I have a pair of KEF LS50s that I bought brand new directly from KEF and they just arrived approximately 3 weeks ago so they aren't broken in yet. I ordered a custom pair of 4 post 30" stands from Sound Anchor that were designed for the LS50s. The stands just arrived today from Sound Anchor and they are still sealed in their shipping cartons. I paid $1499.99 for the LS50s and $804 for the Sound Anchor stands. Of course I have all of the original packing materials for the LS50s including the box and owner's manual. They are mint as mint can be. I'm asking $2K for both the LS50s and the still sealed Sound Anchor stands plus shipping.
KEF LS50 Speakers and Custom Made Sound Anchor Stands
- Thread starter mep
- Start date
Twas a beautiful, if all too brief romance.
The chase was sweeter than the catch. LOL.
Twas a beautiful, if all too brief romance.
The chase was sweeter than the catch. LOL.
Different strokes, I suppose. I would almost certainly prefer the KEFs and a couple of good subs to Marks Def Techs. At least that's my expectation (bias).
Tim
Different strokes, I suppose. I would almost certainly prefer the KEFs and a couple of good subs to Marks Def Techs. At least that's my expectation (bias).
Tim
Tim- I know you have never cared for the Def Tech speakers and since speakers are basically a matter of taste/preference, that's very understandable. And given the physics of your current setup, the KEF LS50s would work for you while the Def Techs would certainly not work. And even if they did, again, you don't like them so it's really a moot point. Listening to them in a Audio/Video showroom played through HT receivers or possibly some modest separates is not the same as hearing them and living with them long-term with the electronics I have been using with them. I believe I have owned these speakers now for around 6 years which is longer than lots of marriages last.
I was/am ready to try something new and after reading so many glowing reviews and understanding how much engineering went into the little LS50 jewels, I wanted to give them a try and see if they were *better* than my Def Techs and if could live with them long term. At first blush I thought I could. First impressions also led me to believing/wondering if the missing information from the LS50s I was hearing (or not hearing to be more technically correct) was all cabinet generated. Because the LS50s will make certain frequencies stand out more due to the thinness of only having a single very small coaxial driver in each cabinet loading into a fairly large room, they tended to make the soundstage appear to be wider and deeper. More time spent with the LS50s and reinstalling the Def Techs showed me this wasn't really true.
Given the size of my room and the levels I prefer to listen at, I zeroed in on the point where the LS50s shouldn't be pushed past. It was easy to find it with rock and roll, not quite as easy with jazz, but the point of no return is still there and you will find it unless you listen in a very small room at lower levels. In 6 or so years of listening to the Def Techs, I haven't come close to finding out where these speakers cry "uncle." It's someplace past the loudest listening level that I would ever tolerate.
So, are the LS50s damn good sounding speakers? Yes, they are. Would they be really good in a small room with a pair of subs? Why yes, they would. Am I willing to replace my Def Techs with the LS50s? Why no, I'm not. I don't regret buying the LS50s and it was a fun experience.
You misunderstood me, Mark. I don't dislike Def Techs. I have a lot of respect for the company, the consistency of their design and particularly the big image they can create when set up properly. There are some things about them that I think some other speakers that were in the showroom did better, but I wouldn't say I disliked them. I sold a ton of them and recommended them sincerely. And that utterly subjective evaluation is based on listening to them daily for a couple of years, mostly through McIntosh amps, that were not even necessary, as Def Techs are a pretty easy load.
Tim
Tim-Maybe I did misunderstand you because I was pretty sure you pointed out things you specifically didn't like about the BP7000SC speakers. And while I agree the Def Tech BP7000SC speakers are an "easy load" in terms of efficiency for an amplifier, there is also something else going on (impedance/phase angle maybe) that makes the Def Tech BP7000SC speakers love high current SS amps.
Mep,
I suspect you have not heard the LS50s. Never-mind you have them, never-mind you have listened to them for three weeks.
In my studio...
The Sonjas are just breaking in... received them on April 9, JA had them two point five months and every day they are sounding better. B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G I-N it's a curse and a fact.
I suspect you have not heard the LS50s. Never-mind you have them, never-mind you have listened to them for three weeks.
In my studio...
The Sonjas are just breaking in... received them on April 9, JA had them two point five months and every day they are sounding better. B-R-E-A-K-I-N-G I-N it's a curse and a fact.
Agree, Peter..especially with certain manufacturers...like Thiel and YG. But I think it was a matter of wrong room, and unrealistic expectations with mep. Even broken in I don't know they would have done the job. He was used to bigger speakers. You can can't fool the rules of physics.
Mark has demonstrated over and over again that music holds the highest priority with him. The fact that he has DefTechs, not the latest and greatest audiophile rage, shows that gear is not his biggest priority. I applaud him for giving the KEF's a shot, but their dynamic capabilities just aren't sufficient for his needs. Now, somebody jump on this great deal!
