It's going to cost a bit more but it sounds like ATC SCM 11's would be the way to go. They are a completely different level of performance and well worth the extra money.
KEF LS50... The ultimate anal-ytical speaker for living rooms?
I am looking for a VERY revealing with razor-sharp imaging type of bookshelf, but not the cost of TOTAL loss of musicality.... In other words, not necessarily full range, but at least balanced - not something that starts to roll-off at 200hz... They would be listened to mid-field, 6-7ft away in a somewhat open space. Could it be the ls50, or is there anything else around their price-point? Thx for suggestions...
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Slightly higher than your price point, but I recently heard the Dynaudio Special Forty and it sounded amazing. The imaging and musicality, both were awesome. It was in a fairly big demo room at the dealer. Another one close to your budget that baffled me at AXPONA this year was the ATOHM GT1-HD. I liked these better than the KEFs. |
Chris we sell 3 of the four speakers mentioned here. We do sell the KEF LS 50 we sell the Athom and we sell the ATC's Each has its own strenths, the Athoms are really amazing and are better than the LS 50, but the Athoms are also way more expensive. The ATC SCM 11 are also marevelous. The LS 50 for the money is very impressive, but doesn't have the range of either of the more expensive speakers. The ATC are a bit more laid back but have a fantastic tight bass response. The nice thing with the ATC is that they are $2500 so still quite affordable. Dave owner Audio Doctor NJ |
You did not mention price or room size, only sound quality, so I am recommending the KEF Reference 1 bookshelf. There is one available today on A’Gon for about $6K used. It is a great stand mount speaker. Read the soundstage.com review it reads like what you are searching for. I have decided to get this speaker for my office once I move. It will replace the passive KEF LS50 which will move to the bedroom. I think the LS50 is ideal on a desktop (on small Isoaccoustic stands) or in a bedroom. So in a small room for near-field listening. |
Thanks for all these recommendations! If I had the $$$, the ATC, Dynaudio, KEF reference 1 would definitely be in my living room. But with a son in college, l have to not look in that direction. I am currently looking at LS50s because I have been trying some kef q100s this week. The one remarkable quality in these is their capacity to image and their transparency... they reveal a lot more what's in recordings, which is double edge as they are merciless with so so masterings or sources. But they stop there. They roll-off below 200hz, with some peaks here and there, are "hot' with undesirable colorations, and they sound really thin, almost smaller than their size would indicate. THey were probably meant just for surrounds in affordable HT setups. But if the Q100s are what the MMGs are to Magnepan's bigger panels, then I am thinking that the LS50s edition must have what's missing with the Q100... Only one way to find out, right? I'll try to get a pair for home audition. thx again for your comments. |
I really want to say try a used set of ProAc’s like the Tablet or any in that model rang over the years. possibly the Response 1sc, 1.5 if you can take a small floor model. Great imaging speaker huge width and depth and detailed but not in your face detailed more refined then most smaller speakers for the size and money. ProAc speakers are known for their musicality and imaging, they play nice with tubes only thing they may not do enough of is the hard edges you like but the newer you get the more refined they get. you could also almost buy a new set for the same price as the LS50 of the current tablet 10. in either ported or none ported versions. I started my Audiophile journey in the proac Line, still miss them to this day. |
I'm using a pair of LS50s driven by Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp and VX-5 amp. They are supplemented below 100 Hz by a pair of Velodyne HGS-10s and SMS-1 bass manager with acoustic room correction. Sources are Ayre C-5xeMP, Oppo 205, and files managed by Roon through an Ayre QX-5 Digital Hub. The sound is excellent, even for large orchestrations, and a delight for jazz and baroque. db |
Chrisr, The top end of the LS50 is detailed and just a revelation to me. I have wrote on here many time at how much I prefer the top end of the LS50 over the top end of my previous speaker, Revel Salon 1 (a $20K speaker). You need to lower your expectations in terms of room size and bass. On a near-field setup, such has my desktop in a small office, it is excellent. |
One thing that most LS50 owners agree on is the SQ of the speakers depend greatly on how much good power you feed them. I don't own a pair but have heard them in three or four different systems, including dealer showrooms, and the SQ ranged from mediocre to excellent mostly based on the partnering amplifier. Something to keep in mind. |
