Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-ls60-wireless-loudspeaker

Some readers may be incredulous about my comments on the bass performance of the LS60s, which was in fact remarkable for their size and very good in absolute terms. But it’s true: As well as those four small woofers performed (supported by DSP), they could not equal the Blade Two’s larger drivers. Extension rivaled that of the Blade Two’s, but only at lower output levels. The LS60’s DSP progressively rolls off the lowest frequencies as you raise the volume, painlessly accommodating themselves to Hofmann’s Iron Law, pushing it to its limits. With tracks from Tierro Band, Alison Kraus, Sara K, and, to a degree, Dead Can Dance, all cited above, the LS60s had ample bass until they were turned up too loud for musical enjoyment and neighbor comfort. With big orchestras (Mahler, Holst, etc.), organ, and—just a guess here, since I didn’t listen to these genres—hard rock, techno, or electronica, a subwoofer or two would provide a simple solution.

Using subs with the LS60 was a piece of cake because the necessary tools are built into KEF Connect. I ran an RCA interconnect from the sub output of each LS60 cabinet to an SVS SB-3000, which, conveniently, were already sitting behind the little KEFs, and set them up as stereo subs. High Pass and Low Pass filters were set at 92.5Hz, sub gain at –9.0dB, with positive polarity—all determined by ear then checked with Room EQ Wizard. With the subs installed, the LS60s became monsters, their output capacity unleashed. The low bass was perfectly integrated, superior to that from the sub-less Blades. Ease and transparency increased in the lower midrange, marginally but meaningfully, best revealed by acoustic guitar, presumably due to the lightened load on the LS60’s woofers.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/alta-audio-adam-loudspeaker

I’ve long found the analogy between loudspeakers and musical instruments flawed. The reason is simple and, to me, obvious. The goal of a string-instrument designer is to create a device that transforms a string’s vibrations into rich and interesting sound, while the goal of a loudspeaker designer is to create a device that accurately reproduces a record of a sonic event. The loudspeaker designer has an obligation to fidelity that the instrument-maker doesn’t share. When a quality violin plays a G5, the second harmonic is down just 5dB or so compared to the fundamental.

There’s another part of me, however, that suspects that the very best components, including loudspeakers, manage to transcend mere fidelity and deepen our experience of listening. Whether that has anything to do with loudspeakers acting like musical instruments, I have no idea.