✅ *GET THEM HERE: bit.ly/38uKhGE or bit.ly/40VOnOC* ★ *CLICK ❤THANKS to highlight your question &/or support the channel!* ★ *QOTD: What would it take for you to go with a fully active system?* ★ *🎵+ 🎥 + PRODUCTS SHOWN☝CLICK “SHOW MORE” in the description* ★ *RULES: Please be respectful. NO OUTSIDE LINKS, URLs, email addresses, etc.*
Hey Andrew i like to now if the svs sb1000 pro can match the svs 3000 micro in soundquality? You speak in the reviews always about the 3000 micro but that sub costs 400 euro's more than the sb1000 pro.
For me the biggest items would be cables and conectivity and also plug and play, at a reasonable price. And naturally the sound must be great for music and movies.
What if I love my amp and DAC too much? And they're also beautiful too, and I need to see those "furnitures" beside the speakers. And honestly will an internal amp for active speakers be ALWAYS outperforming your separate amp, that you choose to your passives in terms of system synergy? That's why people seem to praise actives, right?
I'm not sure if I would ever move to a fully self powered system. My biggest issue is with future compatibility. With connectivity standards changing constantly, how long (or short) will it be before these speakers become outdated and require a workaround to make them compatible with whatever the future standard is? At $7,000 a pair, these are definitely in the price range most hi-fi consumers would consider to be "end game". How useable will these speakers be in 10 or 20 years?
Two years ago I changed my system to an active system based on Dynaudio Focus XD 30s. After a few months of searching I got a Linn Akurate DSM as system hub on which everything is connected, from tv to turntable to NUC to UBD-player. Works perfect for me: besides the coax and powercables to the loudspeakers, no other cables are needed to them. Using loudspeakers themself as system hub: nah, cable management will become a nightmare. So QOTD: for me a loud YES, but with a separate system hub to prevent cable clutter like you showed with the KEFs. Connecting via WiSA to a system hub is imo the preferred way, but my XDs and DSM don’t support it. That is something for a new setup in five years time.
*CORRECTION:* I mistakenly say in the video that there is a Class A/B amp for both the tweeter and midrange, this is incorrect. The tweeter is powered by a Class A/B amp whereas the midrange and woofers are driven by a Class D amp. My mistake and apologies for the confusion. All of the other info in the video is correct.
As a KEF passive fan boy,, here's my take.... 1) Out of the box sound, not impressive but not surprising without burn in. 2) Setup is not simple or easy. May require dealer in home setup for those who only want music and hate tinkering. 3) Signal drops also reported by Darko....TV pairing issue is not comforting. KEF has some work to do here. 4) Serious concern over active long term reliability, heat concerns, repair accessibility, support beyond warranty and parts availability, especially when not made by KEF......true of all actives. 5) Will mostly appeal to modern audiophiles who value simple, elegant systems and those willing to get rid of their multi-box systems, unless the LS60 is a second system. 6) The cable mess will be a serious issue for some folks and certainly not wireless. 7) Kristi is spot on with price concerns. It's a lot of dough for most folks. At $7,500 with tax, they should work flawlessly. Nonetheless, they look awesome in your new contemporary space. 8) Like it or not, gloss white is easily cleanable. Mat finish / clean-ability is a real bummer for aesthetic conscious / clean freak owners. 9) I'll stick with my KEF passives. 10) I will be very curious to see how the LS60 sells over the coming fall and winter key selling season....however KEF will probably not divulge. Without question, they are not for everyone.
I have owned a lot of high end gear over the past 10 years and took a chance on the LS60s. I replaced a pair of Wilson Sabrina X’s and McIntosh MA12000 in a second home. I bought them without an audition. Let’s just say I don’t miss the Sabrina’s or McIntosh. The sound stage and imaging were great out of the box. I was caught up in separates and expensive cables for way to long, and have spent more on cables over the years than these speakers cost. The laws of diminishing returns is real. Just enjoy the music.
Had these for a year, and loving them every single day. Sexy, loud, accurate, blend perfectly with SVS subs. Coaxial connection is a rarity on speakers like this, but it's exactly what I ended up using most on the LS60. I don't think there are any comparable speakers out there that would give me all of the above, or even exceed the experience.
I just bought a demo/mint pair of the LS60’s from a small audio dealer for $4975 and they are very impressive. I had been out of the audio/Hifi world for awhile, and to have this level of quality sound all inclusive for $5k Is remarkable.Totally pleased with the purchase.
So minus the wireless aspect, does this take us back to the question of "Are High End Speakers REALLY WORTH IT? 🤔 Polk Audio R700 Review and where does speakers like the R700 stack up or is the new bar the $7,000.00 price range? And, if tweaking the EQ of the room is what makes these sound so special, doesn't every speaker's full potential a consequence of room EQ tweaking? Thanks both of you for making me addicted to you channel. :-)
These are intriguing. However, it's a lot money for something that could become obsolete a few years down the road as the electronics offerings of separates continue to evolve. This is my knock against powered speakers. With passive speakers I can infinitely change and upgrade my system while keeping the same speakers. So for now I would only have something like this as a secondary setup. But it's too much money for a secondary system.
I just today set up my wife's grandfather's kef 107s. It's taken two years to get them repaired, shipped etc. etc. They sounded fine, but not amazing. I then used the kefkube, a three dial proprietary equalizer and crossover network that were an integral part of the speaker system, especially for room correction and bass. And now, they're amazing. I guess history echoes in the audiophile world. The kef kube is just now some sliders on an app.
As someone who is interested in tech and only just entering the audio space, I am starting to build out my first HT room and finding this space fairly primitive. I know i ll get hate for this but here is my objective view.First You buy a set of speakers. Then you get told you need a good amp to get the best out of them(which costs more than the speaker). If you get the wrong amp your speakers might not sound as they are suppose to. Then people tell you if you get a processor it will be a game changer. Add in cost of cables and installation. Now you have to live with the sound your speaker creates whether you like it or not and there is very little adjustments. Alternative: you buy a set of powered speakers like Kefs but then you end up spending more money than having similar sounding speakers + amp + cables + installation etc. How do you win as a customer? Ideally, if speaker manufacturers weren't too uptight and focused on milking(fooling) the enthusiasts, they would have done away with the Amp/pre amp a long time ago and make the speaker tones adjustable to the liking of the consumers. I know there will be differences based on materials involved in construction but you would have a choice.
8 days of solid listening ( music & TV) - even took a few days off to sit and enjoy. Running software 1.1 and have had zero drop outs. Connected to a Samsung Frame (2021) via eARC and no issues there…
Thank you for this. I just ordered an 85” Frame and I wanted to combine it with a pair of LS60’s and a Klipsch sub. Any reason why you chose eARC over optical?
What would take for me to fully invest in the LS60 would be KEF expanding on it, and building a home theater series. A Center, Bookshelf surrounds or extra towers & ceiling series compatible with LS60 Wireless Or a new LS60 series with a KEF designed receiver, with RJ45 ports running to the whole 7.0 would be ideal. If I’m investing as much & Like’em as much, I wouldn’t want to be stuck with a 2.2 forever.
Andrew and Kristi, two questions that I haven't seen answered in any review of the LS60 Wireless so far: 1. Is there any sort of surround sound compatibility for a full HT application? 2. Is the lack of metallic sheen on cymbal strikes just the "KEF sound" or something that the LS60 does worse than, say, the LS50 Meta? I haven't heard the Meta but your description reminds me of every KEF I have heard.
I picked up one of these this week to integrated into my home theatre. I had the hum, which was very loud when used with my PC. A ground loop isolator completely resolved the issue for me, even removing the slight hiss when no audio is playing. If this happens to you give this solution a try as it’s quite cheap to do, and may save you hours of troubleshooting.
Quick question - how do you find it in HT setup - what speakers you replace and what center channel have you got - any insights into pros and cons appreciated thanks
I have no place for this in my environment. Additionally, I think it is a hard sell when you can get the LS50 Wireless II, stands, the KC62, and the Wireless subwoofer adapter kit for 5K. Just my opinion of course.
NGL, the fact that these speakers have an Ethernet port that links them together instead of the often proprietary connector that many speakers have or flakey limited wireless connection. That is something that I love so much.
Off topic. I love the way those speaker looks in your living space. Especially around the 1:30 mark of this video. The white of the speakers against your homemade slated wood baffles looks awesome. The plant was a nice touch as well. I also saw the HiFi Rose 150B in the frame as well 👍🏾. For myself powered speakers is something i would not be into only because I love how an analogue signal sounds to me. My fear with these types of products is technology will outpace its useful life unlike passive speakers. A lifestyle speaker, yes. Convenient, definitely. Soon an IPad is going to be part of everyone’s system because of the apps that one needs with these products.
The wireless aspect of these speakers is of low priority to me , the advantage is the active driver technology and clever DSP that is what adds to there appeal that and the gorgeous slimline looks 👍
After long consideration for our apartment, I decided on a Bluesoun Node with 'vintage' B&O Beosound 8000 powered speakers with a Heco Sub 88F mounted on the wall behind our tv. Doing so achieves something like what Kristy was describing with the brain (Bluesound node) sitting in the media console connected to Ethernet and our TV through HDMI Arc. As a result, there is only a sole RCA cable and power cord running to each speaker (still covered in cable wrap for a clean look) for a girlriend-approved clean look for just €1500 (
I love ❤️ the dialogue between you two. Great video. My only gripe with these powered / activespeakers is that they don't have room correction. Yes, the App allows you to tweak, but room correction trumps it.
Andrew/Kristi, the question was asked “what would it take for me to adopt a system like this…” Well yesterday I did, but my choice was the Dynaudio Focus 30. Firstly over a week I reviewed in a listening room a number of systems. It came down to two. Naim Uniti Nova/Q Acoustic 50’s and Focus 30’s Talk about a difficult decision. Ultimately (for me) the decision was based on 1) I preferred the sound of Focus 30’s, broad sound stage, crisp, clear, good bass (not looking for a cinema experience), excellent midrange. 2) Cheaper than Naim/Q combination 3) Cheaper than #2 plus added cost of speaker cables. 4) Simpler than trying to match the ‘best’ speaker cables for #2 5) I live in a Victorian house with fireplaces. I can’t run cables behind my equipment stand, the Focus 😊are wireless. Just a power cable each The Focus range connects with WiSA to all my sources, I predominantly stream and watch TV. 7) If I want to listen to hi-res music I can wire connect a DAC from my source for that experience, but I don’t do that every day. Most days I just want to listen to music while I …do other stuff. But I still have the option for 24 bit 192 kHz when I choose and that’s enough for me. 8) They have settings to compensate for room placement 9) They have built-in Dirac room correction for fine tuning (license required) 10 Aesthetically pleasing danish design fits into my room without dominating it, 40 year track record of producing quality equipment, great manufacturing quality, easy to use app, and reasonable quality remote 🤪
@@KristiWright I kinda get the impression Andy didn’t like these much, perhaps in spite of their performance. I might be reading between the lines here, but there was a distinct lack of gushing, like they impressed, but you guys didn’t fall in love with them. I wonder if you (Kristi) nailed it: they just aren’t priced cheap enough to cause a sensation in terms of value, and their performance isn’t ambitious enough to put rival $5000+ options to the sword. Like they fall victim of being very, very good at everything, but unbeatable at nothing? Anyway, thanks as always!
