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My review: KEF LS50 vs. Wharfedale Denton 80th Anniversary

beatcomber

beatcomber

AK Member
Despite the Dentons not being fully broken in yet (check back in March), I couldn't resist hooking the LS50's back up to my Fisher tubes and having a listen.

I had anticipated finding the LS50's to be screaming bright after having been acclimated to the warm-voiced Dentons for the past couple of weeks. What I am finding is both speakers have comparably accurate mids and bass, and both speakers go approximately down to the same bass depth. Both speakers are approximately equal in their efficiency, and both are superb pairings for my 14wpc Fisher, in my 8' x 12' room. I have not been using my subwoofer, nor does one seem necessary with either set of speakers.

The Dentons are noticeably more restrained on top, with a gentle roll-off that gives them their "touch of warmth," as their designer described it. In this respect they do remind me of vintage speakers from the '60s, which I believe was Peter Comeau's intention. What HiFi accurately summarized them thusly: "Smooth, rich and expressive presentation."

The LS50's, despite having metal drivers, are not really bright at all, but they definitely have more top-end clarity and extension than the Dentons, but still they capably reproduce whatever midrange lushness is in the source. Indeed, I find them perfectly smooth and 'musical' with tubes, and yet they were forward, crisp, and slightly strident with a (re-capped) '78 Yamaha CR-1020. Their presentation is very much source-dependent, whereas I would expect the Dentons to be more forgiving. (My plan is to eventually use the Dentons with a Pioneer SX-780 that is currently being serviced.)

Both speakers are highly capable, with the Dentons leaning more towards a lush presentation and the LS50's offering a more detailed, transparent presentation.

The Dentons originally retailed for $1000 and the LS50's originally retained for $1500. At those prices, the LS50s were clearly the better buy. However, I paid $399 for the Dentons, and $1200 for the LS50's, and I would not say that the LS50's are 3x as good as the Dentons (especially when factoring in the lovely veneer on the Dentons).
 
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Last night with the LS50's I was listening to a pretty well-mastered Elvis CD (the "Almost in Love" budget comp), and was detecting a hardness or metallic edge to Elvis' voice.

Switching from the LS50's back to the Dentons was quite illuminating. The metallic hardness was gone, and Elvis' voice had taken on much more of a buttery midrange glow that was quite engaging. I also observed a more fulsome presentation overall.

It was also apparent to me that the Dentons are noticeably more effective than the LS50's at communicating rhythmic thrust, which was surprising. The LS50's do fine in this area, but the Dentons encourage toe-tapping just a bit more.

So it's not so clear to me now which is the preferred speaker. It's much like auditioning an Audio Technica cartridge (crisp, detailed) and then auditioning a Grado cartridge (lush, romantic).
 
I'll give you this too... I listen to a lot more CDs when the Dentons are in place. Much of the digital "edge" is dissipated.
 
Based on your review, the Denton is more musical and forgiving in music playback, but different person hear differently, some people might find that extra shine top brightness necessary to bring out the air excitement to ears, really personal hearing difference as I can read from most reviews, overall I love Denton romantic tone, wish I can have a chance to listen to the LS50, there are quite some people which focus on mid range may find LS50 not their cup of tea, also need proper amp to drive it
 
wim1983 said:
Based on your review, the Denton is more musical and forgiving in music playback, but different person hear differently, some people might find that extra shine top brightness necessary to bring out the air excitement to ears, really personal hearing difference as I can read from most reviews, overall I love Denton romantic tone, wish I can have a chance to listen to the LS50, there are quite some people which focus on mid range may find LS50 not their cup of tea, also need proper amp to drive it
Click to expand...

I think your comments are very accurate!
 
The LS50's went back into the system last night, and likewise my relative assessment is evolving again.

I'm finding that the Dentons' vintage voicing enables some recordings to sound awesome - and many do! - but if a recording or mastering has its own inherent warmth, it can sound kinda flat on the Dentons. Such are the pratfalls of components that have their own coloration.

The LS50's, as widely noted, are highly revealing and very accurate... which is likely why the aforementioned Elvis CD sounded hard with the LS50's and pleasing with the Dentons.
 
