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Kef LS50 OG for 475€ - a steal or still overpriced?

alex-z

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The original LS50 are great speakers, if you can apply EQ. Otherwise, that dip around 500Hz and the peak around 5000Hz are quite audible IMO.

That makes them ideal for a desktop, your PC can be used to apply EQ for free via software.
 

fineMen

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... So I was looking for some new speakers sub 1000 € in the EU and kinda settled on the LS50.
... get them to replace(move to my desk) some Adam T5Vs
A new speaker pair will bring with it a new set of compromises. I doubt that it will, on the long run, please you more than that of the Adam speakers. A third option might be to just spare the extra expenses now, and push up some monetary pillow to make a real difference later.
 
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MDZPNMD

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The original LS50 are great speakers, if you can apply EQ. Otherwise, that dip around 500Hz and the peak around 5000Hz are quite audible IMO.

That makes them ideal for a desktop, your PC can be used to apply EQ for free via software.
I'm running the speakers in the living room from a smartphone turned smart home/media center plugged into a DAC plugged into an amp, EQ is no problem.

A new speaker pair will bring with it a new set of compromises. I doubt that it will, on the long run, please you more than that of the Adam speakers. A third option might be to just spare the extra expenses now, and push up some monetary pillow to make a real difference later.
It is a good advice, others have also said that.
I just needed a second pair of speakers so I can use my T5Vs at my desk again. Next step is a new sub and after that maybe the K3

What would your plan be fineMen
 

fineMen

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What would your plan be fineMen

The LS50 is for sure o/k, but. The bass is a challenge. I had a pair here at home. It was a, sorry to say, hilarious attempt to use them fullrange. The comparison to 2x12" pro drivers ... may appear a bit unfair. Still, taking the program into account, adjusting the listening level and so forth, it remained quite disapointing in that it didn't convey the fun in music. E/g Crosby Stills Nash and Young, folk rock, I couldn't make it work because of hollow distortions, overload.

Maybe I gave up prematurely. As you ask, I would probably give them another try, and would plan decidedly to use additional bass speakers up to about 200Hz in stereo. In principle such an attempt is proven to work for me (digital x/o), but I didn't try this with the LS50 in particular.
 
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MDZPNMD

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Maybe I shou
The LS50 is for sure o/k, but. The bass is a challenge. I had a pair here at home. It was a, sorry to say, hilarious attempt to use them fullrange. The comparison to 2x12" pro drivers ... may appear a bit unfair. Still, taking the program into account, adjusting the listening level and so forth, it remained quite disapointing in that it didn't convey the fun in music. E/g Crosby Stills Nash and Young, folk rock, I couldn't make it work because of hollow distortions, overload.

Maybe I gave up prematurely. As you ask, I would probably give them another try, and would plan decidedly to use two (!) additional bass speakers up to about 200Hz in stereo. In principle such an attempt is proven to work for me (digital x/o), but I didn't try this with the LS50 in particular.
Thanks, probably gonna hook them up to my old sub/surround system then to get the most out of them until I get a decent new sub.

What would be your go to upgrade from something mid range in sound to something more higher end? I looked at the Neumanns like the KH80 and Kef R3 which both seem like superb choices or maybe the Revel M105
 

fineMen

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... something more higher end? I looked at the Neumanns like the KH80 and Kef K3 which both seem like superb choices
I meant two (!) bass speakers, one at each side driven stereo ;-) As a practible man I'm not in the high-end business, though.
 
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MDZPNMD

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I meant two (!) bass speakers, one at each side driven stereo ;-) As a practible man I'm not in the high-end business, though.
Can you elaborate why 2? In the past a single sub was always recommended to me and besides 1 pair of speakers with integrated subs I never tried 2 subs
 

fineMen

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Can you elaborate why 2? In the past a single sub was always recommended to me and besides 1 pair of speakers with integrated subs I never tried 2 subs
As I said, with the LS50 the bass registers fall a little bit short. Both, in regard to tonality and, sadly, in regard to available clean level. The deficiencies contaminate midrange and even treble. See the review on this board, elsewhere and many comments. There is one site that offers a binaural listening test in comparison to some, actually, huge speaker pair. I can't support the authors conclusion, though. My personal experience is as said, sadly.

So, if you want to go for the LS50, which is a sane decision IMHO, it might be a good plan to compliment the LS50s, each, with a bass speaker that would take over the registers the LS50 cannot deliver too well. These should hence be active at about 200Hz and down which simply rules out some (a) single (b) subwoofer.

Btw., this isn't new. Somebody on the internet offers such a solution for another speaker. A dedicated real bass namely to serve as a 'stand' for the mini speaker. Only I can't remember any name.

Hope this hint helps nevertheless.

ps: the visual design of the LS50 is that significant tiny bit over the top as it just should be. If you're not too much into high-end, and anyway your lifestyle doesn't request for noticeable sound levels, the price is, as you put it, a steal.
 
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MDZPNMD

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As I said, with the LS50 the bass registers fall a little bit short. Both, in regard to tonality and, sadly, in regard to available clean level. The deficiencies contaminate midrange and even treble. See the review on this board, elsewhere and many comments. There is one site that offers a binaural listening test in comparison to some, actually, huge speaker pair. I can't support the authors conclusion, though. My personal experience is as said, sadly.

So, if you want to go for the LS50, which is a sane decision IMHO, it might be a good plan to compliment the LS50s, each, with a bass speaker that would take over the registers the LS50 cannot deliver too well. These should hence be active at about 200Hz and down which simply rules out some (a) single (b) subwoofer.

Btw., this isn't new. Somebody on the internet offers such a solution for another speaker. A dedicated real bass namely to serve as a 'stand' for the mini speaker. Only I can't remember any name.

Hope this hint helps nevertheless.
Thanks , I just never heard of this solution. Do you happen to have a recommendation? Not sure which mini sub I should get for that.

Really thankful for your help
 
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