How does it sound ? - Kef LS60 W

[Tangband]

This is a thread were you can discuss listening impressions about the new Kef ls 60 loudspeaker . This is because the sound of a loudspeaker only can be judged about 70 % with spinorama measurements . 30% of the sound is subjective and a matter of opinion with real listening sessions .

How does Kef ls60 W sound ?
How does the sound compare to other 7000 dollar loudspeakers ?

Im starting with my own listening impression .
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Today I had the oportunity to listen to Kef ls60 again in another store. Soundsource were TIDAL and Apple lossless.

Listening impressions that stands out :

1. Integration to each speakers 4 subwoofers is perfectly done with no audible problem heard . Integrating a standmount speaker to a subwoofer gonna have bigger problems in most cases .

2. The stereoimage L/R is really good .

3. The bass is NOT super deep , but it plays down to about 30 Hz .

4. The sound in the midrange sounded this time a little more analytical compared to my Genelec 8340 ( but listening impression were in a different room ) .

5. Again - these floorstanders are visually stunning and feels smaller in real life .

 

[Danaxus]

I'm curious in particular as to how they sound compared to the Genelec 8341 or 8351. I don't mean to ask which is "better", just how their strengths and weaknesses compare.

 

[Peluvius]

They are a great looking speaker, high WAF I would expect although my choice of colour (gunmetal or a navy blue) might not be fully approved.

 

[Tangband]

I'm curious in particular as to how they sound compared to the Genelec 8341 or 8351. I don't mean to ask which is "better", just how their strengths and weaknesses compare.

I dont have the Genelecs , but a cheaper Genelec 8340 thats digitaly connected to a Mac and DDC.
Both 8341 and 8351 have coaxials and like the Kef ls60 w, its seems to be a slight advantage to have this technique when talking L/R panorama where the sound is stable even If you stand up. Theres no need, I guess, to have a centerchannel with ls60 w.

There are some people on this forum that have both 8351 and Kef ls60w , lets hope they write something about the sound differences in this thread.

 

[Vacceo]

What do you mean by analitical? I´m surprised with the comparison to Genelec, as those are actual "sound scalpels".

 

[Tangband]

What do you mean by analitical? I´m surprised with the comparison to Genelec, as those are actual "sound scalpels".

The sound from my Genelec 8340 is ( maybe ) more forgiving in the midrange than the Kef ls60 w. I think maybe its the 4 inch uniQ driver made of metal, crossed at 350 Hz that have a slight technically advantage or dissadvantage in this area. But Im only speculating about this differences - the 8340 is standing in my listening room and the ls60 w was in two different demo stores. I used the same music though, Anette Askvik :s Liberty , and Martin Frösts latest recording.

With a good digital signal the 8340 and 7350 sound slightly warmer than with analog connection. Maybe you have listened to bad sources when listening to Genelecs, If you call them ” sound scalpels” ?

My point is that the midrange in Kef ls60 W seems to be slightly more resolved with maybe more details. If one wants this on every recording is up to debate.

 

[Tangband]

They are a great looking speaker, high WAF I would expect although my choice of colour (gunmetal or a navy blue) might not be fully approved.

Yes, and slightly smaller in real life - it was a surprise for me.

 

[Tangband]

Lets talk about the bass quality - my listening impression from those two stores and ls60w , with the same music playing, is that the bass have all the advantages of Linkwitz transformed closed boxes. That means that the bass is tuneful, without any disturbing timesmearing but maybe without the ” slam” from some bass tube speakers . They seem linear down to about 30 Hz , but seems to fall of below that frequency. My 7350 subwoofer goes 8-10 Hz lower.

It would be nice with some comments about the bass performance from ls60 from listeners who have these speakers.

 

[Vacceo]

The sound from my Genelec 8340 is ( maybe ) more forgiving in the midrange than the Kef ls60 w. I think maybe its the 4 inch uniQ driver made of metal, crossed at 350 Hz that have a slight technically advantage or dissadvantage in this area. But Im only speculating about this differences - the 8340 is standing in my listening room and the ls60 w was in two different demo stores. I used the same music though, Anette Askvik :s Liberty , and Martin Frösts latest recording.

With a good digital signal the 8340 and 7350 sound slightly warmer than with analog connection. Maybe you have listened to bad sources when listening to Genelecs, If you call them ” sound scalpels” ?

