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Kef LS50 to include in a new HT set up ?

10198 Views 16 Replies 6 Participants Last post by holo, Aug 21, 2019

holo

Discussion Starter · Aug 18, 2019

Hi Guys,

I'm in a quandary and would appreciate your kind advice.
I am updating my condo and taking the opportunity to add back some Home Theatre capabilities to my existing gear.

I have the fabulous KEF LS50 (passive) speakers.
Marantz 5009 receiver.
Cullen modded Sonos - I use Sonos to play music ripped on my Qnap Nas or just Spotify thro Sonos.
Also for my TV I attach Roku, Chromecast for my other TV / movie needs via the Marantz, but could go direct to TV HDMI inputs.

I listen to all sorts of music, no Heavy metal , rarely hip hop.

My wife loves simplicity of Sonos of course. Point and play with the Harmony remote then phone app.

HOWEVER, I love movies and so wanted another HT set up but retaining ease of use and WAF in the aesthetics department.

So, I initially convinced myself I would go full Sonos, ie Play bar, sub and 2 Play One's for rear.
I use a beam in the bedroom and it is cool for there. I thought I would sell the Kef's and Marantz and go minimalist.

But, when listening to the Playbar and Sub in admittedly less than perfect listening conditions, I was not impressed with the sound. Of course it could have been the store, the source, how it was set up, everything. But, the fact remains i was not as impressed as I thought I would be.

So, a long intro to the problem.

I am thinking to add a 3rd LS50 for a centre , then 2 rears (LS 50 or cheaper and smaller) passive and run speaker cable to my Marantz around the edge of the room. Or, maybe for more minimalist appeal look at the Kef LS50 wireless and integrate them somehow. ie, still sell the Marantz and Kef LS50 passives and just add a sub to the input on the LS50 wireless which I position under the tv . But I read this will not give a true LFE and I would be better to keep the receiver, and this means I still need add cheap surrounds.

Is there any benefit to adding Kef LS 50 wireless to the existing passive LS 50's and add a sub ?

What do you think ? Add cheap but suitable rears (any suggestions) and add a sub (any suggestions for a small good looking sub as I hear the Kef's are picky) and keep the Marantz and existing LS50's (passive) that I own ?

Thanks for the long read if you got this far. Budget say USD5k if needed.
Remember, WAF need be high as I prefer a more minimalist look.

Thank you.

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1 - 17 of 17 Posts

Soulburner

· #2 · Aug 18, 2019 (Edited)

LS50 center is the right idea. KEF Q100 or Q150 would be the ideal candidates for surrounds.

I'm not sure how to integrate the LS50 wireless into a HT system, but why spend that much?

Spend it on the sub. I suggest an http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/uls-15mk2.html

For a charge you can get it in Rosenut, but if it is going to be out of sight, just get black.

Subwoofer Loudspeaker Sound box Audio equipment Electronic device

There is also Power Sound Audio (PSA): https://www.powersoundaudio.com/products/S1510

Sound box Loudspeaker Subwoofer Electronics Audio equipment

Text Red Brown Wood Wood stain

Keep the receiver so you can make it all work and keep HDMI switching, audio format decoding, bass management (subwoofer), etc.

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3

Reactions: 2

Ken Masters

· #3 · Aug 18, 2019 (Edited)

I use passive LS50s for my L/C/R (original 50th anniversary edition

). I also contemplated using the LS50s for surrounds but decided it was overkill - and also my wife would not have been pleased with them mounted on the wall in our small apartment. I ended up getting KEF R8a surrounds. They work well and are aesthetically pleasing. I have Velodyne Optimum-10 subs alongside my fronts:

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2

Reactions: 2

SouthernCA

· #4 · Aug 18, 2019

holo said:
Hi Guys,

I'm in a quandary and would appreciate your kind advice.

I am updating my condo and taking the opportunity to add back some Home Theatre capabilities to my existing gear.

I have the fabulous KEF LS50 (passive) speakers.

Marantz 5009 receiver.

Cullen modded Sonos - I use Sonos to play music ripped on my Qnap Nas or just Spotify thro Sonos.

Also for my TV I attach Roku, Chromecast for my other TV / movie needs via the Marantz, but could go direct to TV HDMI inputs.

