When a set of speakers is made this well, you don’t mess with them. And KEF has left its benchmark-setting LS50 speakers largely intact since they started blowing minds in 2012. Then in 2021, the brand surprised us by actually making them better with the LS50 Meta, one of the best-sounding bookshelf speakers I’ve ever heard, which, admittedly, has only been on the showroom floor at my local hi-fi shop because I’ve never had the scratch to pocket a pair. That might be about to change, because they can be had for Black Friday/Cyber Monday for a $1,000, or a huge $600 off the sticker price.
If you’ve never heard a set of KEF Meta speakers, their supremely pure and dynamic sound is made possible by way of some pretty sophisticated KEF tech. The first is the British company’s signature Uni-Q array of drivers that combines the tweeter and midrange/bass driver into one in-line assembly. The tweeter sits at the acoustic center to form a single source that disperses the sound evenly, eliminating sweet spots. I’ve heard them in action, and everywhere is a sweet spot.
Next is what makes up the “Meta” in the LS50 Meta — KEF’s newer Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). Found in several speakers across KEF’s range, MAT uses a puck-sized circular disc made of a dampening material that has what looks like an intricate maze carved into it. The maze is actually made up of several channels and tubes that each absorb and cancel out a wide range of frequencies for insanely clean and distortion-free sound.
The KEF LS50 Metas are 8-ohm passive speakers that can be paired with a killer integrated amplifier of your choice with recommended power between 40 and 100 watts per channel. You can also use them as part of a multi-speaker home theater setup with an AV receiver, too.
Compact and with a modern, sophisticated design, the LS50 Meta speakers are cute and compact (11.9 by 7.9 by 11.0 inches) enough to fit among your books and shelf knickknacks, or you can prop them up on stands for head-level audiophile positioning. They’re also available in black, gray, white, and blue.
Additionally, if you’re not really a component-system type of person and would rather have a pair of great powered all-in-0ne wireless speakers with all kinds of connectivity options, KEF’s equally astonishing LS50 Wireless II speakers are also on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, down to $2,000 from $2,500.