★ *REVIEWING: **amzn.to/2Kx0sHp**, **bit.ly/37IihMA** // NEED MORE INFO? ✔︎ THE ⬆︎DESCRIPTION⬆︎* ★ *QOTD: What is your favorite speaker we’ve reviewed this year?* ★ *Love our outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end* ★ *COMMENT RULES:* - Comments with outside URLs, UA-cam links or email addresses are automatically deleted. - It’s okay to disagree but please keep it civil.
My favorite speaker you've reviewed this year is the Klipsch 8000F. Pardon the intangible, but I get the impression those speakers just totally kick ass.
Hey Andrew for the new year i would like to see you do a piece on Micca OoO. curious what you think about them and maybe doing a piece on building a home theater with a mix of speakers(highend and lowend).
KEF LS50 Meta powered by BASX-300 works very nicely, I have them and Q Acoustics 3030 and Klispch RP-600... love all three sets of speakers But l prefer the KEF the best BUT for 432 bucks the Klipsch are a better buy.
I first heard KEF speakers in 1988, but couldn’t afford to buy a pair until 2010. And while I auditioned the flagship product in ‘88 the ones I purchased were the budget bookshelf model. But I was blown away by how much my speakers reminded me of those I had auditioned so many years earlier. It was not what I expected. KEF are the best, bar none. I’ll stand by that forever. They are just amazing to me and my ears.
Christie , Andrew stop worrying so much what we have all loved is seeing music and art thru your eyes. Keep up the work and understand that what most people enjoy is what you have enjoyed. You guys offered balance in a year that was tumultuous.
I have owned the Kef LS50 for 7 years and they are very good performers. The key to the best sound that you obtain is directly related to the equipment that you use with them. Quality amplification is essential ! I have now replaced the orignal LS50's with the metas- this is a new world! I use Parasound JC-1 amps and that combination is truly wonderful. I really think that your video is spot on. Keep up the great reviews. Please tell me what height solidsteel stand that you are using. I am going to change to using those sturdy and nice stands. Thanks!
@@watermelon1221 The mid frequencies are better defined and the focus within the soundstage is presented in a more realistic manner. In some instances musical cues are more apparent and at times help you to appreciate what the recording was intending to convey.
After this review, and a few others - I now have TWO pair of the KEF LS50 METAs - both powered by a WiiM Amp. One set up in a smaller bedroom and one set up at my desk. Near field or midfield, omg what a great set up. They do soooo much right and I could not be happier.
I've had the LS50 Meta for a few months and love them. I auditioned a heap of other speakers up to twice their price and nothing else came close in respect to detail and imaging. There is a certain 'rightness' to the texture of voices and many instruments (piano is remarkable). There are a few downsides. First, this is not the speaker to re-create a live metal concert in your living room. Second, it is an extremely revealing speaker: crappy recordings sound horrible and great recordings sound wonderful. This speaker shines with well made recordings played at reasonably satisfying levels. They are very happy with my 55 w/channel high current tube amp.
I had a similar experience. Think I really annoyed the sales guy. “Back to the first… ok now the second… first… second. Change music. Again.” He did a good job though. He was pushing the B&Ws and I was leaning toward them before I walked in for my A/B. I actually changed his mind.
My Metas arrived a day early. Yay. UPS delivered and five minutes later I was into some deep blues. Enjoyed them my first two hours of listening. Tomorrow I plan on doing absolutely nothing but listen to a lot of music and BD concerts. Yes, I’m a happy man.
Cristi and Andrew has been a tough year for all of us but somehow we survived it. What I have noticed is this year has been a year of exponential growth for C and A chanel thanks to your professionalism, objectivity, down to earth approach and multitude of gears reviewed . And the credits for the initiative of helping those in need is quite remarkable. You're not alone and have the backing of all of us for your hard work with a modest return. Marry Christmas to you and all the followers of this chanel and a better New Year.
I had a KEF LS50, then a QUAD S2, now I have a DALI MENUET. Of all the above, I think I liked the LS50 the most, without a doubt the most audiophile and with the greatest reserve when upgrading other components (amp). So I think I will end up with the LS50 META sooner or later ;-)
I have a pair of LS50 Metas (royal blue) driven by an Avantone Pro CLA-200 studio amp and Topping D90 MQA dac. I love bass, so had to add an SVS SB2000 sub. These components are my PC audio setup which I use for digital music, games, and movies. I'm very happy with the Metas. It took about 50+ hours for them to open up and really strut their stuff. I work at home so am at my computer 8-12 hours/day. I gotta have great audio and I think I hit the sweet spot with this setup. Great review and commentary, mate!!
I owned the LS50 and paired them with my Denon avr-X2300w. Honestly, it couldnt handle the LS50. Anything soft paced (singer/songwriter) was fantastic, but rock or classical was a muddy disaster. I sold off everything and got a LS50 wireless. Best choice ever. No amp matching needed. Just pure audio bliss.
The Klipsch Heresy4. I bought a pair after watching your reviews. I had a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica 3’s before them . The klipsch connected me to the music in ways the Sonus Faber could not. Sold them. I had an opportunity to trade up for a pair of Cornwall 4’s. Honestly I could live with either for a very long time. I enjoy your reviews. Manufacturers should be running to give you product for review. They seem honest and I like that you do not dissect the sound and just focus on a weakness. Many others do just that. I owned and operated a hide end hifi store throughout the 90’s. If you had told me then I would eventually settle on a pair of klipsch speakers I would have cried laughing. Thanks for opening that door for me. Merry Christmas.
I have the Kef Q350. I purchased them after having to sell my Von Schweikert VR 4 JR due to having to leave work due to cancer. Also had to sell turntable and tube preamp. I was left with Parasound 2003 and Emotiva preamp, Music Hall DAC, Velodyne 1000 sub and Oppo player. A helluva difference, but I’m satisfied somewhat. I just ordered a pair of Metas from Amazon and will be here Tuesday. I’ve never auditioned these, but with all the great reviews, I’m sure it will be an upgrade to the Q350. My Parasound is more than capable to handle these Meta speakers. Nice review. Thank you.
I'm pretty sure you'll find anyone would take these new KEF's over the Klipsch and Polk products for listening to 2ch music. If you're looking to HT it might be a different story...
I finally pulled the trigger on a pair for my living room which is open to my dining room and kitchen. They are connected to a Marantz sr 1600 augmented by a REL T5 x. I’m very impressed with them in every respect and they play at plenty of volume. Even my wife commented on how good they sound which is saying something
Powered versions can play louder and lower btw! DSP is magic plus each driver gets its own DAC and amp. AB amp for tweeter D amp for woofer! It’s remarkable and I am comparing it as 75% to my 50k YG acoustics system with Mola Mola monoblocks and a Lampizator DAC
That’s amazing that they’re comparable to the YG’s in performance and I totally believe it as I’m floored by mine. The designers just went to town and built the perfect stereo.
@@DavidDerouinMDM Well They are 3/4 of the YG that extra 25% is night and day difference. They are great but no real comparison. It's like comparing a Toyota SUV to a Porsche 911.
@@DavidDerouinMDM I meant to say DSP it is digital signal processing. It gets rid of the crossover network and each driver has it's own amp giving it a greater dynamic range from low to high and more power.
@@pennfootball71 yea no doubt the YG’s will blow them away but there is a diminishing return there. I can just imagine that effortless live sound is carried into both performances.
And if $1,500+ tax is too much, simply look for a pair of "pre-enjoyed KEF non Meta LS50's on Audiogon. Another classic / fantastic / highly beloved speaker without the meta material at a fraction of the price. Merry Christmas!
