~$6K mini-monitor recommendations?
Have not heard the Boenicke W5 as desktop but 6moons tried them and said they work there too. They will of course image better with a normal setup. Great speakers in any case. https://6moons.com/audioreviews/boenicke5/1.html |
Man, those LS50’s are super sweet in a nearfield application... I know they lack dynamics and slam, in addition to being a little light in the bass. What is your front end equipment driving them? 2 options not yet mentioned would be Fritz or Salk. Salk’s wow 1 came to mind. Spendor, ProAc, Harbeth, ATC, and Dynaudio should be considerations too. |
What do you expect to get that the Kef LS50 can't deliver? I think you will just be throwing money away.I think the same thing. I am going to both upgrade my electronics to use with my LS50's and also buy a bigger "bookshelf" speaker to keep in the same office as the LS50's, the Yamaha NS5000. The Yamaha is much better than the LS50's ($15k) and also has a almost full range sound. Crazy as this sounds I plan on placing the LS50's on Isoacoustic stands and place them on top of the NS5000 when in use, otherwise on a side bookshelf. I am keeping the LS50's because it is an incredible monitor and I will use it until it falls apart. I do know that better electronics brings out the best in the KEF's. BTW - If you are set on up grading and like the LS50 sound the KEF Reference 1 is a great choice. |
I own the Harbeth M30.1 and the Harbeth P3ESR. I think for your application the P3ESR would be a better fit. I have owned many of this type of speaker, Spendor, Kef, etc. and the P3ESR is my favorite of the lot. The KEF LS50 is not a BBC type speaker. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=harbeth+p3esr+review&view=detail&mid=5D7EB69CCEBBAAE793... |
What amp are you using and approx what are the distances the speakers will be from the desk/side walls/rear walls? Many of the recommendations you’re getting are totally wrong for nearfield placement close to boundaries! At least start with models designed for nearfield. From the pro world: e.g. ATC SCM12 Pro (passive), Focal Shape 65 (active). Harbeth P3ESR or LS3/5as should work, too, being sealed and very small. |
Spendor D1 (discontinued) if you can find them. Dealer I bought my Spendor D1’s from is licensed Spendor and Kef dealer and told me no comparison between D1’s and LS50’s. Of course the Spendors are double the msrp, so there’s that, but still well below your $6k budget. Hard part is finding them new. I have Spendor D1 and SA1 (Spendor last two top-of-line mini monitors), and I find the D1’s to completely outperform the SA1’s in every way (but I am admittedly very partial to the LPZ in-house Spendor tweeter used in all D Series speakers as compared to the old 3rd party soft dome tweeter that the the Classics and A series use). Spendor and Kef are both of the BBC speaker lineage, so if you are looking for that classic Brit sound, worth a look. Note that both D1 and SA1 are sealed (acoustic suspension), so I use a subwoofer with both as there is not a lot of deep base extension, as you’d expect. I have heard the LS50’s but only casually; have never given them a serious audition so I don’t have a personal opinion on strengths/differences between the two, but my dealer had both as demo’s for years and had compared them over many different amp/source combos. |
I owned the Raidho X-1s for a stretch. They are amazing when listened to at a distance, spaced 9’ apart and with 2-3 feet of clearance behind them. If setup isn’t perfect, they are not a special speaker. Just because a speaker is not rear ported does not mean distance to back wall is irrelevant. What is your projected distance behind the speakers? What about spacing between them? |
