For a SOUND DEMO of the LS50 META I have made a video directly comparing them to the Buchardt S300 MK2 SE found here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tW-Mgk3vck4.html
Super solid review (again) Terry, thanks. What keeps me coming back here is your infectious enthusiasm for better sound from whatever you review and that Pursuit of the Perfect System (!). I changed my speakers from the KEF LSX to Buchardt A500, which is a triple jump. Funnily enough I use that same Christine and the Queens track for bass listening, her '5 Dollars' is the popular track, but the sound of different instruments, separation and production is so immersive. I look forward to your reviews of this new series. Even if I have no intention of buying, your descriptions of how you test and what you look (and listen) for is very informative. Keep up the good work! It's a great idea to slip in the little tongue-in-cheek remarks to keep us hanging on your every word and give us a LOL moment!!
Great review! As a side note I listened to the Cambridge EVO 150 today !! Very very impressive!! Certainly one the Uniti should be worried about 👍🏻👍🏻🇬🇧
Had these for a couple of months now and always was a bit sceptical about running in speakers, however these kefs really do improve with time, especially in the bass. They are sounding very integrated and smooth after a couple of months worth of driving with a Naim nap250 DR amplifier. Maybe overkill cost wise but the kefs have a lot to give.
At the other end of the spectrum, I'm driving them with a Sonos Port into an Audiolab 6000A, and it's just like.....aaargh.....they're good but bass and body generally disappears almost entirely at low volumes and the treble at high volumes just has me wanting to turn the system down. Also, what Terry said about placement is absolutely true - I'm space limited and the place that I'm allowed to keep them does not show them at their best at all. Now I'm faced with a decision to keep them and spend a good deal more to get the rest of the system where it needs to be, or just sell them on.
@@gavinhall4112 I agree they’re not great at low volume, as with most speakers there is usually a sweet spot getting the volume right. The Kefs do show how good or bad the rest of the system is. I think they like current over watts which is why Naim and Hegel work well with them.
Every speaker I ever owned needed run in, including guitar, and car speakers. I always hope they will sound good out of the box, but the never do. I think a lot of negative reviews are the result of speakers being too new. Some more extreme than others.
@@gavinhall4112 I’m trying to find a system to replace my Sonos Arc/Era 300s/G3Sub … Was almost sold on Kef Meta but 3k budget might be too low to get enough out of them. Maybe Dali would be a better fit for me.
Great observation. A front end is critical to getting the best out of a speaker. In my experience, many speakers, even modest ones, can pleasantly surprise if fed well.
Got mine coupled with the baby Lyngdorf 1120 and I'm over the moon. Fantastic sound - the Kefs just disappear and separation is spot on. Fit & finish in the blue look great too. 👍
@@NottsModeller Go for the 1120 bud. The Room perfect is fantastic. My only 2 gripes are the missing connections to add the power amp if you are running subs, you can't have both. Probably done deliberately to make you upgrade to the 3400 if you want extra power. The app drops out too. I've also had problems between the TV and Amp with the HDMI switching but the chap from Lyngdorf is coming out soon with another unit so can't fault that. Don't want to lose it as it sounds fantastic. I know 2 people who had the Naim and have switched to the 1120. I don't think you will regret it.
as an engineer, that material doesnt absorbs frequency but straight up cancel it. i mean, these small closed tube resonator, when sound hits it, they start resonating(like bottle flute, but tuned to cancel tweeter back reflection which excited them in the first place) its like bottle flute, but cancelling your breath sound
Nice review of Kef sound characteristics. I do find it astonishing that basically every review regurgitates the Kef marketing hype about metamaterial absorbing "99% of the sound" when Kef's own video mentions toward the end that this applies only to 620 Hz and higher! The frequencies that cause the most vibration and distortion, namely bass, is not absorbed much at all by the Kef metamaterial.
Great review by Terry , cant wait to watch all the reviews as I making decisions shortly. Just one slight error he did say that the Kef claim distortion of .1% and the reference speakers are .2%. This should be less than in both cases which is even better ,amazing results non the less
Interesting point of squeezing every bit of sound out of metas :) I have a pair of white metas for the past 6 months or so. They are great and I really loved to sit and re-listen to all my favorites. And then I got a pair of subs (yes, metas are part of larger home theater system) and OMG ... Once the crossover is set between 60 and 80Hz (I tend to like 60 more often), I can feel the MORE SOUND from metas. Not to mention that addition of fast subs extending to below 20Hz ,is very rewarding listening experience. Anyway, the point is that Metas + Sub (for a large room better 2) are really next level and I'm really curios what will "squeeze more" - subs or tube amp.
