KEF LS50 Wireless or LS50 + New Amp?

One interesting feature of the LS50w is the app that allows you to customize the sound based on room size, distance from the wall, if the speaker is on a stand vs desk and type of room (Damped/ Moderate / lively), that is, if you have carpet vs hardwood vs furniture (or not) etc.

I have the LS50w's on a 10x11 room and they sound incredible but haven't tried them on a bigger room.

What bought me into the LS50's is the fact that (presumably) KEF took care of the amp/speaker integration in an already successful speaker design. No more expensive bets of amp/speaker paring attempts. Having a 200w per channel was also very appealing to me (I also explored buying a more powerful amp but it was quite a budget).

 

You must have listened to those pieces in a different room.

 

My brother has a pair of LS50 Wireless in a room that's about 20 x 17 and they fill the space surprisingly well. He has the settings optimized for the larger space and it works really well. Mine are in a 13 x 12 room.

I've not tried the HD6s in a room as big as yours but I use my pair with my TV and a little music in my master bedroom and they seem plenty powerful. I think it's probably 18 x 16 or so.

As I said before to me the biggest difference between the two is the quality of the high frequencies, but I think the LS50 can fill a larger space more easily.

 

This evening I spent a few hours at my nephew's listening to his recently acquired LS50W's and I've got to say that I found them very impressive.

He previously had the regular LS50's partnered with a Naim amp and the Rega Saturn CD player, so already a very fine system, but after a demo, decided to sell to sell this system and replace it with the LS50W's and a Bluesound Node 2 streamer from which he streams Tidal.

He's very happy with the new system and from what I heard I could see why, although personally I wouldn't give up on my CD collection just yet.

And for anybody that's interested, the LS50W's were very receptive to an upgrade in the type of power cable being used. Halfway through the session we swapped my nephew's cables for ones that I had brought with me and we were both very pleased with the results.

For anybody looking to maybe downsize their current system without sacrificing sound quality they are a very good option, well worth a demo.

 

I'm surprised that so many people already have experience with the LS50Ws.

Since it is on my short list, I'm finding all the comments about it to be useful.

Those who compared the LS50Ws to Audioengine HD6s have given me a basis for comparison to something I'm very familiar with.

thanks to all of you. And keep it coming.

 

I managed to get the HD6s for $ 600 during the Bad Friday / Cyber Monday period last fall. A very brief sale but I lucked out and found it. They still seem like a great bargain.

 

I heard these at AXPONA this past weekend. Can't wait to get a pair myself.

 

For those that have the LS50w, how are you connecting them to sources? I understand how to get analog in (via the RCA) but I'm confused about the digital inputs. Reading owner comments on the web leads me to believe that it's a bit buggy on this aspect if you want to stream a music service from an iPad to the input. Perhaps an airport express would give the best results in my situation?

 

Well I guess I'll find out. Bought a pair and ordered an airport express. Salesman wasn't too helpful.

 

I haven't used the WiFi or Bluetooth streaming yet. I use them this way:

USB: Mac Mini running Roon (iTunes & Tidal Masters)
Optical: Rega Planet 2000
Analog: Clearaudio Concept Wood through PS Audio NuWave Phono Converter

I've only used the WiFi for the setup of the speaker. Let us know how you make out with the iPad/AirPort Express.

 

I'm running Roon through an Auralic Aries Mini using the USB input. I also have a Rega RP3 connected to a Lounge phono preamp into the aux inputs.

 

i found that upgrading the rca to mini jack cable the comes with the Audioengine HD6's to an Audioquest Golden Gate cable, ether rca to rca or rca to mini jack makes a huge difference. i was listening to Ian and Sylvia last nigh and the separation of their voices in the soundstage was phenomenal. like being back at the Troubador in L.A. decades ago.
large scale orchestral works as well as rock are all delivered with aplomb. the LS-50W may have a bit more clarity and performers are isolated a bit better with the KEFs as well as hf extension, but only very slightly on the other hand cymbals, bells, triangles still have a convincing ring and decay to them with the HD6's . the HD6's throw a very wide sound stage beyond the speakers. well recorded material really shines. also i attend the symphony often in KL i must say the instrumental timbre is spot on with the HD6's. note: i am using an outboard DAC with the HD6's. a NAD D1050 which i think is better than the internal DAC's in the speaker. this cost an additional $500, Audioquest cable $70.

 

Huh? Never mind.