Lee
Lee
Mep, perhaps it's time for a pair of Bozak Concert GRANDs. Amazing loudspeakers. I own many pairs and for good reason. They make music at all frequencies and they make it right.
Although I have never listened to the LS50 and logically my comments have little value for this thread, I have long time experience with the older and more expensive Silver Signature SS25, that I still keep. Although bass limited, as could be expected, one of the great things of them is how loud they can play without distress and fill the room with a powerful sound. A memorable experience was using the Classe M1000 1kwatt monoblocks to play the Killer Bees (CD 1989 B&W, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim and may others) at louder than life levels. The whole room (not large, about 4.5 x3.5m) was filled with instruments playing very loud but without any feeling of distress. And the speakers survived!
It seems that not all mini-monitors are built the same way.
It seems that not all mini-monitors are built the same way.
I'm not sure the final chapter has been written yet. We will see. I decided to put them back into the system on Saturday night. My MIT bi-wire cables won't work on the LS50s so I had to reach into my stash of wayward cables and pull out a pair of Synergistic cables that have the funky bias supply for the cables that plugs into the wall. When I first used the Synergistic cables with the LS50s, I didn't bother to hook up the bias supply feeling that it was probably some audiophile fluff that really wouldn't matter in me determining the quality of the speakers. When I hooked them up again on Saturday, I went ahead and hooked up the bias power supply.
This time I didn't change the crossover from the subs to play up higher than I normally have them with the Def Techs. The LS50s are really good speakers and there is something about them that is beguiling. For whatever reason, I didn't seem to run out of headroom like I did before. It was probably the music I chose to play. More later...
This time I didn't change the crossover from the subs to play up higher than I normally have them with the Def Techs. The LS50s are really good speakers and there is something about them that is beguiling. For whatever reason, I didn't seem to run out of headroom like I did before. It was probably the music I chose to play. More later...
Mark - my LS50s are still breaking in, less constipated and open sounding, incredible how much energy these soeakers are capable to deliver! Looks like they need many hours to open-up.
Hi
This could be the subject of another thread: I have not, yet heard a 2-way mini monitor-style speaker that would match a full range even with sub in the scale and spl dept. I am not saying two ways. I am insisting on 2-way mini monitor style that is those with mid-woofer of less than 7 inch diameter . That said, the LS50 are mightily impressive. As long as you keep thir limits in mind they satisfy. I will add a pair or trio of subs soon. I am acquiring the Job amp and have a few preamps in mind for a <=$5000 system , I tend to like those exercises. The Belles soloist, I recently heard or the benchmark pre/dac I still keep (truth to b told the Berkeley DAC Is a keeper easily one of the best DACs, i have heard but it breaks the 5k barrier by its lone self so ...)
Currently with the Plinius , Berkeley DAC the LS 50 are beguiling as long as I don't ask them to play Mahler or Rock at "realistic" volumes. When the score gets to be complex, say Bernstein's Mahler symphony #2 on DG ... These speakers are way better than what heir price in audiophile land would warrant.tehy could show a trick or two to much larger and more celebrated speakers. I don'th think they'd do well in a large room .. Even with subs... They are keepers and I am acquiring their cousins the powered X300 for an office set up. There is a seamless ness in those drivers that frankly resembles what the ESL 63did a while ago.. Cohesion, coherence, call it any way you like but the sound is of one cloth within the comfort zone. From mid bass say100 Hz to over 15 kHz (my upper hearing limit last i tested), those drivers are spectacular.
This could be the subject of another thread: I have not, yet heard a 2-way mini monitor-style speaker that would match a full range even with sub in the scale and spl dept. I am not saying two ways. I am insisting on 2-way mini monitor style that is those with mid-woofer of less than 7 inch diameter . That said, the LS50 are mightily impressive. As long as you keep thir limits in mind they satisfy. I will add a pair or trio of subs soon. I am acquiring the Job amp and have a few preamps in mind for a <=$5000 system , I tend to like those exercises. The Belles soloist, I recently heard or the benchmark pre/dac I still keep (truth to b told the Berkeley DAC Is a keeper easily one of the best DACs, i have heard but it breaks the 5k barrier by its lone self so ...)
Currently with the Plinius , Berkeley DAC the LS 50 are beguiling as long as I don't ask them to play Mahler or Rock at "realistic" volumes. When the score gets to be complex, say Bernstein's Mahler symphony #2 on DG ... These speakers are way better than what heir price in audiophile land would warrant.tehy could show a trick or two to much larger and more celebrated speakers. I don'th think they'd do well in a large room .. Even with subs... They are keepers and I am acquiring their cousins the powered X300 for an office set up. There is a seamless ness in those drivers that frankly resembles what the ESL 63did a while ago.. Cohesion, coherence, call it any way you like but the sound is of one cloth within the comfort zone. From mid bass say100 Hz to over 15 kHz (my upper hearing limit last i tested), those drivers are spectacular.
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