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thanks for the write - up; they sound great value.
Need to be paired with a good musical sub
this is the problem with so many speakers; and then the problem of where to put the sub, whether to have one or two, whether to run it at line level or via speakers connections...
I'd really like a sub to go with my Spendor A6. But logistically, it's a challenge.
ChasnotRobert
@freddo
Ok so short review of the Kef LS50s. For context I also own a pair of R300s, I know the Kef house sound and so have a good point of reference to compare.
Physically these are not bookshelf speakers. They need to be mounted on decent (heavy) stands and placed carefully. The flexible rear firing port works best when the speaker is reasonably close to a wall. My room is 4m x 7m with lots of reflection.
The good:
Extremely precise, these are more detailed than anything else I’ve heard, even in the price bracket above. Voicing and soundstage are equally impressive. Most impressively they’re fast, there’s none of that hang you get with cheaper drivers which can muddy the sound of complex, dynamic tracks.
The so-so
If anything they’re slightly too clinical. I think this is because of their main drawback which is that they lack any meaningful delivery in the mid and upper bass range. Instead there’s a slight boom in the lower bass range which doesn’t feel all that controlled. I guess this is the design of the port; for most people this won’t be an issue but coming from the additional 6.5” driver in the R300s I notice it considerably.
Summary
Superb speakers and an absolute steal at £500 s/h. Would probably need to spend >£2k used to step up in quality and my ears aren’t good enough to justify that. I’ll definitely keep them for a small / medium room set up. Need to be paired with a good musical sub and port bungs to round off the drop off below 200Hz. Otherwise £600 gets you a pair of used R300s which IMO are far better all rounders, especially for a bigger room. Don’t bother with either unless you’re spending good money on decent stands and you’ve got an amp that’s capable of keeping up. For me the biggest learning here was how much benefit a heavy, solid stand brings to a standmount speaker.