KEF LS50 Meta Bookshelf Speaker Review. Not what I expected 🙃 

Loving my Metas in a small room setup with sb1000 sub. This review is spot on based on my experience,.nice work sir 👍

You compared the Metas to all the speakers I was interested in! Great job!

I gave you a thumbs up, but I couldn't relate to the Focal comparisons. However, as an LS50 Meta owner, I am now intrigued about the Focal. Thanks, nicely done.

I love my 2019 LS50's without the Meta material. I paid $980 brand new and can't justify the cost of an upgrade. Nice job on the review. I subscribed as a result.

1:35 This cannot be overstated. Picking these up feels like picking up a small CRT tv with all the weight in the front. I pulled these out of the box with Nemo's warning in mind and still was surprised at how weirdly they're balanced. Seeing how many Kef speakers are on Ebay with dents in the driver, I think it surprises a lot of people.

Awesome review Nemo and very interesting comparisons to the other speakers - although we haven't had a chance to listen to the LS50s, we've always liked the sound of good concentric drivers. I bet these sound amazing. Keep up the great work as always :)

Awesome review. Can't believe it took me so long to find this guy.

Excellent review. The R3's increase vertical soundstage. Both LS50 Meta and R3 just excellent.

I like your style! Straight to the point, no mumbo jumbo..... thumbs up 👍

I can’t wait for them to bring the “meta” technology to the R series. I’m a fan of 3-way, not 2-ways so it’s a mater of time till it comes to other Kef speakers. The ls50 meta (not the old one) is better than the r3s, but the r3s beat the old ls50s (non-metas)

Great review with lot of comparisons.

You tested so many subwoofers with LS50 with a bad back, don't strain it my friend. To share a few thoughts. I had a chance to play with LS50W2 at home and I was so impressed with the imaging, the singer was literally standing in my room. Personally, I find LS50W a little more engaging over the Chora 816. At low volume movie time, I am more excited with LS50W while I have to crank the volume higher for 816 to have the same effect. BUT, what I dont like about the Wireless version is vocal for movie..... I dunno how to describe it but something is missing, kinda sound hollow. Nevertheless, I am driving the 816 with Marantz NR1200 and maybe it is not good enough for 816. I am hoping to upgrade to Niam Atom/Nova one day and who knows, when Meta comes in Black on Black, White on White I might fall for it. Thanks for another great review.

Got excited when I saw this video. I got the wireless 2 Metas and I love them. Just love vocals through them. Thinking of pairing them with a pair of Rel t7x or t5x.

Great review. Thank you very much !

The cabinet and crossover are 80% of the performance, yet most companies always cheap out on both of those fronts ... grrr!!

Great review!

I think it is very nice to see that KEF is coming up with solutions to problems that are outside the box. But I'm having a little trouble understanding how, if this META disc is good to absorb frequencies from 600hz up, how is it that it is set up to absorb the back wave of the tweeter, but the tweeter is crossed over at 2.1khz. If that's the case then the META mat in this particular case is working from 2.1khz and up and not 600hz and up as advertised.

Just ordered a pair! Have 6 pairs of speakers in rotation now. Just need a super high end high sensitivity type like a Tekton to complete the collection.

Really good reviewer.

I would love to see a 8" mid/bass drivers & 1.5" tweeter Uni-Q driver called the LS80, the same size you would find in the Q950's. Now that would be 😎.

I've yet to hear the ls50 meta but I've had a few kefs in the family. I've had the q950, one of my brothers has the r3 and other brother the r5 before going back the b&w

Looking for a vocals champion (both male and female). The higher end Elac’s are a little warm for me and it sounds like the Metas or Focal Arias could be better in that regard. In the 1-2k range, with a Rel T7x sub, what would be the best speaker in terms of making it impossible to lose track of the vocalist. Best sharpness/clarity and definition while not allowing the vocals to sound like they’re coming from too far away on the stage or dark at all. My dac and amp are decently warm so I think I could handle a little brightness. Awesome videos, thanks!

There is a speaker by Philharmonic Audio /Salk Audio called the BMR Monitor. Would love to hear your. Hear- Pinion on that speaker Vs this Speaker and your Bucharht S 400.

Hey man i have changed my opinion on those Quads and have gone back to the Meta's. After listening for a couple of weeks that ribbon tweeter started to get to me and i began to miss the smoothness and refinement of the Meta's! Cant believe im saying this after raving about the Quads but for me the Meta's are hard to beat.

