Short answer: the KEF LS50 Meta. It ranks #4 of 88 bookshelf speakers by sound quality, rated 4.5/5, at $1,599. The Tekton Troubadour ranks #24, rated 3.8/5, at $1,000, $599 cheaper, which does not close the gap in sound quality.
What the KEF LS50 Meta does well: Uni-Q concentric driver mounts a 1” vented aluminum dome tweeter at the center of a 5.25” aluminum cone woofer, rated 79Hz-20kHz+. Watch for: F3 of 67Hz and F10 of 42Hz mean it doesn’t get much below 50Hz in-room; a subwoofer is recommended for real bass.
Why pick the Tekton Troubadour: Offset in-phase array of 2x 5.25” mid-woofers and 3x 1” dome tweeters gives good on-axis linearity (within about ±2.5 dB) and a wide vertical listening window (about ±20°), so seating height isn’t fussy. The catch: Forward, elevated upper-midrange presentation from increased off-axis energy in the 2-8 kHz range, centered around 4 kHz, that can read as hot or aggressive depending on the room and listener; a couple bands of EQ can tame it.
One note: the Tekton Troubadour is no longer sold new, but at #24 of 88 bookshelf speakers by sound quality it still outranks most current models, so used is worth considering.
Buy the KEF LS50 Meta. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $599 saving on the Tekton Troubadour is not enough to make up the difference.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Passive Home rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| KEF LS50 Meta | Tekton Troubadour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,599.00 per pair | $1,000 per pair Discontinued |
| Ranked | #4 of 88 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers | #24 of 88 in Medium Size Bookshelf Speakers |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 68Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Dimensions | 11.9”H x 7.9”W x 11”D (302 x 200 x 280.5 mm) | 21” x 13.5” x 9” (533 x 343 x 229 mm) |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (3.7 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) | 4 ohms nominal, 3.6 ohms minimum (measured above 80Hz, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner; 85dB manufacturer specified) | 88dB (measured average 300Hz-3kHz @ 2.83V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Drivers | 130 mm (5.25 in.) aluminium cone woofer, 25 mm (1 in.) vented aluminium dome with Metamaterial Absorption tweeter | 2x 5.25” mid-woofers, 3x 1” dome tweeters (offset in-phase array) |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs (7.8 kg) each | 32 lbs (14.5 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear | - |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.74 | 5.50 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.88 | 7.52 |
| DIY Kit | No | No |
| Country | - | USA |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How KEF LS50 Meta compares with other leading options:
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Audio First Fidelia
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Philharmonic Ceramic Mini
- Ascend Sierra 1 v2 vs KEF LS50 Meta
- Ascend Acoustics Luna V2 Mini-Monitor Ribbon vs KEF LS50 Meta
- KEF LS50 Meta vs XMechanik Mechano23 DIY
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The Two Speakers In Full
KEF LS50 Meta: $1,599.00 per pair Amazon Crutchfield eBay
Pros: Uni-Q concentric driver mounts a 1” vented aluminum dome tweeter at the center of a 5.25” aluminum cone woofer, rated 79Hz-20kHz+. Speaker-to-speaker matching measured tight at roughly 0.5dB deviation between the pair tested, versus 2-3dB seen on some other speakers: likely why imaging stayed so precise. Imaging stays tight and focused even toed out, unlike most coincident designs where toe-out typically diffuses the image, giving more of an oval-shaped soundstage than a hard rectangular boundary. Horizontal and vertical directivity both hold to about ±50° at the -6dB point, so tonality stays consistent across roughly a 100° listening cone. The extended bass shelf is deliberately tuned for near-wall/boundary placement rather than the usual “pull it 3 feet into the room” advice, playing lower without excess boominess when placed close to a wall. At its frequent sale price, well below list, called a no-brainer for a compact stand-mount speaker. Independent ASR Klippel measurements corroborate this: very good directivity with the on- and off-axis curves tracking closely, and a predicted in-room response the reviewer called “very close to ideal.”. Measured bass extension of 68Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 83dB.
