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Upgrade to a kef ls60
- Thread starter meracus
- Start date
Totally difference ballpark so just throwing this out for fun. But how do you think LS60/4329p would compare to KEF Reference 3 non-meta? I'm a bit hesitant to go that route since I'll need to budget for a good amp down the road, and might be overkill for the space I have. But it's truly an endgame speaker from what I've read.
Palmer Orbit 11, there are big threads at asr about it.
Good speaker. Very expensive. The pros compared to LS60 are it can play louder and there are much fewer things to go wrong. Cons are you need external amp.. Considerably bigger so harder to place. For the price of one pair of reference 3 you can buy 3 pair of ls60.
It really depends on your room and your WAF if you have one
Budget in a subwoofer, too. The KEF KC62 would be perfect.
I’d stick with the LS60s. They’re quite special.
Part of the beauty of the LS60s is the total integration of the electronics.
Amp hunting to compliment loudspeakers is like going down a rabbit hole.
Personally, it drives me nuts, which is why I got them rather than getting new speakers.
Plus my electronics are all pretty old at this point …
Dual LINN LK280, NAIM NAT 112 preamp, NAIM CD 3.5, NAIM FlatCap 2 power supply for preamp and CD.
I have the CD 3.5 and FlatCap 2 connected to the LS60s. Win-Win!
Nope. Unless you must have kc62 because of space. There are better options at same price
Maybe. But they’re also not designed to work seamlessly with the LS60s.
There’s a lot to be said for a simple, fast, pain-free setup.
I'll assume you have no buzzing from your KC62? There seems to be a lot of internet chatter around that particular sub making some not so great noises. I don't believe all that much of what I read on the internet and I'm not currently in the market, but since you have some love for it and own one I'm curious if you have followed any of these buzzing conversations or had any issues yourself?
No buzzing. I have two KC62s connected to my LS60s.
I’ve seen mention of buzzing, but as you say, it’s the internet and one person’s trouble can get blown up into full scale catastrophe.
I had one KC62 for about a year until deciding to add a second. Read lots of stuff about dual subs, though.
seamlessly is one thing, bass output is usually the deciding factor. Integrating subs into a sound system, while not trivial, is not difficult either, so you don't have to pay more for less performance, just for the convenience
Performance isn’t an issue with the KC62s at all.
Small size and ease of placement in a relatively small apartment are huge issues.
terryforsythe
Major Contributor
Both are good speakers. I suggest you read these reviews (or watch the associated videos):
KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review
KEF LS60 Wireless Powered Speaker Review
www.erinsaudiocorner.com
In a 15' x 15' x 15' room either will be fine. I have my LS60 speakers in a 13.8' x 11.8' x 12.2' room, and they will play signifcantly louder than I ever would want to listen, even without a subwoofer. I had no intention of getting a subwoofer for mine, but I inherited a SVS SB-1000 Pro and figured I would give it a shot. It adds a little below 30Hz, but I would not go out and buy one for the LS60s unless I had them in a much bigger room.
Here are a couple of LS60 reviews from Stereophile magazine.
KEF LS60 Wireless loudspeaker They're Not Just Speakers | Stereophile.com
Sidebar 1: They're Not Just Speakers I undertook this review thinking of the LS60s as a pair of powered loudspeakers with some additional features and concentrated on how they performed on those terms. However, their ability to accept and perform well with almost any music source puts them in a...
KEF LS60 Wireless loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
I became interested in hi-fi well before the stereo era, at a time when DIY was a significant part of the hobby. In store catalogs of the time, as much or more space was devoted to raw speaker drivers and enclosures than to complete speaker systems.