Car audio does a hack job of coaxial drivers and basically just places the tweeter in front of the midrange, blocking and interfering instead of integrating to share the same dispersion point as in Kef speakers.

Can you do review on KEF ls50 wireless 2?

I have been a Kef Ls50 owner since 2017. The KEF is a relatively benign load and places few such demands on the amplifier. Still, at its limits (either a very complex piece of music or playing at very high or very low volume levels), even the LS50 can cause the combination of amplifier and loudspeaker to sound shrill. That said, I'm looking to upgrade my current Marantz PM8005 amplifier. My source components are Cambridge CXN V2 and a Rega Dac. I plan to get a very good in-built dac inside my amplifier and discontinue the Rega. So ideally, I need an amplifier with balanced outputs and would be looking at an amplifier with a minimum of 100w into 8 ohms. Can you recommend some models worth looking at, for around £2000 - £3000, that will drive KEF Ls50s at higher and lower volumes? Many thanks.

You've seen nothing yet. Check I out the prototypes the 3000s, 3001, then 3005Cs 3001SEs over the course of 12 hours under disguising then as well as their modular sub the htb htb 2 htb 2 w and now called for T2. For about 20 years kef took the top of the 207/8 and rebooted them based on all the new IP they had and the expiration of the classic Uni Q patent. The htb and 300x series were more refined than anything else they had done and had have done since. The 3001C has a razor flat frequency response and trickled its way to the blades meanwhile the 3001se squared off downgraded to wood but kept every element except the crucial suspension seal which is all you're really hearing. The ls50 managed to revivify thr ls 3 5as. The metas are 20 years of work flushed down the drain and instead just going got a smooth flat response which the 3001Cs and fhe blades were already superior . Kef isn't king to stop selling the most popular cabinets so they're going to or could squeeze the 12th gen driver, hope people forget ehy the ls50s even exist and just accept the ls50 is just a random speaker in a random box. If you own the ls50 listen carefully. Thr metas are not "better" they're flatter but that's never been the point of the ls series st all

Muy buenos tus videos! Prefieres estos kef LS50 o los focal aria 906??

Great review man, thank you. I know the emotiva T2+ is a tower but are you planning review those ? I'm between this and the emotiva. Any thoughts ?

Man you should try Elac vela speakers. Heard nothing, but good things.

Oh no, I have expected a comparison with Focal Shape 65…I know you are a focal fan, but what could you say for it, honestly?

Another great review, Nemo! For a large bedroom setup, would you recommend the LS50 Meta's or the Buchardt S400s?

Seriously robust…and absolutely front heavy. I had one knocked off a 60cm stand onto a parquet wooden floor. Slammed into the floor face down on the front part just above the woofer. Not a dent

Any possibility of doing the R3 Meta?!

Please please do a review of the dark horse of bookshelves : The Edifier S3000 Pro. Would love to hear your opinion on this set of amazing speakers.

hi nemo, nice video as always, one question what do you mean by bass note distinction ?

Nemo's friend watching as Nemo describes the front heaviness and predisposition to drop em... 😰

great review. I agree with the Buchardt s400. Please recommend an amp for the s400 for under $2k. now i'm using outlaw rr2160, wondering if worth to upgrade?? thx

I've always been fan of Kefs. I used to own old 104s with macintosh mc275. What amp you used them with and the preamp. Thx

Hi, do you think, that the LS50 Meta and the Marantz Model 40n is a good match?

Hey man a great review once more. I wish you could review the new Polk Audio Reserve R200 bookshelves or maybe even the new Elac Unifi Reference ones. I have been thinking to sell my Triangle Borea BRO3's and add some extra cash to get the R200's as i am not quite happy with them but it could also be my amp that i don't like or my room acoustics that suck, so dunno.......

How did the svs sb3000 micro play with these meta's? Im looking for a subwoofer to go with my ls50 meta's but can really afford something as expensive as the KEF KC62

Hey Nemo! Thanks for the video. So my budget is 1000 euros and right now I can get these for exactly that. What would your alternatives be for around 1000 euros a pair, bookshelf size ? I listen mostly to jazz, funk, soundtracks from the 60s...but also some modern singer, songwriter and the occasional electronica. So I am more keen to warm sound, than extra bright and precise. Thanks! all the best

Thanks for the review Nemo… From you, i was looking for the optimal subwoofer to pair the Metas : Thinking of getting 3 of them for center video needs and thus not sure if two 12 Rithmik for an articulated base (which I love) but also punchy for video. Do u have any other better recommendations?

