KEF - LS50 5-1/4" 2-Way Studio Monitors (Pair) - High Gloss Piano Black

I now have three pairs. These are awesome speakers. I’ve been searching for a 3rd pair for a while and was happily surprised when Best Buy had them in stock in Matte Black and new! I also have a pair or the KEF R3 and those are definitely better overall. However the R3 are huge for bookshelf speakers. They do give off much better bass though. The LS50s are great for near field or smaller rooms. They sound much better with a subwoofer. Completely changes the sound stage. I’ve paired them with KC62 and it’s definitely a step up. The build and look are unmatched. Grab them while you can. Especially at clearance price!

Extremely happy with these Kef LS50 speakers,, silky smooth with incredible detailed sound and imaging, good tight bass and best of all I got them at the clearance discount price,, good things happen for those who wait, highly recommended

This is actually my third pair of KEF LS50 speakers, as I'm slowly building out my home theater system. This pair brings me to a 6.1 surround sound system, and I hope to add a pair of front elevation (Atmos) speakers later this year. I bought my first pair the year after they came out, and they're still going strong. KEF introduced the LS50 as a special anniversary, limited edition speaker, priced well below their lowest-priced R-series speaker. They did so by placing their award-winning Uni-Q 2-way driver inside a svelte, curvy cabinet that was a significant contrast to their usual, boxy designs. It sold so well that KEF was forced to continue offering it, and it's still available nearly a decade later at a lower price and often on sale for under $1k per pair. They've since introduced an amplified, wireless version for $1k more per pair, and a smaller version, the LSX, for about the same price as the passive LS50. Obviously, there are tradeoffs. The LS50 is cheaper than the recently-updated R3 'reference-series' speaker because it lacks a separate bass reflex speaker that extends the frequency range and adds a low end to the sound profile that the LS50s lack. The R5 adds two bass reflex speakers, making them suitable for use without a subwoofer. The LS50 absolutely must be used with a sub if used for hi-fi, but it is still a true audiophile speaker and paired with a decent sub such as the SVS SB2000, is suitable for use in any mid-priced audiophile stereo or home theater setup. What it lacks at the low end, it has in spades at the high end of the frequency spectrum. Other than the Blade speakers, priced at $25k per pair, Most of KEF's speakers are not fashionable. The Q and R series speakers are very conventional boxes, and even though the R-series speakers sound superb, they aren't very stylish. The LS50 with its distinctive curved front and brilliantly-colored speaker cones are among the most stylish speakers one can place in their living room. Not only do they have a flat frequency response (±3db) from 79Hz to 28kHz - subs typically cover frequencies below 80Hz anyway - but they have one of the best stereo soundstage of any speaker I've heard. Placed appropriately, separated by no more than 50% of the width of the room, they have an exceptionally broad sound stage with a very large sweet spot. The speakers themselves recede into the background, becoming truly transparent. Close your eyes and the speakers disappear, providing pinpoint localization of each sound source in the original recording. Used in a surround sound setup, the sound is truly three-dimensional and the speakers disappear. Of course no speaker comes without drawbacks. The speakers are relatively heavy - which they need to be to provide more sound than vibration - but that makes them more suitable for use as stand speakers than as bookshelf speakers. KEF recommends using the amplified LSX in bookshelf applications, but the LSX has a much higher bass cutoff frequency that makes them unsuitable by themselves in the living room. The LS50 does make for a superb bookshelf speaker, provided your bookshelves are solid oak or heavy tempered glass. The LS50 is not a particularly efficient speaker. KEF recommends 25-100 watts per channel to drive them, but they exhibit much fuller sound with a more powerful amp. I drive mine with 125 watt per channel Parasound Halo A23s, the very same amp used by KEF to demo these speakers. It's no wonder KEF has brought out an amplified, wireless version of the LS50. If you only listen to digital sources, the wireless version should be a serious consideration. With a home theater, if the room is big enough to need a center channel, the room is probably too big for these speakers.

I got the LS50s in the recent sale for around 700 bucks from Bestbuy. They are beautiful-looking speakers that sound great. Here is my breakdown on the speakers: 1. Looks: Very attractive, with the black gloss finish and the orange-gold tones of the drivers. They don't catch a lot of fingerprints but the dust will be easily visible. So, it requires a nice wipe now and then. I wish there are speaker grilles to the driver as I am constantly worried little kids might damage them. At the same time, I am cognizant of the fact that it ruins the looks. Sound: For these, a subwoofer is a must. Without a sub, you will NOT have the punchiness of the base. The mids are clear and they have sharp highs ( with I prefer). Almost no distorsion at higher volumes. They are easy to listen to without fatigue despite being a little harsh in the treble ranges. Overall value: I can only comment on the purchase price of 700$ - They are exceptional and I highly recommend them without any reservations.

For the clearance price, these are absolutely marvelous speakers! I first bought the R3, but ended up replacing R3 with the LS50. I'm having these speakers on my desk, I mostly listen to jazz and classical crossover. For nearfield listening, I find the tremble and mid of LS50 are just more clear and crispier. R3 on the other hand sound a bit muffled. Even though it has stronger base, I just find LS50 to be more suitable for the genres I listen to.

Got these during the Holiday 2019 sale for $900. Worth it for that money. They sound great vs. other speakers in this price range. For those that think they are "giant killers", I would argue that is not the case. Compared with more expensive speakers (in the $2000-$3000 price range) they get outclassed, but again at $900 you gotta love them. And my wife actually thought they looked nice which surprised me as well.

Easy to operate using phone. Larger size than would have preferred. Have to find areas to place and try to make less noticeable.

I just turned 60. My hearing isn’t what it used to be, so watching tv and struggling with clarity regarding dialogue has gotten a bit more troubling. I had a set of Focal surround speakers which I’ve had for 15 years. I have a top of line Yamaha A/V receiver and have enjoyed the old speakers for a long time. Yamaha AV receiver,Klipsch center channel, in ceiling speakers for rear- a 5.1 setup. I purchased the KEF speakers because there are so many positive reviews for such a long time, that I thought they must be good. I wanted to have the approval of my wife, so the speakers had to be smaller in stature to not result in the cold shoulder. While the KEF LS50’s are 30% larger than the Focals, the wife hasn’t fussed. The Focal speakers looked better, but there is no comparison when listening to them vs. the KEF’s. The LS50’s are superb. Sound is very clear and not “tinny” at all. Bass is ok. I am going to add a sub in the future. I cannot say I these KEF speakers are as good as my Klipsch Fortes, but they are well suited to my great room for my A/V needs. Pros: Music and AV sound is very good- very balanced. Relatively small. Esthetically ok looking (I purchased the flat black model. Cons: One might strongly wat to consider a sub to complement. I would strongly recommend the KEF speakers.