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Changing it Up! Part Deux

I wish you'd just get the KEF already..... Cause I want to hear your opinions on them!

Like you said, I have yet to read a review that doesn't 'gush' over them.

jaz
 
You asked for a reviewer who doesn't gush over them - you found him - me.

I've heard em three times - I want to like them - they look cool and the price is sane - and it's generally a good brand.

I'll keep trying but they sound kinda hi-fi to me. And they're good at Hi-Fi. Which no doubt gets a lot of intellectual respect.
 
I remember that you didn't like them. That's why I was careful to say "nearly universal" praise. Probably isn't a product that everyone likes. I haven't bought anything yet. Gotta wait until the home refi closes. Should be very soon.
 
I listened to them as well but they didn't convince me for long-term non-fatiguing listening.

They were kind of brighter sounding than what I like; they were paired with a Marantz amp though.
 
didge70 said:
I listened to them as well but they didn't convince me for long-term non-fatiguing listening.

They were kind of brighter sounding than what I like; they were paired with a Marantz amp though.
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I was getting a similar result when I had them paired with a Benchmark DAC2 HGC/Parasound Halo A23 combo. With my current setup I'm not getting any of that.
 
RGA said:
You asked for a reviewer who doesn't gush over them - you found him - me.

I've heard em three times - I want to like them - they look cool and the price is sane - and it's generally a good brand.

I'll keep trying but they sound kinda hi-fi to me. And they're good at Hi-Fi. Which no doubt gets a lot of intellectual respect.
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I recall a video on KEF's website where they stated that they indeed did NOT go for a perfectly flat frequency response and that they had voiced the LS50 to sound more "musical" or something. I was a little put off by that before I had a chance to listen to them. I feared they were going to impart their own sonic signature a bit too much, like the Vienna Acoustics I had in the past. I'm happy to say that that's not the case. They still, to me, sound fairly neutral and revealing of the source but not as dry as the Dynaudio BM5A mkII that they replaced.

What I like about them most is that they keep getting better. As I listen to stuff on them for the first time I'm hearing a presentation that I've just never heard before.

Bill
 
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didge70 said:
I listened to them as well but they didn't convince me for long-term non-fatiguing listening.

They were kind of brighter sounding than what I like; they were paired with a Marantz amp though.
Click to expand...

wgb113 said:
I was getting a similar result when I had them paired with a Benchmark DAC2 HGC/Parasound Halo A23 combo. With my current setup I'm not getting any of that.
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That is my one fear, brightness, as I am hyper sensitive to it. Everything I am reading and all of the conversations I've had relative to this speaker and those who have lived with it for awhile, points to the fact that if you are experiencing brightness look elsewhere in the system. The LS50 is an open window in to the rest of your setup. Still it nags...
 
didge70 said:
I listened to them as well but they didn't convince me for long-term non-fatiguing listening.

They were kind of brighter sounding than what I like; they were paired with a Marantz amp though.
Click to expand...

Now that's certain a cause for concern. LS50 Paired with Marantz and still brighter....,? May I ask what Marantz? modern or vintage?
 
slippers-on said:
Now that's certain a cause for concern. LS50 Paired with Marantz and still brighter....,? May I ask what Marantz? modern or vintage?
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If I remember well, Marantz M-CR603, so not the best source obviously. And one of the bigger modern Marantz amps but I can't remember the model.

I used to have KEF speakers and these LS50 do sound heaps better, not the typical KEF sound. They wowed me when I first listened to them, but I'm still not convinced... they sounded a bit sterile. A better source would definitely help.
 
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The KEF's are impressive, dynamic and the mid bass and bass are powerful for a speaker their size. I like the high end a lot! The mid range seems just the very smallest bit forward to me which long term might be a deal breaker for my ears.
 
MikeT. said:
The KEF's are impressive, dynamic and the mid bass and bass are powerful for a speaker their size. I like the high end a lot! The mid range seems just the very smallest bit forward to me which long term might be a deal breaker for my ears.
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Indeed. It's a thin line between a good linear response and just a little emphasis right where you don't need it.
 
KevinCorr said:
Sorry to derail your speakers. My wife turns off the hifi every night. I have the power police. Oops, did I say that.
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My wife is more respectful of my wishes than that. You have yet to hear your Orton or Brio-R at their best.

The mood is beginning to pass and the Harbeth's are creeping back in...I'm just afraid of the brightness factor with the KEF's.
 
Do you have a dealer that will let you take a set of speakers home for a few days so you can see how they will work out with your current setup?
 
Lee Harvey said:
Do you have a dealer that will let you take a set of speakers home for a few days so you can see how they will work out with your current setup?
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No. The dealers are a ways away (between 1.5 and 5 hrs) and will only let you take them for the days they are closed which are my work days so that doesn't work. Truth is unless the speaker is really flawed it takes living with it for awhile to learn about it's strengths and weaknesses.
 
The mood is beginning to pass and the Harbeth's are creeping back in...I'm just afraid of the brightness factor with the KEF's.[/QUOTE]

Art, nothing like a good fitting old shoe, or speaker for that matter. When you already know what something is capable of in your own system, sometimes that just ends up being the thing that works again.

There have been quite a few times in my little journey that I wished that I had either never sold something to begin with, or wished I could get it back. As we all know even when trying out new things, that the tunes aren't always better on the other side, just different. Tim
 
So true Tim. I wish I didn't sell my 47 Lab Lens, which is another monitor you may like Art, if only to research and rule out.
This thread is timely indeed. I'm currently thinking to buy the X12s, but if I had the money it would the Harbeths!
 
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