KEF LS50 Meta Review (Speaker)

[Steve Dallas]

A sub will suck off all the magic of those coaxial drives, bur then if the room is large, why bother with bookshelves..

Where do people get this stuff?

A properly integrated sub will unlock more magic from those coaxial drivers.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

A sub will suck off all the magic of those coaxial drives, bur then if the room is large, why bother with bookshelves..

No, it won't. Owned OG LS 50's since 2014 and LS 50 Metas since 2021, and have used both sets with a pair of SVS SB 2000s, and, if anything, the speakers really come alive when that 5.5 inch driver doesn't have to handle frequencies below 100 hz. And the subs make the set up full range. And since I'm using DLBC set up and dial in are also fairly easy. So, no, subs do not suck the life out of those coaxial drivers, not at all.

 

[testp]

yeah, subs will only suck out something, if you slap a sub into your room, throw some cable for it, flip some knob to balance the sound and compare.

You almost always need to do more, mic/phase/level, etc.

 

[pablolie]

yeah, subs will only suck out something, if you slap a sub into your room, throw some cable for it, flip some knob to balance the sound and compare.

You almost always need to do more, mic/phase/level, etc.

... and that's well known and I don't know many in ASR that don't.

 

[aarons915]

Why? A halfway capably integrated sub is non directional and operates in a different range. The coaxials can hence focus on what they do best (which we agree is not <80Hz bass).



There are bookshelf speakers that can fill a big room. But I agree that it wouldn't be the LS50.

When I moved from a small room to a loft with a much bigger living room and 11' ceilings I was worried my LS50's wouldn't be enough anymore but I actually found they sounded bigger in the larger room and my only explanation is the reflections are a bit more enveloping in here. My listening distance is about the same as in the smaller room too and I think that plays the biggest part in why they still work fine, I don't have to turn the volume up any louder because of the larger room. So I'd say listening distance is the biggest factor, of course a larger room may have larger listening distances but not always.

 

[pablolie]

When I moved from a small room to a loft with a much bigger living room and 11' ceilings I was worried my LS50's wouldn't be enough anymore but I actually found they sounded bigger in the larger room and my only explanation is the reflections are a bit more enveloping in here. My listening distance is about the same as in the smaller room too and I think that plays the biggest part in why they still work fine, I don't have to turn the volume up any louder because of the larger room. So I'd say listening distance is the biggest factor, of course a larger room may have larger listening distances but not always.

In fact I think sitting close in a large-ish room is a big plus as a starting point.

 

[40th Anniversary]

I think people who say they have no bass, use low power amplifiers. I find them quiet dynamic with a good punch. Maybe a little rolled off in highs, but only because my other speakers are a bit bright sounding.

My MF A1 (Class A) is only 25 watts! Yet sounds incredibly good with the LS 50.

 

[40th Anniversary]

When I moved from a small room to a loft with a much bigger living room and 11' ceilings I was worried my LS50's wouldn't be enough anymore but I actually found they sounded bigger in the larger room and my only explanation is the reflections are a bit more enveloping in here. My listening distance is about the same as in the smaller room too and I think that plays the biggest part in why they still work fine, I don't have to turn the volume up any louder because of the larger room. So I'd say listening distance is the biggest factor, of course a larger room may have larger listening distances but not always.

less ceiling bounce? I find tall ceilings benefit most speakers!

 

[killdozzer]

Well, could be an explanation, but I tried to give it all the power you could dream of, and that made no difference at all.
It is just a small coax, and definitely limited by this.
In my room it played like exactly what it is, and I had almost no bass at all,... Admittedly, my room is hard to fill with bass.. but still.
I sold them to my sister who use them to listen to piano recordings in her kitchen... Because they are definitely awesome for what they do well.... But not much bass.

Your room is the problem. You almost got it there at one point.

 

[killdozzer]

A sub will suck off all the magic of those coaxial drives, bur then if the room is large, why bother with bookshelves..

I do hope you meant 'suck out'!

Even then, sub does no such thing. You keep everything from coaxial and add low end.

 

[Blueprint]

I’m considering these for my living room. It’s a small 13x11 room but I’m 2.5m away. What do you good people think? Am I too far away for these to work? I’m about an average in terms of listening level I suppose, 75db or so.

