One final comparison.
Tonight it tried both speakers in a different set and different room.
The set up is:
Mararntz SR-6007 in pure direct. Crossover at 80hz into SVS SB-12NSD subwoofer. Main speakers set to small.
Source:
Norah Jones - Come away with me (flac over airplay)
The XX - Crystalised (flac over airplay)
Neil Young - After the goldrush LP (180gr vinyl with pro-ject debut III turntable)
The Killers - Mr Brightside (Flac over airplay)
I've been comparing these side by side for a couple of weeks now and there is a trend emerging.
With the first Norah Jones and XX tracks, both pairs sounded exceptional. While the B&W were fuller and warmer, the Kefs were incredibly detailed, precise and engaging. I could happily listen to either speaker but the presentation of voices in the Kefs probably gave it a slight edge.
Next moving onto Neil Young on vinyl, this is a well recorded album but tends to be "jangly" and busy in the mids and upper mids. As I expected somewhat, the LS50 were detailed perhaps to a fault, showing every imperfection in the recording and the record/turntable set up. The B&W were considerably more laid back and therefore easier to listen to.
Lastly I wanted to try some highly compressed pop music. Mr Brightside is a great energetic song with fast guitars and drums. Again, listening to this music with the LS50 is like using a magnifying glass under fluorescent lights - every possible flaw is revealed! Again the CM8 on the other hand is much more sympathetic to this recording.
The LS50 definitely blended better with the subwoofer using the crossover in the Marantz than in my other room with the Rotel. Just not quite as easily as the CM8 however. There always seemed to be a noticeable crossover to the LS50 (especially with the vinyl recordings) whereas the CM8 just blended in. I suspect my subwoofer simply can't keep up with the LS50 5.25" woofer.
I guess to sum all of this up, these speakers are both excellent, and considering how different they appear they have an incredible amount in common. If I could sum up the main difference in a word it's that the LS50 is more analytical. In a perfect world where all music is recorded and mastered perfectly the Kef would be the clear winner. But listening to poorer recordings occasionally, the B&W would no doubt make listening a little smoother.
