dropping another $1,600 a set if speakers for a second system in the basement was out of the question. A year and couple of free lance jobs later, I decided to take another look at the LS50's and the Amazon Warehouse price pushed me over the edge.I am absolutely blown away by these speakers. Honestly, they would have been well worth the full retail price. The Kef LS50's are, hands down, the most detailed speakers I've ever heard. I am hearing subtleties in music that were not there before. In particular the mids and highs are spectacular -- vocals, guitar and percussion effects pop.I will say, however, that optimal performance requires these speakers to be positioned at head height and toed-in to your listening location. The fact that the drivers come from one central location means they speakers are acutely directional.Pairing the LS50's with a sub will be honey to your ears. I am very seriously considering swapping the KLH model 5's out for the the LS50's!

Sounds good wow

Awesome

These image as good as any speaker i have owned, but i find that the enjoyment of imaging wears off, sort of like imaging is listening to equipment rather than music. Ultimately i find my older (made in England) speakers more musically engaging and emotionally satisfying, though perhaps less “neutral”. Also, I could not get these to blend with my subwoofers. They are a little thin sounding on their own, but this might contribute to their superior imaging. Adding the subwoofers (including weeks of positional and crossover adjustments) always detracted from what the LS50s do well. Perhaps it would be different w a KEF subwoofer.

These have a nice neutral and detailed sound that I haven’t gotten tired of at all. I can definitely notice the effect of the concentric drivers especially when you are close. It really does make a difference versus a side by side woofer and tweeter placement. I plugged the ports using the included foam plugs and ran Marantz Audyssey to flatten the response back out and it sounds perfect to me.

These speakers are very good. However, I am pleased that I did not pay full price for them. These new speakers are replacing Kef speakers I’ve used daily for thirty years. The new speakers sound better, more crisp and lively of course but clearly they need a sub-woofer or a supportive speaker of some sort to bring out a more full sound. I am a little surprised by this. The new speakers do not provide the dimension of sound that I expected. The sound does not have the authority that I expected. For example, notes played by bass viol and harpsichord together become distorted. Single, emphatic piano notes seem to break apart when isolated. These speakers just cannot deliver the sound without distortion.