I'm taking the KEF LS50 Plunge

Mr Owl

Active Member
I have a set of A/D/S 1290's, and I love them, but there's something about a set of bookshelves that turns my head. And I want something modern next to those vintage beauties.

I've been reading about these, and going by reviews, and what people are saying in those reviews, tell me this might be what I am looking for (I used to have a set of Anthony Gallo Acoustics floorstanders I sold last year, and I miss their magical imaging that the ADS simply cannot do.) Still, $1300 is really more than I want to spend on bookshelves...

So last night I'm online, and I check Music Direct, and there's one pair, in beautiful black with the rose gold, "open box" (full mfg. warranty, 60-day return window), for $899.

*Click*

They should be here later this week.
 
I have a set of A/D/S 1290's, and I love them, but there's something about a set of bookshelves that turns my head. And I want something modern next to those vintage beauties.

I've been reading about these, and going by reviews, and what people are saying in those reviews, tell me this might be what I am looking for (I used to have a set of Anthony Gallo Acoustics floorstanders I sold last year, and I miss their magical imaging that the ADS simply cannot do.) Still, $1300 is really more than I want to spend on bookshelves...

So last night I'm online, and I check Music Direct, and there's one pair, in beautiful black with the rose gold, "open box" (full mfg. warranty, 60-day return window), for $899.

*Click*

They should be here later this week.
Damn! I paid full price for mine in 2014(I think) and they were worth it. Amazing little speakers, is all I can say.
 
I didn't see that (maybe for a sale they did, though). They were a steady 1299 everywhere I looked.
If you were selling them and had a few that were meant to gather-in 1299, would you be the first to lower your price in a market where everyone else is getting 1299?
 
Yea, so I read, but not for me. I'm still getting used to my Yamaha taking a bluetooth signal and sending it to my speakers via wire. One step at a time!
the active LS50s are double the price, that makes no sense to pay double, when we all have power amps. The actives are for people with $$ to waste , that cant hook up a system.
 
Ls 50 placement is different then your other speakers, dont toe them in. I would consider the 2017 R300s on sale, they are essentially the LS50 uniQ with a added low frequency driver. I have them, they are amazing , some LS 50 owners eventually look for more low end, that is what the R300 is. But the LS50 is a great speaker.
 
the active LS50s are double the price, that makes no sense to pay double, when we all have power amps. The actives are for people with $$ to waste , that cant hook up a system.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, and I certainly don't want to argue with you, but I believe you might be uninformed here.

The LS50 Wireless features include:
  1. A time correcting DSP crossover.
  2. Factory-optimised 230-watt x 2 amplification in a bi-amp dual mono configuration (200 to the woofers and 30 to the tweeters)
  3. 192kHz/24-bit high-resolution DACs.
  4. A selectable EQ tuned to compensate for different mounting scenarios.
  5. A range of connectivity options, including Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Asynchronous USB, TOSLINK Optical, and RCA Analog.
So really it is like getting a pair of speakers, amps, preamp, dac, DSP, etc all optimized for this speakers, in an attractive package. That plus I can have my music server in another room and not cluttering up a listening area.

Many folks have dreamed of having a nice system that looks like this.

Screen Shot 2019-02-12 at 7.24.51 AM.png
 
olson_jr, that setup looks really nice, clean and simple. I was wondering if you found the active KEF LS50s were as critical with placement as the passive LS50s. My wife wanted a similar setup in our family room and I tried the passive LS50s on a cabinet similar in size to your cabinet. We tried them for several weeks to allow for break-in but the sound was never right. They didn't sound bad but just constrained is the best word I can use. Everything I read, said they need to be on stands and placement is critical. Also the passives are particular about the electronics and maybe mine were not up to the task. We ended up with bookshelf speakers that were designed to go close to a wall. I really like your setup, even the white cabinets which I would not think to choose.
 
olson_jr, that setup looks really nice, clean and simple. I was wondering if you found the active KEF LS50s were as critical with placement as the passive LS50s. My wife wanted a similar setup in our family room and I tried the passive LS50s on a cabinet similar in size to your cabinet. We tried them for several weeks to allow for break-in but the sound was never right. They didn't sound bad but just constrained is the best word I can use. Everything I read, said they need to be on stands and placement is critical. Also the passives are particular about the electronics and maybe mine were not up to the task. We ended up with bookshelf speakers that were designed to go close to a wall. I really like your setup, even the white cabinets which I would not think to choose.


Um... I do not think that is olson_jr's place. if it were, he might be biased a bit ;-)

http://us.kef.com/ls50-wireless
 
Oh, no wonder it looks so good. It is from the KEF site. I just assumed he posted a picture of his setup. Interesting that KEF shows the active LS50s so close to walls in their ads. I am not sure if the passive LS50s can be placed that close and sound proper.
 
Congrats! LS50 is a fine speaker and you will enjoy them. Stellar performance for a very reasonable price!
 
@olson_jr you need to stop before I decide to keep mine, when I need to sell them LOL! Man they are tough to get rid of though. Just a slick package, super well made, and good sound!
 
I have a set of A/D/S 1290's, and I love them, but there's something about a set of bookshelves that turns my head. And I want something modern next to those vintage beauties.

I've been reading about these, and going by reviews, and what people are saying in those reviews, tell me this might be what I am looking for (I used to have a set of Anthony Gallo Acoustics floorstanders I sold last year, and I miss their magical imaging that the ADS simply cannot do.) Still, $1300 is really more than I want to spend on bookshelves...

So last night I'm online, and I check Music Direct, and there's one pair, in beautiful black with the rose gold, "open box" (full mfg. warranty, 60-day return window), for $899.

*Click*

They should be here later this week.
I took the LS50 plunge as well. They are wonderful speakers with loads of detail and great imaging. I bought them for the same reasons you did - they're modern, sleek, stunning, compact, and well-reviewed.

In my personal opinion, they lacked the depth and dynamics of the larger speakers I've had (even in a 2.1 standmount configuration with my SVS sub). They seemed to strain a bit when I cranked rock and metal. I ended up trading mine for the Boston Acoustics Lynnfield 500Ls I have now.

Your mileage may vary. A lot of people love these speakers and consider these (or the active version) as their endgame. It wasn't for me.
 
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for bookshelf placement you'd need a speaker that does not have a rear port, and/or not
require stands for placement
I have mine in a 'bookshelf' as seen in the photo, and let me tell you, they sound fantastic.
Now, I have them pulled out so that the entire curved face is beyond the bookshelves,(they were actually designed this way, the feet are recessed enough that you can do this and it's still standing on all four feet) and the shelve is open backed, so no 'bounce' from the rear wall of the shelves, but I tell you what, they sound nearly as good as the Magnepan 2.5R and Infinity RS 2b that flanks them, so the claim that they 'Have' to be on stands is overblown.


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sorry for the messy room, lots of moves and unpacking in the last few days,so it's not pristine, but look where the speakers are, they sound fantastic there, and more then once, I've fooled myself as to which speaker is running at any given moment.
 
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