Sound about right. Kef, Focal, B&W even Klipsch RF7 can be a tad on the bright side and if you pair that with today's bricked recordings (Loudness) it makes for a hard listening session.
Jazz is mostly my staple so the laid back nature of the speakers appealed to me and it helped tame many of the harshness inherent in the occasional modern rock, house, swing etc that I listen too. I'm not into highs that are ear fatiguing thus it doesn't bother me a bit if these speakers roll off the highs a little. Truth is it doesn't that much. I also listen to it near field which doesn't require it to be loud. Perfect.
Unfortunately, what's true in life applies the same to recordings. Garbage in garbage out. I've thrown CDs away in frustration due the inability to listen to them as they re mastered it horribly.
One I had my ears immediately hurt so I turned the volume down as I thought the song was pretty decent jazz tune. I kept turning it down to no avail as it was at a near minimum and it STILL hurt.:dunno: I thought wtf? Something was coming out of that jazz tune which was not normal. Weird experience.
Anyway these Kevlar speakers only get better as time goes on. Not many cones made out of Kevlar at this price point. Enjoy!
 
Good lord, here we go again...

I put the Dentons back in place with the tubes, and I'm noticing that they're opening up a bit more, particularly the imaging seems to becoming more 3D.

Interestingly, I found a blog with reviews of both speakers, right after each other:
hi-fi-review: Speaker Reviews »

I'm still of two minds about the LS50's. Their transparency and resolution is outstanding, but the above blogger makes a comment that resonates with me:

I feel the LS50s are the type of speakers that with their powers of insight especially in the treble are always going to initially grab your attention, but to my ears could become to a small extent fatiguing overtime.
 
Enjoying the reviews. I've never heard the Denton's. Only Wharfedale's I heard were the Diamond 9.6 floorstanders. I had recently acquired KEF 103.2's and in comparing the two, the Wharfedale's didn't do it for me. They were too dark. I like a speaker that's a tad laid back and a tad warm-ish...that's fine...but the Wharfedale just sounded DARK. Maybe the Denton's are different. The KEF's just had a little bit more bounce in their step...a little more air, livelier...but still not fatiguing. That experience turned me off of modern Wharfedale's but maybe I'd give them another chance.

I owned KEF LS50's for a year. Liked them quite a bit. They were not fatiguing to me at all, but my room was carpeted, two couches, chair...lots of furniture. I also tried them near-field. I just did not experience any fatigue, but maybe it was the room or the associated gear...or just personal taste. I did sell them to recoup some money, since I still had the 103.2's to fall back on. If you like the LS50's but find them a little fatiguing, if you ever come across 103.2's, give them a try. They have a lot of the same "liveliness" and accuracy,but slightly more laid back/warmer. Or better yet, some Quad 57's if you have the room.
 
I'm not finding the LS50's especially fatiguing, but I do enjoy the extra mid-band plumpness that the Dentons have, whereas the LS50's seem quite neutral across the spectrum. Two very different presentations, both of which have their positives.

The Dentons were cheap enough, I might just keep both and change it up once in a while.
 
I recently had to move my listening room to a much smaller room (12' x 13') and my current Ohm Walsh are just too large for that space, so I;ve been looking at some bookshelf speakers. These popped up and the reviews are pretty positive. While they may lack top end extension, my 62 year old ears lack top end discrimination. I had a budget up to about $2.5K for some new components. I looked at some other speakers KEF, other Wharfedales, even some Harbeth, ATC, etc. But these may fit the bill and with the left over $$$ I can upgrade my older TEAC CDP. Gonna keep my venerable Yam CA800. though.
 
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Six months later, an update...

Today I sold the LS50's. They are remarkable speakers, but perhaps a bit too revealing for my needs. They also were also not really best-served by my 14 wpc Fisher X-100, although it wasn't a bad match - but the KEF's wanted more power, I believe.

The Dentons are now fully broken in, and they sound buttery smooth, yet plump and detailed, with plenty of dynamic snap and terrific imaging. They have warmth, yet they're not rolled off or wooly. They seem much better suited to the Fisher too.
 
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Sndsrtaud said:
I recently had to move my listening room to a much smaller room (12' x 13') and my current Ohm Walsh are just too large for that space, so I;ve been looking at some bookshelf speakers. These popped up and the reviews are pretty positive. While they may lack top end extension, my 62 year old ears lack top end discrimination. I had a budget up to about $2.5K for some new components. I looked at some other speakers KEF, other Wharfedales, even some Harbeth, ATC, etc. But these may fit the bill and with the left over $$$ I can upgrade my older TEAC CDP. Gonna keep my venerable Yam CA800. though.
Click to expand...

