What makes a loudspeaker good? The answer is sound quality and accuracy. But that isn’t all. With the demand for loudspeakers spiking, the production of loudspeakers and different brands have emerged worldwide. To be unique from each other, brands must develop new features for their loudspeakers. So the new question is – which is better?
In this article, we will be looking at the Magnepan LRS vs Kef LS50. Let us look at their pros and cons and their customer ratings. At the end of this article, we will be concluding which loudspeaker is better too.
Magnepan LRS
Answer this question honestly – if an exquisite two million dollar villa was being sold for $20,000, would you take the deal? If that opportunity struck, most would definitely take the deal. However, you should always consider your current situation first.
Believe it or not, this applies to the Magnepan LRS too. The Little Ribbon Speaker is a new release from one of the world’s most famous brands – Magnepan. What is surprising about this model is its low price.
The total price of this model is $650 per pair. Even though it comes at such a low cost, the speaker might not be a comfortable one for everyone. Some may not like its quality of sound. You have to be able to see beyond the price tag, especially if you are looking for loudspeakers with good strength and sound level.
About The Brand
Speaking of the brand, Magnepan is one of the cornerstone brands that rule the U.S. sophisticated audio industry. It has been manufacturing speakers in Minnesota and White Bear Lake since its foundation over 50 years ago.
Unlike other iconic brands, Magnepan has remained a conservative company with the same factory and ownership over the years. The only thing that has changed is their extension to China to get cheaper production costs.
About The Product
The Little Ribbon Speaker has a ribbon-like structure that makes it unique from the brand’s other creations. The LRS is a loudspeaker with a floor-standing panel that is 48 inches tall, 14¼ inches in width, and 1¼ inches in thickness. Magnepan has created a speaker which might look like a dead ringer.
LRS is ribbon-driven, different, and more advanced than you think. The quasi-ribbon is a transducer and extremely lightweight. The 0.001-inch thick strips of aluminum foil are framed on a 0.0005-inch thick substrate of firmly extended mylar. It has foil strips working as voice coils to send the signal to the bigger film diaphragm.
LRS’s quasi-ribbon bass provides more systematic signal distribution and comparably minimized moving mass than the others. As a result, the speaker gives a quicker transient response, high-resolution inner detail, and excellent continuity with the all-ribbon tweeter, all of which lead to a more neutral sound.
This is a two-way loudspeaker and a simple crossover between bass and tweeter. You can set it up outside with the tweeter’s help to get wider dispersion leading to a bigger sound stage. Or, you can set it up inside for a tighter sound effect.
In the case of looks, the LRS is like a board in a black color. The shiny, firmly-packed vertical strips with a flashlight via the dust cover are pretty appealing.
However, it does not have deep bass and requires a suitable amplification. In addition, the speaker can be fussy when it comes to placement.
KEF LS50
It is the most thrilling speaker system of the year.
It has some cool features like the provinces of streaming audio straight from the Spotify app with the help of Spotify Connect. You can also stream Amazon Music, Qobuz, Tidal, and Deezer, or simply tune in to internet podcasts or radios.
The KEF LS50 is a high-definition studio speaker created to provide you a professional-level experience confined in your home and smaller rooms.
The price of this masterpiece is $1,500 per pair. It’s pretty expensive for ordinary people but worth the money spent.
However, this innovation lacks tautness in its bass, and its midrange tones can sometimes be low-definition at high volumes. But, fortunately, these minor faults will not affect the whole audio experience.
About The Brand
KEF is one of the first-class administrators of the British Hi-Fi with a prominent ancestry that goes back more than 50 years. Like other brands, it has had its ups and downs all these decades. But, it has not lost its touch in designing stylish, high-resolution sound-producing speakers.
Like Magnepan, KEF also has its own manufacturing facilities in China for a reason, the same as the former. The Q and R series are made in the KEF facilities in China.
KEF is now owned by GP Acoustics, which is a member of a Hong Kong–based company called Gold Peak Group.
About The Product
The speakers are 12 inches in length, 8 inches in width, and 11 inches in height and are basically made of MDF, which will help in improving the inertness. Of course, not all customers are entirely into the size, but the product’s construction, fit, and smooth finish are highly-appreciable.
The LS50 comes with an elegant look in piano black with gold trim or piano white with blue trim. In addition, it features a smooth and compact schematic. Each component is made of aluminum and makes crossover with others at 2.2kHz.
It can be easy to recommend this speaker to anyone who looks for high-quality sound-producing speakers. But, you need to know that it is essential to match the appropriate equipment and space with the speakers in order to get the desired result.
The front baffle is created with an engineered polymer and outlined to fully shorten the diffraction effect to offer a coherent wave launch. The design of the port helps in preventing turbulence and resonances. This leads to the bass becoming free from the unintended sound.
The loudspeaker requires 25-100 watt amplifiers to produce an effective sound. The product’s warranty is backed by KEF and their local distributors. The warranty takes defective material or craftsmanship into account. The warranty timespan varies with the system:
- Passive loudspeaker systems have a five-year warranty.
- Active loudspeaker systems and subwoofer/motorized speakers have 1 to 2 years of warranty depending on the product.
Conclusion
The Magnepan LRS can be troublesome, but it does not fail to give an irresistible performance when set up correctly with the support of the right gears. Likewise, the KEF LS350 can be bumpy when not matched with the right equipment, but it delivers high-fidelity studio-quality sound in your home.
If you are looking for a speaker with high-quality sound and at a lower price, you should go for the Magnepan LRS. On the other hand, if you are searching for speakers with a professional studio-level sound, the KEF L350 is your best option.