Hi Andrew. I purchased these speakers a couple of weeks ago to replace my ageing Rogers Studio 1's .My analogue system consists of a Pro-Ject 6 Perspex magnetic suspension turntable fitted with a Hadcock GH 242 uni-pivot tonearm and Denon DL 110 moving coil cartridge. The signal goes to an Easter Electric Min-max Phono stage,connected to an Audiolab (made in England ) Preamplifier and finally to a Rotel 200w per channel Power amplifire I am hearing things from my records that were hidden before. I thoroughly recommend these speakers. BTW my listening room is 26 feet long,15 feet wide and 8 feet high The Metas had no problem filling this space.
9:06 did you ever revisit them as a 5.1 home theater speaker? I'm considering them for that purpose, but it's unclear (A) what they would pair with for rears and center channel, (B) what home theater receiver would make them sing, and (C) if they do well inside a TV cabinet given that they want a lot of toe in and have a rear port. The closets thing to them seem to be the Hsu Research CCB-8, albeit a little larger and possibly less power hungry/finicky.
I had a chance to audition them in a perfectly acoustic treated room... For hours... With many different amps ranging from $500 to $3000 among with SVS and B&W 7 Series... To make it short... The SVS speakers impressed me more than the Kefs... The SVS at their price... Was the better speaker compared to kef... Mids, base, detail, separation, scale, depth etc.... The B&W 705 was in another level... Beating the SVS and Kef... it was a huge difference... The B&W speakers, reproduced the music, giving you a sense of space of the room the artist was in while recording... It brings all to the music... Really incredible...
This is my favourite and I’ve been waiting for the part it goes well with the Naim Uniti Atom. I feel it’s the perfect pairing! Omg happy Christmas! And love Kristi’s input!
Very late to the party Andrew and Kristi, but just watched your video on the LS50 Metas and was so pleased to hear that the Naim uniti atom works really well with them. I was worried about the Naim only having 40W would not be enough to drive them well, but its quality of design, current delivery that matters. I will be using this setup with my TV as well so HDMi Arc was important to me in an amp. Great review guys. Thank you. 🎉
The is a great review Andrew, thank you for providing this. I've purchased the LS50W2's and looking forward to your review on them, I think they're a game changer especially with the ease at which I can stream MQA Files through Tidal through these things and get as nice a sound as I've ever heard. An effortless, coherent and live sound that I can't get enough of.
I really love your channel because it is down to earth and honest. Congratulations and hears to 150K + and a successful 2021! Keep up the excellent work Kristi and Andrew.
KEF of Klipsch 8000F? I know it's a weird comparison. After your review, I bought 8000f, but they arrived damaged, so I returned them, still, I had a chance to listen to them, and it was good (not mind-blowing though) but the SIZE. So now I have a second try, either go back to 8000F or try something else. BTW, my room is quite small 400s.ft. And I'm using Marant 8012 to power everything
Please. I obtained the Fives by Klipsch for vinyl based on Andrew’s recommendation. I absolutely love them. But like many of us, I grow restless in the seemingly endless search for the perfect sound. So I’m considering an “upgrade” to the LS50 WIIs. BUT, I really want Andrew’s input.
I have Meta with the Luxman 505uxii amp, and I am very,very,very happy with this pairing using a Cambridge Audio 840C as a CD and DAC. For me the system is incredibly clear and detailed with wonderful soundstage. Anyway, does not matter, I am no longer looking for anything else.
Love my white/blue ls50! Have them paired with a Denon 4311ci and a SVS PB 3000 sub as the core of my family room system. They are keepers for sure, I’ll probably never get rid of them.
Check out the KEF Sub 92 if your SVS ever fails you. I have the Metas with a Sub 92 and a Yamaha AS701 and its an amazing combo. I might go as far as to say this combo is one of the best systems that I've heard at any price. I'm sure a McIntosh amp would be slightly better than the AS701.... but hey, maybe next year.
Great review Andrew. I’m sure you still have love for the Heresy, but these KEF are getting drooled over by almost everyone for all the same reasons. And from an aesthetic perspective, they really look good , matching very well in your living room on those gorgeous tripod stands.Good value indeed.
Love the review... glad to hear you guys are building a relationship with KEF.. Would love to see a back to back comparison between this and the q150 (super budget friendly). Keep up the great work!!!
As an old subscriber from the earlier HT era, would love to hear your take on an LS50 5.1 system. Recently completed my 11.2 system, with 7 LS50s and 2 LS50Metas. Been incrementally buying pairs since 2016. BTW you should be able to get singles from Kef as well. I found amazing value when I first set up a 3.1 system, expanding it fully has been excellent. I’m using vintage for front L/R channels and stereo. Good power is required. Thanks for finally getting the new speakers in house. Looking forward to more down the road. Cheers, and “be safe out there” Chris
@@nonametofame I’m an old school kind of guy. I mounted Front Presence/height on shelves near the ceiling at the front of my room. In the rear I still have a pair of M&K dipole (small/light) mounted in rear wall corners. Dolby wants in ceiling, but old Yamaha and DTS used High on wall speakers. I took this route to avoid drilling the beautiful cabinets. Not perfect but highly workable. Surrounds are on book shelves, rear surrounds on stands, center channel is on a shelf which hangs below my pull down mantel mount. So center is at same height as front L/R when pulled down. The overhead effects are slightly blurred, but I think it’s worth it to avoid damaging the cabinets, as I’ve seen folks do. The decoders project the sound anyway, the overhead VOG speaker is like a phantom center channel and works fine for me. The rain still sounds like it’s falling on my head, etc. Hope this helps. Oh, before I forget, I use lots of Bluetac to keep the speakers on shelves from vibrating the shelf. It works okay. Always looking for other ideas. Andrew?
@@christopherplourde607 i appreciate the detailed reply. I was hoping you had figured out a sensible way to integrate 9 ls50s without drilling into them. I'm considering getting the q50a atmos for height effects since they should blend with the 50s. But i think I'll stop at 5 speakers. I wanted identical monitors for seamless immersion.
@@nonametofame sorry took awhile to get back. I now have my fronts LS50Metas with KF92 subwoofer, all except rear presence are LS50s. Horizontal near ceiling works well with my AVR, I don’t miss the overheads at all.I’m now 11.1 with all Kef except the two M&K dipoles which integrate very well. AVR drives all but Fronts which are driven by Yamaha M4.
@@christopherplourde607 thanks for the update. What are your thoughts on the metas vs non metas, especially with the lcr integration? Congrats on integrating 9 ls50s, I'd love to see pics. I'm working on adding 4 q150s for overhead but i might stick to the base 5 since it's a small room. But I applaud 👏 you for ls50s for atmos and rear surrounds. All in the black/copper?
I’m glad he added that plug as it points to how ridiculous Gene is and his baseless comments. Gene and his HD2020 friend basically made themselves look bad for essentially turning into online trolls.
best bang for the buck Klipsch RP-8000 I had to exchange them due my room being 1600 cubic feet. Then I went with RP-600C and 4 RP-600M with dual SVS-SB2000 wow perfect for 19' x 12' room amazing home theater, and classic rock they play very loud and clean.
Love the final dialog between you and Kristi. A man listening intently to his lady without talking over her or sprinting ahead to cut her off and highlight his intellect is a beautiful thing. My wife is incredibly insightful and I also listen to her with the same attention. We are lucky men. Favorite review was the Klipsch era of discovery. The excitement was palpable. These KEFs must be special because they are constantly referenced. I appreciate the inclusion of db sweet spots. I tend to listen fairly quietly in my NYC apartment and often wonder which loudspeakers will sound full range at low to medium volumes. Your presence in this pandemic has been vital to keeping me entertained and distracted. Is it possible to make one time contributions? Money is super tight but you both deserve compensation for all your hard work and endless improvements you’ve made to the channel. Happy holidays to you both.
