KEF LS-50 and Reference Line

[RichardAusten]

The Bade is much better than the LS-50. This doesn't mean that at a given audio show the LS-50 won't sound better. Largely standmounts lack bass and bass weight and they induce less room issues. They're easier to set-up properly. Panels that lack bass are extremely popular as well and I suspect with many north American homes using a lot of plaster walls and wooden floors bass will have the floors and walls singing along and marring midrange and the more bass the bigger the issues. In a sense the people saying the LS-50 sounds better aren't wrong in many such rooms they very likely will sound better. But that would be true of say the B&W 805 over the 801 and the Focal Diablo over the Utopia etc.

 

[wisnon]

Well, they were both setup in a large seminar room in Zurich 2012 and the Blades did fail the Chris Jones "cricket test" even when driven with primo Soulution electronics.

See what 6moons sais here:

6moons industry features: HighEnd Swiss 2012

 

[audio.bill]

I've heard the LS50s several times in different setups, with both tube and solid state amplification. I find them to be very coherent with good spatial performance, but there is an inherent leanness and somewhat metallic quality that I find troublesome. I have discussed this with another audiophile friend whose ears I trust, and he said that the R300 eliminates those problems and is a much better balanced overall speaker for only $300 more. He has also heard the new Reference series and confirmed that their performance is in an entirely different league, as you would expect given their prices. He describes their sound as truly amazing and that their performance level justifies the rather large price differential when compared to the lower series. I've got to hear the new Reference line if I get the chance!

 

[CDLehner]

Try some big tube amps on the KEF - amps without frequency limiteres and preferably not amplifiers using Torroid transformers.

Get my big Bertha amp on those KEFs

As stated previously...I also had more success with tubes; even a small-watt 6V6 based IA. I tried moderately powered SS (like a Rega Brio-R), because I read the LS-50s needed the power. The tube IA was an afterthought; I was getting ready to sell it...and wanted to make sure it worked OK, and hear it one last time. I was really surprised, how the LS-50s sounded better than ever before. So I think it's not necessarily power, as we say over in the Dyn thread; but more, good strong current...to push that little Uni-Q around

BTW...another gorgeous LM 219!

I have discussed this with another audiophile friend whose ears I trust, and he said that the R300 eliminates those problems and is a much better balanced overall speaker for only $300 more.

I also really liked the R-300! I had them both, at the same time; so I was able to do a true head-to-head. I never thought of the LS-50 as "metallic"...but I thought their sweet-spot, genre-wise; was much more narrow. If all I was ever going to do, was listen to Jazz...in a small room, with a tube amp; LS-50s would be sweet. But the R-300s are more of an all-arounder.