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I agree with you about the curved front, I don't like it too. Looks like an eye. From your description of the volume range, I understand that they are not good for low volume listening. Am I right ?

Hi. Thanks for great review. I need a hint. I have guest room with two sofas. One is 1m from speakers (boxes behind listener), the other around 3..3.5m. Does it make sense to hang speakers to the sealing (center of speaker ~2,4m above the floor). Would it help or destroy sound stage?

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I have to ask and I hope you can answer. When you tested the REL TX series subs what connection did you use? I have a T7X connected to my NAD C298 Amp via the High input connection with a pair of Paradigm Founder 40B speakers. I have yet to run Dirac with the NAD C-658 streamer but am concerned that Dirac will be confused if I run the High level cable that comes with REL and is recommended by REL to allow for the speed and audio matching with the track being played. What recommendations do you have in what is the best set up for a REL. Sub out or the high input connection which they supply the cable for? I ask for a couple of reasons, one being the Dirac set up and the other is to understand that frequencies lower than what the 40B's can handle will be picked up by the REL. Is this a better set up and justifiable set up for bookshelf speakers with a single or dual REL set up? Sometimes I wonder if the speakers can handle higher volumes without distorting the bass but yet the REL picks up the lower frequencies and there is still a lot of air moving through the bookshelf. So is sub out a better option allowing the speakers to work easier and focus on the mid's and highs while the REL's handle all the low frequencies?

Great looking. Very good mids and soundstage. Paired well with my REL T7i subs. Lacking in top end is what killed them for me. I returned them.

Nemo P, Why did you compare these to the Q150s, and not the Q350s . I have the Q350s, purchased earlier this year they are excellent , detailed, and deliver nice Clarity. I don't know that i would spend $1500 for bookshelf speakers for my usage in a finished basement "studio" created in the Chinese Virus Hibernation. I play the 350s with a pair of Elac Reference 6.2s ... Each have their Pros and cons.

I need a word of advice. I have a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 6 powered by a Parasound 200pre/275v2 combo, It sounds very good to me, but I would love more refinement in the sound. My listening room it is smaller than 200 ft/sq, so thinking out loud, the low end frequency response will not to be an issue. Do you think that moving from MA S6 to KEF LS50 Meta is a right move?

Hi Nemo! thaks for your review. I your room, what do you prefer to pairing with LS50 meta. Do you prefer one Kc62 or two Rel (t5x or t7x?)

Thank you nice review. Do you think the clarity of treble or tweeter will sound like a CD track high crispy sound? I'm looking for speakers that would sound just like a CD track high crispy note. I've got too much bass with my sb3000 for my small room but my bookshelf (q acoustics 3030i) and centre speakers (q acoustics 3090ci) aren't really giving me enough crispy high treble. What would you recommend please?

Nemo review the borea BR03

A little off topic but I see that you have a Kinki integrated in the background and wanted to ask what are a couple of good speakers pairings that work well with the amplifier? Cheers

Would you say that the arylic A50+ can make them sound good?

I demo'd the LS50 Meta speakers. I loved them and the top end sound was really nice. They did sound a bit boxy too, which was a shame.

Which speaker stands are those, Nemo?

what do you recommend for a small room ?

Listening louder than usual is usually an indication of a compressed sound, do you think it's the case for those speakers?.

What integrated amp will do good on these? I have a Music Hall mmf-5.3 turntable.

How about testing them with and without a preamp like the Emotiva BasX?

World love to hear your comments on the LS50 Meta vs Polk R100.

Can anyone recommend me a decent amplifier below 1000$ for LS50 Meta?

Great review buddy thank you, $1500 is a little more than I’m willing to spend

The ls50 thaught me I am not an audiophile. It has a lot of objective qualities, but I borderline hated them, so boring it hurt.

dont change the channel name bro, do not ever call it audio whatever or sub whatever, leave it as nemo propaganda for ever.

Far too much chat my man. I was losing the will to live there and had to stop watching. No need to do so many comparisons. ( especially against the Q150). That was a hard watch.. sorry dude, I won’t be subscribing. ( I’m sure you are worried) 😂😂 All the best with your channel. 🤘

Don't understand. You did a 19 minute video review of the Meta in February, and now an 18 minute review in July? Why? Like everyone else who's reviewed it, you liked it. Both times.

sound like trash with complicated recordings, like death metal, black metal , doom metal, metal , metal ,metal, right?

A sound demo would be heaps more useful.

I’m very disappointed with the audio quality of this crap KEF LS50 wireless II