Very small room systems and synergy

I have the same room size (though I removed the closet door) and the same speakers and Class D Peachtreee Nova 150 integrated. I also keep the room entrance door open. My system sounds 100% better after adding the following GIK Acoustics room treatments. They cost $700 in total.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7605

GIK will work with you over the phone to recommend treatment options. You can use something like photos or Facetime to show them the room.

BTW - I am going to put a bigger speaker into this room soon because the acoustic treatments now allow me to do this. I will not use any digital signal processing to help out.

+1 on the acoustical treatments.

I also like the TuneTots but are definitely out of your budget.

Personally as much as I like what they can do I would probably not be satisfied with ls50 without a sub for serious listening.   They are small. 

With Ohm Walsh you just need the right size with a good high current Class D amp for your room and listening needs.  Some folks use a sub with them but I have never felt the need if set up right. 

I have had plenty of class D amps, some quite expensive - Devialet, Parasound, NAD to name a few. They never sound as smooth, lush, natural and musical as the class A monsters. I have never enjoyed a class D and it is with relief that I am now back to class A, remembering what I have missed all these years. It might be part of your problem.

LS50 on the other hand is a cheap monitor, it looks like a cheap monitor and it performs like a cheap monitor.

The box is not neutral at all and there is a very disturbing resonance, particularly if you come from a good studio monitor. That sound signature might appeal to some but it is not for me.

The bass performance is modest and, unless you use a sub below 70-80Hz, it muddles the midrange. The net effect of a sub is not necessarily bass extension, but clearing up and opening the midrange and treble. And it works effectively - if you are going to keep your setup I suggest a small REL sub (you really want something small and fairly low power for near field) to hear the difference.

What really spoils the LS50 though, because pretty much everything else is fixable, is the cheap metal tweeter. I remember the first Panasonic CD boomboxes in the 80’s - they sounded just like that.

In case people are wondering - I have had both the LS50 and LS50 Wireless for a demo for a week, at home, with my own toys. Tried a lot of stuff, from valves to Devialet and they didn’t deliver the goods for me. I tried Dirac as well which did correct quite effectively much of the box / bass problems but nothing could be done about the tweeter.

In my opinion the Quad Z series are so much better that I have never understood why the LS50 achieved this status. LS50 are supposed to be direct descendants of the cult LS3/5 BBC monitors. But those monitors had a soft dome tweeter and a superb midrange. LS50 has neither.

Hmmm well you may have jumped the shark a bit comparing the sound of ls50s to early cheap boom boxes.

I’ve heard ls50s sound both very good and very bad in my home. They are not at all suited for larger rooms. In smaller rooms they can shine. For serious listening I agree a sub is needed but in fact for bass extension not to fix the parts the ls50s do. 

It’s all in the setup.

Having said that there is no single speaker design that appeals to everyone. No two people or pair of ears are the same. Some are successful because they do have large appeal.

Also I replaced a Class A amp with Class D and never looked back.

Different strokes.....