@@AnotherAnonymousMan Not sure who Andy is but yes, I think you might be misreading Andrew's feelings here. He really does like them. :) I think "audiophiles" will use the LS60 price as just another reason to 💩talk powered speakers but yeah, I believe if they were about a thousand less, it would be a much easier purchase for the masses.
@@KristiWright 😅 appolgies, Andy is the shortened version of Andrew where I'm from, bit of a silly habit! I've lived with the original LS50Ws for around 5 years now and I don't have the "active anxiety" common among audiophiles (partly because they actually broke out of warranty and Kef were delightful about getting the repair done). I'm almost certain I'll be getting these since they look like the upgrade I've been dreaming of. The approachability and inclusiveness for friends and family from their ease of use have become a must have for me. LS50Ws made Hi-fi sharable as an interest where expensive separates were off putting/ intimidating and that's a non-negotiable now.
I've had the blade 2, LSX and LS50W and passive. I had problems with all of them. My blades had a rattle from the inside and what a cheaply made plastic speaker for 25K! The LS50W and LSX both had to be replaced. Constant issues with dropouts and my kid has a pair of the LSX and LS50W and she has constant issues as well. Look around on forums and you find so many others who have problems. It seems like a dream to make something like this and it work but I'm going to wait for a while and see if these can keep working. Sending a pair of these in for repair is going to be a lot bigger deal than the smaller speakers.
i have the ls50ii wireless and i have just one problem. from time to time just one speaker works and i have to switch them off and restart them. it happened a couple of times now.
@@Slvmber I had the original LS50 so maybe they figured things out with the newer versions. My LSX totally broke also and had to have a full replacement. The little Kef muo speaker I bought also was totally dead and basically a paperweight within a year. I've had bad luck with Kef. I even had the Blade 2s and they had a rattle inside that I could never figure out.
I had problems also with my KEF X300AW. They lasted less than 2 years. At first it was Auto switching off not just low volumes but higher volumes. Then came the wireless dropouts when everything else had a great signal in my house. Expensive router. The wireless module went faulty. I thought i would be Okay relying on the built in NIC card but then ethernet failed. Eventually they would not turn on with a flashing light. The software never worked, it was badly written and buggy. They are sitting gathering dust in my bedroom as i type this to you. I am listening on my Yamaha NX-N500 powered active mini monitor network speakers and they have worked flawlessly since the day they were released seven or 8 years now. Never one issue with wireless signal, or ethernet. And they work flawlessly with gapless playback of DSD or MQA which was unheard of for a wireless active speaker of their year. MusicCast is still being updated and the speakers support Alexa connection. Why couldn't KEF make a lasting product ????
I wouldn't' buy KEF anything. I even had the Blade 2s and they had a rattle. They are a cheap feeling and light plastic speaker that cost 25K. They really look and feel cheap, like a toy. They had a rattle coming from the inside that would buzz at certain frequencies and louder volumes. Kef just thumbs their nose to it. I got rid of those pieces of shit finally. I even had to pay KEF 750 bucks for some basic cardboard boxes they go in to ship them. The sound is boring anyway, I think all theirs speakers have the same house sound. A snooze fest. I like Dynaudio much better. More musical and engaging. I had some Dynaudio Xeo 3 speakers that have been going strong for 10 years. All other Dynaudio stuff has been great and no failures. All my KEF stuff is shit. @@MaxPower-zp7wy
For me to take in a full-built in sound system.... It would take a great warranty coverage. Last time I checked KEF offers a 1 year warranty on their kef LS50's wireless. That's just not enough, if they are confident in their products they should offer at least a 3 year warranty.
I love, love, love how they look. I have never loved the sound of KEF but dang they look soooo good in your space, and it sounds like they give you some sound flexibility in this one so who knows I might like this one. Honestly the price is steep but I don’t think you could buy components for much less. I want to change stuff around once in a while so I’m probably keeping what I’ve got.
I think this is the future, but I question how "future proof" all-in-one solutions are in audio equipment. I have 20+ year old passive speakers and receivers that can evolve and be replaced over time. I mean what happens if one of the speakers built-in amps dies in 6 years from now? Warranty and service options really becomes a bigger deal with this type of equipment. So I guess this goes back to Kristi's point, it really comes down to price point and given you're still managing cables...I don't think at this price this is the speaker/audio system I'm still going to be in love with 5 or 10 years down the road.
Couldn't have said it better... passive speakers can last you decades but amps and receivers never do...I couldn't bring myself to pay this kind of price for an all built in speaker.
I have to agree with Kristi. Powered speakers really need a central control box for all the cables. That fact alone disqualifies it for me. Calling a speaker like this wireless is a little bit of a stretch. I'd love to see a central box with the same great design as the towers, with the towers themselves only needing a power cord. A control box also opens up opportunities to extend to home cinema set-ups...
Wireless referee to wireless streaming capability not having no wires. There are plenty of speakers that call themselves wireless yet there is usually at least one cable - power. Central box would be interesting option for people who want to connect different sources to it and speakers itself could have hi res wired option to it or wireless - leaving only power cable on them.
Answer to QOTD for me is HDMI arc. Because of where I would be using active speakers with functionality as such (family room/main casual tv and music), I just want one remote to do all. Currently I have an Evo 150 powering Kef R3’s into TV HDMI arc. I use the Nvidia plugged into the tv for streaming. RUclips tv is preferred casual tv watching. So the Nvidia remote triggers tv and evo to power on and volume control. If I stream/cast to Evo it’ll switch inputs automatically. This TV, and Evo remote go into hiding. And it becomes seamless for non technical family members. I’d love to have the same functionality with LS60 which would clear the table of the Evo and just have the speakers. With the cost of speakers, speaker wire, stands, and amp im almost at the cost of the LS60’s.
I cannot fathom a world in which I would choose powered speakers over a traditional setup for living room/home theatre purposes. The disadvantages are numerous starting with the fact that you're at the mercy of wireless communication protocols, you lose the ability to upgrade/expand your system and on top of this, having one point of failure means the entire system goes down. Compared to all that, a 100% dependable, hard wired and user expandable, upgradeable option is just the way to go. These speakers are beautiful, but ultimately I see them as rich people's toys. They're for those who can afford to replace them any time.
@@rawsonte what I've learned is that in every hobby, you need to get to a level where you say "this is enough". And you're happy there. I know my level when it comes to hifi and it's thankfully far closer to the reasonable shore. Kudos to you guys adventuring past more treacherous waters.
You can run these (I have a pair) with zero wireless protocols if you like. I have mine linked via the supplied Cat 6 cable, running on my network via Cat 7 cable and control them via Roon, also cabled on my network. There are also various inputs you can use.
Great review once again guys. Love how you tackle different parts of the equation each time. A couple of things regarding your final question: this is the closest I've ever been to show real interest towards active speakers. Between the brand reputation, the design, the features... It's got it all. (and indeed, KEF's move to give them some of Blade's look is brilliant as I justify its high price as getting a good deal on "mini-blades""!) so why is it I'm still hesitating... Simply because I fear the expensive all-in-one concept that can die on you for so many reasons once the warranty expires...and you end up having an expensive yet useless piece of gear if that happens. So what would it take for me to get this? A very long warranty period (I'd say 7+) as well as a promise on trade-in value... Electronics and software simply evolve too fast for me to commit to something like this! Bluetooth codecs, DAC chips and digital format compatibility, wifi norms, etc. When I buy a good pair of speakers and an amplifier, I'm likely to keep it alive for 20+ years. This is not the same. So I need peace of mind. This all-in-one trend is trendy because it streamlines the whole hi-fi ecosystem. Yet it goes against current planet concerns and all that we should all buy something durable, upgradable, easy to repair... A great pair of speakers, a quality integrated, and cheap yet good DAC/streamer will not cost more, and upgrading the Streamer/DAC will cost nothing vs changing the entire system. YET, I think KEF knocked it out of the park! Just my (very long) 2-cents! Oups, forgot one thing... "Bluetooth 4.2?!" LOL. That says it all about future upgradability! That plus ever changing HDMI standards and hand-shake issues... Likely more problems going forward. Nope, probably not ready to jump in just quite yet unless it's part of some kind of subscription scheme whereby I pay monthly fees and they send me new products every 2-3 years or so...
Raphael….I totally agree with you. See my comments. It’s just too much money and too much long term risk, even as a KEF passive speakers fan / owner. Cheers!
I set my pair up yesterday - took the place of a pair of LS50 Wireless II - the sound is so much fuller. A friend came over and his comment was, “I feel wrapped in sound”. These won’t be for many… I am blessed enough to have the space for a dedicated home cinema room - all my black boxes are under the stairs in racks and cabled through the crawl , so I get the enjoyment of system building - but in our music room - I love the simplicity.
Honestly what it needs to pull me in is way, way, way better warranty. This is an integrated system and if something breaks, everything breaks. Pairing this with a 2 year warranty on the electronics is frankly silly. I'd consider buying them with a 5 year full warranty but probably would need a 10 year guarantee which is 2/3 of my expected lifetime for a product of this price. I know this is probably not true, but a two year warranty tells me that KEF doesn't believe these will stay working for a long time. I currently own the KC62 and even there I seriously doubted purchasing a SVS 3000 Micro over the KC62 because of the silly short warranty on the KC62.
That's because they dont. KEF doesn't make any product to last. You are almost guaranteed to have serious fault or malfunction out of warranty. It happened to me. And many many many more unhappy people. Yamaha on the other hand. My NX-N500 active powered mini monitors have been working since the day they left the factory, and thats 7 or 8 years now. Never one signal dropout, no auto switching power off at low volume and higher volume issues, no wireless module failing, no ethernet failing. The X300AW decided to not even turn on properly one day. Not long after i bought them. Probably less than 2 years. People have had the same issues over and over again with KEF, LSX, KEF LS50W.