- Thread Starter
- #34
I’m the OP
For what it’s worth , I ended up buying an ls60 because of new tv and overall look in the room and I thought what the heck , I already have a 4329p I went ahead and bought one despite being kind of inadequate for the room it was in ( 33 sqm )
To be honest , not much of a much … you will be debating pepper mill coarseness results … it’s good sound on both , I would take the exagération of one camp over the other with a grain of salt … there’s nothing in it really , I tarted up my 4329 … and it looks kinda classier the the blue ls60 ( quite a dull finish and pretty cheesy ) I thought it would be like the royal blue of the meta r3 ( incidentally an owner of one )
I should have opted for the grey but the blue was heavily discounted
For what it’s worth , I ended up buying an ls60 because of new tv and overall look in the room and I thought what the heck , I already have a 4329p I went ahead and bought one despite being kind of inadequate for the room it was in ( 33 sqm )
To be honest , not much of a much … you will be debating pepper mill coarseness results … it’s good sound on both , I would take the exagération of one camp over the other with a grain of salt … there’s nothing in it really , I tarted up my 4329 … and it looks kinda classier the the blue ls60 ( quite a dull finish and pretty cheesy ) I thought it would be like the royal blue of the meta r3 ( incidentally an owner of one )
I should have opted for the grey but the blue was heavily discounted
Thanks everyone for your opinions, very helpful. I have an opportunity to get a pair of used KEF Reference 3 non-meta for about the same price as a pair of brand new LS60, hence my questions. The 4329p is ~25% cheaper but need to factor in the stand cost as well. I don't think I can listen loud enough for any of these speaker to edge out the other - my LS50w already get very loud with a sub. Currently leaning towards the Reference 3 since it's such a good deal and endgame speakers, but I know I'll be digging myself into an equipment rabbit hole if I get it, and I've been eyeing the LS60 ever since they were released as well. Decisions...
I think dual KC92 is more like it , but get a good price ( I did ) . Well LS60 has preset for kefs own subs , but they are not as useful as one might think it works but for best results you still need to bring out a microphone and do some PEQ integration and measure the results with different settings on the sub xover in the LS60 .
I wonder if one KC62 simply is to small ?
There are limitations in the LS60 sub integration there are no latency settings ( delaye time ) and it’s simply unknown if they factored their own subs latency into this , but this is also placement dependent so they really can’t do that either.
Even I’ve reached good results. I think Kef should improve the advanced settings in the LS60 and offer PEQ and room correction ( they undersell thier product as a lifestyle item it is mini high end system )
The Reference 3s look amazing, but the level and quality of power you’d want to drive them could be eye watering.
If it were me it’d be bi-amp/bi-wiring to start. I have no idea what brand to look at. But I’d assume you’ll spend a lot to drive them properly.
My now retired wired system is dual LINN amps and NAIM preamp, CD and power supply.
The LS50s or LS60s are a totally different philosophy. An entire self-contained system. And reasonably priced.
For me, they’re about accuracy, inner musical detail and musical space. The LS60s deliver on all of it. They look cool and just fun to have.
I’ve been a regular concert goer since high school, Boston Symphony, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera. Organ and choral concerts.
When I travel I try to catch concerts. So I know how music played in real spaces sounds like. From small ensembles to vast orchestras and chorus.
The LS60s are absolutely great. I don’t play music super loud, but they CAN play really loud.
The openness, non-boxiness of the sound is impressive. With good recordings you can hear the hall, too!
Good luck figuring it all out.
My apartment is too small and I can’t afford two KC92s.
I don’t want my downstairs neighbors to hate me for cranking Wagner or Shostakovich, either.
I had one KC62 for about a year. It was great. I made the mistake of reading about dual subs and caught the upgrade bug.
I would have been content with just one, though.
Dual subs made an immediate difference. Soundstage opened and overall detail increased.
Agreed. KEF could have made more adjustments possible.
As it is it works really quite well.
A purifi based amp at 1/10 price of the speaker would be more than enough.
- Thread Starter
- #40
Get a 60 if your room is 15x15 … you will save money and get about the same given a sane spl … the difference on spec and results will not be noticeable … you probably reach peak with the 60
I can’t see a passive doing better then an ls60 …. Its often on par even worse sometimes
The 60 is optimised and has everything to switch on and listen …
I can’t see a passive doing better then an ls60 …. Its often on par even worse sometimes
The 60 is optimised and has everything to switch on and listen …
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