# More info on B&W 685 S2 (vs KEF LS50)



## CooLy_oNE

Hey Guys,
  
 Any of you heard both B&W 685 S2 and KEF LS50? How are the two compared?
  
 It seems that the 685S2 is quite new, and I cannot find a lot of information on them.
  
 I almost pulled the trigger on LS50, but discover the new 685S2. Since the price of the LS50 is around doubled the 685S2, I am holding the purchase.
  
 FYI,
 I listen to most vocal oriented songs, acoustics, high females vocals (trance vocal).
 My current speaker is the Audioenginer A5+, would upgrade to either LS50 or 685 give me a significant improvement? or at least justify the price difference?
  
 Cheers.


----------



## Cosmic Fool

cooly_one said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Any of you heard both B&W 685 S2 and KEF LS50? How are the two compared?
> 
> ...


 
 Hi CooLy_oNE,
  
 I used to own a pair of B&W 685 S1 speakers and owe a pair of KEF LS50 now. And I have heard the B&W 685 S2 for about an hour. So I should be able to tell you something about how they compare to each other.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 
  
 The B&W's are imho very good speakers that represent great value for money. They have a full bodied sound with nice bass reproduction and sweet trebles. The S2 has a more refined treble presentation compared to his precursor. In general the S2 just sounds more pure, it has a less grainy sound I would say. It's a better balanced version of the original speakers. The 685 is also has very wide soundstage and is a very all-round speaker. The front faced bass port does allow to place them closer into a corner but in my experience you should try to give them a foot of breathing space. A bit of a warning: these speakers are pretty deep, so you need good stands to make them sit comfortably. They don't need a very powerful amp with a sensitivity of 88db. Just about any amp in the $400-$500 ballpark will do I believe.
  
 The KEF's are more of an audiophile pair of speakers in my view. Some people would say they sound less fun and more boring compared to the B&W's. But I think they sound just amazing! Especially with voices and brass instruments these little speakers sound nothing short of sublime. Never heard voices sound so real! Even though they are smaller than the 685 they sound bigger. Bass is very tight but has a great impact. Everything just sounds so crystal clear. The treble reproduction is the best I have heard in any speaker below $2500. A bit of breating space is necessary with these rear ported speakers. 1,5 foot would be perfect. The downside is that they need a really good amp to make them shine (sensitivity of 85db). A new amp for these babies will cost you about twice as much compared to one for the B&W's. But you could get a nice amp for far less money second hand of course.   
  
 The Audioengines you have now are not bad at all btw. In a small room they are pretty good for nearfield listening. The B&W's and the KEF's will sound more full body. You should sit further away compared to the Audioengines. About 5 feet will do.
  
 Hope I've been of some assistance for you to make the right choice. If you have any questions just shoot.


----------



## jegarn

Hi
  
  
 I'm looking for speakers and I'm considering the B&W 685 S2, KEF LS50 as CooLy_oNE, but also B&W CM5 and Dynaudio Excite X12, for my first stereo setup. I'll use a Meridian 506.20 as source and Meridian 551 integrated amp to begin with, over time I'll complement with a LP player and probably a DAC. My room is around 4x4m (13x13 feet) and listening distance will be around 3 m ( ca 9 feet). I listen mostly to electronic, hip-hop, rock, jazz and folk.
  
 How big is the difference between the B&W 685 and CM5? I will have difficulties listening to the KEF since no hi-fi store in  my area sells them. How do the LS50 compare to the CM5 and Excite X12? 
 Which ones do you think would work best in my system?
  
 Cheers


----------



## Cosmic Fool

jegarn said:


> Hi
> 
> 
> I'm looking for speakers and I'm considering the B&W 685 S2, KEF LS50 as CooLy_oNE, but also B&W CM5 and Dynaudio Excite X12, for my first stereo setup. I'll use a Meridian 506.20 as source and Meridian 551 integrated amp to begin with, over time I'll complement with a LP player and probably a DAC. My room is around 4x4m (13x13 feet) and listening distance will be around 3 m ( ca 9 feet). I listen mostly to electronic, hip-hop, rock, jazz and folk.
> ...


 
 With your musical taste I would go for the KEF LS50 as it is the most all-round speaker of the bunch. The B&W CM5 has very powerfull bass but is lacking in all other departments imo. The Dynaudio X12 is a fine speaker for acoustic music but not for rock or hip-hop. 
  
 And why the LS50 are better than the 685's I already wrote higher.


----------



## jegarn

Thank you for your quick answer. Do you think the 551 will be enough to power the LS50? I've read a lot of people saying it's hard to drive and I'm getting a bit worried.


----------



## Cosmic Fool

jegarn said:


> Thank you for your quick answer. Do you think the 551 will be enough to power the LS50? I've read a lot of people saying it's hard to drive and I'm getting a bit worried.


 
 No prob. Thanks for your reply. The OP never bothered to do that. Not cool, CoolY_oNE! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



  
 Your amp will be able to drive these speakers fine. Unless you want to give parties for five hours at extreme loud soundlevels you won't have any problems at all.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 
  
 The thing is these speakers will grow with your system: a better amp and source will improve their performance. As long as you don't pair them with cheap AV-receivers or budget stereo amps it will sound beautifully.


----------



## motberg

jegarn said:


> Hi
> 
> 
> I'm looking for speakers and I'm considering the B&W 685 S2, KEF LS50 as CooLy_oNE, but also B&W CM5 and Dynaudio Excite X12, for my first stereo setup. I'll use a Meridian 506.20 as source and Meridian 551 integrated amp to begin with, over time I'll complement with a LP player and probably a DAC. My room is around 4x4m (13x13 feet) and listening distance will be around 3 m ( ca 9 feet). I listen mostly to electronic, hip-hop, rock, jazz and folk.
> ...


 

 I have a 4mx4m room also.. the speakers are a little less than 1m from the front wall. The farthest I can get from the speakers without significant bass problems (crazy boom around 40hz and deep/sharp null at 80hz) is 2.1m from the front of the speakers. I have a lot of DIY acoustic treatment mostly absorbtion. At 2.1m the bass sounds OK - at least as good as I can get in the room without EQ, I am checking by ear with a test CD and music. So it is a triangle with about 2.5m (not exact) between the speakers and 2.1m to the chair. I think with bass heavy music you may encounter problems with the chair close to the rear wall. So for best sound, you may need to pull the chair forward more into the room center (if this is an option).  The point is that in a small room, you will need be flexible in the chair position for best bass response and you may find yourself rather nearfield - - so nearfield performance is critical.. I am not sure but my guess is the LS50 would be pretty good in this regard due to their design.


----------



## jegarn

To report back, in case more people would be considering the same speakers.
  
 I ended up buying the KEF LS50 with custom stands. I didn't listen to any of the above speakers when looking around since I couldn't find them in stores near by. What I listened to was a couple of different more design oriented bookshelf speakers, only manufacturer I can remember was Martin Logan. None of those managed to make me the slightest interested. 
  
 After buying the LS50 blindly I must say I'm very happy with the outcome. Paired with the Meridian 506.20 CD player and 551 amplifier the sound is balanced with good clarity and detail. Well recorded vocals are amazing. The base, which some have said is lacking, needs proper placement to be at it's best. The overall description of the speakers in reviews were true, lucky me 
  
 My only concern is that I would like my system to be a bit more engaging and slightly warmer and that some bad recordings can sound more fun with my ports pros
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




, nothing I'm blaming the speakers for. I'm hoping I can solve some of this by switching cables.


----------