Your comments about the LS60s being not exactly wireless seem like an understatement to me. Powered speakers create more cable issues because they each need to plug into an outlet and AC cables tend to be less aesthetically pleasing and harder to hide than speaker wire. Same issue with ethernet cables. An all-in-one streaming integrated or even something like a powernode hooked up to a pair of passive speakers seems like a much cleaner install to me. These new KEFs look amazing and imagine they sound just as good. I love the design with the thin baffle and side mounted woofers. However, I'm surprised that KEF did not address the cons you mentioned, as they seem like pretty big oversights in a speaker this expensive. Hiss? Cheap remote? Cable mess? that seems like the opposite of the type of experience KEF is going for which is sleek and high end. I would love to see a passive version of the LS60s (could be even sleeker) with all the electronics located in a central hub that includes all the same connections, built in DSP, multiple amplifiers, etc.. then use a special set of cables that split the signal between the lows, mids and highs and voila, you clean up the cable clutter without compromising the flexibility of the design.
If I have that budget, I can buy a LS50 Meta, an integrated receiver with wireless capability, and a sub-woofer. I still have plenty of money left to other upgrades to my room. I guess the sound quality of LS60 vs L50+sub will not be so much different?
After being burned by KEF on the LSX (which they abandoned and released LSX II instead of fixing) I would want a 5 year warranty covering explicitly my right to return for a refund if they fail to fix long-running software or firmware issues. I would also need to be confident in about 10 years worth of spares available for things like replacement drivers or amp modules, as they are asking us to put all eggs in one basket for a not-insignificant amount of money. Maybe they could do something like NAD and make them upgradeable when new technology dropped? Or offer an upgrade cost for returning to be fitted for upgrades. For me they need to get my confidence back, as they dashed it on the rocks with the LSX.
Exactly. I was burned by Definitive Technology on replacement parts for my Mythos towers. The issue never crossed my mind when purchasing. I was sold on the idea of no big subwoofer to place/hide and learned the hard way.
My KEF X300AW exact same issues. The auto switching off issue. The wireless dropouts. Then wireless module died. Then after a while the Ethernet module died. And eventually they would not turn on at all. All within a year or two. Also the app was badly written and never fixed with bugs. Same story with all KEFS networked active speakers. LSX followed mine, and users had the same problems with them and their successor the original LS50W. Expensive useless bricks. KEF still offer very poor warranty. Their networked active speakers will almost definately go faulty within short time period. There is no excuse either. Want to know why ? I have a pair of little Powered active network speakers from Yamaha. NX-N500 and they have been working flawlessly since they were released. MusicCast gets better, never 1 dropout even with wireless, although i use ethernet for 24 bit 192KHz playback. I Don't trust KEF ever again, as much as i'd like to try them, my X300AW did sound amazing while they worked. I would rather trust Buchardt, Dynaudio, or the excellent ELAC NAVIS F51's. I recently bought a pair of Audiopro A38 for my living room and they aren't run in yet but they sound pretty nice for the price i payed. £550 down from £700 and they were higher MSRP new. Now i would like to try out their A48.
I think it might be that paper cones ring on a little too long and most people are used to that ringing sound signature. I never heard an accurate kick drum (doof, dead stop) from a speaker (only live) until I got my Kef R900s (aluminum drivers). The resonance point for aluminum is way up in the frequency range. Paper, not so much.
KEF: *Goes out of their way to make the thinnest possible full-range speaker* Kristi: Yeah I don't see how that's a good thing Literally every other partner in the world: Am i joke to you? Jokes aside this is a phenomenal review! I love this new version this channel has evolved into with the new room and the measurements it's a very well rounded content now and you guys should feel VERY proud!
I just listened to this Kef and the B&O (at double the price of KEF) and apart from the indifferent B&O service I really thought the KEF sounded better both streaming tidal at highest res.
Great Sunday as always with you both! QOTD: I am really looking closely at the LS50 Wireless II’s but Andrew’s “cable salad” warning gives me pause. Thank you and love the channel!
0:45 You are correct in saying there are two types of amplifiers, but there are a total of 3 amplifiers per speaker. There is an additional 100W class D amplifier driving the midrange driver to give you a total of 700W of amplification per speaker. The class AB amplifier only drives the tweeter.
Great review A&K! Can't wait to hear these for myself someday and would love to hear the Buchardt A700 to compare as well. An AIO wireless solutions with DSP and tuning options sounds like the future of audio to me. I will say I do notice a degradation of sound quality using bluetooth and youtube compression but I don't have experience with the SQ of wireless speakers.
You actually hit on something that has bugged me for years about Samsung TVs! The arc just doesn't work with other brands very well. Just picked up a Sony TV and haven't had one issue with arc. I do know newer Samsung TVs require CEC to be turned on for arc to function! As usual great review to both of you, but like others I struggle with the price and whether that could've been conveyed or clarify why they deserve their price?! Sometimes I feel like brands should have to justify seemingly exorbitant prices.
I am really enjoying the trend of good brand name speaker companies making active speakers with HDMI inputs. Those of us of listen to music as much as we do to TV in the same room and not really wanting the whole set of surround speakers is a great idea. Thanks again for a great review and please keep your eye out for any new ones coming on the market. I pulled the trigger on a pair of Klipsch the Fives along with my Polk Sub and I love them.
QOTD , $7000 for an all in one solution that requires lots of cables and tinkering to get good sound is too complicated for the targeted consumer. It’s not a no fuss solution. Those who love the hifi hobby like having different components to play with, not really the minimal approach. At this price point better options with integrated amplification or receivers , and passive speakers of choice. This fully active system would need to be easy plug and play and great out of the box to interest those who want to simplify.
I heard these speakers and the sub at a sound expo. They were absolutely amazing in a very big room with a lot of people. Given the money, I'd absolutely choose these bad ass speakers over my B&W CM 10 immediately 😢
I just got a pair of the Matte Black LS60’s and 2 REL S/510’s. Honestly I think I could set it up with all of the worst settings and the combo would still sound fantastic. Thanks Andrew for your great advice as I feel like I have come a long way since the 7.2 with ML 40’s (which I burned the ribbons up twice 🤪) 2 Episode ES-12’s, and crown amps you had me in. Crazy how a stereo system can make a full surround take the back seat!!
Excellent review Andrew and Kristi. The message I took from this review is that the user case doesn't really stack up if you intend to hardwire a slew of components to the LS60s. Good quality 2 or 3 or 4 metre digital, RCA or HDMI cables are going to cost hundreds of dollars and you'll end up with a spaghetti junction. May as well stick to passives in that case. If on the other hand, you intend to operate them just using their internal streaming (possibly with a TV attached), you'll get a very clean looking set up. So it is horses for courses.
Building a HiFi set up, I would definitely consider these. Though the lack of upgrade ability gives me second thoughts. Which is a side effect of their main feature: having all in one place. Using only these + a media streamer and I am fine... Damn - I really am considering these. I love the aesthetics and the ability to build a minimalist set up. Though the design of the B&O is just something else and I totally get the point: you see, what you are charged for.
My main worry with this would be how outdated is this going to look and also feel from a technical point in 10 years time? Will it get updated etc. As a lot of people have said too, who is the audience? As I think these are not audiophile enough for audiophiles, and these are the people normally willing to spend this type of money, but the people who really I feel would enjoy these and the whole easy set up etc are the more normal every day guy who isn’t willing to spend the money.
This question came up on another channel and your review reinforces the opinion I expressed there. I can totally see the amp and crossover being in the speaker along with some form of EQ which takes the room into account. As part of that, the speaker could off board low bass to a sub, but that is as far as I would personally go. Another “box” can handle everything else and it can be connected to the maze of wires for all the input devices. I just don’t see the advantage of this setup. I’d rather have the box with all the connections and then be wirelessly connected to the speakers and have the ability to position the speakers wherever I want without worrying about cable clutter.
Having owned 2 pairs of Kef ls50 wireless and sent them back the app and stable connection is pants,, it's unreliable at best, based on this alone actually puts me off LS60 and I'm not alone on this point, however I'm still got the LS50 meta's and they are staying as old school is still the most reliable
I had the LS 50 Wireless but traded up for the Wireless II - the new app - which LS 60 will use - is soooooo much better. I have had zero issues with the new app over the last two years.
You're not the only reviewer who has experienced drop outs. That plus the audible hiss is an absolute deal breaker for me. Even if I didn't experience it, the anxiety that this could happen to me is enough to turn me off completely.
I believe the price is about right... you would be in for a few thousand dollars just for a stereo integrated amp and a mono amp for the low end. I wouldn't consider them just because I kind of like having my rack with my Amp, SACD player, Turntable, DAC... but these are very cool speakers! more reviewers need to voice how they feel like you "the remote is trash!" Lol companies need to hear that feedback when they cheapen something that's "higher end" by throwing in a $10 remote with $7k speaker system
On paper, 2 x 500W Class B LF, 2 x 100W Class B MF, 2 x 100 Class A HF. Plus each speaker path has its own DAC. If you were to configure this tri-amp setup using separates yourself including cables and stands etc. For the price, with the same or better sound quality, you could not do it. Look at it that way and you have an actual bargain.
But folks who don’t yet own all that gear aren’t likely to immediately jump to an all-in-one this pricey. So the target buyer has oodles of cash, low audiophile interest, a driving need for a minimalist look, yet can immediately appreciate the sound quality when compared to another lifestyle system. Those buyers do exist, but they are in the Porsche range of the market, metaphorically speaking.
@@pdcragin33 I have been an audiophile for 20 years - I have a store room full of older equipment. Linn, Peachtree, Arcam, Denom, etc. My LS60 are arriving today. Not just for the non-audiophile.
@@pdcragin33 Well, I somewhat agree to a certain extent, but not fully. I see myself as a targeted buyer. I have a high fidelity system (all Meridian) .Cost me an arm and two legs at the time and it cost around the same price as the KEFs. I’ve had my system for 27 years and it’s been brilliant. I use it everyday and had countless very loud parties using it. I would never sell it and will move it to my games room, I’m looking to buy a new system for my living room/lounge. I do not consider myself an audiophile because I don’t constantly trawl magazines wanting to upgrade every five minutes. If you do your research, properly audition and have the money, you’ll be happy. Here are my main reasons for buying. 1. I need a new sound with higher resolution, technology has moved on. 2. My current system is not room friendly and takes up too much space. I want to hide technology so my living room has a cleaner look. 3. I used to be a DJ but now stream all the time because it so convenient. Tidal and Spotify are so good for discovery. 4. Aesthetic’s is also for me. So this may fit the bill. I haven’t heard it yet but will audition. I have two very simple criteria, does it sound really good and does it play loud, party loud? That’s it. If it doesn’t then it’s back to the drawing board and separates again but If it does then I’ll buy. One thing that irritates me is the price of speaker cabling. I had initially had Nordost but was chewed by the pet and then brought cheaper cable and to my surprise has made a difference (worse) and it’s not subtle. Cables quoted today are around £1000-1500 and a lot I believe are snake oil. This system removes that part of the equation. I won’t Pooh-Pooh anything until I’ve heard it for myself or be swayed by snobbish active speaker reviews. The only problem I see with this is with active speakers you’re you’re locked in and technology is rapidly changing. As long as it lasts for the next 5-10 years. Personally, I don’t think it will fit the bill by not being powerful enough but we’ll see. I’d rather spend £6K than £12K-£15K.
