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I had to post this in the Planer forum because you guys already know what I like. I want endless 3D and lots of air. I have a small room that I run an all tube system with and bought some Definitive Technology mini monitors and they just didn't get the job done. Thought I would step up to KEF LS50s. Are they going to get me there?
Follow Ups:
Heard them at a show with an all tube system. They are exactly what you described. Heard the LS50s as well, but the set up was poor, so I can not compare.
I went from MMGs to KEF LS50s, going on a year now. They are a different sound, point source, very high resolution, but you don't get the extra soundfield from the speaker, just what's on the recording. Reminds me more of the old Thiels I had before the Maggies. Not a warm speaker, but very accurate.The bass is there, "surprisling good" as the reviews say, but still only so much from a small driver. It will depend on your room size. I use subs to compliment, but if I only listened to music that didn't need a lot of bass slam, the KEFs alone would suffice. Dynamics and resolution much better than the MMGs (which were modded).
If you go from the Maggies to the KEFs, you will feel right at home as they are very sensitive to placement and equipment choices. Can make or break the sound. They have extra energy in the lower treble region, which make percussion sound real, but crappy material can get fatiguing with the wrong setup.
That said, I'm driving mine with a budget NuForce preamp into two (modded)Crown Class D amps, and the sound is awesome. I am in the process of setting up a NanoDIGI in the digital chain to x-over and blend in the subs better, may tweak the KEFs with a little EQ, but not much will be needed.
Buy them from Amazon and you have 30 days to try them out. But play them hard cause they need 200 hours breakin.
I thought about going with the Minis, but the reviews talking about "limited power response" sounded to me like they would choke at higher playing levels. Plus some comments here regarding the limited seating distance required. They were designed to sit on a PC desk, not a room speaker.The KEFs (or most other bookshelf speakers) don't have these issues.
Edits: 02/09/15 02/09/15
I have had MMGs, 1.6, and Triangle Celius in that room before but they eat up half the room and I was trying to make a little more living space. Also the tweeters on the MMG and 1.6 could be a little better for my taste, I need really good extension on the top end.
I had not thought about the new minis...I'll think on that some more.
Or even a used 1.6 ($1050). I haven't heard them but they were at the top of my list for a second system. If they're 90% of a Maggie you get an almost invisible speaker aesthetically speaking, if they're > 100% of a Maggie then of course it's a no brainer. I ended up with a pair of Triangle Cometes which would flank a large 8' window in my living room which would be otherwise murderous on my MMGs. They do the job well and create a great image; actually more of a horizontal 'sphere' extending both forward and rearward; whereas Maggies will make use of the entire back wall with a mild forward presence. I'm hoping others who have owned KEF LS50's will respond in kind as I am also curious to see how they compare to Maggies.
What determines the above percentage is of course your own ears.
I've heard the LS-50s at 2 THE Newport shows and loved 'em both times. Shown with Parasound amps, it's not a budget buster and one of the reasons I went WITH Parasound when I re-amped.
I just wished the guy hadn't TALKED so darn much and just let us LISTEN.
Too much is never enough
Similar cost & great for a small room?
The Mini Maggie! Pretty sure that will give you the 3D and air you are looking for & should do well with tubes.
Needs more power than a little tube amp has. By a wide margin.
I'd try either .7's (if there's room) or Ascend Acoustics Sierra-2's (which I've directly compared in my own room to the LS-50).
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
Said he was running MMGs and 1.6s before.
The Mini Maggie surely will be easier to place & drive in a small room, and its tweeter will tend to be much less bright.
The Minis are not a problem but the bass panel is. I already have a twin sub system that works very good in that room and the Maggie bass panel would cause placement issues for me. I'd have to get twin panels and they still might not go low enough to dump my sub set-up. I'd sure like to demo them though.
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