Hi,
I can get the ls50 new for 700$ including taxes.
My listening room is < 20 square meters and rectangular.
My current setup :
Yamaha ax 570
8 Ohm: 2 × 100 W
4 Ohm: 2 × 150 W
Jbl l80 (mk2)
I also hope to get a little dac like the e30 or schiit Modi in near future.
The speakers are positioned on the long side of my room.( i can’t put them on the short side). Around 0,30m away from the wall but I can pull them out a few cm.
The listening position is around 2,5-3m away from the speaker.
My questions are :
Would the the ls50 be a worthy upgrade or at least be something nice and different and maybe a little more enjoyable for my small room?
(I like the sound of my Jbl and won’t sell them but I feel like they are a little to big to sound as good as possible in my small room.)
Is the Yamaha a good partner for the ls50? (it has enough power but I heard it is hard to find a compatible Amp for the ls50)
I mostly listen to rock/metal ( nightwish [damn vocals from floor] , dragonforce, five finger death punch, Mike Oldfield , led zeppelin, pink Floyd, muse, radio head etc), some jazz/ big band and film music, a little electronic music like Moby, Frankie goes to Hollywood.
So basically I enjoy a wide variety ^^
I hope you can help me out, because 700$ are a lot of money as a student.
LS50 are great speakers. $700 is a lot of money for a student, I agree.
Personally, I’d suggest trying them in your room before upgrading - if possible - you should be happy with how they perform with your current equipment before pulling the trigger, otherwise you’ll have an endless cycle of wanting to upgrad while studying!
the ls50’s won’t dig as low as the l80’s. but it will be a different sound. i have their little brother, the q150’s. i love them, coaxial has it’s own magic. is it an upgrade? probably at least a little in some areas. i have not heard the jbl’s. worth it? that depends if 700$ is going to put you strapped for cash ever. but they would do fine in your room size, i can tell you that.
I’ve only heard my LS50s on big power amps so haven’t got any experience on lower power amplifiers.
They did sound fantastic and I want another pair for my own desk
I’ve heard from others low current amps will struggle, but for nearfield listening at reasonable volumes - probably not an issue.
More power on tap doesn’t mean you’ll use it. Having a powerful amplifier allows you great control of your speakers. Allows it to pull and push the drivers quicker. Like having a big V8 and only going 60, you have power to accelerate as required.