@@GBGOLC Well-reasoned, IMHO. You’ve demonstrated how sweeping generalizations like mine must always give way to the specific needs & circumstances of the individual buyer.
To me, it seems that the active (powered) speakers appeal much more to a minimalistic approach and I'm finding myself actually wanting to get rid of my A/V cabinet and it's contents now that the speakers are able to sound as good, if not better than hooking everything up to an amp (or two!) or a receiver with separate wires and cables for everything running in the ceiling or under the floor, etc. I was amazed at what the little Klipsch The Fives could do (and now own a pair because they're just so damn fun!).... then I listened to the Formation Duos and found myself thinking that I could be perfectly happy with that sound for the rest of my life (as I'm sure would be the same with these). I think we're still at a point where "that" sound costs more than I'm (personally) willing to invest in a complete switch.... but the desire is now there due to products like these. If I were to get the formation duos, I would also need the formation Audio to accomplish what these do, which bumps THAT price tag up as well (not to mention the ridiculously priced speaker stands!). If I could find 'THAT' sound for around $2-3K, I'd be more inclined to start saving my money for it (I know many of you have money to burn on stuff like this, but I'm not in that group, lol).
For 7 grand there is so much interesting in the realm of speaker + amp you could put together, I can imagine the i-mac cult liking the clean white look and limited dessisons needed to be made. But for me a primary system is an adventure and they are way to pricy and big for a secondary room.
Andrew, you space for reviewing gear is so damn gorgeous. I can tell it gets good light for filming. Granted one side is better lit than the other but that just adds to overall texture. Also a great wall to show off your TV artwork. These KEFs look so at-home there. Do you feel invigorated when you walk into that room?
I’m not in the market for a wireless system for one main reason : latency. I would need to know specs versus a standard setup. Random connection issues are a show stop as well
Awesome review once again. I don’t think I like the idea of dealing with a cable management problem with the speaker, but having an app to optimize its sound is attractive. At this price range there are lot more options to consider for a hifi system. Thanks and please keep the reviews coming 😀.
Aaaah I see powered speakers are a hot 🔥 topic, love ‘em or hate ‘em. For me in a small space this all in one system is ideal. I realise you have a lot of reviews to do and the work they take, but that said this is an emerging category and I’d be most interested in a side-by-side with the Dynaudio Focus 30’s (similar price)
As an IT “professional” only having an App to configure these speakers kind of scares me. Does KEF say how long they are going to support these speakers with an app into the future? For the first three years I had app support for my Pioneer AV receiver, but that app stopped working somewhere. That was a relatively inexpensive de river, but these loudspeakers are, I think, in the expensive bracket and would need to function (with house moves and all) for at least a decade for me.
The same happened to me with the Onkyo remote App. It just stopped working! I’ve tried everything to no avail. Given that I’m not a big fan of streaming, I don’t trust Active speakers.
As with B&O Kef are seriously looking at this. As the current app supports LSX, LS50 II and LS60 they will update it for more products and keep it backward working to existing products for the order of 10 years. They do not expect to need a big jump in hardware as happened with the LS50 Wireless where improvements in the app and interface to the LS50 II could not be ported to the lesser processor system in the original speakers. Devialet have done a similar upgrade where needed improvement came with the loss of built in features and hoped for updates never came - so no PC support for the app, PC uses uPnP with reduced sync issues and still no surround sound system the users can set up. Then Apple iOS update stopped the app from working. Eventually Devialet updated their software to over come the issue Apple introduced.
@@geraldmcmullon2465 so what you are saying is that the LS50 gen 1 are already abandonware? I wonder how long it was out before they abandoned it. Don’t you think it’s a little optimistic minded of Kef to think they’re stuff will last ten years when even Apple cuts off phone support after 5 years, Samsung after 4, google after 3. Especially when their own product was phased out soon after release?
@@bearysh LS50 Wireless had and still has many thinks users wanted fixed. When the LS50 II came out these were fixed and addressed. They used more powerful hardware to solve those issues and did not rewrite or fix those issues with the original. So yes they abandoned users. They are now claiming that they recognise this was not a good move - still don't fix it and don't see the same issues for continuing to support the current range or needing to update the processor board or abandoning updates on the current app with future releases. We have seen Sonos and Devialet drop key features and support for discontinued products. They may continue to work as they did but then can not be mixed and matched with the current range. Too many things are now using a mobile phone as the remote and for set up and adjustment. That is a lot to install when you change your phone or fully re-install the operating system.
Good question, it comes up often. Only Kef know the answer, however I’m observing that this type of product is reaching it’s ‘sweet spot’. They’re not for everyone, but there’s definitely a market. Accordingly as the firmware can be updated, and apps are not going anywhere soon, maybe (hopefully) they’ll be ‘current’ for the foreseeable future.
I can't see myself moving to an all-in-one speaker system for my main system. I'm probably too much of a hifi nerd. But I would definitely consider it for a second (or third!) system.
I’m really looking forward to giving these a test drive when they become available this fall. To your question I think these will help me move to a full active setup. Therefore I also don’t worry about the cable clutter. As I already have hi-res copies of my cds. The only thing left to attach is my tv. Hope they fix the connection glitches though those would be a deal breaker for me. I heard John Darko about those as well
Love the review. My pair arrive tomorrow. Slight correction. You said there are two amps a 100 watt a/b for the highs and mids and a 500 watt class d for the base drivers. There are three amps: 100 watt a/b for the highs 100 watt d for the mids 500 watt d for the base In each speaker…
It’s a great solution BUT, in my opinion, with the technology moving so fast, this is going to age bad quickly. Passive speakers and solid amp could last you a lifetime, you could upgrade a DAC, streamer, phono etc anytime time you want. But it’s a great piece of technology, props to KEF
Great review guys. I have a pair of ls50 wireless 2, and I experience a lot of signal drops outs when using wifi and hdmi connection. I actually on Friday sent my speakers back to Kef to check them. If I’m going to continue to have these drop outs, I’ll have to give them back and buy something else, because it’s annoying.
To answer the question of the day: a combination of price and performance. I got a pair of LS50 Wireless on sale for -50 % a bit over a year ago and that was a great deal. I can't see myself upgrading to LS60 Wireless at 6k, but drop a few grand off, and I might reconsider. Then again, at times I do miss my old system with passive speakers and an old Yamaha AV receiver.
You can't fault Yamaha. Very well engineered. My NX-N500 powered active speakers from them still work amazing after all these years. The KEF's i had didn't last long, loads of issues very unreliable.
Google and hifi? Not for me. For me the hifi experience is a brake from our too connected, "screeny" life. I love active speakers, because they have an obvious advantage over passive coming from the absence of passive crossover between amp and driver.
I have a totally passive system, based around a large slim pair of Kef floor standers. The total cost of my system is 4 times that of the LS60.. so, In that respect, I think they represent a powerful performance to price ratio. I’ve not heard them. I don’t think that type of set up would float my boat, but I never say never. Judging on the reviews and comments I’ve read to date, I think these will take off and could be a major influence on the future of hifi. I wonder what the pairing with the Kef KC62? Phenomenal, I suspect. Hats off to Kef.
I'm a little surprised that you liked the LS60W sound, but you weren't very excited about the LS50W sound, where you can also customize the sound to your liking. And no one will even listen to these speakers with the default settings, it just makes no sense. Would it be time to take the LS50W back for testing, this time with the KC62 subwoorer?. It would be interesting to know what you think of that combination compared to the LS60W. More value for money?
They beat Kef - sort of - yes but also no - here is why - The kef are a better sounding speaker than the price point B+O which are the 18's - and they are also better than the the 28's which cost upwards of 11-12K depending on finish. You can add two subs to the B+O 18's but they are both binaural - ie you cannot separate the stereo signal - you cannot add a sub to the 28's as B+O suggests it damages the frequency response and will sound worse - not sure what this means but this is what the top engineer at b+O said when I emailed them. You can add two subs to the Ls60's and have them in stereo and you can have them act wirelessly or physical RCA and separate the stereo element nicely which is what I did - however they don't like working at lower volumes and switch off - the 28's can work on a wide or narrow spectrum and the difference is very noticeable - but you can play with the soundstage of the Kefs too if you know how to use the App properly - there are two Kef apps and one is remarkably better than the other but the one does not work on the LS50II's for some reason - You can bang a couple of nails in the wall and have the B+O mounted off the floor - neat - the B+O's also work seamlessly with the B+O centre console speaker - but you need the right TV and it costs 6k but it is astoundingly good - so yes but no but yes but no. They do not beat the B+O 50's which cost 35K or even the B+O 90s which are upwards of 100K depending on options - but to be fair the Beolab 'Dalek' '5's are still better than the LS60's - I replaced the Beolab 5's with the Kef LS60's because they kept needing servicing and it was getting pricey and taking longer each time - so in conclusion and to round things out - has Kef beaten B+O? Yes, but also no.
@@stevenfong9419 I have now got two KC Subs working in stereo on the LS60's and a short trow projector -projecting to 120" - its a mini cinema but when the projector isn't on it's a stereo -also added a PS5 - stereo gear in white, subs in white, PS5 in white and the Samsung projector is white - yes it cost a small fortune - but it is amazing
Great review again. I did a lot of research on the LS50WII. You see them always very close to the wall in pictures. The rear port design was the decision for me. Just to be sure it works in my space, I decided on front ported bookshelf speakers. SF Sonetto II. I active vs passive has it pro and con. Many you mentioned in this video. Based on your previous videos, I paired the Sonetto II with the MF MS5i.
Great review as always! Y'all rock! And I hear ya on the cable salad issue. I had powered bookshelves and switched to passive speakers because I hated all the cables hanging off the back.
