★ *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, RUclips 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 ;-)
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 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 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...
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.
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.
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.
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!
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. 🎉
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!
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.
Any idea when the home theater review will be coming? I just listened to the metas yesterday paired with Hegel H190 and I have to say: WOW! I could not believe my ears. I asked the salesman 2 times if he was absolutely sure that only these 2 speakers were playing and none of the other big ones in the demo area. The sound is so big, coming at you from all sides. Totally fills up the room like I’ve never heard before. But... like you, I wanna do home theater, so I’m fighting myself to keep waiting instead of just buying them asap!
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews that’s great. kristi has good taste. it’s nice to keep things fun. hope both of you have a happy holiday season! (and yeah, i always watch your channel.)
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.
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!
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.
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!!!
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.
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!
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!
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.
Its official, she needs to be in the videos now. The combination and interaction is enjoyable as a viewer. I would like to know how well they can be blended into high end subwoofers like the SVS Ultra 16s.
Andrew's side gig is ventriloquism. We never see Kristi, he never interrupts her, and his lips don't move when "she" speaks. He's working on the drinking-a-glass-of-water trick...
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!
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 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.
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!
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.
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 !!!
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.
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. :)
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
That is the same story with the original ls50s. These speakers were misunderstood by many people calling them overrated. They require seriously good amps to wake them up.
Not really you just need high current amplifiers, something like a audiolab 6000A will do a very good job, but step up to Hegel and things will improve further
@@hclandscapes They need more than a high current amp from my experience. If that is all they needed, the class d crown would have been more than adequate. I do agree those amps brands you mentioned are very good for those speakers.
Just get the powered versions and case closed. Imagine, the amps and dacs are discrete on every driver and designed to work specifically with these speakers by the speaker designers. They’re about as close to a perfect stereo as one can imagine.
I'm a home theater junkie and love my KEF Q series paired up with Emotiva amps. I'm sure the LS series is more refined for stereo music but it's hard to argue with the larger displacement q950/350 in a theater setting. I'm sure the KEF R series sounds fantastic but I get the feeling the laws of diminishing returns starts to kick in with them unless you are in a stereo music environment. If you get the opportunity to get reacquainted with some Tekton speakers in a theater setting I'd be very interested in watching that video!
Great review, I'm a huge kef fan. I've had a lot of their speakers, LS50, Q300 (didn't like them), T105 (huge waf factor), x300a (didn't like them) and now R3's. I prefer the R3 to the LS50 soundwise, but the R3 have a big footprint which is not as esthetically as pleasing as the LS50. I would like to see you comparing the R3 to the new LS50 meta. Since you're trying new things, how about the new Anthem AV amplifier ?
Great vid! I was just listening to these speakers yesterday at my local HiFi shop. They are so realistic in the higher registers. There were times as I was thumbing through the vinyl collection, that I thought someone was actually playing a tambourine or a high hat. And I'm a drummer. So after my first listen they really impressed me! Any chance to see GR Research reviewed on this channel?
I like what your wife said, and that you included it in the video. They're a tad (no - a whole lot) out of my price range, but I can appreciate they exist.
Well, I own a pair of metals for about two months. The are placed in a weirdly shaped large space (main area of about 6 by 7 meters). They are part of home theater powered by Denon 3700H. You lost me once you omited subs. I lived with them about a month before a pair of SVS SB2000 finally arrived. I was happy before, but the subs made them sound so much better. Maybe it's because the subs are self powered and that left much more of the poor Denon to deal with over 80Hz range. The high lows and midrange became so much reacher and clearer with subs. As for the movies, I failed to find a single LS50 (or Meta) for use as central chanel and ended up with KEF Q250c. But those 3 + a pair of subs (and some surround speakers) made movies great again. You should really do a part two - Metas with subs.
I got the new Kef Wireless II’s for my bedroom as my second system. They are pretty good. My YG Acoustics sound better but hey that is a 50 grand system! It’s shocking how far midfi has come though.
This sounds like a thumbs up for British hi fi. Well worth the wait. Just have to pursued the wife I need an upgrade. No chance. Great to hear a female give her honest opinion on these speakers. Merry Christmas to all those the other side of the pond in the U S of A.
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 🙏🏼
I think your wife should join you on screen during the last comments! Merry Christmas! I enjoyed the RP-8000F review. I ordered a pair to try them out. The arrive tomorrow, 12/26.
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 !
Great video. Good to see some KEF speakers on the channel. Would be nice to see a future video on how the KEF Q550s stack up against the Fluance Reference series tower speakers, the Jamo S809s and the Klipsch RP4000Fs as they are all in a similar price range.
