The KEF LS50 and tubes WOW WOW WOW!

[DaveyF]

Fernando, do you not still own your Jadis amps?
Peter, what's the size of your reviewer's studio? BTW, the Blade's sound great in the video and that's on the PC system!....MUST be a lot better in real life. I definitely need to hear them again and this time for a longer.

 

[flez007]

Fernando, do you not still own your Jadis amps?
.

No DaveyF, traded them for the DaHavilland amps some months ago....

 

[DaveyF]

No DaveyF, traded them for the DaHavilland amps some months ago....

Interesting. I have heard the Jadis amp you used to own...liked it a lot. Have not heard the DeHavilland's....what are your thoughts on the differences?

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Fernando, do you not still own your Jadis amps?
Peter, what's the size of your reviewer's studio? BTW, the Blade's sound great in the video and that's on the PC system!....MUST be a lot better in real life. I definitely need to hear them again and this time for a longer.

Yes. it was the best Blade set-up I've ever heard. Here's Kevin's room:

 

[mep]

Yes. it was the best Blade set-up I've ever heard. Here's Kevin's room:

View attachment 12305

That looks like a good-sized room that guy is filling with the LS50s. No subs?

 

[Peter Breuninger]

no subs.

 

[mep]

So Peter, no subs and tubes to power the LS50s. How does it sound and is this the room that cemented your opinion on using tubes with the LS50s?

 

[Andre Marc]

Yes. it was the best Blade set-up I've ever heard. Here's Kevin's room:

View attachment 12305

Peter, an elegant and attractive room.

But, strictly from what I can interpret from the photo, the set up has some major issues for me personally.

The speakers seem to be waayyyyy too far apart. I also think it is critical to have some toe in.

This set up is simply asking too much of the speakers.

Your thoughts?

 

[mep]

Peter, an elegant and attractive room.

But, strictly from what I can interpret from the photo, the set up has some major issues for me personally.

The speakers seem to be waayyyyy too far apart. I also think it is critical to have some toe in.

This set up is simply asking too much of the speakers.

Your thoughts?

Maybe you underestimate how far apart you can separate the LS50s and still not have a hole in the center fill. You personally wouldn't know because you don't have the physical space to try it. Mine are 9' apart and image just dandy with no hole in the center fill.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

Here's the review, you can hear the magic of these loudspeakers with headphones. !WARNING! laptop speakers will not show off the magic of the listening sessions.

http://www.avshowrooms.com/KEF_LS50.html

 

[DaveyF]

Here's the review, you can hear the magic of these loudspeakers with headphones. !WARNING! laptop speakers will not show off the magic of the listening sessions.

http://www.avshowrooms.com/KEF_LS50.html

View attachment 12518

Thanks for the link Peter. Seems that all of the up stream gear used was tube. The CAT /Lectron pairing was obviously a great match with these speakers; plus the Lectron is a 50watt/ch amp. The Lectron had plenty of juice in this application, IMO.

 

[Andre Marc]

Here's the review, you can hear the magic of these loudspeakers with headphones. !WARNING! laptop speakers will not show off the magic of the listening sessions.

http://www.avshowrooms.com/KEF_LS50.html

View attachment 12518

Nice video! Good background info...well done.

 

[Andre Marc]

Here's the review, you can hear the magic of these loudspeakers with headphones. !WARNING! laptop speakers will not show off the magic of the listening sessions.

http://www.avshowrooms.com/KEF_LS50.html

View attachment 12518

Peter, it seems to me the speakers are closer together than what you captured in the photograph a few posts back.

Was an adjustment made? I could be mistaken as well.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

We were moving them in and out for different photo opps. The video shows the set up Kevin uses.

Kevin did a great job, you really get a "feel" for the sound of the speakers.

 

[Andre Marc]

We were moving them in and out for different photo opps. The video shows the set up Kevin uses.

Kevin did a great job, you really get a "feel" for the sound of the speakers.

Thanks. It is a nice set up...and I agree about getting a "feel".

 

[TruthSpinner]

I run a pair of ls50 with an old class A set of Accuphase C-280L/P-102 w. a lowly Harman Kardon HD-750 (Lampizator tube modified) and it sounds very very natural indeed.

 

[mep]

It was an enjoyable trio of videos. It would have been great to hear them play some more challenging music than the typical fluff you hear at audio shows (female singer, piano, standup bass or some variation on that theme) which is designed to sound good while not stressing the system. And I only say this because the LS50s are up to the challenge. I think we are starting to see a trend of adjectives used by reviewers for the LS50s with purity and transparency ranking right up there at the top along with very low cabinet coloration which of course is instrumental in the purity and transparency of this speaker.

You can also tell that the stands he used were not designed for the LS50s but in fact were intended for a much larger footprint monitor. The LS50s may have even imaged better on a pair of stands where the top of the stand didn't extend out on both sides of the bottom of the speaker by quite a bit.

 

[garylkoh]

The PNWAS will be having our meeting at Madrona Digital (Amirm's gig!) next Thursday, 14th Nov. We will be bringing the club's reference tube amplifier to drive the LS50's. Bruce Brown will be supplying high-rez master files to put them through their paces. You bet he'll be bringing more challenging music than the typical audio-show fluff.

Please come join us if you are in the area:

Pacific Northwest Audio Society (hosted by Madrona Digital)
14210 NE 20th St,
Bellevue, WA 98007

Thursday, November 14th, 7:30pm
http://www.madronadigital.com/contact/Contact.html

 

[mep]

Gary-I look forward to hearing the reports from your meeting. These are special speakers, but you really do need subs.

 

[TruthSpinner]

I too look very much forward to the meeting report