Thinking KEF needs to make available a preamp that can hook up various components for us traditional two channel users with turntables and other gear. Love the fact with DSP you can make these speakers sound like anything you want, could easily see them adding in presets for sound signatures of their classic models like the 104/2 just for fun. Most concerned about its performance under 50db, its the very reason I like full size speakers instead of bookshelfs, most of my listening is at very moderate levels and very much appreciate a speaker that has dynamics and grabs your attention even at a half a watt. Considering these are based on the LS 50 Meta with not only one but two of their subs in one cabinet and the fact they have their own amplification and streaming ability its easy to justify their seemingly high MSRP.
I like them visually and the fact that nothing else is required when you only stream. The price is high, but Dali Rubicon and Dynaudio Focus is as expensive. You cannot compare active to passive imho.
I'd love to have them, but I can't justify that much on a set of speakers right now (maybe ever). I absolutely love the idea of a fully wireless set of speakers for my living room. Don't do any hifi listening in that space just TV. I'll take an excellent wireless sub with them, thanks. Not in white or blue for me. It wouldn't match my decor. If I am going to get the speakers I want, I may need to build them myself. 😅
✅ *GET THEM HERE: bit.ly/38uKhGE or bit.ly/40VOnOC*
★ *CLICK ❤THANKS to highlight your question &/or support the channel!*
★ *QOTD: What would it take for you to go with a fully active system?*
★ *🎵+ 🎥 + PRODUCTS SHOWN☝CLICK “SHOW MORE” in the description*
★ *RULES: Please be respectful. NO OUTSIDE LINKS, URLs, email addresses, etc.*
Hey Andrew i like to now if the svs sb1000 pro can match the svs 3000 micro in soundquality? You speak in the reviews always about the 3000 micro but that sub costs 400 euro's more than the sb1000 pro.
For me the biggest items would be cables and conectivity and also plug and play, at a reasonable price. And naturally the sound must be great for music and movies.
What if I love my amp and DAC too much? And they're also beautiful too, and I need to see those "furnitures" beside the speakers. And honestly will an internal amp for active speakers be ALWAYS outperforming your separate amp, that you choose to your passives in terms of system synergy? That's why people seem to praise actives, right?
I'm not sure if I would ever move to a fully self powered system. My biggest issue is with future compatibility. With connectivity standards changing constantly, how long (or short) will it be before these speakers become outdated and require a workaround to make them compatible with whatever the future standard is?
At $7,000 a pair, these are definitely in the price range most hi-fi consumers would consider to be "end game". How useable will these speakers be in 10 or 20 years?
Two years ago I changed my system to an active system based on Dynaudio Focus XD 30s.
After a few months of searching I got a Linn Akurate DSM as system hub on which everything is connected, from tv to turntable to NUC to UBD-player.
Works perfect for me: besides the coax and powercables to the loudspeakers, no other cables are needed to them.
Using loudspeakers themself as system hub: nah, cable management will become a nightmare.
So QOTD: for me a loud YES, but with a separate system hub to prevent cable clutter like you showed with the KEFs. Connecting via WiSA to a system hub is imo the preferred way, but my XDs and DSM don’t support it. That is something for a new setup in five years time.
*CORRECTION:* I mistakenly say in the video that there is a Class A/B amp for both the tweeter and midrange, this is incorrect. The tweeter is powered by a Class A/B amp whereas the midrange and woofers are driven by a Class D amp. My mistake and apologies for the confusion. All of the other info in the video is correct.
The mid-range has its own 100watt class D amp, and the woofers are then powered by another class D amp at 500watts.
As a KEF passive fan boy,, here's my take....
1) Out of the box sound, not impressive but not surprising without burn in.
2) Setup is not simple or easy. May require dealer in home setup for those who only want music and hate tinkering.
3) Signal drops also reported by Darko....TV pairing issue is not comforting. KEF has some work to do here.
4) Serious concern over active long term reliability, heat concerns, repair accessibility, support beyond warranty and parts availability, especially when not made by KEF......true of all actives.
5) Will mostly appeal to modern audiophiles who value simple, elegant systems and those willing to get rid of their multi-box systems, unless the LS60 is a second system.
6) The cable mess will be a serious issue for some folks and certainly not wireless.
7) Kristi is spot on with price concerns. It's a lot of dough for most folks. At $7,500 with tax, they should work flawlessly. Nonetheless, they look awesome in your new contemporary space.
8) Like it or not, gloss white is easily cleanable. Mat finish / clean-ability is a real bummer for aesthetic conscious / clean freak owners.
9) I'll stick with my KEF passives.
10) I will be very curious to see how the LS60 sells over the coming fall and winter key selling season....however KEF will probably not divulge. Without question, they are not for everyone.
I have owned a lot of high end gear over the past 10 years and took a chance on the LS60s. I replaced a pair of Wilson Sabrina X’s and McIntosh MA12000 in a second home. I bought them without an audition. Let’s just say I don’t miss the Sabrina’s or McIntosh. The sound stage and imaging were great out of the box. I was caught up in separates and expensive cables for way to long, and have spent more on cables over the years than these speakers cost. The laws of diminishing returns is real. Just enjoy the music.
I sincerely appreciate you sharing Jimmy!
Can you elaborate more on why you don't miss them?
Had these for a year, and loving them every single day. Sexy, loud, accurate, blend perfectly with SVS subs. Coaxial connection is a rarity on speakers like this, but it's exactly what I ended up using most on the LS60. I don't think there are any comparable speakers out there that would give me all of the above, or even exceed the experience.
I just bought a demo/mint pair of the LS60’s from a small audio dealer for $4975 and they are very impressive.
I had been out of the audio/Hifi world for awhile, and to have this level of quality sound all inclusive for $5k
Is remarkable.Totally pleased with the purchase.
*These are currently $2000 off here* bit.ly/38uKhGE or bit.ly/40VOnOC
11/26/23
That fact, your review, and other raving reviews on the LS60 has me convinced. My order will be in this week! 😃
Actually came here after seeing the price drop. Im guessing a new update may be on the horizon, but these are definitely now on my radar!
So minus the wireless aspect, does this take us back to the question of "Are High End Speakers REALLY WORTH IT? 🤔 Polk Audio R700 Review and where does speakers like the R700 stack up or is the new bar the $7,000.00 price range? And, if tweaking the EQ of the room is what makes these sound so special, doesn't every speaker's full potential a consequence of room EQ tweaking? Thanks both of you for making me addicted to you channel. :-)
Another high quality review from you guys. Currently nobody can compete with you in that space.
😍
These are intriguing. However, it's a lot money for something that could become obsolete a few years down the road as the electronics offerings of separates continue to evolve. This is my knock against powered speakers. With passive speakers I can infinitely change and upgrade my system while keeping the same speakers. So for now I would only have something like this as a secondary setup. But it's too much money for a secondary system.
I just today set up my wife's grandfather's kef 107s. It's taken two years to get them repaired, shipped etc. etc. They sounded fine, but not amazing. I then used the kefkube, a three dial proprietary equalizer and crossover network that were an integral part of the speaker system, especially for room correction and bass.
And now, they're amazing.
I guess history echoes in the audiophile world. The kef kube is just now some sliders on an app.
As someone who is interested in tech and only just entering the audio space, I am starting to build out my first HT room and finding this space fairly primitive. I know i ll get hate for this but here is my objective view.First You buy a set of speakers. Then you get told you need a good amp to get the best out of them(which costs more than the speaker). If you get the wrong amp your speakers might not sound as they are suppose to. Then people tell you if you get a processor it will be a game changer. Add in cost of cables and installation. Now you have to live with the sound your speaker creates whether you like it or not and there is very little adjustments.
Alternative: you buy a set of powered speakers like Kefs but then you end up spending more money than having similar sounding speakers + amp + cables + installation etc. How do you win as a customer? Ideally, if speaker manufacturers weren't too uptight and focused on milking(fooling) the enthusiasts, they would have done away with the Amp/pre amp a long time ago and make the speaker tones adjustable to the liking of the consumers. I know there will be differences based on materials involved in construction but you would have a choice.
8 days of solid listening ( music & TV) - even took a few days off to sit and enjoy. Running software 1.1 and have had zero drop outs. Connected to a Samsung Frame (2021) via eARC and no issues there…
Thank you for this. I just ordered an 85” Frame and I wanted to combine it with a pair of LS60’s and a Klipsch sub. Any reason why you chose eARC over optical?
What would take for me to fully invest in the LS60 would be KEF expanding on it, and building a home theater series. A Center, Bookshelf surrounds or extra towers & ceiling series compatible with LS60 Wireless
Or a new LS60 series with a KEF designed receiver, with RJ45 ports running to the whole 7.0 would be ideal. If I’m investing as much & Like’em as much, I wouldn’t want to be stuck with a 2.2 forever.
Always locked from Nairobi Kenya 🇰🇪. Am an Hifi enthusiast and on this channel have gathered much knowledge. Thanx Andrew 🙏🏾
Thank you so much for watching!
Andrew and Kristi, two questions that I haven't seen answered in any review of the LS60 Wireless so far:
1. Is there any sort of surround sound compatibility for a full HT application?
2. Is the lack of metallic sheen on cymbal strikes just the "KEF sound" or something that the LS60 does worse than, say, the LS50 Meta? I haven't heard the Meta but your description reminds me of every KEF I have heard.
I picked up one of these this week to integrated into my home theatre. I had the hum, which was very loud when used with my PC. A ground loop isolator completely resolved the issue for me, even removing the slight hiss when no audio is playing. If this happens to you give this solution a try as it’s quite cheap to do, and may save you hours of troubleshooting.
Quick question - how do you find it in HT setup - what speakers you replace and what center channel have you got - any insights into pros and cons appreciated thanks
I have no place for this in my environment. Additionally, I think it is a hard sell when you can get the LS50 Wireless II, stands, the KC62, and the Wireless subwoofer adapter kit for 5K. Just my opinion of course.
NGL, the fact that these speakers have an Ethernet port that links them together instead of the often proprietary connector that many speakers have or flakey limited wireless connection. That is something that I love so much.
Off topic. I love the way those speaker looks in your living space. Especially around the 1:30 mark of this video. The white of the speakers against your homemade slated wood baffles looks awesome. The plant was a nice touch as well. I also saw the HiFi Rose 150B in the frame as well 👍🏾. For myself powered speakers is something i would not be into only because I love how an analogue signal sounds to me. My fear with these types of products is technology will outpace its useful life unlike passive speakers. A lifestyle speaker, yes. Convenient, definitely. Soon an IPad is going to be part of everyone’s system because of the apps that one needs with these products.
Best review on RUclips of the LS60’s. The white looks stunning in the new organic modern living room space.
