What source and amplification would you use to drive KEF LS50 speakers?

[crenca]

Thank you all for the references.

 

By chance the NAD d3020 was my original choice for the front end but I thought it would have insufficient power at 30W...

 

 

Ajax

 

I read somewhere (perhaps over at the AVS forums??) that that little amp is underated and actually measures with significantly more power (particularly as the ohm's drop), so perhaps that is what would give it a fighting chance with the LS50s? In any case that IDA-8 seems like it has enough power, functionality, and is priced right - that is what I would try first. Well, I first would try something from Emotiva but I am not sure if they are an option way down under...

[crenca]

Interesting' date=' anyone else wants to share their own or a friend's « leap of faith » episode ?[/font']

 

Incidentally, since school days, I always remember first Gloucester in Act 4, scene 6...

 

No, certainly not All's Well That Ends Well

 

Well, if I understand you correctly: I took a "leap of faith" in a sense with my "computer speakers", a pair of Elac Debut B6's. I never heard them but based on positive reviews I purchased them, and it worked out quite well - they exceeded my expectations. Of course, at these prices (I think they retail for $279 pair in U.S.) it's not much of a leap...

[crenca]

That's part of what I'm interested in' date=' « expectations » are nebulous unless defined ? And you had other loudspeakers before purchasing ? What would people [i']expect[/i] of speakers (and indeed Hi-Fi) if they've never owned any before ? Are you surprised by the many confessions of 'new to audiophile [mindset, equipment selection]' in the forums ? And some of the advice they get...

 

All good questions and each one is probably worth a thread all on its own.

 

For me and my blind purchase of my B6's, I had "restrained" expectations based on auditioning otherwise well thought of equipment that I thought was not very good. Still, the B6's turned out to be better than not only I "expected", but even as good as all the hype around them would indicate. Still, If they had cost significantly more I would not have purchased them blind, so the low cost helped me over the edge. But it was nice that they sound as good as they do - their reputation is deserved.

 

Can't say I am all that surprised by the advice given. Folks usually just go off of what they know, so they tend to recomened what they know and own. Despite how the OP's often get an overwhelming flood of advice, that can be a good thing in that they can consider more than what they had thought of before. When it comes to some of what I read around the "computer" part of "computer audiophile" I see some things that are a bit stretched (so to speak), but I have the advantage of an actual career spent in systems administration so again I am not surprised all that much...