You’re too kind and we appreciate you watching and we appreciate the support! We don’t have a way to accept money from viewers directly but if you want to give please consider donating to Feeding America. Folks out there need the support more than Kristi and I. But if money is tight, hang onto it and care for you and your family. I’m just grateful for your kind words and for the support. Thank you for watching!
Kef made the LS50s with sound quality in mind. You can't just adjust how low a speaker dips in impedance, or it's sensitivity, without compromising sound quality. The LS50s (with subs) can play very loud, clean, dynamic, natural and smooth on my JC1, JC2 and VMV DAC system (in a very large room), only because they were made to handle 100 watts. Hence, why the sensitivity needs to be much lower. Stronger and stiffer drivers require more juice to excite them. The beauty of the LS50s is that they can play more than loud enough to be very dynamic, very detailed yet never harsh or even edgy at very high volume. However, only very competent gear can get the most out of them, which is magical.
Thank Y'all for being in my life this year! I have enjoyed all the information, and I have used the information to better my system. Now if y'all are ever stuck for content, please just fill with the fluffy Doggy. Always want the fluff monster.
Great review! I'm seriously considering upgrading from my Klipsch RP-600m to these. Thank you for your fundraiser and thank you for the reviews. Merry Christmas.
I think the Metas are a worthy upgrade to the 600M. I love the 600M, and for a sub $500 bookshelf the 600Ms are SOLID, but the Metas are demonstrably better, and maybe the LAST bookshelf one might need/want. Thanks for watching!
I also just got the ls50 meta and I too found I needed a clean 160wpc to drive them to my liking. I have a Parasound Halo P6 preamp and a Parasound Halo A23+ and it’s a fantastic combination. I’m glad my amp has enough power on tap to drive the KEFs they’re just about perfect I think but any less and I would have been disappointed with the output for my louder listening sessions which is rare but when you want it, you want it. I also found the KEFs really open up when you have a more powerful dynamic amp.
I listened to the Meta's at a local store paired with a Rodgers tube Amp. They sounded amazing!! , so I ordered the LS50 wireless II, I'm dying to find out how much better the Meta's can sound like once the KEF engineers put their amplifier and dsp magic inside.
I really enjoyed this review. I've been a KEF owner for a few years now. I started with the Q350 and I have the R3 now. I hope you get more of their speakers to review. I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the R3. By that time they may even have a meta version of the R3. Thank you for all of the work you put in and I'll continue to watch and enjoy. All the best for 2021.
Yes. I look forward to your review of the active ls50 wireless II. I wonder if you could live with the wireless II as a streamer+amp and not use your uniti atom? I’m debating whether to go with uniti atom+meta OR simply the wireless II with built in streamer+amp.
I really hope we can get our hands on the LS50 Wireless IIs very soon. I want to focus a bit more on powered speakers in 2021 and the Wireless IIs are on the top of the list.
The Crowns work perfect with them, provided you have a good pre/dac connected to the XLS. The difference in sound will mostly come from the pre section, not the power section. What pre/dac did you connect the Crown to get muddy mids?
I watch almost every clip of you (and Kristi in the background?) now. Please keep up the good work. Merry Christmas from Bavaria P.S.: Burchardt S500 or KEF LS50 Meta? What would you prefer?
Hi Dieter! I doubt we'll be able to answer that question for you unless something changes with Buchardt. They opted not to send us any speakers for review. So I'd get the Metas! I personally think they're prettier!
I bought the LS50W's 4 years ago. I liked them. Flexible, easy to position (if you have good stands), accurate, and on the "bright" side -- which I like (I have some HF hearing loss). And I LOVE-LOVE dual concentric drivers (my main speakers are Tannoy Cheviots). Dual Concentric does the best "Coherence" + "Imaging". Six months ago, my left (slave) LS50W speaker started cutting out intermittently. If I restarted the master speaker 2 or 3 times, the left speaker would often re-appear. What a pain. This had been a widely-known problem with LS50W's that had been going on a long time. KEF eventually had so many complaints, they offered owners a deal -- pay for shipping to KEF Support HQ in NJ and KEF would repair for free -- including return shipping. I sent mine back 2 weeks ago. Still waiting. So, we have a huge reliability issue here. Yes, Kudo's to KEF for supporting their customers who bought the LS50W's. But caveat emptor for purchasing the LS50 Wireless II. I do know this -- you can probably get used LS50 and LS50W's for rock bottom price, because many owners will want to upgrade. I will wait to get mine back from KEF, see how they sound. Yes, I will probably upgrade to the LS50WII's -- based on the reviews, which are just crazy-good. (PS: I'm not into doing "amp bingo", so I prefer the powered LS50W -- I figure for $1k, KEF knows how to power these better than trial and error by me. The powered versions are so freaking flexible -- they can be used as a super sound bar, in a HT setup, or as a budget/apartment hi-fi-system-in-a-box. Use your phone (Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz PREMIUM ONLY) as the source -- or add a decent turntable. My opinion -- KEF, Klipsch (Heritage series), Kanto (TUK's) -- are three good speaker companies.
@@jacobsontukua999 I use an older nad c 375BEE with a/b amplification. I think NAD use d exclusively now. I feel like I’m spoiled for other systems. Like I want to find a better one but can’t. I think I’d have to get into the 10s of thousands to come close. I’ve also added a Martin Logan dymo 300 for some of the low end but they sound great without it.
I have to agree with you, I have been living with my Royal Blue version for 2 months now. Couple of days ago, I was listening and forgotten I had turned off my sub, I got to say that these speakers sounded very capable in the low frequency region. These are my first KEFs and I am very happy with my purchase. Using PS Audio Sprout 100 to drive.
Hi Andrew, do you think a MS2i or MS3i would drive the Metas almost as well as the MS5i? If not, is it because the MS5i is made with better components? or is it that Metas simply perform best with a high powered amp like the MS5i? Thanks!
Can't wait for KEF LS50 Wireless II It would also be great to see reviews of cheaper and more expensive options from KEF and how they compare: Q150, Q350, LSX, R3, Reference 1
I bought the wireless 2s.... if you are on the fence about pulling the trigger I will just say... the sound is out of this world but the ARC isn’t working and awaiting a firmware update for that. So if you are not planning on using them for home theatre they are prime time ready. If not maybe wait on that firmware update
I picked up 3 of the old ls 50s for my LCR, driven by a marantz sr 6014 for the center and surrounds, and a peachtree audio nova 300. My fluance rt 85 sounds soo good through the prev generation. I can’t imagine how they improved them but apparently they have!
I recently got the old LS50 for half the price of the new ones and I'm very surprised how much better they are compared to my old R100. I can only imagine how good the Metas are. Also got a used high end Denon amp today and it makes one of the the best hifi systems under 1000€ imho.
Finally, cant watch this on my laptop, heading to the living room to watch this on the TV. Thanks for the upload, I checked my inbox a few times today!
Could you compare them to the KEF R3's I just got a set of them with the Arcam SA20. And I think they are among the best I have heard. Jason. Marry Christmas. Like the content. :)
Thanks Kristi (and Andrew :) ). My favourite speaker review this year was this one. Will be interested in the KEF LS50 Wireless II review when you get around to it, and how it compares to say the LS50 Meta + Naim Uniti Atom.
Great review Mr.Robinson. I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Quad S2 speaker. It appears to actually beat the LS50 in many reviews. I'm certainly very happy with mine! Great stands too. I use the same ones. Cheers....and love your channel.