The wireless aspect of these speakers is of low priority to me , the advantage is the active driver technology and clever DSP that is what adds to there appeal that and the gorgeous slimline looks 👍
After long consideration for our apartment, I decided on a Bluesoun Node with 'vintage' B&O Beosound 8000 powered speakers with a Heco Sub 88F mounted on the wall behind our tv. Doing so achieves something like what Kristy was describing with the brain (Bluesound node) sitting in the media console connected to Ethernet and our TV through HDMI Arc. As a result, there is only a sole RCA cable and power cord running to each speaker (still covered in cable wrap for a clean look) for a girlriend-approved clean look for just €1500 (
I love ❤️ the dialogue between you two. Great video. My only gripe with these powered / activespeakers is that they don't have room correction. Yes, the App allows you to tweak, but room correction trumps it.
We appreciate you watching to the end, Evert!
personally i agree with Kristi i think these are a 5500k pair not 7k IMO they look same build quality as others exactly like mentioned!
Andrew/Kristi, the question was asked “what would it take for me to adopt a system like this…”
Well yesterday I did, but my choice was the Dynaudio Focus 30.
Firstly over a week I reviewed in a listening room a number of systems. It came down to two. Naim Uniti Nova/Q Acoustic 50’s and Focus 30’s
Talk about a difficult decision.
Ultimately (for me) the decision was based on
1) I preferred the sound of Focus 30’s, broad sound stage, crisp, clear, good bass (not looking for a cinema experience), excellent midrange.
2) Cheaper than Naim/Q combination
3) Cheaper than #2 plus added cost of speaker cables.
4) Simpler than trying to match the ‘best’ speaker cables for #2
5) I live in a Victorian house with fireplaces. I can’t run cables behind my equipment stand, the Focus 😊are wireless. Just a power cable each
The Focus range connects with WiSA to all my sources, I predominantly stream and watch TV.
7) If I want to listen to hi-res music I can wire connect a DAC from my source for that experience, but I don’t do that every day. Most days I just want to listen to music while I …do other stuff. But I still have the option for 24 bit 192 kHz when I choose and that’s enough for me.
8) They have settings to compensate for room placement
9) They have built-in Dirac room correction for fine tuning (license required)
10 Aesthetically pleasing danish design fits into my room without dominating it, 40 year track record of producing quality equipment, great manufacturing quality, easy to use app, and reasonable quality remote 🤪
Solid review as always- the b-roll was sensational, I doubt Kef could show these off better themselves!
Andrew is a master at b-roll!
@@KristiWright I kinda get the impression Andy didn’t like these much, perhaps in spite of their performance. I might be reading between the lines here, but there was a distinct lack of gushing, like they impressed, but you guys didn’t fall in love with them.
I wonder if you (Kristi) nailed it: they just aren’t priced cheap enough to cause a sensation in terms of value, and their performance isn’t ambitious enough to put rival $5000+ options to the sword. Like they fall victim of being very, very good at everything, but unbeatable at nothing?
Anyway, thanks as always!
@@AnotherAnonymousMan Not sure who Andy is but yes, I think you might be misreading Andrew's feelings here. He really does like them. :)
I think "audiophiles" will use the LS60 price as just another reason to 💩talk powered speakers but yeah, I believe if they were about a thousand less, it would be a much easier purchase for the masses.
@@KristiWright 😅 appolgies, Andy is the shortened version of Andrew where I'm from, bit of a silly habit!
I've lived with the original LS50Ws for around 5 years now and I don't have the "active anxiety" common among audiophiles (partly because they actually broke out of warranty and Kef were delightful about getting the repair done).
I'm almost certain I'll be getting these since they look like the upgrade I've been dreaming of. The approachability and inclusiveness for friends and family from their ease of use have become a must have for me. LS50Ws made Hi-fi sharable as an interest where expensive separates were off putting/ intimidating and that's a non-negotiable now.
I've had the blade 2, LSX and LS50W and passive. I had problems with all of them. My blades had a rattle from the inside and what a cheaply made plastic speaker for 25K! The LS50W and LSX both had to be replaced. Constant issues with dropouts and my kid has a pair of the LSX and LS50W and she has constant issues as well. Look around on forums and you find so many others who have problems. It seems like a dream to make something like this and it work but I'm going to wait for a while and see if these can keep working. Sending a pair of these in for repair is going to be a lot bigger deal than the smaller speakers.
Really??
i have the ls50ii wireless and i have just one problem. from time to time just one speaker works and i have to switch them off and restart them. it happened a couple of times now.
@@Slvmber I had the original LS50 so maybe they figured things out with the newer versions. My LSX totally broke also and had to have a full replacement. The little Kef muo speaker I bought also was totally dead and basically a paperweight within a year. I've had bad luck with Kef. I even had the Blade 2s and they had a rattle inside that I could never figure out.
I had problems also with my KEF X300AW. They lasted less than 2 years. At first it was Auto switching off not just low volumes but higher volumes. Then came the wireless dropouts when everything else had a great signal in my house. Expensive router. The wireless module went faulty. I thought i would be Okay relying on the built in NIC card but then ethernet failed. Eventually they would not turn on with a flashing light. The software never worked, it was badly written and buggy. They are sitting gathering dust in my bedroom as i type this to you. I am listening on my Yamaha NX-N500 powered active mini monitor network speakers and they have worked flawlessly since the day they were released seven or 8 years now. Never one issue with wireless signal, or ethernet. And they work flawlessly with gapless playback of DSD or MQA which was unheard of for a wireless active speaker of their year. MusicCast is still being updated and the speakers support Alexa connection. Why couldn't KEF make a lasting product ????
I wouldn't' buy KEF anything. I even had the Blade 2s and they had a rattle. They are a cheap feeling and light plastic speaker that cost 25K. They really look and feel cheap, like a toy. They had a rattle coming from the inside that would buzz at certain frequencies and louder volumes. Kef just thumbs their nose to it. I got rid of those pieces of shit finally. I even had to pay KEF 750 bucks for some basic cardboard boxes they go in to ship them. The sound is boring anyway, I think all theirs speakers have the same house sound. A snooze fest. I like Dynaudio much better. More musical and engaging. I had some Dynaudio Xeo 3 speakers that have been going strong for 10 years. All other Dynaudio stuff has been great and no failures. All my KEF stuff is shit. @@MaxPower-zp7wy
For me to take in a full-built in sound system.... It would take a great warranty coverage. Last time I checked KEF offers a 1 year warranty on their kef LS50's wireless. That's just not enough, if they are confident in their products they should offer at least a 3 year warranty.
I love, love, love how they look. I have never loved the sound of KEF but dang they look soooo good in your space, and it sounds like they give you some sound flexibility in this one so who knows I might like this one.
Honestly the price is steep but I don’t think you could buy components for much less. I want to change stuff around once in a while so I’m probably keeping what I’ve got.
I think this is the future, but I question how "future proof" all-in-one solutions are in audio equipment. I have 20+ year old passive speakers and receivers that can evolve and be replaced over time. I mean what happens if one of the speakers built-in amps dies in 6 years from now? Warranty and service options really becomes a bigger deal with this type of equipment. So I guess this goes back to Kristi's point, it really comes down to price point and given you're still managing cables...I don't think at this price this is the speaker/audio system I'm still going to be in love with 5 or 10 years down the road.
Couldn't have said it better... passive speakers can last you decades but amps and receivers never do...I couldn't bring myself to pay this kind of price for an all built in speaker.
I have to agree with Kristi. Powered speakers really need a central control box for all the cables. That fact alone disqualifies it for me. Calling a speaker like this wireless is a little bit of a stretch. I'd love to see a central box with the same great design as the towers, with the towers themselves only needing a power cord. A control box also opens up opportunities to extend to home cinema set-ups...
Wireless referee to wireless streaming capability not having no wires. There are plenty of speakers that call themselves wireless yet there is usually at least one cable - power.
Central box would be interesting option for people who want to connect different sources to it and speakers itself could have hi res wired option to it or wireless - leaving only power cable on them.
"I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't allow you to play that song."
Daisy…..
Answer to QOTD for me is HDMI arc. Because of where I would be using active speakers with functionality as such (family room/main casual tv and music), I just want one remote to do all. Currently I have an Evo 150 powering Kef R3’s into TV HDMI arc. I use the Nvidia plugged into the tv for streaming. RUclips tv is preferred casual tv watching. So the Nvidia remote triggers tv and evo to power on and volume control. If I stream/cast to Evo it’ll switch inputs automatically. This TV, and Evo remote go into hiding. And it becomes seamless for non technical family members. I’d love to have the same functionality with LS60 which would clear the table of the Evo and just have the speakers. With the cost of speakers, speaker wire, stands, and amp im almost at the cost of the LS60’s.
Meanwhile, the Blade looks like a Portal turret.
I cannot fathom a world in which I would choose powered speakers over a traditional setup for living room/home theatre purposes.
The disadvantages are numerous starting with the fact that you're at the mercy of wireless communication protocols, you lose the ability to upgrade/expand your system and on top of this, having one point of failure means the entire system goes down.
Compared to all that, a 100% dependable, hard wired and user expandable, upgradeable option is just the way to go. These speakers are beautiful, but ultimately I see them as rich people's toys. They're for those who can afford to replace them any time.
upgrade and expand is the rabbit hole of the hobby
buds I am not rich but I like good music and zero clutter and boxes because I like minimalist aesthetics as much as good sound
@@peterpetrov4654 does that mean powered speakers are the way to go?
@@rawsonte what I've learned is that in every hobby, you need to get to a level where you say "this is enough". And you're happy there. I know my level when it comes to hifi and it's thankfully far closer to the reasonable shore. Kudos to you guys adventuring past more treacherous waters.
You can run these (I have a pair) with zero wireless protocols if you like. I have mine linked via the supplied Cat 6 cable, running on my network via Cat 7 cable and control them via Roon, also cabled on my network. There are also various inputs you can use.
Great review once again guys. Love how you tackle different parts of the equation each time. A couple of things regarding your final question: this is the closest I've ever been to show real interest towards active speakers. Between the brand reputation, the design, the features... It's got it all. (and indeed, KEF's move to give them some of Blade's look is brilliant as I justify its high price as getting a good deal on "mini-blades""!) so why is it I'm still hesitating... Simply because I fear the expensive all-in-one concept that can die on you for so many reasons once the warranty expires...and you end up having an expensive yet useless piece of gear if that happens. So what would it take for me to get this? A very long warranty period (I'd say 7+) as well as a promise on trade-in value... Electronics and software simply evolve too fast for me to commit to something like this! Bluetooth codecs, DAC chips and digital format compatibility, wifi norms, etc. When I buy a good pair of speakers and an amplifier, I'm likely to keep it alive for 20+ years. This is not the same. So I need peace of mind. This all-in-one trend is trendy because it streamlines the whole hi-fi ecosystem. Yet it goes against current planet concerns and all that we should all buy something durable, upgradable, easy to repair... A great pair of speakers, a quality integrated, and cheap yet good DAC/streamer will not cost more, and upgrading the Streamer/DAC will cost nothing vs changing the entire system. YET, I think KEF knocked it out of the park! Just my (very long) 2-cents!
