KEF LS50 Loudspeaker Review: A classic in the making... - Ian White, Big Picture Big Sound

Fifty years may not seem to be long, but for speaker manufacturers in 2013, this is eternal.

How many electronics manufacturers can you name that have a history of 50 years? Sony Yamaha Marantz JBL. Of course, in addition to speaker manufacturers, there are other milestones.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom (although now owned by Hong Kong Jinfeng Group), it was founded by Raymond Cooke in 1961 and named after Kent Engineering and Foundry, which once occupied Meades The location of the factory.

The 50-year-old KEF is not that the manufacturer just patted himself on the back and said, "Guys, the next 50 years old, this is really great", but re-launched the brand with a series of new products and attracted Attracted media attention. Drooling, scratching his head and sweating in fierce panic. Scared. Very scared

The loudspeaker, which can be purchased for only US$30,000, is the culmination of many years of driver development and KEF Uni-Q design success. The blade is not the most expensive speaker produced by KEF (Muon-yes, the price is $198,000), but it is clear that the millions of dollars KEF invested in its first two models have been dripped into the rest of their product lineup, including

The 50th anniversary display will retail for US$1,500 per pair.

Can’t tell the rest of the story so quickly, but the LS50 is probably one of the best speakers I’ve heard (and I’ve heard

); Considering their asking price, this is absolutely amazing.

We don't remember the products that have caused such a sensation in recent years. Mainly because it offers a lot of things at such a reasonable asking price. Yes, KEF has absolutely generously provided $1,500 for these speakers.

From the perspective of home theater, the LS50 may not be as practical as KEF's R series. It also utilizes KEF's Uni-Q technology because LS50 is only sold in pairs

. In addition, you may want to use a larger center channel speaker to anchor your home theater system. From a hue point of view, KEF's R200c ($1,000) is very close, but not cheap. However, the R600c ($1,500) is a perfect match, and one of the most expensive center channels we have heard from any manufacturer, so if you can swing around $6,000 for the entire 5.1 device, then It may be a question worth considering.

But back to the current theme, just like the wonders of LS50 in music, they were designed with two-channel audio in mind. As a near-field monitor on a stand in a desktop or study or media room.

The advantage of the Uni-Q driver is that the entire sound-all frequencies from bass to treble-are emitted from one source, resulting in a more accurate image, which is also large. LS50 can easily reproduce the scale, and the improvement of continuity is very obvious.

The quoted frequency response of LS50 is 79Hz-28kHz +/- 3dB, and the sensitivity level of 85dB means you need a suitable amplifier to drive these speakers, but as our tests have proven, you don’t need to spend $5,000 Amplifier to make these speakers sing. The LS50 is rated at 8 ohms, but when you cross 200Hz and enter a higher frequency band, they do drop to between 4-5 ohms. Any amplifier that can present a stable load to 4 ohms will do.

The back port is also very interesting. Put your fingers into the (perverted) interior and you will find that KEF uses closed-cell foam quite creatively. The material and design help reduce the coloration of the port. The cabinet itself is very supportive and is composed of MDF, high-density foam and high-gloss piano black cabinet.

A pair of high-quality binding posts complete the design that the speaker grille does not have. You can stare at that gorgeous rose gold Uni-Q drive 24-7.

Before delving into these sounds, we want to address the setup issues and how to make the most of them if you decide to pull the trigger.

LS50s are rear-mounted displays, so you need to leave some space on the wall behind them. Push them too close to the wall and the bass loses some clarity. You might drop some weight below, but at the expense of details, these speakers excel in this regard.

The LS50 is certainly larger than most monitors. It is 11.9 inches high x 7.9 inches wide x 10.9 inches deep and looks very heavy, each weighing 16 pounds.

Although you can place the LS50 on a credenza or media console (according to our experiments, its height does not exceed 26 inches), they do need to be installed on a suitable shelf. The large, ugly metal shelf contains sand or lenses. The 24"-26" bracket is the highest bracket you should walk. We recommend avoiding the single-post bracket unless the main pipe is really wide and the top plate can accommodate the entire bottom surface of the cabinet.

Where will it stay?

If it can swing, Sound Anchors’ 24-inch 3-post/4-post stand is the best choice I’ve used, but be prepared to spend...wait...$700.00 (a set) I already own a pair of 4-pole stands, It's been 7 years and nothing is closer than this.

Cheaper option?

Atacama, Partington and Apollo are all very good choices. They are popular in the UK and are much cheaper than the Sound Anchor made in the US. If you can find a pair of Target HR brackets, expect to spend at least $350.00.

The sound is best if you can place the LS50 at least 2 feet from the wall behind them and 2-3 feet from the side wall. Give them room to breathe, their imaging capabilities and bass response will impress you.