Ludo, Belgium I know Kef speakers very long and I like their sound. But they all need expensive application. So if you want to buy a pair you must have at least a large extra budget to drive them. I find the balance is not ok. Let’s say between 2 to 4 times the cost of your speakers. These are speakers for people with a big budget for listening in smaller room. 26 years ago I bought a pair Kef reference one speakers for about 1600 US dollars (1500 euros) and a Rotel amplifier for about 850 US Dollars. They were a two and a half way speaker with a sensitivity of 89 db at 8 ohm. They were still the best speakers I ever heard. They very good with vocal classical as with big orchestral music als with rock music. Let the guitars rock. That was a well balanced pair price wise. Greetings Ludo 61 years old.
Kristi saying what we were all thinking. ;) HAHA Great review and great way to wrap up the year. Merry Christmas to you both. Looking forward to more great stuff in 2021!
So true about having the right amp Andrew. Tested the Metas with a NAD M10 v1 and sounded great except for the midrange which sounded very subdued. Tried them with a Rotel 1572Mk2 and wow! Not only great midrange but the highs and lows were next level better as well.
@@rafalobo5308 I’m glad he added that plug as it points to how ridiculous Gene is and his baseless comments. Gene and his HD2020 friend basically made themselves look bad for essentially turning into online trolls.
Wondering which Home Theater Receiver could power 5 of these, a sub and potentioal atmos modules, properly... and also have a great stereo/music sound.
Dear Andrew, thank you for another great review🤩 Now I urgently need a review from you about the new LS50 Wireless II Cause everytime I buy something you recommend I hear the same as you described it to sound. That’s not the case with any reviewer. So 🙏🏼
Andrew, you and Christie are at 165,000 subs, wow I’m so proud of the both of you and yes I mentioned Christie, because you couldn’t do this without your better half. I can’t wait to see you hit 200,000 subs you are on your way and I’m happy for both of you because you have earned it one subscriber at a time. You have come along way since your Emotiva Days, keep up the outstanding work. I currently have a pair of Kef Q350s and while my amp is in the shop, I have a pair of Simaudio 400m mono blocks and they might not be going back, they are in a word, out freezing standing!!! Please reach out to Simaudio for these or something from their Evolution series, it will blow your mind !!!
Hi thanks for the insightful video! Do you think the LS50s are "compatible" with the onkyo tx-rz50 receiver, meaning that they play nice with each other?
I've heard both. Both are great, especially with passive paired with a very high quality amp. Otherwise, it's not an apples to apples comparison. I'm a passive guy myself for longevity, picking your electronics and integrating with current components without spending even more $. Wireless are great when needing complete, simple systems. My only real is warranty / longevity with third party components (KEF is not in the amp biz and what happens when the warranty runs out?). There is very little history (
@@Michael-xz1nk Hi Michael, many thanks for your reply. I currently own the KEF LS50W. Was thinking in upgrading to a) KEF LS50W II; b) Good integrated amp (let say Hegel H90 - H590) + KEF LS50 Meta; c) not upgrading at all. I listen to the music in a medium sized living/dining room. It belongs to the whole family (I mean it belongs to my wife, rsrsrs). Acoustic treatment is not really an option. So, what is a GREAT feature for me in the KEF LS50W is the possibility of equalizing the speaker to nicely couple to my room. In fact, with the factory sets, it sounds not so good in my room (Uncontrolled bass. Probably my room has a nasty resonance at around 40Hz. It is classic). But, when I change some parameters on the speaker, everything changes. The sound gets very clear, open, transparent and pleasant. With a great and prominent midrange. So, I am afraid of buying a good (and expensive) amp + KEF LS50 Meta just to find out that it will be impossible having them sounding good in my room. That’s an issue for me. Well, considering also the Buchardt A500. John Darko has said very good things about it. Best!
I couldn’t be happier with my LS50W2’s. Get them. They’re driven as the designers want them to be driven. That’s value. You also get 4 dacs and an active crossover!
You shut your mouth! I WILL NOT!! Gold! Keep it up! I didn’t consider these speakers before this review, so this video was perfectly done. Can’t wait for the LaScala’s!
I heard the LS50 (1.Gen) and Compare That to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2. For me the Kefs was Reality good. Reloution and clean sound. But the sondsstage from Evo 4.2. was More Open an deeper, what i prefer. The Evo was more lean back what i love. I forget That i listen to Musik and it feeling more the Emotion of music. sometimes i want to have the Knef and the Evo. When it gets really detailed, the kefs are brillant for That.
Would a pair of KEF LS50 Meta preform well with Cambridge CNX V2 and Cambridge CNA-81 amp? I listen to singer song writer and classic Rock mostly. What other speaker should I consider. $1500 max budget
what is your take on using these L/R only for movies/tv or adding a center channel. it's my understanding that the typical receiver or pre when set up for 3.1, 5.1 etc. that the L/R is only for mostly effects - if that is the case, is the cost of these over kill for a set up for 3.1, 5.1 etc.
Thank you so much for this review. You mentioned you also tested the Meta with the XTZ. Can you please comment on this pairing ? Have a Merry X"mas & A Happy New Year, both of you !
I'm sure others here have already asked, but how do you think the Meta LS50's compare with the original LS50's. How much better, and in what areas? I kept waiting for you to address that obvious issue, but...no. --Thanks
Would you recommend this or LS50 Wireless II as a soundbar (system) alternative or is it mostly about listening to music? Of course surround sound will not be a key fature here.
★ *REVIEWING: **amzn.to/2Kx0sHp**, **bit.ly/37IihMA** // NEED MORE INFO? ✔︎ THE ⬆︎DESCRIPTION⬆︎*
★ *QOTD: What is your favorite speaker we’ve reviewed this year?*
★ *Love our outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end*
★ *COMMENT RULES:*
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My favorite speaker you've reviewed this year is the Klipsch 8000F. Pardon the intangible, but I get the impression those speakers just totally kick ass.
My favourite bookshelf speakers are buchardt 500
Hey Andrew for the new year i would like to see you do a piece on Micca OoO. curious what you think about them and maybe doing a piece on building a home theater with a mix of speakers(highend and lowend).
KEF LS50 Meta powered by BASX-300 works very nicely, I have them and Q Acoustics 3030 and Klispch RP-600... love all three sets of speakers But l prefer the KEF the best BUT for 432 bucks the Klipsch are a better buy.
@@coloradoklutch8005 Narrator: The 8000F do, in fact, kick ass. :)
I first heard KEF speakers in 1988, but couldn’t afford to buy a pair until 2010. And while I auditioned the flagship product in ‘88 the ones I purchased were the budget bookshelf model. But I was blown away by how much my speakers reminded me of those I had auditioned so many years earlier. It was not what I expected. KEF are the best, bar none. I’ll stand by that forever. They are just amazing to me and my ears.
Christie , Andrew stop worrying so much what we have all loved is seeing music and art thru your eyes. Keep up the work and understand that what most people enjoy is what you have enjoyed. You guys offered balance in a year that was tumultuous.
Lovely comment 🕊
I have owned the Kef LS50 for 7 years and they are very good performers. The key to the best sound that you obtain is directly related to the equipment that you use with them. Quality amplification is essential ! I have now replaced the orignal LS50's with the metas- this is a new world! I use Parasound JC-1 amps and that combination is truly wonderful. I really think that your video is spot on. Keep up the great reviews. Please tell me what height solidsteel stand that you are using. I am going to change to using those sturdy and nice stands. Thanks!
how does the mids compare
@@watermelon1221 The mid frequencies are better defined and the focus within the soundstage is presented in a more realistic manner. In some instances musical cues are more apparent and at times help you to appreciate what the recording was intending to convey.
Can hegel h120 drive them good? What about musical fidelity m5si?
After this review, and a few others - I now have TWO pair of the KEF LS50 METAs - both powered by a WiiM Amp. One set up in a smaller bedroom and one set up at my desk. Near field or midfield, omg what a great set up. They do soooo much right and I could not be happier.
I've been really interested in the KEFs as well! Loved switchin it up with Kristi! good touch!!