The kef meta and the Sonus faber sonetta i (2 is too big for my space) are in my choices for a big upgrade. Currently have the triangle borea bro2’s powered by the nad m10 in a small room. Wish you had the buchardt s400 since that’s my third choice! I trust your reviews and love the comparisons! Keep it up!
@@squeegebergren3501 thanks for replying. Yeah I’d like to upgrade too but am dubious about spending say £1000 and not really gaining much over the BR02’s. How’s the Evo compare?
@@leeh4722 it’s a little more revealing and neutral but with more refined highs. The bass is a little more textured I guess. Sound signature isn’t As forward sounding as the bros. An upgrade but not a huge one. But way better build quality on the evos. Wood veneer is way more quality. I would say if you were going to upgrade someday. Spend more money to make the jump worth it.
Great to see this now - mine are on order and should arrive in the next week as there were out of stock in Germany, really do hope they do improve on my current LS50. Perfect timing, thanks
I have the original lLS50s, and used them with mid-range Onkyo AV receiver. i adored the combo, although I'm aware that some audiophiles would sneer at the choice of amplification. The treble never seemed overly bright, and War of the Worlds sounded great - even Forever Autumn. A couple of months ago I "upgraded" to a Cambridge Audio CXA81 and I found the treble uncomfortably bright. I later bought the Cambridge CXN streamer, and it added a slightly different tonal characteristic, presumably because it has a different DAC, but I still found the treble too bright or my taste. I added a Schiit DAC I already owned, and that reigned in the treble for me. I think the Kefs really do expose the characteristics of the source
Do you not have to or treble control on the newer gear? Depending on the age of the onkyo, your caps may be dried out and it has lost its brightness. Electrolytic caps only last about 15 years.
@@bbarnett7667 My Onkyo was only a few months old. To be honest, the Cambridge Audio CXA81 has calmed down a bit. It doesn't have tone controls. I have since purchased a NAD m10, but that's paired with a couple of Dali floor-standers
Onkio got a bad rap over 10 years ago, but from what I have read, they have made a comeback. Most A/V receivers do fine in stereo mode. LS-50's are low impedance, and need an amp that can handle when they drop below 4ohms.
Thank you Terry. Love your enthusiasm and your precision in language. I am looking forward to you comparing boxy speakers [;¬D} with some open baffle examples at comparative prices. (maybe hard in this price range) Also - would appreciate details of source chain (including Isotek elements) so we can better understand how you 1) use your power conditioning to clean up the various source elements 2) power the power amplification to best effect. Greetings to you and yours
Really looking forward to your new speaker comparison. Really interested in that little number with the inverted soft dome tweeter. Have fancied the sound of that tweeter type since my EPI 100 bookshelves (about 100 years ago), but the Focal metal ones shimmer too much for me. I still consider the SVS Ultra kind of exceptional at $1K US, despite the metal dome. Should be fun. Thanks!
You legend! This is insanely useful! How would you compare the step up in sound quality from the under £650 speaker videos, to the under £1300 speaker videos? Is there much of an improvement? I currently own a set of B&W 606 speakers and I'm considering an upgrade to the KEFs. Must admit I'm worried they're going to sound a little thin compared to my B&W 606s though! Cheers from Ipswich, Suffolk!
The correct time alignment for best sound based on their distance to each other you mentioned, but how many feet apart from each other exactly was that for you? Thanks for the great review!
Hi, mate. Most listening rooms i see when someone demonstrates a pair of speakers look very reflective. The result is too many reflections mixed with the direct sound making the speakers sound very bright. In my home theatre /music room I have thick wall to wall carpet. There are motorised heavy velvet curtains behind the speakers. Both side wall have wool curtains which can open and close. The only reflective surfaces are the rear wall and the ceiling. The LS50 Metas sound really nice. To get the best out of them i have a tube phono stage amp. An Audio lab Preamp, and a 200 w per channel Rotel power amp.
I have 46 Acoustic Panels in my room and an RT60 time of around 0.3ms so its not a overly reflective room :) The tubes makes sense to me for certain reasons with these speakers yeah for sure, its an interesting one that
Great Review..was thinking of doing a full av system in my converted single car garage With the meta’s or Would the R5s be better for movies and music ?