 

[tw 2022]

I’m considering these for my living room. It’s a small 13x11 room but I’m 2.5m away. What do you good people think? Am I too far away for these to work? I’m about an average in terms of listening level I suppose, 75db or so.

your gonna need a decent sub.... but the distance itself won't kill the deal...75 db at 2.5 m is very "do"able ...if you want to go to 85+ db it's gonna be iffy...

 

[SoySalsaPicante]

I’m considering these for my living room. It’s a small 13x11 room but I’m 2.5m away. What do you good people think? Am I too far away for these to work? I’m about an average in terms of listening level I suppose, 75db or so.

Probably have a hard time without high-passing to a subwoofer.

 

[Blueprint]

Thanks both, I have a subwoofer on the front wall and am thinking of doubling up with flanking subs, should allow a crossover of 100-200hz with these speakers which I assume would help out a lot.

 

[Mort]

Thanks both, I have a subwoofer on the front wall and am thinking of doubling up with flanking subs, should allow a crossover of 100-200hz with these speakers which I assume would help out a lot.

Probably too high for that room. Play with it.

 

[sapphari]

Yea for a small room and 75dB listening, there is no need to cross that high. You should be fine in the 80hz range, which is likely to sound better.

 

[tw 2022]

Thanks both, I have a subwoofer on the front wall and am thinking of doubling up with flanking subs, should allow a crossover of 100-200hz with these speakers which I assume would help out a lot.

Yeah, start at 100 hz or so and adjust to what sounds good...

 

[Digital_Thor]

Your room is the problem. You almost got it there at one point.

It's a small speaker, I didn't expect it to play lots of bass. But crossed at 400Hz, adding 4 Satori WO24P, and then two 15" + two 12" subwoofers with 4x1400W amplifiers... That solved the problem

 

[40th Anniversary]

I’m considering these for my living room. It’s a small 13x11 room but I’m 2.5m away. What do you good people think? Am I too far away for these to work? I’m about an average in terms of listening level I suppose, 75db or so.

It depends what you are looking for; what sonic impact you want. Some speakers will have, on paper, better bass response. But I find some of these can sound thin even if they have more bass. I listen to speakers in a given room and decide if I like them; understanding that in a different room the speakers will sound different. 13x11 is not huge; 8 feet or so away is not far...I was listening to my KEF LS 50 in a similar open area today; Jacques Offenbach's 'Gaité Parisienne' and I loved the balanced sound of the little KEFS (way better than a pair of Harbeth P3ESR, at least to my ears). They are not bass monsters, but the sound is very enjoyable. That said, with bass heavy tunes at higher levels, well beyond 75 db, they do sound small or compressed, like they cannot handle it, or should not be and that is fair; for my needs in that room, they are more than perfect. Alternatively my Triangle Comètes 40th could handle way more volume...but you needed to be further away, and in doing so the music was more dynamic. I never really listening at higher volumes for any length of time. Back to the Kefs, In my smaller room I like them better and the sound staging of the music I was listening to was great; really, at moderate levels I could not ask for more for casual listening and they have displaced other speakers (not that they were bad).
Caveat: I have more than one stereo system, so yes I do have more bass heavy speakers but they don't work well in my open area of my home; the KEFs do great there and they are a fun & easy listen. YMMV.

 

[SlowJim]

Well, I hate to be "that guy" bragging about a used hifi deal but I have joined the LS50 Meta club, after randomly perusing the local FB used listings and finding a mint pair listed for $150. I was at their front door within an hour of posting, you can likely still see the rubber marks on our local streets

I handed them $160 since my ATM only dispenses increments of 20. and they promptly handed me $20 back. I think some people just hate money?

First impressions fwiw... to my untrained ear, very similar to my old Q150's. I have them connected to my Wiim Mini via Topping Mini 300 and SMSL-SU-1. They are borderline too large for my desktop but will probably keep them anyways. I WFH so will have these playing at low volume 40+ hours a week. Feeling very fortunate as my wife would have never approved a purchase like this at full MSRP, or even the recent sale prices of 900-1k.