I've had the LS50 Meta for a few months and love them. I auditioned a heap of other speakers up to twice their price and nothing else came close in respect to detail and imaging. There is a certain 'rightness' to the texture of voices and many instruments (piano is remarkable). There are a few downsides. First, this is not the speaker to re-create a live metal concert in your living room. Second, it is an extremely revealing speaker: crappy recordings sound horrible and great recordings sound wonderful. This speaker shines with well made recordings played at reasonably satisfying levels. They are very happy with my 55 w/channel high current tube amp.
I had a similar experience. Think I really annoyed the sales guy. “Back to the first… ok now the second… first… second. Change music. Again.”
He did a good job though. He was pushing the B&Ws and I was leaning toward them before I walked in for my A/B. I actually changed his mind.
My Metas arrived a day early. Yay. UPS delivered and five minutes later I was into some deep blues. Enjoyed them my first two hours of listening. Tomorrow I plan on doing absolutely nothing but listen to a lot of music and BD concerts. Yes, I’m a happy man.
Cristi and Andrew has been a tough year for all of us but somehow we survived it. What I have noticed is this year has been a year of exponential growth for C and A chanel thanks to your professionalism, objectivity, down to earth approach and multitude of gears reviewed . And the credits for the initiative of helping those in need is quite remarkable. You're not alone and have the backing of all of us for your hard work with a modest return. Marry Christmas to you and all the followers of this chanel and a better New Year.
I'm literally driving to Best Buy to pick up a pair of LS50 wireless 2. Very excited after seeing this review. A bit of a wait but they finally here!
You won’t be disappointed.
I had a KEF LS50, then a QUAD S2, now I have a DALI MENUET.
Of all the above, I think I liked the LS50 the most, without a doubt the most audiophile and with the greatest reserve when upgrading other components (amp). So I think I will end up with the LS50 META sooner or later ;-)
I have a pair of LS50 Metas (royal blue) driven by an Avantone Pro CLA-200 studio amp and Topping D90 MQA dac. I love bass, so had to add an SVS SB2000 sub. These components are my PC audio setup which I use for digital music, games, and movies. I'm very happy with the Metas. It took about 50+ hours for them to open up and really strut their stuff. I work at home so am at my computer 8-12 hours/day. I gotta have great audio and I think I hit the sweet spot with this setup. Great review and commentary, mate!!
Great speakers!! I cant agree more , this Month i bought the meta’s with a Rotel A-14 amplefier. Perfect full sound 👌
"Can we just hear about the sound?" That was funny as sh*t! Thank you for that. Merry Christmas.
☺️
Did you ever run these ls50 metas with the marantz cinema 50? That's my purchase plan and this point
I owned the LS50 and paired them with my Denon avr-X2300w. Honestly, it couldnt handle the LS50. Anything soft paced (singer/songwriter) was fantastic, but rock or classical was a muddy disaster. I sold off everything and got a LS50 wireless. Best choice ever. No amp matching needed. Just pure audio bliss.
Wireless is no brainer.
The Klipsch Heresy4. I bought a pair after watching your reviews. I had a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica 3’s before them . The klipsch connected me to the music in ways the Sonus Faber could not. Sold them. I had an opportunity to trade up for a pair of Cornwall 4’s. Honestly I could live with either for a very long time.
I enjoy your reviews. Manufacturers should be running to give you product for review. They seem honest and I like that you do not dissect the sound and just focus on a weakness. Many others do just that.
I owned and operated a hide end hifi store throughout the 90’s. If you had told me then I would eventually settle on a pair of klipsch speakers I would have cried laughing. Thanks for opening that door for me.
Merry Christmas.
Kristi's take is the best part of this video. Should do more like these!
I have the Kef Q350. I purchased them after having to sell my Von Schweikert VR 4 JR due to having to leave work due to cancer. Also had to sell turntable and tube preamp. I was left with Parasound 2003 and Emotiva preamp, Music Hall DAC, Velodyne 1000 sub and Oppo player. A helluva difference, but I’m satisfied somewhat. I just ordered a pair of Metas from Amazon and will be here Tuesday. I’ve never auditioned these, but with all the great reviews, I’m sure it will be an upgrade to the Q350. My Parasound is more than capable to handle these Meta speakers. Nice review. Thank you.
Would you choose the KEF SL50 Meta over the Klipsch RP-8000F and the Polk Audio LSiM707?
I'm pretty sure you'll find anyone would take these new KEF's over the Klipsch and Polk products for listening to 2ch music. If you're looking to HT it might be a different story...
You're surrounded by speakers, including your wife! As far as she's concerned, sounds like you're a lucky man Andrew. Happy new year!
The meta is so good his wife came in from the next room to see if there was a real piano in the listening room. The holy grail of reviewing.
I finally pulled the trigger on a pair for my living room which is open to my dining room and kitchen. They are connected to a Marantz sr 1600 augmented by a REL T5 x. I’m very impressed with them in every respect and they play at plenty of volume. Even my wife commented on how good they sound which is saying something
Powered versions can play louder and lower btw! DSP is magic plus each driver gets its own DAC and amp. AB amp for tweeter D amp for woofer! It’s remarkable and I am comparing it as 75% to my 50k YG acoustics system with Mola Mola monoblocks and a Lampizator DAC
That’s amazing that they’re comparable to the YG’s in performance and I totally believe it as I’m floored by mine. The designers just went to town and built the perfect stereo.
What’s DSC?
@@DavidDerouinMDM Well They are 3/4 of the YG that extra 25% is night and day difference. They are great but no real comparison. It's like comparing a Toyota SUV to a Porsche 911.
@@DavidDerouinMDM I meant to say DSP it is digital signal processing. It gets rid of the crossover network and each driver has it's own amp giving it a greater dynamic range from low to high and more power.
@@pennfootball71 yea no doubt the YG’s will blow them away but there is a diminishing return there. I can just imagine that effortless live sound is carried into both performances.
To your question, fav speaker vid to date was on the klipsch 8000f and focus on quality at low levels.
And if $1,500+ tax is too much, simply look for a pair of "pre-enjoyed KEF non Meta LS50's on Audiogon. Another classic / fantastic / highly beloved speaker without the meta material at a fraction of the price. Merry Christmas!
Hi Andrew. I purchased these speakers a couple of weeks ago to replace my ageing Rogers Studio 1's .My analogue system consists of a Pro-Ject 6 Perspex magnetic suspension turntable fitted with a Hadcock GH 242 uni-pivot tonearm and Denon DL 110 moving coil cartridge. The signal goes to an Easter Electric Min-max Phono stage,connected to an Audiolab (made in England ) Preamplifier and finally to a Rotel 200w per channel Power amplifire I am hearing things from my records that were hidden before. I thoroughly recommend these speakers. BTW my listening room is 26 feet long,15 feet wide and 8 feet high The Metas had no problem filling this space.
9:06 did you ever revisit them as a 5.1 home theater speaker? I'm considering them for that purpose, but it's unclear (A) what they would pair with for rears and center channel, (B) what home theater receiver would make them sing, and (C) if they do well inside a TV cabinet given that they want a lot of toe in and have a rear port.
The closets thing to them seem to be the Hsu Research CCB-8, albeit a little larger and possibly less power hungry/finicky.
I had a chance to audition them in a perfectly acoustic treated room... For hours... With many different amps ranging from $500 to $3000 among with SVS and B&W 7 Series... To make it short... The SVS speakers impressed me more than the Kefs... The SVS at their price... Was the better speaker compared to kef... Mids, base, detail, separation, scale, depth etc.... The B&W 705 was in another level... Beating the SVS and Kef... it was a huge difference... The B&W speakers, reproduced the music, giving you a sense of space of the room the artist was in while recording... It brings all to the music... Really incredible...