In terms of wiring and amplification, the LS50's versatility and ability to play with others will surprise you. When considering the use of LS50 speaker cables, please stick to copper-based products such as AudioQuest, Analysis Plus, Nirvana, Kimber, Cardas or Auditorium 23. The LS50 has excellent resolution and mid-range performance, with almost no hint of a $10,000 speaker (so). It is not wrong to spend a little time when using cables for these speakers.

For an 8-foot pair with banana pins, the price of Analysis Plus black oval 12 and 9 speaker cables should be between $240.00-$455.00, and it's hard to justify spending more money. In my accepted unscientific hearing test, the Auditorium 23 speaker cable from Germany is second only to Analysis Plus Black Oval 9, but depending on the length, they will charge an additional $500-600. The real surprise is the AudioQuest X2 bulk cable, which you can pick up at Best Buy for around $4 per foot. If you don't want to use long-distance cables and connect the entire home theater, AQ's flat cheap cables are not as expensive as the cables in Michigan and Schwalbach.

Like the LS50, speaker cables cost $4 per foot, and they are even better with cheap amplification. However, this is not to say that expensive amplifiers will not sound better. Of course they can. In this review, we decided to extract everything and even listen to the LS50 from another place, which allowed us to use the Bel Canto REF500S ($2,500) stereo class D amplifier, which can convert 250 watts per channel The healthy power output is 8 ohms, Parasound Halo A23 amplifier.

At the lowest end, I used the Denon AVR-591 receiver ($400), the Rega Brio-R integrated amplifier ($895) and the Anthem MRX-500 AV receiver (retail price slightly less than $1,500) to drive the LS50.

Denon, which sells for $400, did not humiliate himself, which gave me some understanding of the LS50. It is easy to drive, sounds great in many products, and you don’t have to go crazy, you only need to buy an amplifier for $5,000 to get great sound.

Unless you tend to use excessive clinical solid-state amplification with ultra-high-definition high frequencies, you will not be disappointed. Based on listening, my personal favorite is the $895 Rega Brio-R, which is very suitable for the LS50. Rich and delicate midrange and high-end sound effects, dynamic bass and tight sound field depth.

KEF likes to use the entry-level Parasound Halo amplifier to demonstrate the LS50 at trade shows, so we arranged listening. This combination has high resolution, airiness, and can handle all types of music at a very loud listening level Or movies.

If the KEF LS50 were $7,500, I would say they are overrated, but their sound quality must match some products in that price range that I have heard over the years. Dynaudio Focus 340s, DeVore Fidelity Nines and Sonus Faber CremonaM. No, I'm not kidding. KEF achieved this resolution and consistency in a pair of $1,500 displays, which is quite remarkable.

Is there a better speaker than the LS50 under $5,000? Of course, I like listening to Harbeth, Spendor, Magnepan and Paradigm speakers, but to be honest, I would rather have LS50, or use Rega Brio-R or Anthem MRX-500 to drive them, there are more about high-quality signal sources USB DAC information, and know that I spent my money wisely and went to bed at night.

KEF is a balanced sound design that can handle many small things well. Imaging, detail and microdynamics. For such a small driver, their bass response is deep, tight, and fast. They can fill a large room with high-resolution sound to keep metal and large symphony works in order, but they are also excellent in vocals, chamber music, jazz and blues.

Do they need a subwoofer?

If you plan to use 2 pairs of LS50 and KEF R200c center channel speakers in your home theater, I suggest you add a subwoofer, such as KEF R400b or REL R-218. Both are well integrated with LS50 and are very useful for music and movies.

If you plan to use the LS50 only as music, they will be the best choice if the room is small and medium-sized. If the room is larger than 20 x 13 x 9 feet, I will add one of the above subwoofers and let it handle everything below 80 Hz. If you still plan to watch a movie, then the subwoofer will bring you a truly powerful 2.1 system, which makes it meaningful to keep you entertained for a long time.

Watch

The LS50 used with REL R-218 is a pretty good experience. The stereo presentation is not as fascinating as the 5.1 setting, but there is little in terms of dynamics, midrange or LFE content. The theme of Adele winning the Oscar laid the foundation for one of the best Bond opening chase sequences, and we were hooked on the first note.

After switching to music, KEF is really good at reproducing the human voice. Adele, Richard Thompson, Nick Cave, Sam Cooke, and Nina Simone’s Gestalt has almost no speakers Reappear. LS50's copying methods are different, only adding enough warmth and detail to make it more obvious.

Has KEF ever tripped?

When using Denon AVR-591, I hear that the hardness of the treble will become annoying with the passage of time, but when I hear more and more products, I realize that the function of LS50 is only determined by your choice of amplifier and signal Source limitation. For a $1,500 speaker, that's pretty remarkable. LS50s can work well with a large number of products, and their versatility makes it possible for them to find a home in many systems, which is very troublesome for competitors.

KEF America / GP Acoustics (US distributor)

10 Timber Lane

Marlboro, New Jersey 07746

ph: (732) 683-2356

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