Oups, forgot one thing... "Bluetooth 4.2?!" LOL. That says it all about future upgradability! That plus ever changing HDMI standards and hand-shake issues... Likely more problems going forward. Nope, probably not ready to jump in just quite yet unless it's part of some kind of subscription scheme whereby I pay monthly fees and they send me new products every 2-3 years or so...
Raphael….I totally agree with you. See my comments. It’s just too much money and too much long term risk, even as a KEF passive speakers fan / owner. Cheers!
Ive been waiting for this ever since you said you had them 😁
The way the living room is styled, taking a picture of these there look like the kind you get in a product brochure lol, it fits perfectly
I set my pair up yesterday - took the place of a pair of LS50 Wireless II - the sound is so much fuller. A friend came over and his comment was, “I feel wrapped in sound”.
These won’t be for many…
I am blessed enough to have the space for a dedicated home cinema room - all my black boxes are under the stairs in racks and cabled through the crawl , so I get the enjoyment of system building - but in our music room - I love the simplicity.
Honestly what it needs to pull me in is way, way, way better warranty. This is an integrated system and if something breaks, everything breaks. Pairing this with a 2 year warranty on the electronics is frankly silly. I'd consider buying them with a 5 year full warranty but probably would need a 10 year guarantee which is 2/3 of my expected lifetime for a product of this price.
I know this is probably not true, but a two year warranty tells me that KEF doesn't believe these will stay working for a long time.
I currently own the KC62 and even there I seriously doubted purchasing a SVS 3000 Micro over the KC62 because of the silly short warranty on the KC62.
That's because they dont. KEF doesn't make any product to last. You are almost guaranteed to have serious fault or malfunction out of warranty. It happened to me. And many many many more unhappy people. Yamaha on the other hand. My NX-N500 active powered mini monitors have been working since the day they left the factory, and thats 7 or 8 years now. Never one signal dropout, no auto switching power off at low volume and higher volume issues, no wireless module failing, no ethernet failing. The X300AW decided to not even turn on properly one day. Not long after i bought them. Probably less than 2 years. People have had the same issues over and over again with KEF, LSX, KEF LS50W.
Your comments about the LS60s being not exactly wireless seem like an understatement to me. Powered speakers create more cable issues because they each need to plug into an outlet and AC cables tend to be less aesthetically pleasing and harder to hide than speaker wire. Same issue with ethernet cables. An all-in-one streaming integrated or even something like a powernode hooked up to a pair of passive speakers seems like a much cleaner install to me.
These new KEFs look amazing and imagine they sound just as good. I love the design with the thin baffle and side mounted woofers. However, I'm surprised that KEF did not address the cons you mentioned, as they seem like pretty big oversights in a speaker this expensive. Hiss? Cheap remote? Cable mess? that seems like the opposite of the type of experience KEF is going for which is sleek and high end.
I would love to see a passive version of the LS60s (could be even sleeker) with all the electronics located in a central hub that includes all the same connections, built in DSP, multiple amplifiers, etc.. then use a special set of cables that split the signal between the lows, mids and highs and voila, you clean up the cable clutter without compromising the flexibility of the design.
I am blown away the amount of negativity in these posts. If they aren’t for you, move on.
Speaker hiss is the most annoying things in the world. I don't get why they can't filter that out
Who are you to bully and censor people? Maybe you should move on, you ugly authoritarian.
@@PS987654321PS and who are YOU to ask people to move on? Punk.
@@PS987654321PS Authoritarian? lmao. You are overreacting king lol
@@yongdol73 don’t think so, cnunt.
If I have that budget, I can buy a LS50 Meta, an integrated receiver with wireless capability, and a sub-woofer. I still have plenty of money left to other upgrades to my room. I guess the sound quality of LS60 vs L50+sub will not be so much different?
After being burned by KEF on the LSX (which they abandoned and released LSX II instead of fixing) I would want a 5 year warranty covering explicitly my right to return for a refund if they fail to fix long-running software or firmware issues. I would also need to be confident in about 10 years worth of spares available for things like replacement drivers or amp modules, as they are asking us to put all eggs in one basket for a not-insignificant amount of money. Maybe they could do something like NAD and make them upgradeable when new technology dropped? Or offer an upgrade cost for returning to be fitted for upgrades. For me they need to get my confidence back, as they dashed it on the rocks with the LSX.
Exactly. I was burned by Definitive Technology on replacement parts for my Mythos towers. The issue never crossed my mind when purchasing. I was sold on the idea of no big subwoofer to place/hide and learned the hard way.
My KEF X300AW exact same issues. The auto switching off issue. The wireless dropouts. Then wireless module died. Then after a while the Ethernet module died. And eventually they would not turn on at all. All within a year or two. Also the app was badly written and never fixed with bugs. Same story with all KEFS networked active speakers. LSX followed mine, and users had the same problems with them and their successor the original LS50W. Expensive useless bricks. KEF still offer very poor warranty. Their networked active speakers will almost definately go faulty within short time period. There is no excuse either. Want to know why ? I have a pair of little Powered active network speakers from Yamaha. NX-N500 and they have been working flawlessly since they were released. MusicCast gets better, never 1 dropout even with wireless, although i use ethernet for 24 bit 192KHz playback. I Don't trust KEF ever again, as much as i'd like to try them, my X300AW did sound amazing while they worked. I would rather trust Buchardt, Dynaudio, or the excellent ELAC NAVIS F51's. I recently bought a pair of Audiopro A38 for my living room and they aren't run in yet but they sound pretty nice for the price i payed. £550 down from £700 and they were higher MSRP new. Now i would like to try out their A48.
I just heard these in the UK at the NW Audio Show and they sounded fantastic. I had no idea it was a powered all in one speaker system.
I think it might be that paper cones ring on a little too long and most people are used to that ringing sound signature. I never heard an accurate kick drum (doof, dead stop) from a speaker (only live) until I got my Kef R900s (aluminum drivers). The resonance point for aluminum is way up in the frequency range. Paper, not so much.
KEF: *Goes out of their way to make the thinnest possible full-range speaker*
Kristi: Yeah I don't see how that's a good thing
Literally every other partner in the world: Am i joke to you?
Jokes aside this is a phenomenal review! I love this new version this channel has evolved into with the new room and the measurements it's a very well rounded content now and you guys should feel VERY proud!
I just listened to this Kef and the B&O (at double the price of KEF) and apart from the indifferent B&O service I really thought the KEF sounded better both streaming tidal at highest res.
Great Sunday as always with you both! QOTD: I am really looking closely at the LS50 Wireless II’s but Andrew’s “cable salad” warning gives me pause. Thank you and love the channel!
Thanks for watching!
0:45 You are correct in saying there are two types of amplifiers, but there are a total of 3 amplifiers per speaker. There is an additional 100W class D amplifier driving the midrange driver to give you a total of 700W of amplification per speaker. The class AB amplifier only drives the tweeter.
I issued a correction elsewhere in the comments.
Great review A&K! Can't wait to hear these for myself someday and would love to hear the Buchardt A700 to compare as well. An AIO wireless solutions with DSP and tuning options sounds like the future of audio to me. I will say I do notice a degradation of sound quality using bluetooth and youtube compression but I don't have experience with the SQ of wireless speakers.
Excellent well balanced review. Critical but never negative. You cover all the bases. Love it. Seen it a couple of times and it helps me deciding.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You actually hit on something that has bugged me for years about Samsung TVs! The arc just doesn't work with other brands very well. Just picked up a Sony TV and haven't had one issue with arc. I do know newer Samsung TVs require CEC to be turned on for arc to function! As usual great review to both of you, but like others I struggle with the price and whether that could've been conveyed or clarify why they deserve their price?! Sometimes I feel like brands should have to justify seemingly exorbitant prices.
I am really enjoying the trend of good brand name speaker companies making active speakers with HDMI inputs. Those of us of listen to music as much as we do to TV in the same room and not really wanting the whole set of surround speakers is a great idea.
Thanks again for a great review and please keep your eye out for any new ones coming on the market. I pulled the trigger on a pair of Klipsch the Fives along with my Polk Sub and I love them.
QOTD ,
$7000 for an all in one solution that requires lots of cables and tinkering to get good sound is too complicated for the targeted consumer. It’s not a no fuss solution. Those who love the hifi hobby like having different components to play with, not really the minimal approach. At this price point better options with integrated amplification or receivers , and passive speakers of choice. This fully active system would need to be easy plug and play and great out of the box to interest those who want to simplify.
I heard these speakers and the sub at a sound expo. They were absolutely amazing in a very big room with a lot of people. Given the money, I'd absolutely choose these bad ass speakers over my B&W CM 10 immediately 😢
can you remember how big the room was?
The hiss is the noise floor of the dsp unit which has been measured plenty. Great unit, and can do some really in depth processing
I just got a pair of the Matte Black LS60’s and 2 REL S/510’s. Honestly I think I could set it up with all of the worst settings and the combo would still sound fantastic. Thanks Andrew for your great advice as I feel like I have come a long way since the 7.2 with ML 40’s (which I burned the ribbons up twice 🤪) 2 Episode ES-12’s, and crown amps you had me in. Crazy how a stereo system can make a full surround take the back seat!!
Thank you Kristi for bringing the B&W Duo... I was hoping for that.
Excellent review Andrew and Kristi. The message I took from this review is that the user case doesn't really stack up if you intend to hardwire a slew of components to the LS60s. Good quality 2 or 3 or 4 metre digital, RCA or HDMI cables are going to cost hundreds of dollars and you'll end up with a spaghetti junction. May as well stick to passives in that case. If on the other hand, you intend to operate them just using their internal streaming (possibly with a TV attached), you'll get a very clean looking set up. So it is horses for courses.
Building a HiFi set up, I would definitely consider these. Though the lack of upgrade ability gives me second thoughts. Which is a side effect of their main feature: having all in one place. Using only these + a media streamer and I am fine... Damn - I really am considering these. I love the aesthetics and the ability to build a minimalist set up. Though the design of the B&O is just something else and I totally get the point: you see, what you are charged for.
My main worry with this would be how outdated is this going to look and also feel from a technical point in 10 years time? Will it get updated etc. As a lot of people have said too, who is the audience? As I think these are not audiophile enough for audiophiles, and these are the people normally willing to spend this type of money, but the people who really I feel would enjoy these and the whole easy set up etc are the more normal every day guy who isn’t willing to spend the money.
