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Usher Audio BE-718 or Kef LS50

Hi Everybody,

For some reason, I’ve become enamored with the Usher BE-718 Tiny Dancers, even though I’ve never heard them. I own Kef LS50s. I drive the LS50s with a pair of modified ASL DT200 Hurricanes fed by a PS Audio PWD II going through a Dodd battery powered tube preamp. The first question I usually get is “shouldn’t that rig be driving a better pair of speakers?”. Well, maybe. The reason I have LS50s is because I had to downsize my audio room 4 years ago and the Thiel 3.6s wouldn’t work in an 11 x 16 x 10 room. I also had to learn room acoustics and treat the new tiny room. I tried a pair of Golden Ear Triton 2s but I couldn’t tame them. I probably pulled the plug a little early on those but that’s another story. I replaced the GE T2s with the LS50s. Say what you want but the LS50s are a nice speaker for the money and they are dialed in. However, I find myself still wanting…go figure. What I’m trying to do now is find another small speaker that is incrementally better than the LS50 that won’t break the bank. In other words, I’m not financially ready to go buy a pair of Joseph Audio Pulsar’s or even a pair of Aerial Acoustics 5Ts and call it a day.

Enter the Usher BE-718s. I’ve heard good things about these speakers and you can get a used pair for about the price of a new pair of LS50s. I’m looking for some wisdom here. Can anybody tell me about the 718s? Has anybody heard both? And yes, I know that the 718 cost ~ $2600.00 new which is $1100.00 more that the LS50 new, which means that it is supposed to be a better speaker but I also know it doesn’t always work out that way. I’m trying to get some info before I buy an older speaker named Dancer that ends up having two left feet at Christmas! 
utrak

Showing 1 response by audiotroy

audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,584 posts
 
Audiothesis we were major Usher dealers for quite a number of years and we sold dozens of BE 718 and the DMD 718 versions.

Quite frankly one of the reasons we dropped Usher was the LS 50. 

Yes the 718 has lower bass and sounds a bit bigger overall  it did not outperform the LS 50. 

A properly setup set of LS 50 can sound quite fantastic. 

Today we also have the Quad Z series monitors which sound like a bigger cleaner version of the LS 50 with greater bass then the LS 50.

Quite frankly there a number of fantastic monitors in the $2k-3k the new KEF R 3, the Quads, the Technics are all fantastic monitors we haven't heard any of the Focals in this price range but obviously those and the B&W 700 series are all great contenders.

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ


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