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LS50 Wireless fail, or is old gear that good?

After ready so much positive info on the LS50W, I gave them a try but was massively disappointed compared to my (much) older gear.
I set up the LS50's via Ethernet and WiFi playing HiRes files from NAS and Tidal via Roon, then compared the same tracks via WiFi to Roon on an iPhone>Dragonfly Red>ARC SP9 (1987)>Threshold amp (1980's)>Martin Logan Aerius i (1999). Wasn't even close.
Especially on female vocals, the sense of realism, timbre, air, etc was notably superior on the old system. I played around with the KEF DSP, room placement and even switched rooms.I really wanted the KEF's to work, but no luck.

So, am I missing something with the LS50W, or is the old stuff just that good?

tcbrinkley

Showing 1 response by tom6897

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tom6897
1,484 posts
 
IMHO, I think it is the difference between the active vs passive LS50. I have the passives and the are fast, transparent and musical with good bass when properly placed and mounted on stands. Powered by SimAudio Moon i3.3 in my second system. The class “A” biasing doesn’t hurt either. Using Morrow Audio SP6 and MA4 cables. 

See if you can trade out of the actives. That is why I went with the passive LS50 Anniversary model. You get to pick the amplifier and cables to YOUR liking not someone else’s idea of what sounds proper in your room with your ears and your music!
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