Review on KEF LS50 Meta (Pair by Terry Myers

This is a really expensive pair of bookshelf speakers so my expectations were high when I opened the box and installed them. I used good quality speaker stands from a B&W bookshelf speaker set I had because KEF stands weren't available. Period" for optimal listening. At the time of writing this review, I have approximately 40 hours to mix pink noise and high dynamic range music content. My test system consists of: • Emotiva XPA-5 Gen 2, 200 watts per channel Class- AB Amplifier • Oppo BDP-205 Blu-ray and streaming music player • I used really well recorded DSD128 files from 2xHD label for listening • High quality studio quality speaker cables and balanced Mogami Gold audio cables between Oppo analog audio output and the XPA-5.I also compared the LS-50 Meta to the Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers and the B&W 607 S2 Anniversary Edition bookshelf speakers ($700 per pair).The DQ-10 is a speaker from the 80's with a cult following that is one of the best sounding and most reproducible speakers available today and compares well to speakers costing $3,000 and up.I hadn't expected the LS-50 to come close to the DQ-10, and they didn't, but I thought they were a few steps above the B&W. It's not like this. My observations so far (after 10 days of listening): The LS-50 Meta speakers have a very full, wide, smooth natural soundstage, but the positioning of the instrument in that soundstage is ill-defined, fuzzy and fuzzy. The bass, while not bad for a bookshelf speaker, is generally good. You definitely need a subwoofer for bass below 50Hz, so add another $500 to your $1,500 purchase. Wow! Even after 40 hours of break-in, the speakers still sound very "tight" and dull (ie boxed, not open and natural). The music lacks the depth and detail found in both the DQ-10 and B&W. I was expecting them to be tight and not out of the box because KEF states that "You may find that the overall response to your new drivers is somewhat limited or limited. After a while you notice the speakers opening up and sounding more natural.” Well, 40 hours isn't enough for them to open up. In fact, at this point in my purchase I am very disappointed. While the black and white tones lack the smooth, wide soundstage of the LS-50, they are far more detailed and nuanced. You can hear more detail in instruments like string bass, drums, and horns. Vocals are more detailed and defined, and better placed on the soundstage than the LS-50. Black and white are half the price. If I had to decide today whether to keep it to myself, I would reject it. But I still have 2.5 weeks before I have to make that decision, so I'll keep testing them and hoping they open up, get more detailed and the soundstage is better defined. I will update this review in a few weeks. Note: I will receive the Shiite Ragnarok 2 amplifier tomorrow so I can test it with this unit. Combo reviews (Ragnarok 2 and LS-50) were good. I gave them two stars but at the moment they are probably between 2-3 stars in my possession. If the sound doesn't improve over time, it'll definitely remain two stars.