I may be in the minority, but I don't find LS50's to be very analytical, in fact, compared to other monitors I think they color the sound slightly as to add a slight sweetness to everything. Perhaps an active monitor would suit your needs better. I also agree with the ATC SCM11 recs as they are a more accurate sounding monitor to me. Another option could be one of the Amphion monitors. |
We have a pr of B stock LS-50 factory sealed with full warranty they were used at the CEDIA show and repacked by KEF for $999.00 for the pair plus shipping ...piano black good listening stephen www.questforsound.com |
I just bought a pair of these. I’m in the process of installing my system in a new house, but I couldn’t resist doing a quick and dirty hookup to my BAT VK-300x integrated amp and Sony SACD player. Sitting on a shelf about 10 inches in front of the wall behind them, they produced too much bass. I used the supplied foam plugs, as recommended, and things were in balance. I would say they did a creditable job of reproducing the fundamentals of a double bass in Ray Brown jazz quartet “Soular Energy.” The vibrating body of the bass was convincingly reproduced at moderately loud levels (80 dB average) in a medium sized room that is part of an open floor plan house. Interestingly, the “weight” of a full symphony orchestra was less convincing, so I don’t think I’ll sell my sub (which was not connected). However, jazz and rock was well done as was solo acoustic piano. The top end is extended, but not aggressive. Sadly, as is often the case when a component is upgraded, other weaknesses in the playback chain become evident. In my case, the failures of Red Book CD became more evident (poor high frequency transients) although SACD playback was very nice. Hopefully, when I get everything hooked up to my 1.5 kw balanced power supply, CD playback will improve. This is a very, very good speaker but probably needs more expensive amplification than one would normally consider for a $1700 pair of speakers. The BAT listed new at $7000 when I bought it some years ago. |
Another suggestion would be some ELAC monitors - the REAL ELACs that are made in Germany using their own drivers, including the famous JET tweeter. There’s a nice pair of BS 403 monitors on ebay right now that might be perfect for you: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELAC-BS-403-Walnut-Bookshelf-Speakers-/222675601445?epid=26006500120&has... |
For $995.00 shipped consider the Airpulse model 1 active speakers from Phil Jones. I promise you won't be disappointed. Never mind the price just excellent all around monitors with great bass. More people need to here these especially if component and cabling clutter is an issue in your listening room |
I don’t know much about what analytical sound is. I just play some of my favorite music in store when I can, and then look for my emotional reaction to the sound. I listened to a pair of Harbeth P3ESRs powered by the entry Primaluna tube amp at a store in San Jose called the Analog Room, and then a pair of Harbeth 30.1s powered by a more powerful Prima Luna amp, and was totally captivated. I listened to Kind of Blue (near,y the whole album), and Dire Straits’s eponymous album. Both sets sounded quite wonderful with the same music. For the size, and independent of the size, the sound from the tiny P3s in the store was quite unbelievable at all volumes. The very next week, I bought a pair of used Harbeth 30.1s for 3500 dollars, and am very happy, in an empty wood floor living room. They are currently paired with a used (750 dollars), Peachtree Nova 220SE. I also own a pair of KEF LS50s on isoacoustic stands which I have been enjoying for circa nine months with a Naim Nait 5si. They are being shipped from India and I should soon be able to try them side to side with both the amps. Do look at Harbeth. |
Yessir, I entered a sweepstakes by Essence for HiRes Audio a few months ago where I had to write a blurb about why I should win them. I guess they liked it! The swepstakes entry link was posted on FB and I was already intrigued with the Airpulse speakers. If I may ask, are you using the dedicated stands or something else? I will definitely try to post my impressions soon. |
No, I don't have the dedicated stands but plan on purchasing them, for the price they seem to be a no brainer and match the speakers. I'm currently using existing stands I purchased from Parts Express many years ago. These speakers are not desktop monitors and definitely require stands Cant really find any professional reviews for these to speak of aside from A Taiwanese group who gave them a pretty glowing review, again congrats and do let us know what you think |
The Airpule Model 1's are indeed incredibly good. They are still breaking in but the bass is some of the best I've ever heard. The imaging is great, especially in near field with some toe in. These are very very neutral sounding speakers that are very revealing like the best studio monitors, but the ribbon tweeters make them totally non-fatiguing and more fun to listen to. |
I've had a pair of Kef LS50s for almost two years and they continue to amaze me. My listening room is quite small (11' x 12') and I'm convinced that the coincident/coaxial driver design offers a coherent sound that multi-driver speakers can not match in a near-field listening situation. As always, YMMV. |