My point is that the midrange in Kef ls60 W seems to be slightly more resolved with maybe more details. If one wants this on every recording is up to debate.

I have listened to both great and terrible sources on Genelecs. I loved them precisely for that: they produce the source and nothing else, or at least, almost nothing else.

I have stated several times that I don´t dislike poorly recorded sources, as quality recording is not the only thing I care for (I despise Diana Krall, go guess...), however, I do love gear that allows me to forget about it and concentrate on the source.

So esentially, your perception is that these KEF´s produce an even more neutral sound than the 8340. Not a bad feat.

 

[Adi777]

I think I am one of the few who do not like these loudspeakers in appearance. They look pissy to me

 

[Vacceo]

I think I am one of the few who do not like these loudspeakers in appearance. They look pissy to me

They seem unobtrusive, and aesthetical tastes aside, that is a good thing for any tower speaker.

Yes, and slightly smaller in real life - it was a surprise for me.

By measures alone they´re very close to my IQ7´s. They seem to sound way, way bigger than my IQ´s.

 

[Adi777]

They seem unobtrusive, and aesthetical tastes aside, that is a good thing for any tower speaker.

Aesthetical? Yes, but I don't like very narrow speakers.

 

[Vacceo]

Aesthetical? Yes, but I don't like very narrow speakers.

Aesthetics is what informs and analizes what you like and dislike. Everything is aesthetical, even extreme utilitarism is.

 

[Tangband]

KEF LS60 Wireless Review – 7Review

In the decade since the launch of the LS50, in celebration of KEF’s 50th birthday, there have been rumours about a floorstander to complement the popular booksh

7review.com

These measurements dont mirror my impression of the speaker, they didnt sound dull at all - but maybe the loudspeakers I listened to in the store had tweaked treble ( easily done in the app ) . I dont know.

 

[goat76]

I think I am one of the few who do not like these loudspeakers in appearance. They look pissy to me

I don't like the look either, they remind me of all those thin and cheap-looking complete 5.1 systems you buy at the regular electronic stores. I guess the designers at KEF think these speakers will have a high WAF factor, but in a few years' time, they will just look like a design of 2022.

 

[Tangband]

I have listened to both great and terrible sources on Genelecs. I loved them precisely for that: they produce the source and nothing else, or at least, almost nothing else.

I have stated several times that I don´t dislike poorly recorded sources, as quality recording is not the only thing I care for (I despise Diana Krall, go guess...), however, I do love gear that allows me to forget about it and concentrate on the source.

So esentially, your perception is that these KEF´s produce an even more neutral sound than the 8340. Not a bad feat.

As I said - I havent compared them in the same room . But with that said- their uniQ driver was full of details that I liked. . I also think they sounded much better than the passive ls50 Meta, because the ls60 w had bass.

 

[Danaxus]

These measurements dont mirror my impression of the speaker, they didnt sound dull at all - but maybe the loudspeakers I listened to in the store had tweaked treble ( easily done in the app ) . I dont know.

You have to assume they were tweaked, or that room coincidentally happened to be near perfect for the default settings. Every review I've seen/read say the same thing - you need to tweak them because they don't sound great out of the box.

 

[killdozzer]

@Tangband why do you think they would go for a cut off that much higher than kc62 plays on it's own?

 

[KMO]

@Tangband why do you think they would go for a cut off that much higher than kc62 plays on it's own?

Cos it's not a subwoofer?

Note that the drivers are significantly smaller, both in diameter (5.25" rather than 6.5") and depth (13cm cabinet width versus 25cm).

Given that width, the possible excursion is going to be drastically reduced, almost certainly by more than a factor of 2, limiting what could be achieved at the lowest frequencies.

You can use Uni-Core to put decent bass into 13cm width, or a decent subwoofer into 25cm, but a 13cm subwoofer is expecting a bit much.

 

[thewas]

The sound from my Genelec 8340 is ( maybe ) more forgiving in the midrange than the Kef ls60 w. I think maybe its the 4 inch uniQ driver made of metal, crossed at 350 Hz that have a slight technically advantage or dissadvantage in this area. But Im only speculating about this differences - the 8340 is standing in my listening room and the ls60 w was in two different demo stores. I used the same music though, Anette Askvik :s Liberty , and Martin Frösts latest recording.

I think it is rather the vertical and sound power dip that most non-coaxial loudspeakers at their crossover region which is usually at the presence region, see the lower curve:

Source: https://www.genelec.com/8340a