The KEF LS50 Metas are pure magic! Hard to beat for an easily placed, all around good loudspeaker. The imaging and sound stage is simply amazing. Depending on the room, add a subwoofer and you'd have to spend 10X more to get a 5% improvement! The Maggies are different. Much more up front and in your face. Amazing on Jazz, quartets, music the likes of Steely Dan, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago......I'll keep both and switch them in and out depending on my mood....
Magnepan LRS in the house!
I've been a Magnepan fan since day one. Recently I decided to trade up from my MMGs to the new LRS. I had someone hot and heavy to buy the MMGs so I let them go a few months ago and called Magnepan to order the new LRS. I was informed that in a couple months there would be a new version of the LRS called LRS+. So I decided to wait on the order and see early reviews. The reviews are way over the top! Some are claiming the best speaker ever made! So time to order, called Magnepan and was told that the current wait was 8-10 months!!!
Si I ordered them and then tried to find a used pair of the older LRS to have something, Magnepan, to listen to over the winter. Luck would have it, there was a like new pair available in Colorado (I'm in Massachusetts). But I was too late...SOLD! Now it gets interesting. I posted a "Wanted To Buy" ad at US Audio Mart.....A fellow, one town over calls me and tells me he bought a pair from a guy in Colorado and when they showed up, his wife said "No Way Jose!"...Get them out of here!.....A plan made in heaven!
He delivered them on Saturday. Sunday morning I woke up early and welded up a set of risers as I read everywhere that using risers and placing the LRS dead vertical really makes them come alive.
Once the pain dried I set them up in the listening room.....Node2i into a Gustard X16 DAC...into a Schiit Freya...Into a Pass Labs First Watt F5v2.....
Oh my! These are NOT older Magnepan MMGs! HUGE improvement! These speakers have bass..Well defined, tight, dynamic base! But the biggest difference is midrange vocals...Not sure the risers are the reason, but vocals are right there! No moving around. I'm still playing with placement for imaging and sound stage, but even just plopped down in the room, they are magnificient!
Going to be a great winter!
