[Sound Battle] KEF LS50 Meta vs Polk Audio XT20 Bookshelf Speakers w/Arcam SA10 Amp

[@INFIN1TY-]

For the price performance Polk. I wouldn't say the Kef sounded better.

[@victorjavier9349]

Personally, I like the sound of polk better, because I felt it more pleasant to my ears

[@gt.vintageaudio3402]

polk did it !!!,....Bravo.

[@thomasward00]

Those LS50s sound good...

[@IMGhee]

i like the sound of the SA10, here the METAs are better with it but the best with the R3

[@luishernandoduarte7191]

Ecxelente video..saludos cordiales desde bogota Colombia

[@alexeym.1175]

I don't think that the KEFs sound much better. They sound different but not better. I am really surprised what Polk Audio did. Ich wourd prefer the XT20. These are 4 times cheaper.

[@sudhakarbejavada9928]

Yes...

[@victorjavier9349]

Pienso igual. Yo tengo un buen equipo de sonido conectado a la computadora y por mucho sentí el sonido de la Polk Audio XT20 más agradable a mis oídos

[@DougMen1]

The Metas now sound like I remember them, sweet, balanced, and clean, without the more pushy and harsh character they had with the DA9 and Yamaha with the Modius, which is very evident on the horns on Leroy, and many other songs too, which leads me to believe that it wasn't the amps causing them to sound like that to me, but it was the Modius, because I've not heard the Yamaha or SMSL sound like that to me with any other speaker without the Modius, or the Metas sound that way with any other amp without the Modius. With the R3, and without the Modius, the Yamaha sounds even better to me than the Arcam does. As to the XT20, it puts up a good fight, and sounds really good, but it's no match for the Meta

[@davidcarr2216]

The XT20s do okay here I reckon but of course the METAS are better balanced with more sparkle. E, how about Metas vs UB52s ?

[@nuttyl283]

Emotiva B1+ vs Diamond 12.2 please.

[@thomasward00]

I need some advice guys, shopping the Paradigm 200B and ML Motion 15, the Paradigm is a 6 1/2 and the ML is 5 1/4 I'm also running a sub, is a larger bookshelf needed when using a sub in a 16x12 room, or is a smaller bookshelf ideal? Don't want to waste money if I don't need. Of course the store say always go with the larger more expensive speaker.

[@DougMen1]

It depends somewhat on each individual speakers, as there's no hard or fast rule. It sounds like your room is pretty small, as is mine, and I've found that in my room I almost always prefer a 5" woofer to a 6.5" one, even without a sub, because they usually have better mids to my ears than a larger woofer, and a larger woofer also is too bassy in my room, because my speakers can't be much more than 18-24" from the wall without being in the middle of the room. Of course, that's a variable too. Some 6.5" woofers have better mids than a smaller one, and some 5" woofers have more bass than larger ones. I know what I've said is useless and doesn't help answer your question, but that's because the only answer to oyur question is from comparing both the speakers in question. But, after all that, one of the most celebrated and highly rated and reviewed speakers is the LS50 Meta, which has a 5" woofer, and, according to Mark, when paired with a sub, is the pinnacle of sound quality for a bookshelf speaker

[@DougMen1]

The short answer is to buy the one that sounds best to you without your sub, and it'll also sound best to you with your sub

[@thomasward00]

@@DougMen1 The Paradigm 200B are 1K a pair and the ML 15i are 730 a pair, but the Paradigms are 90db @8 ohm, the ML are 92db @5ohm,. So the Paradigms will work the amp less. Just don't want to waste money on larger speakers since I now have a subwoofer.

[@DougMen1]

@@thomasward00 92 at 5 ohms is almost exactly 90 at 8 ohms, so that's inconsequential, as far as speaker sensitivity. Don't worry so much about specs and follow your ears.