One of the specs is frequency range @ -6db. The other is frequency "response" measured @+/-3db. These are very different measurements and it's quite typical to give both specs. Unless the speaker company is trying to be deceptive to their customers. Then they will only give the frequency range and not even mention it was measured @-6db. It's sneaky marketing and a lot of companies do it. I hooked my LS50s to my JC1 mono blocks system just to see what they can do. I was blown away how much tight (and strong) bass these little speakers can put out (in a large room) if you really push them with an amp that can drive them properly. Even my decent 150 watt high current amps can't keep the LS50s tight past 70-80 watts. I must have fed the LS50s 150 watts from the mono blocks and they stayed super tight. The LS50s are really 4 Ohm speakers. They dip down to 3.2 Ohms and that low impedance with 85db sensitivity is very hard to drive. I wasn't very impressed with my LS 50 when I first hooked them up, but I soon realized how finicky they are and how much of an improvement is gained when you do get things right. Now that I know what they need, they sound great.
I think what you are hearing is the speakers transparency and in a way ruthlessness which is what I said about them compared to the other speakers in my group test. The JC1 are punchy sounding amps and that is what you are hearing but throw some tubes at the meta and you hear something else. This is a lot for a £1000 speaker and most owners wont have that much money worth of gear to put in front of them so might ended up a little short changed where another speaker that is more forgiving would be better suited.
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I agree with you. My point was that the LS50 can play way past their price point as the gear gets better, but some people might be better off getting less demanding and finicky speakers. The first part of my comment was referring to why Kef gave a frequency response spec and a frequency range spec. They do the same for all of their speakers and not all companies do.
Hi! Would you recommend it for classical music (and some pop) over the Kef R3? Or which speaker would you recommend for classical music? Buchardt Mk2 or Kef R3, this one, or something else?
Hi Terry, greetings from Macedonia. Great video as always. I need your professional opinion. I have Cambridge Audio CXA81 and CXN V2 and I’m looking a speakers. I’m thinking between KEF LS50 meta and B&W 606 S2. I know that decision should need be made individually depending of personal needs/expectation but I really appreciate what would be your choice for mention amp. Thank you in advance.
Hi Terry, I’d be really interested in your opinion of the Quadral Galan 9s. In your super test. They’ve been around a few years but to my ears are a. Stunning standmount. Quadral as a brand don’t get too much love in the UK apart from in HiFi world, which is odd. Cheers
Hey there, thanks for this awesome video! I am new into hifi and looking to buy my first system. I am between the ls50 meta and the wharferdale evo 4.2. Any suggestions?
@@sivaramnagarajan8791 Hey man, nothing yet. The only thing that local dealers told me is that wharferdale does not compete with the ls50 meta or the revel m16.
I find that the LS50 metas are very sensitive to placement , even 2-3cm makes quite a big difference. Front end is also quite critical like the DAC and esp the amp requiring high current and power with good 4ohm capability. Pair it well and it sings. I think you need budget 4-5k total for the front at least.
Thanks a lot for review. How about the upper-mid compared to evoke 10. I noticed a boost around 2-7 khz in your measurement of the evoke 10. Does that make ls50 more relax sound than evoke 10?
I trust your eventual evaluations of the speakers in this group test much more readily than any of the major publications. The quicker manufacturers realize this trend, the easier it will be for them to convince consumers of their brands' attributes. Just look at Klipsch and SVS success via RU-vid reviews for examples.
Just great. Now I've got five pairs of non Meta KEF speakers. Sounds expensive. Thanks KEF, you clever bast.... Lockdown is no excuse for that beard. PS we need to talk about a cable blind test. Just to stir the pot.
@@michaelmityok1001 Thanks. I have some good ones now but always looking. Just the way I do it. Have the Dynaudio Evoke 20 and auditioning JBL HDI160. Both have been very good.