Smart move.
 
I had an extended listening session last night, using both LPs and CDs.

Once fully broken in, the Dentons are quite remarkable. Peter Comeau's goal of capturing the fulsome character of '60s speakers with the resolution of a modern design was perfectly realized. I was reminded of the restored AR4x's I used to own, but without the muffled top-end.

The imaging these speakers are capable of is outstanding - I was hearing up, down, front, back, left, right.

In my 8' x 12' room, I get no sense that my 14 wpc Fisher tube amp is straining to drive them. The sound is detailed and lively, yet smooth, and with plenty of meat on its bones. Bass depth, texture, firmness, and impact is exceptional for a bookshelf speaker driven by a 58-year-old tube amp.

These were a remarkably good buy for $399 back in December, and still are even at the current price of $499. They take a very long time to break in, but once they do, these speakers are a real delight.
 
beatcomber said:
Last night with the LS50's I was listening to a pretty well-mastered Elvis CD (the "Almost in Love" budget comp), and was detecting a hardness or metallic edge to Elvis' voice.

Switching from the LS50's back to the Dentons was quite illuminating. The metallic hardness was gone, and Elvis' voice had taken on much more of a buttery midrange glow that was quite engaging. I also observed a more fulsome presentation overall.

It was also apparent to me that the Dentons are noticeably more effective than the LS50's at communicating rhythmic thrust, which was surprising. The LS50's do fine in this area, but the Dentons encourage toe-tapping just a bit more.

So it's not so clear to me now which is the preferred speaker. It's much like auditioning an Audio Technica cartridge (crisp, detailed) and then auditioning a Grado cartridge (lush, romantic).
Click to expand...

Heard the Dentons at a dealer today while auditioning a better amp to drive my Magnepan LRSs. Sounded outstanding. I stayed so long my meter ran out resulting in a $63 ticket and I wasn’t even upset. I’m not at all familiar with the British sound but I’m seriously considering getting a pair as a second set of speakers to go along with my Maggies. And I think most would agree that the Wharfdales trounce the LS50s in the looks department. The classiest speakers I have seen.
 
beatcomber said:
I had an extended listening session last night, using both LPs and CDs.

Once fully broken in, the Dentons are quite remarkable. Peter Comeau's goal of capturing the fulsome character of '60s speakers with the resolution of a modern design was perfectly realized. I was reminded of the restored AR4x's I used to own, but without the muffled top-end.

The imaging these speakers are capable of is outstanding - I was hearing up, down, front, back, left, right.

In my 8' x 12' room, I get no sense that my 14 wpc Fisher tube amp is straining to drive them. The sound is detailed and lively, yet smooth, and with plenty of meat on its bones. Bass depth, texture, firmness, and impact is exceptional for a bookshelf speaker driven by a 58-year-old tube amp.

These were a remarkably good buy for $399 back in December, and still are even at the current price of $499. They take a very long time to break in, but once they do, these speakers are a real delight.
Click to expand...
399?? The place said 1500. Are we talking about the same speakers??
 
I am seriously looking at the Wharfedale Diamond 225’s. The are in the bookshelf class but the reviewers on the audiophile blog’s are gobsmacked by their sound.
2DBED9E7-9F42-443B-B158-71232D47F3A6.jpeg

 
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Comparing my 48 year old W45’s with my 33 year old Polk Monitor 10B’s is interesting. The 10B’s are heavy sounding and depending on the music can very tiring to listen to. The W45’s on the other hand have beautiful balanced detailed sound there is a whole middle section that is largely missing on the 10B which is stomping around like an elephant. The 10B’s wake up with about 90 watts, the W45’s can make the walls move with 30 Watts.

I was a musician for many years and the W45’s, and most all of the English voiced speakers sound more like a great musical performance sounds live with a competent board operator, or a good music venue.

As for a house sound The Diamond 225’s sound very much like my 46 year old W35’s. I would replace the 4 Polk RTi A3 speakers I have which are damn good themselves with the Wharfedales but my 48 year babies cannot handle the power of My Yamaha.
 
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