Thanks for this review! Now I am really wondering how a pair of these will sound paired with a SONOS Amp. Powerwise that would probably be no problem, but maybe detail and coloring could be a thing. What do you think? Merry Christmas!
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!
★ *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, RUclips 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.
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?
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.
"Can we just hear about the sound?" That was funny as sh*t! Thank you for that. Merry Christmas.
☺️
I've been really interested in the KEFs as well! Loved switchin it up with Kristi! good touch!!
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.
Kristi's take is the best part of this video. Should do more like these!
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.
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 must admit, it's a beautiful design.
It's gorgeous!
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!
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 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.
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 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 ;-)
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?
Did you ever run these ls50 metas with the marantz cinema 50? That's my purchase plan and this point
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 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...
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.
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.
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.
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!
😍
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. 🎉
Let's see a review for the LS50 wireless 2...
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!
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.
Any idea when the home theater review will be coming? I just listened to the metas yesterday paired with Hegel H190 and I have to say: WOW! I could not believe my ears. I asked the salesman 2 times if he was absolutely sure that only these 2 speakers were playing and none of the other big ones in the demo area. The sound is so big, coming at you from all sides. Totally fills up the room like I’ve never heard before.
But... like you, I wanna do home theater, so I’m fighting myself to keep waiting instead of just buying them asap!
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!
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.
"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.
You certainly ended the year on a high note! Thanks for the thoughtful, in-depth review.
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.
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.
Kristi, please come back in frame and send Andrew back!
Loved the interruption by the way! Thanks for another year of great content 👊🏼
You know I can see this right? :)
hahahah
LMAO.I loved that interrupted intro.
Kristi's idea!
😍
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thanks Kristi; that was classic :)
I loved that, too. Perfect! Merry Christmas to both of you from Bavaria!
This channel is my go to reference review channel now.
Thanks so much!
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Incredibly professional and well informed videos. Fresh and accessible presentation!
dude, that christmas shirt is the best. the speakers are awesome, too.
Kristi got that for me just for this episode. She tries to keep things fun around here! Thanks for watching!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews that’s great. kristi has good taste. it’s nice to keep things fun. hope both of you have a happy holiday season! (and yeah, i always watch your channel.)
THANK YOU, Emo. I put a lot of thought and effort into getting that shirt. :) LOL.
@@KristiWright nice! the thought and effort totally paid off.
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.
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!
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.
Great speakers!! I cant agree more , this Month i bought the meta’s with a Rotel A-14 amplefier. Perfect full sound 👌
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!!!
There aren’t many bad reviews out there, but you can usually tell when reviewers really like a product
When we really like something we tend to just go crazy and have fun.
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 glad you finally got a kef. I’m wondering how these compared to the R3
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!
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!
Kef are an awesome company.
Love them for over 30 years.
R11's are simply stunning
wait, wait.... who is this host & what did they do with Andrew? this new guy has personality, warmth and charm. very nice!
Low-key rude. He's always charming
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.
Its official, she needs to be in the videos now. The combination and interaction is enjoyable as a viewer. I would like to know how well they can be blended into high end subwoofers like the SVS Ultra 16s.
Andrew's side gig is ventriloquism. We never see Kristi, he never interrupts her, and his lips don't move when "she" speaks. He's working on the drinking-a-glass-of-water trick...
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!
😂
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...
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.
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!
Hello Andrew, many compliments for your awesome RUclips channel and thanks for using our SS Speaker Stands!
Thank you! We love them!
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?
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 !!!
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.
The Focal 806s were my favorite review but you got me pretty hyped on these.
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. :)
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.
That is the same story with the original ls50s. These speakers were misunderstood by many people calling them overrated. They require seriously good amps to wake them up.
Not really you just need high current amplifiers, something like a audiolab 6000A will do a very good job, but step up to Hegel and things will improve further
@@hclandscapes They need more than a high current amp from my experience. If that is all they needed, the class d crown would have been more than adequate. I do agree those amps brands you mentioned are very good for those speakers.
@@buttonman1831 not so keen on class D amplifiers, i like the fact that they run cool but a decent class a/b will always be my choice
Just get the powered versions and case closed. Imagine, the amps and dacs are discrete on every driver and designed to work specifically with these speakers by the speaker designers. They’re about as close to a perfect stereo as one can imagine.