I listen to all sorts of music, no Heavy metal , rarely hip hop.

My wife loves simplicity of Sonos of course. Point and play with the Harmony remote then phone app.

HOWEVER, I love movies and so wanted another HT set up but retaining ease of use and WAF in the aesthetics department.

So, I initially convinced myself I would go full Sonos, ie Play bar, sub and 2 Play One's for rear.

I use a beam in the bedroom and it is cool for there. I thought I would sell the Kef's and Marantz and go minimalist.

But, when listening to the Playbar and Sub in admittedly less than perfect listening conditions, I was not impressed with the sound. Of course it could have been the store, the source, how it was set up, everything. But, the fact remains i was not as impressed as I thought I would be.

So, a long intro to the problem.

I am thinking to add a 3rd LS50 for a centre , then 2 rears (LS 50 or cheaper and smaller) passive and run speaker cable to my Marantz around the edge of the room. Or, maybe for more minimalist appeal look at the Kef LS50 wireless and integrate them somehow. ie, still sell the Marantz and Kef LS50 passives and just add a sub to the input on the LS50 wireless which I position under the tv . But I read this will not give a true LFE and I would be better to keep the receiver, and this means I still need add cheap surrounds.

Is there any benefit to adding Kef LS 50 wireless to the existing passive LS 50's and add a sub ?

What do you think ? Add cheap but suitable rears (any suggestions) and add a sub (any suggestions for a small good looking sub as I hear the Kef's are picky) and keep the Marantz and existing LS50's (passive) that I own ?

Thanks for the long read if you got this far. Budget say USD5k if needed.

Remember, WAF need be high as I prefer a more minimalist look.

Thank you.

Several people have thought about using LS50w in HT set up and there have been several threads on that.

AFAICR, no one has been able to integrate ls50w with an AVR doing HT processing.

Using ls50 a a center has also been discussed several times and there are people who support it and there are people who think that buying g a kef center speaker R600 or similar will work better. I am on the second camp.

For rear speakers, most feel that ls50 will be an overkill. Instead R100, Q100, or Q150 may be more appropriate.

The money you save can be used in multiple good quality subs. That will add more to the sou d quality.

Hope it helps.

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Reactions: 2

pase22

· #5 · Aug 18, 2019

Using 3 LS50'S across the front can work quite well. I opted to keep my Q200c after upgrading the mains to LS50's and it actually sounds pretty good and don't really notice a difference for HT/TV. A 3rd LS50 would be the acoustic ideal, but an R200c/R2C or Q650c would be excellent alternatives.

Reactions: 1

Lp85253

· #6 · Aug 18, 2019

pase22 said:
Using 3 LS50'S across the front can work quite well. I opted to keep my Q200c after upgrading the mains to LS50's and it actually sounds pretty good and don't really notice a difference for HT/TV. A 3rd LS50 would be the acoustic ideal, but an R200c/R2C or Q650c would be excellent alternatives.

your set up is plenty good till you get a bad case of ocd by listening to everybody else's ocd on the kef thread...

.. iow , it's plenty good....

pase22

· #7 · Aug 18, 2019

Lp85253 said:
your set up is plenty good till you get a bad case of ocd by listening to everybody else's ocd on the kef thread..... iow , it's plenty good....

I don't really feel the need to upgrade unless I find an incredible deal on a single (only available through Kef in Canada) which is not likely. I've been watching game of thrones (season 7) all weekend and really like how everything sounds. I've also been going through TOOL's catalog on spotify. I already have all their albums, but having all my music in one place is much more convenient and audio quality is quite good. Anyhow....still haven't found any genre that the LS50's can't handle well.

Reactions: 2

Lp85253

· #8 · Aug 18, 2019

pase22 said:
I don't really feel the need to upgrade unless I find an incredible deal on a single (only available through Kef in Canada) which is not likely. I've been watching game of thrones (season 7) all weekend and really like how everything sounds. I've also been going through TOOL's catalog on spotify. I already have all their albums, but having all my music in one place is much more convenient and audio quality is quite good. Anyhow....still haven't found any genre that the LS50's can't handle well.

i'm glad you found a set up you like.. i think the LS50 must be pretty great , the q100s do a nice job of keeping me happy in my secondary set up ...

pase22

· #9 · Aug 18, 2019

Lp85253 said:
i'm glad you found a set up you like.. i think the LS50 must be pretty great , the q100s do a nice job of keeping me happy in my secondary set up ...