I dont think I am the right reviewer for that, not unless I had some other versions of the speakers at the same time . Some reviewers will know the originals really well and sadly that is just not me, so I could only compare them to modern speakers not really to their heritage and its probably important for a speaker like that
@@PursuitPerfectSystem thanks for you reply 🙂. A lot of reviewers have compared the new batch of ls3/5a speakers from Falcon, Kef, MoFi to name a few to their nearest competitors such as Harbeth's P3esr and other "mini monitor" bookshelf speakers Inc the Kef LS50. I think it's quite relevant when prices of new ls3/5a speakers typically range between £1800-£2600, they are then automatically entered into a market and pitted against tough competition. Maybe it's not necessary to have experience of the older originals unless you are doing a direct comparison with the modern reincarnations. Hifi enthusiasts young and old, regardless of experience, there is no way of getting away from the legendary name of ls3/5a. Audiophiles' curiosity are just as legendary. I am speaking for myself here, but I think you are one heck of a great Hifi reviewer and your opinions on the modern ls3/5a, in particular when compared to other mini monitors in the same price bracket, would make for a very interesting video 😁
Could these speakers be bought 'blind'? I'm reading they are not necessarily every one's friend. I'm looking for an upgrade from Dynaudio Emit M10 for a small bedroom. I also probably have to play at a lower listening volume. Therefor I was also looking at Klipsch RP-600M as they are so dynamic. Every other suggestion is welcome.
Please try to include the Triangle Borea Bro3 speakers in your roundup. It seems to me to have a slightly different and special sound to the average bookshelf speaker.
I've got a set of the ls50w, how would you say the ls50 meta compares to the original ls50. If you can feel a difference and you had to put a number on it what would you say? 5%,10%,20% etc
I very much want to buy the LS50 metas for HT but have some questions. I have 80% HT / 20% music usage. For Hifi in the "budget", I am comfortable to move forward with LS50M. For HT, wondering if I will be better served with R3 & R2C? My gut says LCR LS50M (I have a sub) is the right choice. I want speakers that are very precise, clear at low volumes and have wide sound stage for large 12 FT couch that is 10 FT from speakers. I know you personally had a similar HT setup. If you had to do it again, which way would you go LS50M or R3/R2C?
I use the LS50 Meta in a LCR home theatre set up, with a sub. They sound great and as a centre channel and sounds like it’s coming from the TV screen instead of beneath the screen like some other speakers do.
Is there any chance you could add the Quad Z1 to your megatest? I'm not sure what the current price is in the UK, but I think it's in the range. I grabbed a pair of Quad Z2s when they were being closed out in the US. They are CRAZY transparent.
I am waiting for some Quads to come in, but I am going to look at a few speakers that are the price range up to see how much more sound quality we might get if we spend a bit more. I think its Z2 but don't quote me on it
@@PursuitPerfectSystem Great! Peter Comeau, the mastermind behind the Wharfedale Evo 4s, also designed the Quad S and Z speakers. So that would be another interesting comparison point. I was all set to buy a pair of Evo 4.2s when I found a heavily discounted (close out + customer return) pair of Z2s for not much more money.
great review! would these be a good pairing with the Sonos Amp? have had the sonos fives in mind for a while but i think these are the way to go... would be nice to link them to my other Sonos speakers though
You will likely get away with it but bear in mind these are very transparent speakers so they will let you know how good the amp is but it's always worth trying as you can always make changes and improvements- it's a speaker that will reward you if you feed them a better signal
I’ve used these with a Sonos Amp since March. They work well with it and dialog is very clear, but at times it can seem a bit too loud at times especially on films or games. The main downside to the Sonos Amp is they really want you to use the Sonos Sub because anything over LFE can seem like a loud thud even on a gentle sub like the T5i. You can decrease the loudness of the sub but not the harshness. If you were going to get the sonos sub anyway their Amp is a safe bet. I’ve heard the Bluesound Powernode (2021 version) might be a better choice through.
I'm vaselating back and forth between ls50 metas and R3.. I know the R3 have the bass presence, but I will also be pairing with dual subs. I feel like the metas could be later put in rotation for desktop near field on my computer so they have that advantage for me as an investment. Someone decide for me. I'm kinda bass head. I love clarity in hifi but I feel like most bookies leave me unimpressed "down there" lol.
The Meta are pretty punchy sounding for a small stand mount and adding a couple of subs to that would be good - the R3 has a different character its a bit smoother and more forgiving
@@PursuitPerfectSystem thanks for the reply! I think you just sold me on the meta. I'd still like time with the r3 but maybe down the road. And possibly a revised r3 if/when they do one with that latest uni-q of the meta in a 3way design
@@CoomerGremlinDGGfan I never got the metas or any kef speaker. I've gone in quite a few different directions but may revisit the meta or r3 at a later time!
How did you find the bass response with your tube amp? Looking for a set of speakers for mine but these look hard to drive with that 85 dB sensitivity? (What's your tube amp?)
