Recommendations for good quality TV sound

[mikealdren]

There have been recent reviews of the KEF LS50 Mehta that refer back to the original LS50 and some reviews are online from other magazines (and online reviewers of course). My personal view of magazine reviews is that the magazines and manufacturers depend on each other to a large extent and I rarely see bad reviews of anything. They all tend to be 4.5 or 5 stars and 80-90%. It's also difficult to separate performance from value for money.

I tend to only consider products that have had consistent rave reviews that rate them above their peers, the KEFs fall into that category. My wife and I then trust our own ears!

[jayne lee wilson]

There are differences of opinion about what is good quality TV sound - and also whether it is for music. I was in fact specifically thinking of music and opera when I started the thread, as I watched briefly some videos which I thought were let down by the sound quality. We watched the Glyndebourne production of Cunning Little Vixen a few days ago - the first time I'd seen it. I'd always wanted to see that, though I can't say that I was entranced by it as some others have claimed to be - and I write as someone who likes a lot of Janacek's music. The sound quality was adequate, but not stunningly good. In an opera I'd probably enjoy more, that level of sound quality would be barely adequate for me.

There are of course elements of personal preference.

For watching films the situation changes sometimes, and that may also depend on how the film was made. They may work better in surround sound. Throbbing bass may float your boat. Some films/Blu Rays/DVDs are produced with so much boomy bass - often due to the audio special effects - that speech becomes almost totally unintelligible. Those are not fun at all. Some players have features to improve the intelligibility of speech, or turn down the special effects. Probably most broadcast films would have some of the difficulties ironed out by the broadcaster, though I do recall a BBC production of Jamaica Inn which was widely criticised for poor speed intelligibility.

Finally, re those KEF LS50s - £1k is no problem, but if I "needed" to have a wireless system with connectivity to every device under the sun, I might consider paying more - but the price difference between the basic speakers, and the speaker "eco-system" is considerable. Is it easy to get that HFN review for 6/2001? Maybe a KEF dealer could send me a copy!

Apologies, Dave, the issue is 6/2021..... so easily obtained as the last back issue... bit fuzzy and slow with thyroid and other health problems just now, concentration operating on reduced power....sorry about that. Some HFN reviews are free onsite these days. The KEFS might appear here soon https://www.hifinews.com/reviews but its a good site to browse around...

***
With reviews generally, though I would always trust HFN for accuracy (I've taken it for decades) - very experienced and always include detailed tech measurements... and they do include critical comments on the SQ (on resolution, tonal balance etc), where they feel something could be done better, and crucially now, where software/connectivity ease-of-use is concerned. (AND always include those essential lid-off shots!)
But they would always say - get a home trial if you can. (Easy with online ordering from specialists anyway).

Online mags/reviews really are pot luck......always try to find out the system used for the review..... but seek out Stereophile or Michael Lavorgna for a good experienced take on things...(and a lot of free content!)...

[Bryn]

Re HFN, I would concur. It is generally very reliable. A very different animal from, for instance, What HiFI.

[Dave2002]

I guess I might try the HFN review.

Would LSX speakers be almost as good - and cheaper?

Also, looking at the review for the LSX - see https://www.hifinews.com/content/kef...ve-loudspeaker - the reviewer commented that although the wireless modes were better than for many competitor products, that these speakers did best with wired connections.

As far as I can see the LS50s come in either a "simple" loudspeaker configuration - needing connections and external amplifiers - or a more fancy configuration based on "convenience", trendiness and wireless.

[richardfinegold]

I love having a center channel for dialog. The older I get, the more I have trouble hearing speech clearly, and a 2.0 or 2.1 just doesn’t cut the mustard for me.

[Dave2002]

Just checked our older TV - doesn't even have digital outs as far as I can see, but does have analogue audio out - phonos - so I could try with an appropriate amp plus some speakers I happen to have spare to see if that does give better results. My guess is that it won't be a great improvement, as I doubt that the output from the TV is going to be really good quality - but it's worth checking.

I'm trying to find somewhere to hear the KEFs mentioned earlier, as they do sound as though they woulc be really good.

