The multi-awarding winning KEF LS50 monitors rocked the HiFi world during its first debut, it is an iconic stylish-looking loudspeaker with exceptional sound quality and has a sane price tag. Furthermore, it is an anniversary stand-mounter of the reputable KEF which makes the LS50 even more special. Gaining tons of rave reviews and praise from critics, audiophiles, analytical audio enthusiasts, and many others over the years, this pair of stand-mounters have instantly gained legendary status, at least in our books.
It is a revealing and transparent pair of monitors that will dig out plenty of music details including subtle nuances. The KEF LS50 accuracy and precision are impressive as well, providing us with a faithful music presentation of our favorite tunes as close to what the artists have intended for their audiences to hear. The stereo imaging is impeccable, the spacing and separation are equally brilliant too. KEF LS50 overall sound reproduction is very well-balanced and clean. As for the bass performance, it is agile and tight without any overemphasis, not to mention, it is highly accurate with detailed basslines. LS50’s low-end delivery is high-quality but lacks the impact and the very deep bass reproduction is not prominent enough.
More Details at Amazon – KEF LS50 Monitor – Gloss White
This is where the subwoofer comes into play, it can help improve the overall bass performance of your sound system. With an active subwoofer been added into the mix, the bass performance can now satisfy home theater enthusiasts and even bass fanatics. Still, we should only integrate high-quality sealed subwoofers that can keep up with the KEF LS50 studio monitors and would not muddle the higher frequencies. This is why we are planning to list out the best subwoofers which you can choose to go for and pair them with the KEF LS50 monitors.
Before we start sharing with you the subwoofers list, you might want to go through some of the usual main subwoofer requirements. It is a very important checklist as it will greatly influence the types of subwoofers you should get and match with your talented KEF LS50 and so without further ado, let us start.
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Your Subwoofer Main Requirements
We will assume you have all the necessary HiFi audio components that you need and you are now left with getting a powered subwoofer to match with your KEF LS50 studio monitors. In this case, you should start with allocating a comfortable budget with a bit of spare headroom. The higher the budget, the more subwoofer options you can go for. Will you be using your sound system for music or home theater use or both, as this will determine the types of subwoofer you should get such as sealed cabinet for music or ported cabinet for movies. If the quality of the bass is important to you then you should always get a sealed subwoofer but if the bass output is more important then the ported subwoofer will be a better choice.
The size and power of the subwoofer that you should get will also be determined by the size of your listening room. Bigger and more powerful subwoofers will be suitable for large listening rooms. Unless you are using an AV receiver that can connect up to 2 subs then smaller subwoofers will be okay as having 2 active subs in a room can cover more areas. Available room space will play a factor too, so you might want to finalize and measure the possible spaces which you can use to position the subwoofer. If the sub is to be placed in a living room, you might want to check with your spouse and/or loved ones’ opinion. Sometimes, they may prefer small subwoofers as they won’t obstruct and disrupt the design of your home interiors.
If music listening is critical for you, we will always suggest going for sealed subwoofers as they are more accurate, agile, and fast. The bass quality is usually better when been produced from a sealed sub and it will also be ideal in a home theater environment. You should add more requirements onto the checklist on your own, this is to ensure you have covered all the necessary things that will influence the kind of potential subwoofer you should get. Once you are ready, you can check out the list of the best subwoofers that can be matched with the KEF LS50 loudspeakers.
Best Subwoofers to pair with KEF LS50 Monitors
The Rythmik Audio F12SE is one of the best sealed subwoofers to match with the KEF LS50 monitors. It is a high-quality subwoofer designed and made for audiophiles, with 370 Watts RMS power using Class A/B amplification. It provides you with high-end and articulate bass performance, not to mention, it is sanely priced. Rythmik Audio F12SE will be an excellent choice for listeners who want an amazing music listening experience and is certainly a worthy subwoofer partner for the KEF LS50 monitors. The bass handling and control are top-notch, allowing the F12SE to handle all sorts of music genres.
The JL Audio Fathom f113 is another impressive sealed subwoofer that delivers high-quality bass and can easily fill the room with incredible sonic energy. The agility and speed of the Fathom f113 are immaculate, keeping pace with the KEF LS50 speakers without being overbearing and provide an ultra-clean deep bass response that is tight and powerful. This high-end JL Audio sealed subwoofer will be great for home theater use as it can produce room-shaking bass without compromising the quality and details. The D.A.R.O. technology can help to further improve the sound quality by automatically optimizing the sub’s in-room frequency response.
More Details at Amazon – JL Audio 13.5″ Fathom F113
The SVS SB-2000 Pro will be an ideal sealed subwoofer choice with a modest price tag and it is very powerful as well. This 12″ sealed subwoofer has up to 1500 Watts of Peak power thanks to its Sledge STA-550D amplifier. With a frequency response of 19Hz-240Hz (+/-3dB), the SB-2000 Pro can handle most types of music genres with ease and will be a terrific subwoofer to partner up with your KEF LS50 studio monitors. There are plenty of accolades under its belt so you can be assured of the SVS SB-2000 Pro sonic performance and quality. Furthermore, SVS is a subwoofer brand that is well-regarded by both audiophiles and HT enthusiasts.
More Info at Amazon – SVS SB-2000 Pro 12″ Sealed Subwoofer (Black Ash)
For listeners who want a more versatile subwoofer, then the HSU Research VTF-15H MK2 is an exemplary choice for you especially if you watch movies and listen to music using your KEF LS50 speakers. This is a hybrid subwoofer where you can switch to either ported (1 port/2 port open) or completely sealed. With this option, the HSU Research VTF-15H MK2 enables you to adjust the sub accordingly so to accommodate the various audio sources better. It is also a powerful subwoofer with 2000 Watts short-term power and 600 Watts continuous power. The VTF-15H MK2 will work well with the KEF LS50 monitors.
The Ken Kreisel DXD-808 is another brilliant high-end sealed subwoofer that will match well with your KEF LS50 studio monitors. The DXD-808 has dual 8″ drivers and can reach as deep as 15Hz, driven by two powerful Class D amplifiers, it has a peak power of 1500-2200 Watts. The speed and agility of the Ken Kreisel DXD-808 are impeccable, easily keeping up with the KEF LS50 monitors, providing accurate and high-quality bass. Making your studio monitors sound like a full-range speaker. You can stack another DXD-808 on top of the current one and this will allow the Ken Kreisel subs to cover more areas, delivering a 3-dimensional bass response.
For home theater enthusiasts, ported subwoofers will definitely be excellent choices and the SVS PB-2000 Pro should be enough to handle all sorts of bass demands that a movie can throw at it. Still, the PB-2000 Pro will be suitable for medium-size HT rooms. For large listening rooms, you might want to go with the extremely powerful SVS PB-4000, a 13.5″ sub with up to 4200 Watts of Peak Power. It will easily fill a large HT room with immense sonic energy. If you prefer sealed subwoofers, the Rythmik Audio F18 will be an amazing choice. The F18 is an 18″ sealed audiophile subwoofer with 900 Watts of RMS power.
More Info at Amazon – SVS PB-2000 Pro (Black Ash)
More Info at Amazon – SVS PB-4000 (Piano Gloss Black)
To Sum It Up
The powered subs listed here are made by renowned subwoofer makers that have years of experience and recognition, all are worth your time to check them out. You can simply shortlist a few and arrange an audition, to see which active subwoofer sounds the best to you when paired with your KEF LS50 studio monitors. If possible, we will suggest having the subwoofer audition be held in your own listening room, as this will give you a highly accurate result.
