KEF LS50 Wireless II (Pair, Carbon Black)

The sound quality is excellent, especially for such a small package, but the volume on the remote is not very responsive (it seems to have its own mind), and the app is terrible. It's what makes the overall package acceptable, but not exceptional. br>br>As far as sound is concerned, I believe they are well worth the investment. Hopefully, KEF will clean up its act on the app. br>br>Creative+ paraphrase: I can't get the speakers to work properly because they've become disconnected. Dealing with KEF customer service has turned into something akin to a dystopian Three Stooges film. BUYING FROM THIS BUSINESS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! br>br>Edit1: br>br>Edit2: br>br> It's been several months, and the connection keeps dropping, requiring me to unplug and re-plug the system to reset it. Reset both the apps or fumble around with the settings until it decides to connect. This happens about 60% of the time. I shouldn’t need firmware updates and (useless) tech%.

Clarissa Chaney

| Sep 25, 2021

I should mention that I've been an audiophile for a long time and have a strong preference for separates. Nonetheless, technology has progressed, and this product has received rave reviews (unsurprisingly) from youtube experts. I was looking for something that was both convenient and had good to excellent sound quality. I didn't get the latter, and the former isn't what it seems. Getting them online was a breeze, and the new KEF app is light years ahead of the two apps they released for the LS50 wireless first-generation model. The latest firmware, however, caused a system freeze, necessitating multiple reboots of my phone and power cycling of the speakers to get it back up and running. I used Spotify connect, and the Spotify app found the speakers right away, so I was able to listen to music right away! br>So, the first thing to note is that these speakers' volume control is software-based. There are buttons on top of the primary speaker, and you can use your phone, but there is no way to program an "initial volume," so if your phone is set to maximum volume when you connect to the speakers, you'll get a full blast of sound, which isn't good for your ears or the speakers. Also, because the speakers are on your local network, other devices, such as my Sony TV, will be able to find them and "synch" with them, allowing you to get a full blast of sound from the speakers when you turn on the TV. I was able to deactivate the synch factor in the Sony, but be aware that this will happen with any products connected to your LAN. Finally, there's the sound quality to consider. This is my least favorite part because it is simply my opinion, and you know how that goes. However, I did compare the KEFs to two other passive speakers, a pair of Revel 106be (much more expensive) and a pair of ELAC debut ref (much less expensive), and there was no comparison; the KEFs were completely out of their league in comparison to either of the other passive speakers. So take it for what it's worth, but I listened to these speakers with no preconceived notions and found them to be lacking in detail, sounding dull as if the noise/distortion was quite high. The best "tell" was that I didn't want to turn up the volume or listen any longer, which is the exact opposite of what a good speaker should do. br>Try these if you value convenience, but for the price, you can put together an excellent two-channel setup with only a few cables as a drawback. Just one example would be a nice Yamaha integrated with a pair of ELAC debut ref speakers. Audiosciencereview. com is a great place to start. com for unbiased, useful product reviews and measurements.

Dominik Garner

| Jul 04, 2021

With each speaker using a bi-amp, the amplification is significantly improved. system that has been amplified - The tweeter is classified as class AB, while the woofer is classified as class D. However, they made the mistake of removing the USB "B" port from the previous generation. You can't use these as a DAC for your PC or laptop any longer. In addition, the unbalanced RCA L/R analog inputs were removed in favor of a less expensive consumer 3. 5mm mini- jack for stereo input Instead of balanced XLR inputs, they should give us balanced XLR inputs. br>br>They did include an ARC HDMI input for those of you who like to watch TV, but these aren't TV speakers. KEF made a mistake by not including both HDMI and USB inputs in this price range. Instead, they chose to continue promoting obsolete S/PDIF connectivity from the 1980s. br>br>Of course, this is aimed at TV viewers (why?). ) and people who listen to music on their phones (why? I'm not interested, so despite the internal revamp and improved amplification, I'll pass.

Krew PRITCHARD

| Sep 24, 2021

To begin with, consider the advantages: br>Audio: br>br>br>br>br The sound produced by these active speakers is incredible. Their imaging and sound stage are so good for the price that it's difficult to figure out how they do it. I'm sitting on the couch (between the speakers that are facing away from me!) with the speakers on solidsteel stands on either side of a large sofa pointing into a great room. ) Do they still have a pleasant ring to them? We weren't expecting a good stereo image from between and behind the speakers, but here we are. They sound better than anything we tested under $5k with proper placement, but their off-axis listening is also impressive. Everywhere in that 30' x 30' space sounds fantastic! We were able to sub-contract. out at 85hz to a nice subwoofer, but that is purely a matter of personal taste; Except for the $8k Genelecs, no bookshelf speaker in the world would provide enough bass for us. Interface: br>br>Interface: br>br>Interface: br>br>Interface The new app is acceptable, which, given the Wireless 1's reviews, is well worth mentioning. The advertised compatibility with Chromecast, Tidal Connect, and other services worked as expected. The app's built-in low pass works great for subs, and you get instantaneous sliders for gain settings, which is a nice touch. The inputs/outputs cover what I expect to be the majority of people's needs, and anything that isn't covered can be handled by a simple Pi Roon box or USB-connected media player. SPDIF converter for use with existing systems (note that this is already a complete system in a box, so the rest is just icing on the cake). You can also sub-contract your work. out of both of the units br>br>Fit and finish: br>br> If that's your thing, the only ding I can think of is that they're not made of exotic wood or designed to look like $20,000 bookshelf speakers. Aside from that, these items appear to be from the future and feel like it. It's an understatement to say they're better built than any other MidFi or HiFi gear I've seen or tested for less than $5,000. By comparison, my exotic wood designed to look like a million dollars Bowers and Wilkins appear to be less well built, which is strange. br>br>Customer service: Exactly what you'd expect from a company with a name like this. br>br>Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of disadvantages to using this product.
- The app isn't great; in fact, it's just fine, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Allow Tidal, Roon, Google, and Apple to invest tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars in software development and system compatibility. You only need the KEF app for settings once you've set up your preferred environment controller (chromecast/Google Home, Roon, Apple, etc. ). Your requirements may differ, and the app is adequate for enjoying the product (we did so for a few weeks), but it simply cannot compete with cutting-edge Silicon Valley app suites.
- Let's get to the meat of the matter. My first unit didn't work out of the box because the wireless connection between the two didn't work. After a great deal of troubleshooting and testing, I now have a replacement set with a stable connection between the two devices over 2. 4Ghz, despite the fact that this new set does not maintain a flawless network connection. So far, it's only been a minor annoyance (resetting the box and adding it back in via Google Home every now and then). It's not a deal breaker like the first issue, but it's annoying nonetheless. br>br>I'm guessing that either the wireless cards or the internal antennas aren't up to the job or need some tweaking, which is disappointing given how well the rest of the product works. Hopefully, this isn't a hardware issue, and that future firmware updates will fix it. If that's the case, I can't think of a better product for the job (filling a room with great sound from a single package that you can control wirelessly with your phone). TL; TL; TL; TL; TL; TL; TL; TL; TL; TL If the wireless connectivity issues between units or with different types of network environments can be resolved, these will receive 5 stars and all of my money.

Ainsley Lewis

| Sep 06, 2021