This is my favourite and I’ve been waiting for the part it goes well with the Naim Uniti Atom. I feel it’s the perfect pairing! Omg happy Christmas! And love Kristi’s input!
Thank you so much for watching and Merry Christmas, As'ad!
Very late to the party Andrew and Kristi, but just watched your video on the LS50 Metas and was so pleased to hear that the Naim uniti atom works really well with them. I was worried about the Naim only having 40W would not be enough to drive them well, but its quality of design, current delivery that matters. I will be using this setup with my TV as well so HDMi Arc was important to me in an amp. Great review guys. Thank you. 🎉
The is a great review Andrew, thank you for providing this. I've purchased the LS50W2's and looking forward to your review on them, I think they're a game changer especially with the ease at which I can stream MQA Files through Tidal through these things and get as nice a sound as I've ever heard. An effortless, coherent and live sound that I can't get enough of.
I really love your channel because it is down to earth and honest. Congratulations and hears to 150K + and a successful 2021! Keep up the excellent work Kristi and Andrew.
KEF of Klipsch 8000F? I know it's a weird comparison. After your review, I bought 8000f, but they arrived damaged, so I returned them, still, I had a chance to listen to them, and it was good (not mind-blowing though) but the SIZE. So now I have a second try, either go back to 8000F or try something else. BTW, my room is quite small 400s.ft. And I'm using Marant 8012 to power everything
For a small room, I'd go with the KEF if you have the budget.
Incredibly professional and well informed videos. Fresh and accessible presentation!
Nice one! And soon a KEF LS50 Wireless II review ? Yes please ! 😄
Please. I obtained the Fives by Klipsch for vinyl based on Andrew’s recommendation. I absolutely love them. But like many of us, I grow restless in the seemingly endless search for the perfect sound. So I’m considering an “upgrade” to the LS50 WIIs. BUT, I really want Andrew’s input.
I have Meta with the Luxman 505uxii amp, and I am very,very,very happy with this pairing using a Cambridge Audio 840C as a CD and DAC. For me the system is incredibly clear and detailed with wonderful soundstage. Anyway, does not matter, I am no longer looking for anything else.
I must admit, it's a beautiful design.
It's gorgeous!
Kef are an awesome company.
Love them for over 30 years.
R11's are simply stunning
Thank you for an awesome and entertaining review. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to the two of you❤️
Love my white/blue ls50! Have them paired with a Denon 4311ci and a SVS PB 3000 sub as the core of my family room system. They are keepers for sure, I’ll probably never get rid of them.
Sounds like a great setup! Thanks for sharing!
Check out the KEF Sub 92 if your SVS ever fails you. I have the Metas with a Sub 92 and a Yamaha AS701 and its an amazing combo. I might go as far as to say this combo is one of the best systems that I've heard at any price. I'm sure a McIntosh amp would be slightly better than the AS701.... but hey, maybe next year.
Great review Andrew. I’m sure you still have love for the Heresy, but these KEF are getting drooled over by almost everyone for all the same reasons. And from an aesthetic perspective, they really look good , matching very well in your living room on those gorgeous tripod stands.Good value indeed.
Love the review... glad to hear you guys are building a relationship with KEF.. Would love to see a back to back comparison between this and the q150 (super budget friendly).
Keep up the great work!!!
As an old subscriber from the earlier HT era, would love to hear your take on an LS50 5.1 system. Recently completed my 11.2 system, with 7 LS50s and 2 LS50Metas. Been incrementally buying pairs since 2016. BTW you should be able to get singles from Kef as well. I found amazing value when I first set up a 3.1 system, expanding it fully has been excellent. I’m using vintage for front L/R channels and stereo. Good power is required. Thanks for finally getting the new speakers in house. Looking forward to more down the road.
Cheers, and “be safe out there”
Chris
How were you able to mount them for atmos? I'm currently at 5 ls50s!
@@nonametofame I’m an old school kind of guy. I mounted Front Presence/height on shelves near the ceiling at the front of my room. In the rear I still have a pair of M&K dipole (small/light) mounted in rear wall corners. Dolby wants in ceiling, but old Yamaha and DTS used High on wall speakers. I took this route to avoid drilling the beautiful cabinets. Not perfect but highly workable. Surrounds are on book shelves, rear surrounds on stands, center channel is on a shelf which hangs below my pull down mantel mount. So center is at same height as front L/R when pulled down. The overhead effects are slightly blurred, but I think it’s worth it to avoid damaging the cabinets, as I’ve seen folks do. The decoders project the sound anyway, the overhead VOG speaker is like a phantom center channel and works fine for me. The rain still sounds like it’s falling on my head, etc. Hope this helps. Oh, before I forget, I use lots of Bluetac to keep the speakers on shelves from vibrating the shelf. It works okay. Always looking for other ideas. Andrew?
@@christopherplourde607 i appreciate the detailed reply. I was hoping you had figured out a sensible way to integrate 9 ls50s without drilling into them. I'm considering getting the q50a atmos for height effects since they should blend with the 50s. But i think I'll stop at 5 speakers. I wanted identical monitors for seamless immersion.
@@nonametofame sorry took awhile to get back. I now have my fronts LS50Metas with KF92 subwoofer, all except rear presence are LS50s. Horizontal near ceiling works well with my AVR, I don’t miss the overheads at all.I’m now 11.1 with all Kef except the two M&K dipoles which integrate very well. AVR drives all but Fronts which are driven by Yamaha M4.
@@christopherplourde607 thanks for the update. What are your thoughts on the metas vs non metas, especially with the lcr integration? Congrats on integrating 9 ls50s, I'd love to see pics. I'm working on adding 4 q150s for overhead but i might stick to the base 5 since it's a small room. But I applaud 👏 you for ls50s for atmos and rear surrounds. All in the black/copper?
You certainly ended the year on a high note! Thanks for the thoughtful, in-depth review.
Excellent review as always! I love this subtle clap back against a certain audio publication with the Sony receiver!
Happy holidays you two!
Caught that did ya ;).
I’m glad he added that plug as it points to how ridiculous Gene is and his baseless comments. Gene and his HD2020 friend basically made themselves look bad for essentially turning into online trolls.
best bang for the buck Klipsch RP-8000 I had to exchange them due my room being 1600 cubic feet. Then I went with RP-600C and 4 RP-600M with dual SVS-SB2000 wow perfect for 19' x 12' room amazing home theater, and classic rock they play very loud and clean.
Love the final dialog between you and Kristi. A man listening intently to his lady without talking over her or sprinting ahead to cut her off and highlight his intellect is a beautiful thing. My wife is incredibly insightful and I also listen to her with the same attention. We are lucky men. Favorite review was the Klipsch era of discovery. The excitement was palpable. These KEFs must be special because they are constantly referenced. I appreciate the inclusion of db sweet spots. I tend to listen fairly quietly in my NYC apartment and often wonder which loudspeakers will sound full range at low to medium volumes. Your presence in this pandemic has been vital to keeping me entertained and distracted. Is it possible to make one time contributions? Money is super tight but you both deserve compensation for all your hard work and endless improvements you’ve made to the channel. Happy holidays to you both.
You’re too kind and we appreciate you watching and we appreciate the support! We don’t have a way to accept money from viewers directly but if you want to give please consider donating to Feeding America. Folks out there need the support more than Kristi and I. But if money is tight, hang onto it and care for you and your family. I’m just grateful for your kind words and for the support. Thank you for watching!
😍
Kef made the LS50s with sound quality in mind. You can't just adjust how low a speaker dips in impedance, or it's sensitivity, without compromising sound quality. The LS50s (with subs) can play very loud, clean, dynamic, natural and smooth on my JC1, JC2 and VMV DAC system (in a very large room), only because they were made to handle 100 watts. Hence, why the sensitivity needs to be much lower. Stronger and stiffer drivers require more juice to excite them. The beauty of the LS50s is that they can play more than loud enough to be very dynamic, very detailed yet never harsh or even edgy at very high volume. However, only very competent gear can get the most out of them, which is magical.
