The new LSA Signature 50 Monitor "Disruptive Product"


My review on the Stereo Times website on the LSA Signature 50 speaker was posted this morning. I believe that you GON members would enjoy the details why I refer to this monitor as a "Disruptive Product" regarding it's cost vs. performance ratio. Take a look at the review for the details of why my time with the Signature 50 was so much fun and has lead to hours of musical enjoyment.

Teajay (Terry London)

amorstereo

I've had the pleasure of hearing the LSA Signature 50's at Teajay's.  They are an amazing value.  "Disruptive" is well said.

What resonated with me the most is how transparent they were and the ability to energize the room for their size/price.   Of course, they were backed with Teajay's impeccable, dead-silent electronics, but they did not seem like an obvious weak link in the chain.

I could add color around sound staging, imaging, texture, decay and the rest.... but simply put, IMHO, they do a great job across the audiophile-lingo-spectrum at mid-fi pricing. 

Aesthetics and build quality also deliver on the value equation.  The stands seemed solid and the set-up looked better in person than I expected.

The only downside I could point to is mixed feelings over the "Sonus Faber Copy" design, which some may have a philosophical difference with.

Overall, I can't see how someone could complain for the money.  

I have had a total of five listening guests come over to hear the LSA Signature 50s. The setup is each is a "blind" listener in that they did not know the brand or price of the speaker, and brought their own music to audition the speaker.

Everyone thought the Sig 50s sounded great in their performance across all sonic parameters. They then were asked to visually examine the pair for build quality. I then asked them based on performance & build quality what they thought the pair would retail for. The lowest amount was $3000, up to $5,000! One of the listeners had owned a brick and mortar store at one time and was shocked that anyone could sell such a high performing and physically attractive speaker for pennies on the dollar.

 

I have a pair of LSA Signature 50s that’s replacing the KEF LS50WIIs I’d grown unhappy with (because of their ultimately harsh/fatiguing top end). Of course the LSAs are passive so I’m driving them with a separate streamer/amp, an NAD C 700. It’s a very capable and enjoyable combo that easily bests the KEFs, at least in my room (home office).

@dlm110 Like the KEFS before them, I use the LSAs as desk-based nearfields, four and a half feet apart, three-plus feet from my face, and barely eight inches from the rear wall. After plugging the ports the wall placement is not an issue — there’s no boominess.

The LSAs are fast, surefooted, on the warm side of neutral, and seem to like almost everything I throw at them, from Michael Franks to Metallica, Yello to Rammstein. They can really rock, no Roon equalization needed. In addition to the LS50WIIs, I compared them side by side with the JBL L52s and the Monitor Audio Bronzes; I prefer the LSAs, not even close. I don’t know that I’d call them disruptive, but at $600 they sure are a sweet bargain.

If it matters, my tastes seem to mirror Terry’s (the OP) to some extent. That is, I too own large Tektons as my reference speakers.

@passthedutchie Thanks for your post.  I have always been hesitant to plug ports and mess with speaker designers' original intent but I will consider it.  I currently have Tektons and KEFs in my house and really enjoy them both.

I received my Signature 50s today, and I have to say for the $499.99 I paid for these, I find it hard to believe they can manufacture these for anywhere near that price. The FedEx man asked me if there were in fact a pair of speakers in the box. When he handed the box over to me, I was shocked at the weight! Has to be about 55 to 60 pounds. Also, the pictures that have been shown in the various review, don’t do these justice. I will check back in after they are broken in, but thus far I am loving what I am hearing from these.