Currently watching the Glyndebourne Barber of Seville from 2016 - which I don't think we saw live - though I'm fairly sure we did see one production - just not that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wov1StLocNE

[Dave2002]

I tend to only consider products that have had consistent rave reviews that rate them above their peers, the KEFs fall into that category. My wife and I then trust our own ears!

I've lost track here - do you have a set of LS50s?

I'm trying to arrange to hear a pair in the next day or two, though stocks are not necessarily easy to locate. One dealer has agreed to get a pair in if he can get a delivery.

I wonder if things like this are like camera lenses. Very high prices when new, but which might drop like a stone in the second hand market, or after a year or two.

Thus maybe fashion items - hyped up a lot - with the manufacturers and retailers making most profits on the initial high prices. Can hardly blame them perhaps, but might be like smart phones and cars.

[Dave2002]

Well - we went for a demo - and with the possible prospect of another winter with limited outings we "invested" in a pair of the LS50s. We compared them with another set of bigger speakers costing four times as much - and it seemed to be swings and roundabouts. The larger pair were slightly better in some ways, but perhaps too boomy - and without such precise stereo location. I can imagine better than either of these, but perhaps not at a price we could reasonably afford.

To my surprise white - which I felt "might look nice" was rejected on the grounds that it would get dirty, so in the end black was deemed to be acceptable. They are bigger than I thought they might be, and a heck of a lot heavier. The KEF matching stands - again which I thohg might look good - are ludicrously expensive, so we settled for the recommended Atacama stands - which are amazingly heavy - I really didn't expect that. They have spikes, but we don't need those, but fortunately they are removable. Alternatively a suggestion was to just put coins on our wooden floor with Blu-tack and locate the spikes on those.

Even though I think this is slightly extravagant, this doesn't seem such a terrible purchase to have embarked upon in the current times and circumstances. If we decide we dislike them - which seems unlikely - I'm sure there's a reasonable second hand market.

Oh - I should add - these are almost certainly not going to be used for regular TV watching - they are too big and probably deliver too big a sound. They'll be used in another room and coupled to a system used almost exclusively for music - though I might be able to switch the sound from the TV in that room into the system - depending on how I configure it.

[richardfinegold]

Well - we went for a demo - and with the possible prospect of another winter with limited outings we "invested" in a pair of the LS50s. We compared them with another set of bigger speakers costing four times as much - and it seemed to be swings and roundabouts. The larger pair were slightly better in some ways, but perhaps too boomy - and without such precise stereo location. I can imagine better than either of these, but perhaps not at a price we could reasonably afford.

To my surprise white - which I felt "might look nice" was rejected on the grounds that it would get dirty, so in the end black was deemed to be acceptable. They are bigger than I thought they might be, and a heck of a lot heavier. The KEF matching stands - again which I thohg might look good - are ludicrously expensive, so we settled for the recommended Atacama stands - which are amazingly heavy - I really didn't expect that. They have spikes, but we don't need those, but fortunately they are removable. Alternatively a suggestion was to just put coins on our wooden floor with Blu-tack and locate the spikes on those.

Even though I think this is slightly extravagant, this doesn't seem such a terrible purchase to have embarked upon in the current times and circumstances. If we decide we dislike them - which seems unlikely - I'm sure there's a reasonable second hand market.

Oh - I should add - these are almost certainly not going to be used for regular TV watching - they are too big and probably deliver too big a sound. They'll be used in another room and coupled to a system used almost exclusively for music - though I might be able to switch the sound from the TV in that room into the system - depending on how I configure it.

Seems like you got a bit sidetracked there and didn’t solve the original issue….

[Ein Heldenleben]

Am I right in thinking that with the wireless version of the LS50’s you can stream direct from MacBook Air, iPad , iPhone etc with no need for bespoke streamer and indeed possibly separate amp? They appear to have built in amps. For £2250 that strikes me as amazing value . What’s the quality like ?

[Cockney Sparrow]

Seems like you got a bit sidetracked there and didn’t solve the original issue….

Nothing wrong with getting some quality speakers with the convenience of wireless streaming**.....

