KEF LS50 Meta

Pros

• The bass is tight and controlled, with excellent extension and punch. When paired with the KEF LS50 Meta, the A80 provided a solid foundation for both music and movies, handling complex bass lines with ease.
• I decided to test the Aiyima A80 paired with a harder than normal to drive KEF LS50 Meta speakers (to give it a good test especially of the PFFB circuitry and the heat dissipation)... I even tested this with my price inappropriate KEF LS...
• I even tested this with my price inappropriate KEF LS50 Meta’s, and it had no problem driving them to louder than comfortable levels with a clean analytical reference sound.
• When paired with the KEF LS50 Meta, the A80 provided a solid foundation for both music and movies, handling complex bass lines with ease.
• after getting a somewhat equivalent setup with stereo (KEF LS50 Meta + Bluesound Powernode + REL Tzero sub), I have to say - headphones just can’t reproduce the soundstage the way speakers can.

Cons

• I found them bright and thin/harah sounding without EQ.
• I really, really didn't like LS50 Metas. They were too clinical for my taste, too cold and lifeless even with sub.
• I was disappointed to find that the KEF LS50 Meta's midrange and vocals don't sound as prominent or forward as they did on the LSX. Male vocalists and piano notes no longer have the same weight and separation as before.
• The KEFs LS50 Meta that I've tested are not even comparable at imaging nearly as well as the ELACs do.