The Q100's are very good and I was quite happy with them. Just been too lazy to set them up in the bedroom.

Reactions: 1

holo

Discussion Starter · #10 · Aug 19, 2019

thank you for the feedback all

I'll pursue a 3rd LS50 for a centre, will try and get one second hand as single's in Asia seem hard to find.
Also, consider form factor of the suggested rears, (so tempted with another set of LS50, as well as a sub of course.
I'll research those suggested in this thread for both WAF but of course how it matches the Kef's.

Cheers

holo

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 21, 2019

Ken Masters said:
I have Velodyne Optimum-10 subs alongside my fronts:

I love the smart set up Ken, looks great.
U mention you have a small apartment, but are rocking 2 x subs. What was your thought process on that ?
It looks great, and I am sure sounds awesome, but subs and condo's don't often play well (I'm in a condo too) so just wondered why 2 for u ?

Cheers

Ken Masters

· #12 · Aug 21, 2019

holo said:
I love the smart set up Ken, looks great.
U mention you have a small apartment, but are rocking 2 x subs. What was your thought process on that ?
It looks great, and I am sure sounds awesome, but subs and condo's don't often play well (I'm in a condo too) so just wondered why 2 for u ?

Cheers

Thanks! I initially had just the one sub, but I found that the while I couldn't detect its location sonically, I could sense its location through the pressure it created. Adding the second sub was an attempt to resolve that, which it did beautifully. Of course there's also the obvious benefits like evening out the response in the room - plus affording the flexibility to place the crossover higher without issue (which I needed to do since the speakers suffered some suck-out).

My apartment building is over a century old and used to be a bank office. The apartments are built as rooms within rooms within the original open floor office space, isolation is excellent, I have not had any complaints from the neighbours regarding the subs - and I have asked.

holo

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 21, 2019

Ken Masters said:
Thanks! I initially had just the one sub, but I found that the while I couldn't detect its location sonically, I could sense its location through the pressure it created. Adding the second sub was an attempt to resolve that, which it did beautifully. Of course there's also the obvious benefits like evening out the response in the room - plus affording the flexibility to place the crossover higher without issue (which I needed to do since the speakers suffered some suck-out).

My apartment building is over a century old and used to be a bank office. The apartments are built as rooms within rooms within the original open floor office space, isolation is excellent, I have not had any complaints from the neighbours regarding the subs - and I have asked.

awesome Ken, u got it sussed, a great layout, balanced sound and happy neighbours, well done !

Reactions: 1

holo

Discussion Starter · #14 · Aug 21, 2019

Soulburner said:
LS50 center is the right idea. KEF Q100 or Q150 would be the ideal candidates for surrounds.

I'm not sure how to integrate the LS50 wireless into a HT system, but why spend that much?

Spend it on the sub. I suggest an http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/uls-15mk2.html

For a charge you can get it in Rosenut, but if it is going to be out of sight, just get black.

View attachment 2604148

There is also Power Sound Audio (PSA): https://www.powersoundaudio.com/products/S1510

View attachment 2604150
View attachment 2604152

Keep the receiver so you can make it all work and keep HDMI switching, audio format decoding, bass management (subwoofer), etc.

I appreciate the sub suggestions, SB. I will try and find them in a sound room locally, but currently living in the Philippines which is NOT AV heaven !!

Also, yeah, have decided I will keep the Marantz, does the job whilst giving flexibility to my set up.

Soulburner

· #15 · Aug 21, 2019

It probably would have helped to mention your location in the first post. Most of these probably are not available there, sorry.

holo

Discussion Starter · #16 · Aug 21, 2019

no problem, I can get hold of most things and am used to buying off the net without demo's !

So, my thanks remain

holo

Discussion Starter · #17 · Aug 21, 2019 (Edited)

So, looking around, I had a look at , and listen to a Kef Kube 8b, and REL T51i which was good, am thinking of dual Kube 8 subs, or the REL T51 which is here also, saves me importing. Will look around for other local options before biting the bullet.

Am seriously tempted, after reviewing/researching a dual "smaller" sub set up like Ken above.

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