 

So my initial experience: multiple tries to establish a wireless connection from the speakers to my wireless router. Used the app, walked though the steps and was always led to a step which directed me to hard reset the control speaker. Finally I got a brief (5minute) connection that was lost. Speaker wifi light is solid white indicating a connection but the ls50 does not show up on my phone as a wireless network. Got through to kef tech support and the guy said that I need to have a 5ghz capable router ( I don't - only 2.4) and set the router to work on only one of 5 specific channels. I thought that the speaker was dual band? I will buy a new router- actually had an AirPort Extreme on order. Maybe that will work.
Oh, one question. What is the purpose of the Ethernet cable from the speaker to the router?

 

@kmurp it should work with your Extreme no problem - that's what I'm using. The purpose of the Ethernet I believe is for service only (in addition to the other USB jack)

 

So: got a new router capable of 5ghz and I can now use the KEF app on the wireless input to adjust speaker settings. I have no idea at this point what else the wireless input is good for. Does anyone use it for streaming?
I also hooked up an airport express wired to my router and set to AirTunes only ( not using the express as a wifi point). This works with Spotify , google music and iTunes so far though I'm getting intermittent drop outs (an apple issue, not kef). Sound quality seems much better wired so far.

 

So I'm all set now with the ls50 setup except for sub integration. I have a hsu stf-1. I am having trouble getting it to sound right. It's a little too much bass. Anyone care to share their settings on the ls50 for a sub?

 

Since kef put a class D amp in there to run a driver up to 2.2k, wouldn't that indicate that the passive version does not necessarily need a Mongo 40 pounder (tube or solid state) to drive them? I find it hard to belive that the W could outdo the regular 50 with Lp's or even cds. I prefer cd players/dacs that don't up sample. I get how someone could want the 50's just for how they reproduce vocals. Has anyone attempted internal upgrades to the components of the regular LS50?

 

Agree with many in that the Kef LS50W are in fantastic speakers and well designed for current listening habits. If I were going to get some new speakers, I would look heavily the Kii Three speakers, which are also active, but are probably a step or two up from the LS50w's. They incorporate phase cancellation in the rear (in addition to onboard DSP) to get rid of bass reflections which are pretty devastating to imaging in almost any room. They also have huge power designed by Bruno Putzeys, the class D amp genius, and emit sound in a cardioid pattern. Every review I've seen say pretty much the same thing at how amazed they are to have the room interactions more or less removed with the details of the music laid bare. They are pricey at $10k, but you don't need an amp, pre, or a DAC. Sounds good to me!

 

Anyone care to update their experiences with these speakers?

 

Still loving them. Looking forward to hearing my new analog setup through them soon.

 

The more I read about these speakers the more I'm curious to hear them. The fact a highly regarded speaker manufacturer can pair the right amps to each speaker. The passive LS-50's are power hungry, so the fact they feed 200 watts to the main driver tells you they made the right design to address this issue. What appears to be the same driver on the active goes down to the mid 40hz range, while the passive is more like 70hz. Plus the DSP settings and room corrective software seems like it can more than make up for the fact the signal is digitized. On paper I don't like digitizing my analogue signal. However everyone who has actually heard these speakers seems to think the other aspects more than make up for it. I find it interesting that two forum members have posted that they notice less clicks and pops through the LS50W.

Any concerns or negatives regarding these speakers?

Thank you for the response @wgb113

 

@Bananas&blow no problem.

Some have had issues with streaming to them wirelessly. The app isn't the greatest but it's not as dreadful as some make it out to be.
The big concern with a speaker like this is failure of one of the components out of warranty - what will repair costs be, etc.
Knock on wood the only stereo component I've ever had fail on me in the 20 years I've been in the hobby is an NAD CD player back in '97. So I'm not too concerned about these failing anytime soon.

 

I've had mine for a few weeks now and have nothing but positive feedback about them. I think they are a great speaker system. The system I replaced when I got them was an Audio Research VSI60 and a pair of Harbeth C7es3 speakers which I enjoyed very much.

I'm not going to say the LS50W blow my old system away or anything, but to me there are some ways they better my old setup including bass definition, imaging and they are slightly more revealing. My room is small which affects overall performance and I think the Harbeth's were likely a bit too large for my room (11.5ft x 12.5ft) but I'll say without reservation I am happier with my setup now than I was before. The DSP really helps with room issues. My brother has a pair in a room that's 17 x 20 and they still sound excellent despite the larger space.

When you take price into consideration, in my opinion it's really pretty amazing how much performance you get with these speakers. I have a set of the passive LS50s too and these are a noticeable step up overall.

 

Thank you for the feedback. That is high praise indeed and it's these types of comments that have truly piqued my interest in these speakers. There is a small minority of fans that prefer actives and the more I read about them the more I'm starting to understand why. The engineers that designed the speakers are much more likely to pair up the best amp set up for said speaker.

Now for the big question, how do they compare to your Wilson's?