Unveiling the KEF LS50 Meta: The Truth Behind the Hype

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[stevenma]

I own these speakers, and was so pleased to hear Erin praise their "imaging." That was the very first thing I noticed about them. They are AWESOME at imaging. Extremely precise. They are an excellent choice for a small/medium room, but will not fill a large room very well in my experience (I have the Kef R3 Metas for that). Great review Erin, it confirmed everything I was hearing.

[jozefserf]

Thanks for mentioning frequencies for various things like male voices.
The more that we can combine subjective impressions with technical data, the better will be our understanding of playback systems.

[FM-kloc]

I've been using these as near-field monitors at my PC desk since they came out. With a little room corrections with UMIK-1, REW and EqualizerAPO, these sounds lovely.

PS. Before the LS50 Meta, I had the LS50W. I got rid of it after I had to have the electronics inside of them serviced twice in less than 18 months. I'm never getting active speakers ever again after that.

[larryh]

Nice review. To go with the LS50 Meta, I have a Paradigm PW-Link that runs Anthem's Room Correction software. After watching the review, I opened the software and looked at the frequency plot the software performed. In my room, as with your test, there was a dip in the response just past 2K. The advantage of ARC is that it sees the dip and automatically EQs it out. As such, I find these speakers are excellent for dialog and are enjoyable at low volume. In case you're not familiar with the PW-Link, it's a little black box that supports ARC, Play-Fi, and a DAC (with optical input for a TV). In my case, all I use in the Link is ARC by taking the output from the DAC (via analog in my streaming setup) into the Link, then back out to the Rotel A11 Tribute. I think it would be tough to compensate for the dip you identified without room correction software.

[nhennessy]

Great review, Erin, thank you. I am an LS 50 Meta owner who's had them for two years. Before them I owned the OG LS 50's. The Metas are a great improvement on the originals IMHO. Obviously, neither speaker is for playing at high volumes in a large room. But within their limitations, and using a sub, they provide the opportunity to give the user a healthy helping of the KEF sound for not a lot of money. I use mine with two SB 2000's, Dirac DLBC, and a PEQ supplied by Maiky 76 on ASR.

To me, playing something at 80 db is plenty loud in my small room, and frankly anything that played louder would be a waste of horsepower. So these fit my use case like a glove, and may, I suspect, be what a lot of other people in smaller apartments and listening spaces need at a price they can afford.

[Clobercow]

That deviation comparison between the two speakers is a great test. It gives us an idea of quality control, and I think that's pretty dang important too.

[greatm]

I like your approach to subjectively evaluate the KEF before you look at the measurements. Of course these speakers have been measured by several others, including GR Res & ASR.

[juicebox]

Really like that you have added the distortion measurements with and without sub. Thanks

[audi-o]

I have LS50 (Meta) Wireless II's. I used your sensitivity chart to high pass the mains at 100hz (and low pass the sub at 100hz). It sounds a little better than using a 75hz crossover--the -3db point--which is where I had them crossed over. I also tried setting the crossover at 120hz, and it sounded the same as 100hz. It's also possible to set the high and low pass filters at different points, but I haven't played with that as much.

Nice work. You're helping me get into charts more.

[AA-wsvd]

Another great review. Thank you to @AudioAdvice for helping us out!!!

[Locoface]

Great review Erin! Used these for nearfield monitors on my gaming rig/listening room and they are awesome speakers with the little tweaks using a omni mic they sound great. Now I need to invest into a subwoofer.

[ParkyCat]

The speaker deviation was really nice to see, hope you do it more :)

An excellent analysis... I think it would be arrogant of me to comment on such scientific data :)) I have owned these speakers for 2 years. I have tried many amplifiers and sources. I always thought that they had a secret area and reaching it was a matter of trying.. he is right. I think I'm out of the woods. Finally, after incorporating the MusicalFidelity A5 amplifier into the system, all the curtains between us and the LS50 have been lifted. The detail I get at low volumes is like a transition to another universe. I think it is necessary to feed them well with pure power. It is not possible for me to give up now. Best regards to everyone.

[Nick_i]

I have a pair of LS50 Metas on a desk, just a few inches from the wall with the ports plugged and crossed over at 90hz with an RSL 10 inch sub.

My experience aligns very closely to yours and I have been very happy with them.

I'm very antsy while I work, so I tend to move around and change posture often. These allow me to do that without distracting changes in frequency response.

I was previously using a pair of Aperion N5B which were the polar opposite of the Kefs in this regard (and many others)

[realitykicksin]

KEF uniQ drivers are truly innovative and take the mickey our of all these super expensive high-end brands.

[davidweber]

I have a quintet of these LS50 Metas for a small-to-medium (14’x14’x10’) home theater/music setup crossed over at 100Hz with a Rythmik F12 sub. I’ve been very pleased - I haven’t noticed much issue getting playback well into the 90Dbs with some extra headroom. I haven’t heard other concentric-drive speakers to compare, but the imaging is phenomenal. I’ll have to try placing the R/L speakers closer to the back wall and a 2-3kHz EQ bump based on Erin’s listening/measurements.

[LeRoySL-qq]

I love my Q350's! I high-pass at 45 Hz and used pink noise to set them "flat" in my room. AMAZING SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING!! Crazy good stereo separation! Plenty of bass in my small room.

[johnshore]

9:30 look lovely in the grey and red driver combo.

I have LS50 mk1s in black edition.

[User_not_found_]

Glad you got to these speakers despite their age. I recently bought a pair and my experience aligns with your explanations. I love good audio, but given my space and aesthetic constraints, can't do 3 feet away from any wall boundary. I also have to opt for smaller bookshelf even though I know bigger stand mounts will get me closer to the sound I strive for. I experimented quite a bit, no plug, partial plug and full plug, tow in, minor spacing adjustments from the wall and different amplification. I also prefer a minimal setup - no sub if possible. For my space, I found a got better bass extension just as you said, approximately 10-12 inches from rear wall, no plugs. These are a good value for small room setups. I get the more immersive sound if I crank the volume or sit a bit closer.

[Steven]

Not given to commenting. What a great review. Much appreciated. Subscribed.