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EQUIPMENT REVIEW - KEF LS50
high-level turbulence—sources of compression and distortion.
The ribbing associated with the Z-Flex surround ensures that the
surround does not cause any excessive discontinuity for sounds
radiated from the high-frequency driver.
The enclosure, including baffle, is as non-resonant as I’ve
experienced at this level. Cabinet construction is all MDF, but KEF
analysis has optimized placement of the internal bracing. Add to that
the constrained-layer damping placed between the internal bracing
struts and the inner walls of the cabinet, and the term “acoustically
dead” has rarely been more applicable.
When sizing up the potential of a coincident-driver eleven-inch
cube like the LS50, one might assume that it would likely be a
“voice” speaker—something more akin to a bridge monitor with
distinct, perhaps even serious, wideband limitations. But this isn’t
the case. Even under levels of dynamic stress that would send a
lot of other mini-monitors heading for the hills, the LS50’s output is
remarkably even. It hardly flinches, even when it’s pushed hard. This
is impressive, but high output alone is not much of a trick for small
speakers nowadays. What is much rarer is high output with linearity
and extension.
Sonically the LS50 doesn’t suggest the lighter, faster, and edgier
personality of the average compact with a five-incher for a driver.
This is an essentially neutral monitor throughout the midrange. But
there’s also a prevailing sweetness, a harmonic saturation that lends
it a dark, velvety overall character, and a bloom that is so pleasing
that I began affectionately dubbing it the butterscotch sundae of
small monitors.
When listening to a variety of symphonic music I noted image focus
was excellent, as I’d expected from a coincident driver. But it’s
not hyper-focused. It provides a more spacious, open, and, in my
view, authentic representation of an orchestra. Yes, the LS50 has
quick transient reflexes, but that is not what grabbed my attention.
Rather, it was its bloom and tonal weight. Heavens to Betsy, this little
speaker has guts. As I listened to the Rutter Requiem [Reference
Recordings], overflowing with the huge Turtle Creek Chorale and the
massive voice of the pipe organ, the LS50 supplied a rich impression
of large-speaker grandeur (although somewhat scaled back) as
it energized the room with ambience and provided the illusion of the
walls fading away as the musicians begin to materialize.
The mid- and upper-treble range is smooth; the sibilance region
is controlled—crisp and clean, but with compliance. As I listened to
the Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming duet on “Not While I’m Around”
from Under the Stars [Decca], I felt the physical presence of these
superb singers, their voices seamlessly expressed. Their images
were pitched slightly forward, but only enough to grab your attention
and not enough to overwhelm or minimize the musical accompaniment.
There is probably a hint of energy fall-off in the presence
range, which, when combined with the heavier low end, adds a
darker hue to vocals and ever so slightly rounds the edges from
peakier recordings. As I listened to Leonard Cohen’s “Darkness”
from Old Ideas [Sony], I keyed on Cohen’s voice, whose deep, tired,
full-chested character seems dredged from the bottom of an old
whisky barrel. Here it sounded even darker than usual, as if it had
further sunk into his chest.
Ultimately, when pressed at higher volumes, the LS50 will give
away some of the finer low-level details. I felt that during the Bach
Toccata in C [RCA], Kissin’s piano sounded slightly dampened during
high-pursuit lines. As Kissin’s left hand descended into the lower
octaves there was a trace of soundboard plumminess that suggested
the presence of a hard-working port. As with the Leonard Cohen
example, the 12-string guitar that ushers in “All Things Must Pass”
from Concert for George receded slightly in the mix, and during Jen
Chapin’s ReVisions [Chesky] baritone sax and acoustic bass shed
some weight and developed a more strictly midband character.
The heretic in me should add that owing to the wide dynamic
and spectral envelope of the LS50, it’s a very satisfying companion
when pressed into home-theater mode. I tend to break in speakers
with all kinds of material, so if there’s a Blu-ray movie I’ve been angling
to watch, whatever speaker I happen to be running-in will be
pressed into duty. In this case, the soundtrack to Wes Anderson’s
Moonrise Kingdom, which features Benjamin Britten pieces and
Britten-inspired pieces from Alexander Desplat and Devo’s Mark
Mothersbaugh, and further contributions from Leonard Bernstein
among others, proved to be a lush romantic workout for the KEFs,
with terrific orchestral and percussive selections that exploited the
speaker’s dynamic range and vivid timbral colors. Not to mention
excellent dialogue intelligibility, with no subwoofer or center channel
required. Throw anything at it, the LS50 takes on all comers.
The LS50 is tuned for smaller rooms and is meant to take advantage
of the room gain that can give midbass response a boost.
However, there are always exceptions, and KEF provides elliptically
sculpted foam plugs that are effective in reducing bass output a few
decibels. These can be helpful in troublesome situations where the
speaker setup is optimized for soundstage and imaging but where
the room itself is over-boosting LF output, thickening the bass and
thus masking details in key regions of the frequency spectrum.
The KEF LS50 is one of the most all-around-satisfying little speakers
I’ve reviewed in some time. Construction and execution are exemplary.
It delivers the kind of performance that deserves to be on
a Wheaties box. And there’s an incalculable coolness factor that
makes it a breath of fresh air. The LS50 also answers the classic
question, “Who says you can’t teach an old box new tricks”
SPECS & PRICING
Type: Two-way bass-reflex minimonitor
Drivers: Uni-Q array, 1" tweeter, 5.25"
mid/bass
Frequency response: 79Hz–28kHz
(47Hz-45kHz, -6dB)
Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 85dB
Dimensions: 11.9" x 7.9" x 10.9"
Weight: 15.8 lbs.
Price: $1500
GP Acoustics Inc. (u.S.
Distributor)
10 Timber Lane
Marlboro, New Jersey 07746
(732) 683-2356
kef.com/us
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45 Guide to High-Performance Loudspeakers www.theabsolutesound.com
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