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KEF LS 50 vs beolab 3

I know that many people at the hi-fi forums don't care for Bang & Olufson products with the idea that they are only lifestyle products where form beats sound. Seeing that more and more speaker makers are departing from the box format I believe that this discussion is loosing its meaning.

Anyway, that's not the reason I'm writing today. The fact is that I have a pair of Beolab 3s (the small powered round wavelens speakers) and a Beolab 11 sub powered by an Oppo 105 working as DAC, CD player and pre-amps. I find the sound very good, much bigger than the speakers and very clean and accurate.

The fact, however, is that I don't have many opportunities to compare systems, because where I live, in Brazil, there are not many distributors of the main speaker makers.

That's where I would like some help: has anyone that knows the Beolab 3s heard also the LS50s? Do they compare anyway? Are they from different worlds? Am I mistaken when I believe that their quality of sound may compare in any way?

I am thinking of a new system and the LS50s have called my attention, but on the other hand I wouldn't like to pull the trigger if the quality difference is not night and day...

Thanks for your help.
tvfreak
3 responses Add your response
yyzsantabarbara
4,458 posts
 
My next speaker is likely going to be the KEF Blade. I own the LS50 in my office system and I want the exact same sound for my main rig but full range. I love the LS50 fed by Benchmark DAC2 + Parasound Halo A23 amp + Window 8.1 computer with JRiver + Magnum Dynalab Tuner.

I have auditioned a few speakers in the past 12 months. Wilson Alexia, Vienna Acoustics KISS, TAD EV1, Magico Q7, Thiel CS 3.7. I have owned Revel Salons1 + Thiel SCS4. I personally like the tweeter and midrange of the KEF LS50 over all the others I mentioned. Of course those other speakers can play louder, deeper, and also sounded mostly great. I am only referring to the 2 drivers on the LS50 in a near-field situation as being more my taste.

An October 2013 online review of the KEF Blade in TONE Magazine is what I am expecting the KEF Blade to sound like.
tvfreak OP
42 posts
 
No one has listened the two speakers?
csacred
4 posts
 
I have.

I currently have a pair of Beolab 3 wall mounted on each side of my Beovision 10 TV (in small 150 square feet living room)
Really love their size and design. Excellent sounding with movies and pretty good with music, though a little light on low bass (not bad at all but a sub will improve them).
Very happy with them overall.

I have auditioned the LS50 wireless in a much larger room (500 square feet). They were set on heavy duty marble floor stands 10 feet away from wall and sounded spectacular!
Fast, accurate, authoritative, with noticeably deeper bass and meat on the bone than the BL3.

But I hear the LS50 do need proper space and heavy stands to shine. So I'm not sure they would have sounded as good in my small living room, in place of my BL3 pushed against the wall.

Large space: LS50. Small space: Beolab 3 +eventually a sub :)


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