Great review glad you finally got a kef. I’m wondering how these compared to the R3
Thank Y'all for being in my life this year! I have enjoyed all the information, and I have used the information to better my system. Now if y'all are ever stuck for content, please just fill with the fluffy Doggy. Always want the fluff monster.
Great review! I'm seriously considering upgrading from my Klipsch RP-600m to these. Thank you for your fundraiser and thank you for the reviews. Merry Christmas.
I think the Metas are a worthy upgrade to the 600M. I love the 600M, and for a sub $500 bookshelf the 600Ms are SOLID, but the Metas are demonstrably better, and maybe the LAST bookshelf one might need/want. Thanks for watching!
That’s almost exactly the move I made from the 600m’s to the LS50’s. I think it was worth it!
I also just got the ls50 meta and I too found I needed a clean 160wpc to drive them to my liking. I have a Parasound Halo P6 preamp and a Parasound Halo A23+ and it’s a fantastic combination. I’m glad my amp has enough power on tap to drive the KEFs they’re just about perfect I think but any less and I would have been disappointed with the output for my louder listening sessions which is rare but when you want it, you want it. I also found the KEFs really open up when you have a more powerful dynamic amp.
I listened to the Meta's at a local store paired with a Rodgers tube Amp. They sounded amazing!! , so I ordered the LS50 wireless II, I'm dying to find out how much better the Meta's can sound like once the KEF engineers put their amplifier and dsp magic inside.
I really enjoyed this review. I've been a KEF owner for a few years now. I started with the Q350 and I have the R3 now. I hope you get more of their speakers to review. I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the R3. By that time they may even have a meta version of the R3. Thank you for all of the work you put in and I'll continue to watch and enjoy. All the best for 2021.
Yes. I look forward to your review of the active ls50 wireless II. I wonder if you could live with the wireless II as a streamer+amp and not use your uniti atom? I’m debating whether to go with uniti atom+meta OR simply the wireless II with built in streamer+amp.
I really hope we can get our hands on the LS50 Wireless IIs very soon. I want to focus a bit more on powered speakers in 2021 and the Wireless IIs are on the top of the list.
The Crowns work perfect with them, provided you have a good pre/dac connected to the XLS. The difference in sound will mostly come from the pre section, not the power section. What pre/dac did you connect the Crown to get muddy mids?
I watch almost every clip of you (and Kristi in the background?) now. Please keep up the good work. Merry Christmas from Bavaria
P.S.: Burchardt S500 or KEF LS50 Meta? What would you prefer?
Hi Dieter! I doubt we'll be able to answer that question for you unless something changes with Buchardt. They opted not to send us any speakers for review. So I'd get the Metas! I personally think they're prettier!
I bought the LS50W's 4 years ago. I liked them. Flexible, easy to position (if you have good stands), accurate, and on the "bright" side -- which I like (I have some HF hearing loss). And I LOVE-LOVE dual concentric drivers (my main speakers are Tannoy Cheviots). Dual Concentric does the best "Coherence" + "Imaging". Six months ago, my left (slave) LS50W speaker started cutting out intermittently. If I restarted the master speaker 2 or 3 times, the left speaker would often re-appear. What a pain. This had been a widely-known problem with LS50W's that had been going on a long time. KEF eventually had so many complaints, they offered owners a deal -- pay for shipping to KEF Support HQ in NJ and KEF would repair for free -- including return shipping. I sent mine back 2 weeks ago. Still waiting. So, we have a huge reliability issue here. Yes, Kudo's to KEF for supporting their customers who bought the LS50W's. But caveat emptor for purchasing the LS50 Wireless II. I do know this -- you can probably get used LS50 and LS50W's for rock bottom price, because many owners will want to upgrade. I will wait to get mine back from KEF, see how they sound. Yes, I will probably upgrade to the LS50WII's -- based on the reviews, which are just crazy-good. (PS: I'm not into doing "amp bingo", so I prefer the powered LS50W -- I figure for $1k, KEF knows how to power these better than trial and error by me. The powered versions are so freaking flexible -- they can be used as a super sound bar, in a HT setup, or as a budget/apartment hi-fi-system-in-a-box. Use your phone (Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz PREMIUM ONLY) as the source -- or add a decent turntable. My opinion -- KEF, Klipsch (Heritage series), Kanto (TUK's) -- are three good speaker companies.
Is there an integrated amp (or combo) under $1500 that does this speaker justice?
@@jacobsontukua999 I use an older nad c 375BEE with a/b amplification. I think NAD use d exclusively now. I feel like I’m spoiled for other systems. Like I want to find a better one but can’t. I think I’d have to get into the 10s of thousands to come close. I’ve also added a Martin Logan dymo 300 for some of the low end but they sound great without it.
The Focal 806s were my favorite review but you got me pretty hyped on these.
I have to agree with you, I have been living with my Royal Blue version for 2 months now. Couple of days ago, I was listening and forgotten I had turned off my sub, I got to say that these speakers sounded very capable in the low frequency region. These are my first KEFs and I am very happy with my purchase. Using PS Audio Sprout 100 to drive.
We really wanted to Blue finish for the review. I bet they are really nice!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews they are eye candy indeed especially sitting on the matching stands.👍🏽
So disapointed kef does not make the ls50w2 in blue!!!! Very bad marketing....
Hi Andrew, do you think a MS2i or MS3i would drive the Metas almost as well as the MS5i? If not, is it because the MS5i is made with better components? or is it that Metas simply perform best with a high powered amp like the MS5i? Thanks!
Can't wait for KEF LS50 Wireless II
It would also be great to see reviews of cheaper and more expensive options from KEF and how they compare: Q150, Q350, LSX, R3, Reference 1
I bought the wireless 2s.... if you are on the fence about pulling the trigger I will just say... the sound is out of this world but the ARC isn’t working and awaiting a firmware update for that. So if you are not planning on using them for home theatre they are prime time ready. If not maybe wait on that firmware update
@@pmizz7959 Thanks a lot for your reply. I'm glad you really like the sound. I'll wait for the firmware update.
I picked up 3 of the old ls 50s for my LCR, driven by a marantz sr 6014 for the center and surrounds, and a peachtree audio nova 300. My fluance rt 85 sounds soo good through the prev generation. I can’t imagine how they improved them but apparently they have!
Awesome. I had been waiting for this review. Thanks!
Hope it was worth the wait!
I recently got the old LS50 for half the price of the new ones and I'm very surprised how much better they are compared to my old R100. I can only imagine how good the Metas are.
Also got a used high end Denon amp today and it makes one of the the best hifi systems under 1000€ imho.
This is the one we've been waiting for.... 😎
This channel is my go to reference review channel now.
Thanks so much!
Finally, cant watch this on my laptop, heading to the living room to watch this on the TV. Thanks for the upload, I checked my inbox a few times today!
Hope it was worth the wait! Enjoy!
Awesome review, you're raising the bar video after video. Merry Christmas!
Could you compare them to the KEF R3's I just got a set of them with the Arcam SA20. And I think they are among the best I have heard.
Jason. Marry Christmas. Like the content. :)
Thanks Kristi (and Andrew :) ). My favourite speaker review this year was this one.
Will be interested in the KEF LS50 Wireless II review when you get around to it, and how it compares to say the LS50 Meta + Naim Uniti Atom.
Great review Mr.Robinson. I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Quad S2 speaker. It appears to actually beat the LS50 in many reviews. I'm certainly very happy with mine! Great stands too. I use the same ones. Cheers....and love your channel.
