Official Kef LS50 owners thread

Ohh damm, you need talking with a kef dealer and see how bad is your speakers... but change that amp, and buy some old pioneer reference a858 for example, a amplifier with current if you don´t have much money and no EQ. Good Luck
 
Hello - I recently picked up a pair of LS50s, after hearing them years ago. Still breaking them in, but so far very happy with them in my 11x12 room. one thing I've read on these are how impressed people are by the fit and finish. I noticed on mine, that the driver doesn't fit flush to the cabinet. One speaker is flush from 6-9 o'clock. The other from 11-12 o'clock. Otherwise, the driver is higher than the cabinet. I noticed this due the shadow cast when I had the overhead light on in the room.

I bought these as open box, and want to make sure that I'm not getting a pair that were damaged.

Has anyone else seen this? Do the drivers fit flush with the cabinet on yours?
 
Sorry - was a rushed post last night. I took a few shots tonight that show how the trim piece around the driver is raised above the surface of the cabinet. On this speaker the trim piece is nearly flush between 11-12 o'clock. The worst stand off is at approx. 5 o'clock (where the shadow is the most extreme).

Again, I have heard the build quality is excellent for these, and I thought this looked a bit off.
I appreciate any quick response if others have seen this.
If so, then maybe this is par for the course. But if not, then I will definitely return these guys for a fresh set.

...despite this, really enjoying these!!

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When I removed it on mine, I just used an old credit card to pry it out. No twisting. There is a little adhesive. If you are concerned that touching it would pose danger to the speaker then I suggest you leave it as is as long as it doesn't rattle and affect the sound.
 
KAC said:
Thank you for the response. I did not hear any clack though. The music was probably too loud. My bad. Here is what it looks like out of the cabinet:
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That's too bad, hopefully you can get the driver serviced by Kef?

I'm not sure if you're aware of the LS50's efficiency rating, but it's 85 db, which is pretty inefficient. Most speakers are 90 or better. This means it would take almost triple the wattage for the LS50 to reach the same volume (decibel level) as it would many other speakers. The other thing is, the LS50 requires at least 25 watts, and your 3020 has 30 per channel, which is definitely at the lower end of the spectrum.

What this all means is, your set up won't go as loud before running out of power as you found out the hard way. Many say the Kef's sound fabulous, and I just found a review on the NAD 3020 by Whathifi that raves about it. But the downside of the Kef's is bass response, their -3db point on the low side is 79hz, not impressive. They will definitely not fill a room with bass. The other thing is their inefficiency, as mentioned. These speakers are popular for a reason, but they do have their limitations.
 
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Hi, newbie to the owners thread.

Recently did an impulse buy on the LS50 whilst saving up for an ATC SCM11.v2 since it was a 'steal'. Didn't regret it a bit tho' cos still got my sights on the ATCs :D:D

Currently running it with a Marantz PM6006/CD6006 tho' planning to upgrade to a pre/pwr combo (shortlist incl. Exposure, Roksan, Audiolab & Rotel) in preparation for the ATCs. At the mo I feel the amplification suffices tho I know that it''ll appreciate more power hence it'll go fine with my upgrade plans. I must say the LS will be a keeper. Mainly listens to jazz (3-5 ensembles), female vocals and prog house.

I find little fault with the LS given its modest size. Bass-wise, sufficient, you'll have to be a bass freak to be wanting more :biggrin: (had it running prog house and there's no complain in the bass department). I find toe-ins plays an important role in how the bass is (currently MLP is 11" from spkrs). Before this, my love affair with bookshelf monitors goes aways back, from the Mission 780SEs, 'Dale Diamond 10.1 and of course an ATC SCM 11.v1. Its 'parked' on 27" custom aquarium-gravel filled 4-pillared stand which brings its total height to 28" (plus stand spikes & Atacama's Iso gels) & probably weighs in at 50kgs each.

I hope I can learn more and get further insights from this thread in regards to enjoying and getting the fullest from these wonderful little buggers...yes another classic it'll be in my mini wonder bookshelf monitor repertoire...currently trolling 'ol post, at page 55 and counting :)
 
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There. Had no choice but to replace the driver.
 

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I noticed that over time the cone color becomes lighter. New driver therefore looks a bit darker. All good. Speakers are singing again. Replaced integrated with a bigger one.
 
KAC said:
There. Had no choice but to replace the driver.
Click to expand...
Wow, looks like Kef has good service in cases such as this. Nice to see you're back up and running. Can you compare what the new integrated sounds like in comparison to the Nad?
 
30W of the NAD vs the 220W of the MF is really a big difference. The MF really opens up the LS50. The first time I fell in love with the LS50 was when it was launched and I heard it in a hifi show driven by MF.
 
Ok guys. I'm sorry. I have to apologise to NAD. I do not think it was the NAD D3020 that blew the LS50. I examined old photos of my LS50 and the cone is already not flush to the waveguide even before I got the NAD. Again, my apologies to NAD for this mistake. I became curious when I realised that NAD had soft clipping to protect speakers. So I searched for old photos of the LS50.
 
HiFi81 said:
I'm wondering which of KEFs subwoofers would complement the LS50 at the minimum?
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Not sure about KEF, but I know REL subs are a great match. A REL T5 or T7. I'd probably go with a pair of smaller RELs vs one bigger one. If I have to run subs, distributed bass is better. And small subs are even faster sounding. In a smallish room even a pair of T-Zeros could be great.

I think Rythmik subs are nice too.

- Woody
 
Thanks for the input.

Thought of the KEF route thinking by now they wud have one to complement it ( another 'goldmine' perhaps ) esp. with all the negative comments on its 'lack of bass', not that I'm complaining any from mine, as of yet. Just the thought of blowing the drivers got me thinking 'better save than sorry' if I were demanding the 50s too much in regards to bass cos where I live the chances of getting replacements, just the thought of the time it takes to reach me leaves me shuddering :no: .

Albeit all the recommendations to the bass 'problem' with subwoofers, living where I am puts me at a disadvantage...availability and cost. Guess my only hope till then is that the LSs bass will keep me content for a VERY long time :D

ps: finally went thru all the treads
 
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