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KEF LS50 Need Help

I have been auditioning the KEF LS50 for a week now. Very nice speaker overall and clearly understand why it is so well reviewed. The speaker sounded very poor out of the box and loosened up after about 2 hours and finally started to sing. I have 25+ hours on them now (of course KEF says 100-200 needed????).

The bottom line for me is that they do not have enough bottom end for my taste, and the vocals an high pitch violin, etc. can seem too loud and a bit harsh at times. My gut feeling is the speakers will not change much more from now? This is a reference type speaker in my opinion. I guess there is always a thin line between perfect detail and rich soulful sound. I am looking for both (like most people) with a slant towards the rich and soulful side for me. I am upgrading my dedicated listening system from Klipsch KG4. (not a bad speaker by the way, different league of course)

I am considering two options going forward. ($3,000 budget max and prefer closer to $2,000) I kinda knew I would need a sub when I decided to try the LS50.

1.Try a sub (and soon) before my return window expires. SVS SB it most probable to due generous demo policy. The KEF R400 would be nice to try but cost more than the speakers?? I would consider it if gave me the results I want.

2.Return LS50 and find a suitable floor standing that will not need a sub, like Salk Song Tower ($160 shipping each way- bummer), or possibly KEF R line, or other??

I guess I am hoping for some input from those with similar experiences and the choices you ended up making.

My set-up
McIntosh MC 2150 solid state
Parasound Halo P5 pre-amp
Airport express via Toslink to Preamp DAC
Rotel CD player via digital coax to Preamp DAC

I currently use Tributary A1 Silver RCA cables and Tributary 12AWG Speaker wires. Blue jeans digital cables 14 x 19 room carpeted 75% or the area
torxx
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
If Tributaries silver are too bright with a SUBWOOFER, they're too damn bright, period!
ablang
165 posts
 
One more vote to ditch the Tributaries. I used those ICs and speaker cables for many years (still have them) and found the ICs very bright and grainy and the speaker cables grainy in the treble and a bit loose and ill-defined in the bass. I now use Blue Jeans LC-1 ICs and Audioquest Type 4 speaker cables--great values and much more natural sound with solid bass with good pitch definition and smooth treble.

I'm sold on solid-core cables, BTW, for smoother treble--Anti-Cables are great for this too. Since you have Blue Jeans for your digital cables, why not try their other offerings? It's a pretty cheap experiment.
jbltmp
8 posts
 
I recommend you up your budget a bit (I think the quality of your electornics warrants it) and consider the Revel F206 ($3500). I've been auditioning a lot of speakers lately, and they are by far the best value I've come across.

I've heard the LS50's and they are a nice speaker, but the Revels will be a big step up and you shouldn't need a sub.
yyzsantabarbara
4,811 posts
 
"I've heard the LS50's and they are a nice speaker, but the Revels will be a big step up and you shouldn't need a sub. "

To each his own I guess.

I owned the Revel Salon1 for a very long time in a perfectly sized room. This may be heresy for some but I found that I preferred the tweeter and midrange of the LS50 over the Revels. It just sounds so right to me. I have recently listened to the majority of music collection on the LS50's and I am enjoying the music more that I did with the Salons. I had the Salons in an incredible room while the LS50 are shoe horned into my current office space (near-field listening). The Salons bass was otherworldly great and the LS50 don't really go down low. When I owned the Salons I really liked them.

I have also recently compared the LS50's with my Thiel SCS4 monitors on my main rig (it is using my best electronics). I can tell the Thiel drivers are not at the same level of sophistication as the LS50 (using slightly inferior electronics). The 2 drivers on the L550 are just fantastic in my opinion. The Thiels also have way better low end bass compared to the LS50.

If money was taken out of the mix and I was told I could have one of, LS50, SCS4, or Salons. I would take the LS50 since I am having more fun with them than I ever remember with the other 2 speakers. Some of my enjoyment could be related to near-field listening position.
torxx OP
29 posts
 
Well, after much investigation and trepidation I ordered and received a pair of SVS SB12-NSD subs in the piano black finish (which matches the KEF LS50). As some had indicated, the sound just opens up incredibly by adding the subs. The combination is impressive across the entire listening range. I have more than adequate bass availability, however, I am glad I got two subs. I experimented listening sessions with one sub and with two subs, and found the two sub set up to be much more musical. It is like replacing a pair of full range speakers with speaker separates. I would / could be happy with this route from a sound quality perspective, it really sounds great. The customization of the low end is a nice bonus, i.e., adjust to various music styles, etc..

My only issue at this moment is aesthetics. I like the look of LS50, but, not head over heels with it. I wish there was a grill available… Also the subs look nice, and match the speakers nicely, but, they are pretty big. I can’t help but wonder if something like a Salk Song Tower (beautiful looking floor stander) would have similar quality sound as I have put together??
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