How many reviews actually preferred the quads over the Meta's?
Ludo, Belgium
I know Kef speakers very long and I like their sound. But they all need expensive application. So if you want to buy a pair you must have at least a large extra budget to drive them. I find the balance is not ok. Let’s say between 2 to 4 times the cost of your speakers. These are speakers for people with a big budget for listening in smaller room. 26 years ago I bought a pair Kef reference one speakers for about 1600 US dollars (1500 euros) and a Rotel amplifier for about 850 US Dollars. They were a two and a half way speaker with a sensitivity of 89 db at 8 ohm. They were still the best speakers I ever heard. They very good with vocal classical as with big orchestral music als with rock music. Let the guitars rock. That was a well balanced pair price wise.
Greetings Ludo 61 years old.
Kristi saying what we were all thinking. ;) HAHA Great review and great way to wrap up the year. Merry Christmas to you both. Looking forward to more great stuff in 2021!
She has a sort of 6th sense for this kind of thing. Just keep it moving! Thanks for watching!
😂
So true about having the right amp Andrew. Tested the Metas with a NAD M10 v1 and sounded great except for the midrange which sounded very subdued. Tried them with a Rotel 1572Mk2 and wow! Not only great midrange but the highs and lows were next level better as well.
How would the KEF LS50 speakers compare to the Klipsch Heresy IV's? You seemed to have many nice things to say about both speakers.
Indeed I'd love to see comparisons on these!
"Our house is still here nothing burned" 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I just could not help it, LOL.
@@rafalobo5308 I’m glad he added that plug as it points to how ridiculous Gene is and his baseless comments. Gene and his HD2020 friend basically made themselves look bad for essentially turning into online trolls.
shame
@@Rockhurst22 Gene?? Is that another reviewer?
Check again, I smell smoke.
Wondering which Home Theater Receiver could power 5 of these, a sub and potentioal atmos modules, properly... and also have a great stereo/music sound.
Arcam AVR850
@@nespressoman Would the AVR10 also work? I need either Dolby Vision or eARC.
Possibly NAD 777. I own the 758v3 powering 5 of the original ls50s. They sounded fine. Added some parasound amps, and wow, they really opened up.
@@arianmeidow420 The AVR10 is eARC compatible.
Dear Andrew, thank you for another great review🤩 Now I urgently need a review from you about the new LS50 Wireless II
Cause everytime I buy something you recommend I hear the same as you described it to sound. That’s not the case with any reviewer. So 🙏🏼
Andrew, you and Christie are at 165,000 subs, wow I’m so proud of the both of you and yes I mentioned Christie, because you couldn’t do this without your better half. I can’t wait to see you hit 200,000 subs you are on your way and I’m happy for both of you because you have earned it one subscriber at a time. You have come along way since your Emotiva Days, keep up the outstanding work. I currently have a pair of Kef Q350s and while my amp is in the shop, I have a pair of Simaudio 400m mono blocks and they might not be going back, they are in a word, out freezing standing!!! Please reach out to Simaudio for these or something from their Evolution series, it will blow your mind !!!
Hi thanks for the insightful video!
Do you think the LS50s are "compatible" with the onkyo tx-rz50 receiver, meaning that they play nice with each other?
Hi Andrew, any thoughts on the LS5oW II? Is it worth it? Or is it better go for good integrated amp + the meta passive version? TKS!
I've heard both. Both are great, especially with passive paired with a very high quality amp. Otherwise, it's not an apples to apples comparison.
I'm a passive guy myself for longevity, picking your electronics and integrating with current components without spending even more $. Wireless are great when needing complete, simple systems.
My only real is warranty / longevity with third party components (KEF is not in the amp biz and what happens when the warranty runs out?). There is very little history (
@@Michael-xz1nk Hi Michael, many thanks for your reply. I currently own the KEF LS50W. Was thinking in upgrading to a) KEF LS50W II; b) Good integrated amp (let say Hegel H90 - H590) + KEF LS50 Meta; c) not upgrading at all. I listen to the music in a medium sized living/dining room. It belongs to the whole family (I mean it belongs to my wife, rsrsrs). Acoustic treatment is not really an option. So, what is a GREAT feature for me in the KEF LS50W is the possibility of equalizing the speaker to nicely couple to my room. In fact, with the factory sets, it sounds not so good in my room (Uncontrolled bass. Probably my room has a nasty resonance at around 40Hz. It is classic). But, when I change some parameters on the speaker, everything changes. The sound gets very clear, open, transparent and pleasant. With a great and prominent midrange. So, I am afraid of buying a good (and expensive) amp + KEF LS50 Meta just to find out that it will be impossible having them sounding good in my room. That’s an issue for me. Well, considering also the Buchardt A500. John Darko has said very good things about it. Best!
I couldn’t be happier with my LS50W2’s. Get them. They’re driven as the designers want them to be driven. That’s value. You also get 4 dacs and an active crossover!
You shut your mouth!
I WILL NOT!!
Gold! Keep it up!
I didn’t consider these speakers before this review, so this video was perfectly done.
Can’t wait for the LaScala’s!
I heard the LS50 (1.Gen) and Compare That to the Wharfedale Evo 4.2. For me the Kefs was Reality good. Reloution and clean sound. But the sondsstage from Evo 4.2. was More Open an deeper, what i prefer. The Evo was more lean back what i love. I forget That i listen to Musik and it feeling more the Emotion of music. sometimes i want to have the Knef and the Evo. When it gets really detailed, the kefs are brillant for That.
Awesome!! Thanks! Can't wait for LS50 II Wireles review now. May I ask what cables you use?
Kef are synonymous with quality of sound and style for well over 50 years.
I absolutely love there sound and innovation.
Fantastic product's.
Hi! Love you’re reviews would you please consider reviewing the new Kef KC62 sub and how it would work with the new metas? Is it worth the addition?
Would a pair of KEF LS50 Meta preform well with Cambridge CNX V2 and Cambridge CNA-81 amp? I listen to singer song writer and classic
Rock mostly. What other speaker should I consider. $1500 max budget
Cambridge Audio is generally quite bright in my opinion, it wouldn't be my first choice but it will definitely drive them with ease
Hi Andrew, How do these compare to the project speaker box 5s2?
Commenting twice now but whatever, I just LOVE this channel's reviews. Just marvelous 😌👌. Happy holidays, and happy new year, all!
Appreciate the support ! Happy holidays to you and yours!
what is your take on using these L/R only for movies/tv or adding a center channel. it's my understanding that the typical receiver or pre when set up for 3.1, 5.1 etc. that the L/R is only for mostly effects - if that is the case, is the cost of these over kill for a set up for 3.1, 5.1 etc.
Thank you so much for this review. You mentioned you also tested the Meta with the XTZ. Can you please comment on this pairing ? Have a Merry X"mas & A Happy New Year, both of you !
I’d love to know as well
Great review! Kristi adds a nice dynamic to your review! Keep the good work!
Agreed - nice to have the “wife acceptance factor” POV as part of the review
Hi, nice review. You might want to run the LS50 Meta with a Hegel H95 Integrated. I run the old ls50 with it and they really sing.
@@lkl7045 i agree the H120 sounds amazing with ls50 Meta's!
I'm sure others here have already asked, but how do you think the Meta LS50's compare with the original LS50's. How much better, and in what areas? I kept waiting for you to address that obvious issue, but...no. --Thanks
Kristi: "Shut your mouth"
Andrew: "I will not"
Hahahaha the video of the year, if you ask me! LS50 FTW!
Happy Holidays guys!
Glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays to you too!
Would you recommend this or LS50 Wireless II as a soundbar (system) alternative or is it mostly about listening to music? Of course surround sound will not be a key fature here.
Let's see a review for the LS50 wireless 2...