Yes some of that but it’s also that likely they have just sold so many that more are being sold on as it’s unlikely to be everyone’s forever speaker. It’s also been a hyped speaker so people don’t always know what they are buying they just buy it anyway
Assuming one has room correction would these make more sense than the R3 maybe with a sub? It's so hard to auduiton anything at the moment. I'm also making an assumption that at somepoint Kef will add the Meta to the R range as well so maybe waiting. I just have some entry level Kef iq10s at rhe moment but I do correct with full range Dirac with good results. However there is a lack of depth and fullness to the soundstage that I just can't get out of them, whatever I do.
I bought a new, factory sealed, classic LS50 for about 500 Euros. I can buy an ex-demo version of the LS50 Meta for about 760 Euro. I think it will be possible to sell the classic LS50 for the original price. Is it worth paying the extra 260 Euro for the Meta, or does the change make no sense? At the price od Meta I can also buy ex demo Burchard S300 MKII.
Not all companies deal direct with the public imagine how many emails they will receieve daily. I am not defending kef that is just an honest appraisal on the situation
I have owned Meta's for 4 1/2 months, and I am using them with SVS SB3000 subwoofer. A subwoofer or two would be a must have! The LS50 Meta's would need a robust power amplifier to give the volume needed, and headroom required to preserve the speakers. The speakers do not have the ability to play to extreme sound levels, or to reproduce bass at high sound levels. Like Terry said, they do not possess the scale of larger speakers with larger drivers. I would rate the Meta's a 5/10 , and a 7.5-8.0 with subwoofer running.
Super proud KEF is now owned by one of worlds largest electronics companies based in China to help complete our #MadeInChina2025 and #BeltAndRoad plans 🇨🇳
Not a single independent scientific assessment of this have I seen. Marketing mojo, slithering reptile oil, take your pick. Also if you are running in, do so out of earshot. Always amazes me how many people sit and train their ears for 96 hours and declare the speakers have run in.
KEF have published a white paper for the new Meta speakers so there is a lot of science there - but none of it tells you how the speakers sound on the end of a HiFi system, only how they are designed. You can again measure them and see how they behave as I did for frequency but again that only tells you so much too.
So I was going to buy a pair but the more video reviews or even written reviews I have watched I think its a no for me. Every review indicates that there is significant level of adjustment to even approximate an acceptable sound. The only reviewer who be credited with telling the truth is the Cheapaudioman whose review indicates that these are not worth the money.
@@patricklonski they are demanding speakers that require you to have the right system and setup, someone will like them some wont. To say they are not worth the money is just plain wrong. If you feed them a lesser quality signal they won’t hide it and some speakers at the same price will hide it because they are not technically as good. It makes them more pleasing or easier to listen but not necessarily better speakers hence the comment about value
@@PursuitPerfectSystem At the moment I have Wharfedale EVO 4.3 being driven by either a Willsenton R8 or Emotive separates. I would hate to purchase speakers at this price point and not have them sound good with what I own.
I wache all video to know how they sound and all he said is it sound like a modern good Kef 🤦🏻♂️ like if we all have heard that and besides kef has. So many speakers
I speak about how the speakers sound through two very different character amplifiers because that is how modern kef speakers sound - very much like the system you feed into them - and yes a lot of KEF speakers sound similar as they share technology across all of them
Its important to consider in the last few years I have reviewed quite a few £10k speakers and above and spent time with systems to above half a mil so it takes quite a lot to blow me away haha
KEF be like: -Gentlemen we need to sell more speakers, so lets open up some Star Trek lore book and find some sciency word from there and name the new speaker line as. And the META serieas was born. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't make the speaker bad or anything, but get real.
I can see why you might think that but its really not that, here is an explanation for the science behind it all ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dq6WyYDFyxI.html
@@PursuitPerfectSystem I mean, they literally said: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dq6WyYDFyxI.htmlsi=rtvtXu3HzJJbEWx1&t=723 "this is a fancy word for an idea" which in corpo speak is made up good sounding useless words. I mean I get it. You can't sell a speaker named "weird computer designed sound absorber maze technology speaker", but you can sell it as META material. While it's a plastic disc with grooves in it. I'm also kind on a fence with new way too compact speakers, I'm more of a big vintage speaker guy. But the new smaller ones sure getting better with each try. I'm just about to retire one of my old Heco pair and replacing them with a Klipsch RP-600M. Unfortunately however good they are they can't fight aging forever :(