Cons: F3 of 67Hz and F10 of 42Hz mean it doesn’t get much below 50Hz in-room; a subwoofer is recommended for real bass. A 2-3dB scoop around 2-4kHz shows up in both the listening window and sound power measurements, matching a subjectively noticed lack of attack and vocal clarity that the reviewer wanted to correct with about 2dB of EQ. An on-axis diffraction dip around 8kHz smooths out with about 15° of toe-out (typical for concentric designs, but still present at 0°). Distortion is elevated at low frequencies since the single 5.25” cone shares surface area with the tweeter housing, reducing effective radiating area; multitone distortion crosses the 3% threshold at 96dB/1m, making roughly 88dB or below the safer output ceiling. Moderate sensitivity (~83dB average) needed 2-3dB more amplifier gain than typical in testing. Adding a subwoofer at an 80Hz crossover only helps lower-midrange distortion, not the elevated distortion in the 1-2kHz and above-5kHz regions. ASR’s own Klippel testing found the same pattern in starker terms: THD is very good at 86dB SPL/1m but climbs past 100% in the bass at 96dB SPL/1m, confirming this is not a near-field speaker for high-output bass-heavy material. Cumulative spectral decay (waterfall) also shows a couple of resonances lingering in the 1-2kHz region.
Full KEF LS50 Meta review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 43Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 68Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 11.9”H x 7.9”W x 11”D (302 x 200 x 280.5 mm) |
| Drivers | 130 mm (5.25 in.) aluminium cone woofer, 25 mm (1 in.) vented aluminium dome with Metamaterial Absorption tweeter |
| Impedance | 8 ohms nominal (3.7 ohms minimum above 80Hz, measured by Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 83dB (measured average, Erin’s Audio Corner; 85dB manufacturer specified) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.74 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.88 |
| Weight | 17.2 lbs (7.8 kg) each |
| Woofer Cabinet | ported, rear |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Erin’s Audio Corner: Unveiling the KEF LS50 Meta: The Truth Behind the Hype More from Erin’s Audio Corner →
- Erin’s Audio Corner Website KEF LS50 Meta
- Audio Science Review KEF LS50 Meta More from Audio Science Review →
- GR-Research: KEF LS50 Meta! Worthy of HYPE? More from GR-Research →
- Erin’s Audio Corner: My Top Picks of 2023: Must-Haves Under $3000
- Erin’s Audio Corner Measurements (spinorama.org)
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Ascend Sierra 1 v2
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Ascend Acoustics Luna V2 Mini-Monitor Ribbon
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Philharmonic Ceramic Mini
- KEF LS50 Meta vs XMechanik Mechano23 DIY
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Audio First Fidelia
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE2
- KEF LS50 Meta vs Arendal 1961 Monitor
- KEF LS50 Meta vs SunAudio Purified 4
- See all 84 comparisons
Tekton Troubadour: $1,000 per pair Discontinued eBay
Pros: Offset in-phase array of 2x 5.25” mid-woofers and 3x 1” dome tweeters gives good on-axis linearity (within about ±2.5 dB) and a wide vertical listening window (about ±20°), so seating height isn’t fussy. Bass extension is solid for a stand-mount this size: F3 around 51 Hz, F10 around 39 Hz, with distortion staying below 3% THD down to about 40 Hz at 96 dB. Made in the USA. Asymmetrical tweeter/mid-woofer placement broadens horizontal dispersion versus a conventional symmetric layout. Measured bass extension of 51Hz (-3dB), with a measured sensitivity of 88dB.
Cons: Forward, elevated upper-midrange presentation from increased off-axis energy in the 2-8 kHz range, centered around 4 kHz, that can read as hot or aggressive depending on the room and listener; a couple bands of EQ can tame it. Multitone distortion climbs to about 10% around 1 kHz at higher output, attributed to the 4-inch mid-range drivers. Because the driver layout is offset rather than mirror-imaged, left/right placement and toe-in matter more than with a standard symmetric bookshelf design. Discontinued.
Full Tekton Troubadour review and specifications →
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 39Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-3dB) | 51Hz (measured, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Country | USA |
| DIY Kit | No |
| Dimensions | 21” x 13.5” x 9” (533 x 343 x 229 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 5.25” mid-woofers, 3x 1” dome tweeters (offset in-phase array) |
| Impedance | 4 ohms nominal, 3.6 ohms minimum (measured above 80Hz, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Sensitivity | 88dB (measured average 300Hz-3kHz @ 2.83V/1m, Erin’s Audio Corner) |
| Spinorama Preference Score | 5.50 |
| Spinorama Preference Score with Perfect Sub | 7.52 |
| Weight | 32 lbs (14.5 kg) each |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons