KEF LS50 vs. Monitor Audio Silver2

I'm a fan of MA gear, but this ones a no brainer, LS50s are In a different league.

Add a little sub to the KEFs if you think they need more juice.

My friend just traded in his LS50's.
His room is average size ,he listens at moderate to low levels,and nothing he listens to has large scale dynamics.
He also listens in the near field and he has added room treatment devices in the corners and first reflection areas.

I thought the Ls50's were very good in this room.
I also thought that the MMG magnepans also sounded great.

But somewhere in the few months he owned both(never broken in I think)he felt they both lacked body or were a bit tipped up in the treble.
Someone mentioned the LS50 were tipped up in the upper frequencies(I wouldn't say that from what I heard)and so that's what he always heard from his system.Too much treble.

I thought the Kefs were good and ticked all his boxes that they would have been his last speaker.
Alas they were traded in on a pair of used floor standers that he felt was better.
Then he traded in his integrated for a new pre-amp power amp set up, and then traded in the power amp, next he is thinking about speakers again.

I never felt my friend needed to add a sub but I've never heard a bass heavy sound from his system(WAF).
Still for my tastes(panels,large full range stats and Tannoy HPD)I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much sound the Kefs project, and how coherent and balanced that sound was, similar to panel sound.

Maybe that was the reason he didn't like them, he's not into panel sound,but prefers cones, and coloured cones at that.

Never heard the Monitor Audio, but I can say that the LS50 and all the hype surrounding them,were one of the finest cone speakers I've heard, regardless of cost and size.

In my book, they would have been a keeper,and upgrade the rest of my system to their level.

Doggiehouser, Thanks for the post, I appreciate it. The Pioneers are doing a great job for me so maybe there is a chance I would like what the LS50 could do in my room. Thanks for sharing your results with them in a larger room.

Mapman, thanks for your thoughts. Sub may be the way to go if I try the LS50.

Jcksnssn:
Need to decide quickly between used KEFLS50s and new MA SIlver Rx2 or SIlver 2. I....

What's your hurry? It's commendable that you mention the electronics, but for speakers this small, it would help immensely to mention room size. Also, "classical" music can mean a lot of things, from solos and small ensembles to 100-piece orchestral extravaganzas plus pipe organ and vocals.

If you want some professional insight on just how extraordinary the LS50s are, check out the Stereophile review and especially Stephen Mejias' followup. Note that the Dec. 2013 issue named the LS50 Stereophile's Budget Product and Overall Component of the Year, the only time that has ever happened.

ls50s + subs are a reasonable way to go in a larger room.

I would hesitate to use them solo in a large room though. Only so much can be done in such a small package.

I suspect the room is a little too large :) needs more coffee before I translate the feet into metres :)

I am using the KEF LS50 in a 4x3m room.

I did use it in my media room which is about 4.5x6.5m and I thought it lacked a bit of presence that my Thiel CS3.7s did in the same room.

But it should outperform your Andrew Jones Pioneer bookshelf speakers in the same room.

Doggiehowser, would you recommend the LS50 in a 26x23'X8-10'ceiling room? I'm completely satisfied with the sound I'm getting from my Pioneer SP-BS22-LR stand mount speakers and I'm thinking I might give the LS50s a try. Something tells me my room is just a bit too big though. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
'

I can't say I am a big fan of Monitor Audio gear but I do love my LS50s. I think it's telling that KEF puts the LS50 in its top tier of speakers (over the Qs the Rs etc)

But it isn't the ideal speaker for large rooms. Where do you intend to use the speakers?