KEF LS50 Meta

johnnotkathi

I really wouldn't care if someone else considers a speaker to be "audiophile", because that is subjective.....and often related to budget. My $3,000 Clayton Shaw Caladans (which are great speakers), would not be considered audiophile by a great many.

Before I bought mine, I did a comparison for bookshelf speakers, with: Buchardt Audio S400 MKIIs ($2,400), KEF LS50s ($1,600), Philharmonic BMRs ($2,000), and Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2-EX ($1,700). They are all really good speakers in the $2,000 price range, but in the end I chose the Buchardt S400 MKIIs.

The KEF LS50 Meta were great in my office, where I was listening about 5' away. However when I moved them to my main system (about 8' from listening position), they could not compete.....as other have said, I think they are near field speakers.

In my room the Buchardts and the BMRs were the cream of the crop, and I could have been happy with either. The BMRs were back ordered about 4 months, and I am impatient, so kept the Buchardts....and have not regretted that decision, but I've often thought about the Philharmonic BMRs.

grislybutter,

That is true, buying used can certainly be a better way to purchase audio components. I just posted that because it was my experience, as I purchased new. The feeling about the speakers remains the same however, and each can be purchased used right now...at 30% to 40% off of new prices.