The thought that thread drift is by no means unkown here occurred to me, but it doesn't often result in expenditure of £££........ (I'd better retire here - over the years I spent a fair bit on audio, before I gave up the habit a decade or so ago. (I'm currently trying to establish whether I'm getting bit perfect FLAC out of the toslink output on my £15 (sale) Chromecast audio streamers)).

** I'm not familiar with these KEF speakers, but I assume you must still need a mains power supply per speaker?

[Dave2002]

Seems like you got a bit sidetracked there and didn’t solve the original issue….

There is/was more than one issue to consider. We also have several options for how to watch TV, and some reconfigurations might work for us. I haven't bought any new or even second hand kit for quite a long while now, up till yesterday.

Re these KEFs I'll report when they are delivered. These ones are not the ones with the inbuilt amps and streaming features - which are more than double the cost. For us there probably isn't a great deal of point in having wireless "self powered" speakers - as they'd still need to be connected to the mains and it's debatable whether the audio would be consistently good enough via the wireless links.

[richardfinegold]

I was reading Stereophile the other day. There was a story about Apple Streaming service now offering lossless and High Resolution recordings instead of their previous AAC, and for no increase in price. That is good news, and since I’m paying about 3 times that for Qobuz, I’ll probably give it a try. Apple’s catalog was vast, having even the remotest and most obscure Classical recordings. Qobuz is no slouch in the breadth of catalog issue, but after perusing Apple here for 20 minutes I’ve turned up 5 albums that Qobuz doesn’t carry. So that’s a welcome development. Amazon is apparently slashing their streaming price of their lossless service in order to compete, another positive development.
The head scratcher in the Stereophile article is that is that Apple has decided to go big time into “immersive sound” which is Surround Sound in new clothes. I am a believer in Surround Sound, and I have 2 SuS systems in my home in addition to my two channel rig, but SuS bombed rather spectacularly in the marketplace. Is Apple perhaps thinking that this will now be an easier sell since the developments In wireless technology will make SuS a lot easier to adopt? I am suspecting that that they may start trying to sell the Home Pod as surrounds, and a modified Home Pod for Atmos (I don’t like Dolby Atmos-the demonstrations that I have heard seem o.k. For Action Video, but gimmicky for music. Who needs a sound stage where the English Horn sounds like the player is hanging from the ceiling?).
We are on Vacation in a rented home in Southwestern Michigan. My wife is 64 today, and her first name is Rita, so I brought our Home Pod to the vacation home and serenaded the home AM with those two consecutive songs from the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album, When I’m 64 and Lovely Rita, Meter Maid. The Home Pod easily connected to the new network and I easily Air Played Qobuz lossless as the source (at home I usually just tell Siri to play something and it is probably AAC files that are used). I have to admit this sounds pretty damn good. And the ease of use is a huge improvement compared to the hours that I have spent setting up my Surround Systems in my house, running speaker and Ethernet wires under drop ceilings, and then doing the menus in the Audio Visual Receivers (although doing the Room Correction Curves with the supplied mics is kind of fun). So perhaps Apple is on to something. Still, given the general apathy that most people have toward sound quality, I still suspect it will fail.

[gradus]

... Still, given the general apathy that most people have toward sound quality, I still suspect it will fail.[/QUOTE]

Is it apathy or is it that the quality of recorded sound in general today as against say 60 years ago when I 'discovered' hi-fi, is so much better that relatively small advances in technical performance don't translate into greater musical enjoyment for many (but not of course all) listeners and faffing around with complicated setups just isn't worth the effort when the time could be spent listening to sound that is already good enough.

[Another Howard]

Oh, TV sound! Having no receiver it was not an issue until my new partner sat me down in front of her big shiny panel. Ghastly audio, compounding present day problems with body-worn mics and over-loud music and FX. She bought a soundbar. A bit better, but still voices emerge as though from a jug. Partner only recognised how poor it was when I popped headphones on her. Jaw drops. Eyes light up.
You are right, Anastasius, about speakers being crucial. My guess is that as with hifi setups (I use such in a pro setting) any loudspeakers under about £500 each rarely approach the fidelity of headphones or earbuds, even in a good acoustic.