I'm a home theater junkie and love my KEF Q series paired up with Emotiva amps. I'm sure the LS series is more refined for stereo music but it's hard to argue with the larger displacement q950/350 in a theater setting. I'm sure the KEF R series sounds fantastic but I get the feeling the laws of diminishing returns starts to kick in with them unless you are in a stereo music environment.
If you get the opportunity to get reacquainted with some Tekton speakers in a theater setting I'd be very interested in watching that video!
Great review, I'm a huge kef fan.
I've had a lot of their speakers, LS50, Q300 (didn't like them), T105 (huge waf factor), x300a (didn't like them) and now R3's. I prefer the R3 to the LS50 soundwise, but the R3 have a big footprint which is not as esthetically as pleasing as the LS50.
I would like to see you comparing the R3 to the new LS50 meta.
Since you're trying new things, how about the new Anthem AV amplifier ?
Great vid! I was just listening to these speakers yesterday at my local HiFi shop. They are so realistic in the higher registers. There were times as I was thumbing through the vinyl collection, that I thought someone was actually playing a tambourine or a high hat. And I'm a drummer. So after my first listen they really impressed me!
Any chance to see GR Research reviewed on this channel?
Always great to hear a musician's thoughts on gear!
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!
I like what your wife said, and that you included it in the video.
They're a tad (no - a whole lot) out of my price range, but I can appreciate they exist.
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!
Well, I own a pair of metals for about two months. The are placed in a weirdly shaped large space (main area of about 6 by 7 meters). They are part of home theater powered by Denon 3700H.
You lost me once you omited subs. I lived with them about a month before a pair of SVS SB2000 finally arrived. I was happy before, but the subs made them sound so much better. Maybe it's because the subs are self powered and that left much more of the poor Denon to deal with over 80Hz range. The high lows and midrange became so much reacher and clearer with subs.
As for the movies, I failed to find a single LS50 (or Meta) for use as central chanel and ended up with KEF Q250c. But those 3 + a pair of subs (and some surround speakers) made movies great again.
You should really do a part two - Metas with subs.
Awesome. I had been waiting for this review. Thanks!
Hope it was worth the wait!
The metamaterials are a creative touch. Kef got it down to a science
I got the new Kef Wireless II’s for my bedroom as my second system. They are pretty good. My YG Acoustics sound better but hey that is a 50 grand system! It’s shocking how far midfi has come though.
50 grand system! Yikes! 🙀, Bet my Sonos play 1 kicks it’s ass lol
This sounds like a thumbs up for British hi fi. Well worth the wait. Just have to pursued the wife I need an upgrade. No chance. Great to hear a female give her honest opinion on these speakers. Merry Christmas to all those the other side of the pond in the U S of A.
The originals can be had new 7 800 dollars or try used 600? The originals are phenomenal as well.
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 🙏🏼
“Shut your mouth!”… “I will not! 😎”
brilliant!
Awesome!! Thanks! Can't wait for LS50 II Wireles review now. May I ask what cables you use?
I think your wife should join you on screen during the last comments! Merry Christmas!
I enjoyed the RP-8000F review. I ordered a pair to try them out. The arrive tomorrow, 12/26.
How’d they work out?
@@christinearmington The RP-8000F are simply awesome! Both music and movies. I also got the RP-600C and the coherence is amazing!
@@rafacq Thanks. I’m about to decide!
@@christinearmington good luck. Sadly the price on the RP-8000F just went back up. Also if you buy these, they are big! And heavy.
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 video. Good to see some KEF speakers on the channel. Would be nice to see a future video on how the KEF Q550s stack up against the Fluance Reference series tower speakers, the Jamo S809s and the Klipsch RP4000Fs as they are all in a similar price range.
Andrew any plans on reviewing Rotel products (Rotel 1592) .... how do the KEF LS50 compare to the slightly more expensive KEF R3?
***KEF LS 50 Meta vs KEF R3 / ROTEL 1592
Doesn't matter that so many people have already reviewed this. I was still excited to see this video. Great to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for watching!
I wrote KEF to send you a pair of LS50 wireless 2s, hope they send it
ASAP!
Thanks for this review! Now I am really wondering how a pair of these will sound paired with a SONOS Amp. Powerwise that would probably be no problem, but maybe detail and coloring could be a thing. What do you think? Merry Christmas!
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!
Love to ear a review about the LSX also.....Thanks....Merry Christmas...xxx
Haha like the Gene dig back on the Sony 😂
Does the Sony 1090 amp have enough heat sink area and large enough power transformer to handle low impedance speakers?
Awesome review, you're raising the bar video after video. Merry Christmas!