Nailed it I think.
To Christy’s point - but, you’re NOT paying for a separate high end amp and preamp. I think that’s the value here.
This question came up on another channel and your review reinforces the opinion I expressed there. I can totally see the amp and crossover being in the speaker along with some form of EQ which takes the room into account. As part of that, the speaker could off board low bass to a sub, but that is as far as I would personally go. Another “box” can handle everything else and it can be connected to the maze of wires for all the input devices. I just don’t see the advantage of this setup. I’d rather have the box with all the connections and then be wirelessly connected to the speakers and have the ability to position the speakers wherever I want without worrying about cable clutter.
Agree, and that input/ transmitter box may also offer an option for adding wireless surround sound speakers.
Having owned 2 pairs of Kef ls50 wireless and sent them back the app and stable connection is pants,, it's unreliable at best, based on this alone actually puts me off LS60 and I'm not alone on this point, however I'm still got the LS50 meta's and they are staying as old school is still the most reliable
I had the LS 50 Wireless but traded up for the Wireless II - the new app - which LS 60 will use - is soooooo much better. I have had zero issues with the new app over the last two years.
You're not the only reviewer who has experienced drop outs. That plus the audible hiss is an absolute deal breaker for me. Even if I didn't experience it, the anxiety that this could happen to me is enough to turn me off completely.
I believe the price is about right... you would be in for a few thousand dollars just for a stereo integrated amp and a mono amp for the low end. I wouldn't consider them just because I kind of like having my rack with my Amp, SACD player, Turntable, DAC... but these are very cool speakers! more reviewers need to voice how they feel like you "the remote is trash!" Lol companies need to hear that feedback when they cheapen something that's "higher end" by throwing in a $10 remote with $7k speaker system
On paper, 2 x 500W Class B LF, 2 x 100W Class B MF, 2 x 100 Class A HF. Plus each speaker path has its own DAC. If you were to configure this tri-amp setup using separates yourself including cables and stands etc. For the price, with the same or better sound quality, you could not do it. Look at it that way and you have an actual bargain.
But folks who don’t yet own all that gear aren’t likely to immediately jump to an all-in-one this pricey. So the target buyer has oodles of cash, low audiophile interest, a driving need for a minimalist look, yet can immediately appreciate the sound quality when compared to another lifestyle system. Those buyers do exist, but they are in the Porsche range of the market, metaphorically speaking.
@@pdcragin33 I have been an audiophile for 20 years - I have a store room full of older equipment. Linn, Peachtree, Arcam, Denom, etc. My LS60 are arriving today. Not just for the non-audiophile.
@@pdcragin33 Well, I somewhat agree to a certain extent, but not fully. I see myself as a targeted buyer. I have a high fidelity system (all Meridian) .Cost me an arm and two legs at the time and it cost around the same price as the KEFs. I’ve had my system for 27 years and it’s been brilliant. I use it everyday and had countless very loud parties using it. I would never sell it and will move it to my games room, I’m looking to buy a new system for my living room/lounge. I do not consider myself an audiophile because I don’t constantly trawl magazines wanting to upgrade every five minutes. If you do your research, properly audition and have the money, you’ll be happy. Here are my main reasons for buying. 1. I need a new sound with higher resolution, technology has moved on. 2. My current system is not room friendly and takes up too much space. I want to hide technology so my living room has a cleaner look. 3. I used to be a DJ but now stream all the time because it so convenient. Tidal and Spotify are so good for discovery. 4. Aesthetic’s is also for me. So this may fit the bill. I haven’t heard it yet but will audition. I have two very simple criteria, does it sound really good and does it play loud, party loud? That’s it. If it doesn’t then it’s back to the drawing board and separates again but If it does then I’ll buy. One thing that irritates me is the price of speaker cabling. I had initially had Nordost but was chewed by the pet and then brought cheaper cable and to my surprise has made a difference (worse) and it’s not subtle. Cables quoted today are around £1000-1500 and a lot I believe are snake oil. This system removes that part of the equation. I won’t Pooh-Pooh anything until I’ve heard it for myself or be swayed by snobbish active speaker reviews. The only problem I see with this is with active speakers you’re you’re locked in and technology is rapidly changing. As long as it lasts for the next 5-10 years. Personally, I don’t think it will fit the bill by not being powerful enough but we’ll see. I’d rather spend £6K than £12K-£15K.
@@FAB_Steve_James Congrats, does it play loud, party loud?
@@GBGOLC Well-reasoned, IMHO. You’ve demonstrated how sweeping generalizations like mine must always give way to the specific needs & circumstances of the individual buyer.
To me, it seems that the active (powered) speakers appeal much more to a minimalistic approach and I'm finding myself actually wanting to get rid of my A/V cabinet and it's contents now that the speakers are able to sound as good, if not better than hooking everything up to an amp (or two!) or a receiver with separate wires and cables for everything running in the ceiling or under the floor, etc. I was amazed at what the little Klipsch The Fives could do (and now own a pair because they're just so damn fun!).... then I listened to the Formation Duos and found myself thinking that I could be perfectly happy with that sound for the rest of my life (as I'm sure would be the same with these). I think we're still at a point where "that" sound costs more than I'm (personally) willing to invest in a complete switch.... but the desire is now there due to products like these. If I were to get the formation duos, I would also need the formation Audio to accomplish what these do, which bumps THAT price tag up as well (not to mention the ridiculously priced speaker stands!). If I could find 'THAT' sound for around $2-3K, I'd be more inclined to start saving my money for it (I know many of you have money to burn on stuff like this, but I'm not in that group, lol).
For 7 grand there is so much interesting in the realm of speaker + amp you could put together, I can imagine the i-mac cult liking the clean white look and limited dessisons needed to be made.
But for me a primary system is an adventure and they are way to pricy and big for a secondary room.
Glad you guys settled in your new home
Really appreciate your point on the wire clutter. Gave me that “oh yeah” moment of realization.
Andrew, you space for reviewing gear is so damn gorgeous. I can tell it gets good light for filming. Granted one side is better lit than the other but that just adds to overall texture.
Also a great wall to show off your TV artwork.
These KEFs look so at-home there.
Do you feel invigorated when you walk into that room?
I’m not in the market for a wireless system for one main reason : latency. I would need to know specs versus a standard setup. Random connection issues are a show stop as well
Awesome review once again. I don’t think I like the idea of dealing with a cable management problem with the speaker, but having an app to optimize its sound is attractive. At this price range there are lot more options to consider for a hifi system. Thanks and please keep the reviews coming 😀.
Odd how quick the LS60's price dropped so quick. They're now $5k.
Aaaah I see powered speakers are a hot 🔥 topic, love ‘em or hate ‘em.
For me in a small space this all in one system is ideal. I realise you have a lot of reviews to do and the work they take, but that said this is an emerging category and I’d be most interested in a side-by-side with the Dynaudio Focus 30’s (similar price)
I own a pair of LSX and I'm amazed; can't wait to ear these...
Hi Andrew! Can I kindly ask for advice? Looking back at LS60 and R11 meta, how would you in your words compare them? Thank you in advance!
Kristy is so right about the price - now they sell them for less they dropped to 5000 USD
As an IT “professional” only having an App to configure these speakers kind of scares me. Does KEF say how long they are going to support these speakers with an app into the future? For the first three years I had app support for my Pioneer AV receiver, but that app stopped working somewhere. That was a relatively inexpensive de river, but these loudspeakers are, I think, in the expensive bracket and would need to function (with house moves and all) for at least a decade for me.
The same happened to me with the Onkyo remote App. It just stopped working! I’ve tried everything to no avail. Given that I’m not a big fan of streaming, I don’t trust Active speakers.
As with B&O Kef are seriously looking at this. As the current app supports LSX, LS50 II and LS60 they will update it for more products and keep it backward working to existing products for the order of 10 years. They do not expect to need a big jump in hardware as happened with the LS50 Wireless where improvements in the app and interface to the LS50 II could not be ported to the lesser processor system in the original speakers.
Devialet have done a similar upgrade where needed improvement came with the loss of built in features and hoped for updates never came - so no PC support for the app, PC uses uPnP with reduced sync issues and still no surround sound system the users can set up. Then Apple iOS update stopped the app from working. Eventually Devialet updated their software to over come the issue Apple introduced.
@@geraldmcmullon2465 so what you are saying is that the LS50 gen 1 are already abandonware? I wonder how long it was out before they abandoned it.
Don’t you think it’s a little optimistic minded of Kef to think they’re stuff will last ten years when even Apple cuts off phone support after 5 years, Samsung after 4, google after 3. Especially when their own product was phased out soon after release?
@@bearysh LS50 Wireless had and still has many thinks users wanted fixed. When the LS50 II came out these were fixed and addressed. They used more powerful hardware to solve those issues and did not rewrite or fix those issues with the original. So yes they abandoned users. They are now claiming that they recognise this was not a good move - still don't fix it and don't see the same issues for continuing to support the current range or needing to update the processor board or abandoning updates on the current app with future releases.
We have seen Sonos and Devialet drop key features and support for discontinued products. They may continue to work as they did but then can not be mixed and matched with the current range.
Too many things are now using a mobile phone as the remote and for set up and adjustment. That is a lot to install when you change your phone or fully re-install the operating system.
Good question, it comes up often. Only Kef know the answer, however I’m observing that this type of product is reaching it’s ‘sweet spot’. They’re not for everyone, but there’s definitely a market.
Accordingly as the firmware can be updated, and apps are not going anywhere soon, maybe (hopefully) they’ll be ‘current’ for the foreseeable future.
I can't see myself moving to an all-in-one speaker system for my main system. I'm probably too much of a hifi nerd. But I would definitely consider it for a second (or third!) system.
I’m really looking forward to giving these a test drive when they become available this fall. To your question I think these will help me move to a full active setup. Therefore I also don’t worry about the cable clutter. As I already have hi-res copies of my cds. The only thing left to attach is my tv. Hope they fix the connection glitches though those would be a deal breaker for me. I heard John Darko about those as well
Love the review. My pair arrive tomorrow.
Slight correction. You said there are two amps a 100 watt a/b for the highs and mids and a 500 watt class d for the base drivers.
There are three amps:
100 watt a/b for the highs
100 watt d for the mids
500 watt d for the base
In each speaker…
It’s a great solution BUT, in my opinion, with the technology moving so fast, this is going to age bad quickly.
Passive speakers and solid amp could last you a lifetime, you could upgrade a DAC, streamer, phono etc anytime time you want. But it’s a great piece of technology, props to KEF
Great review guys. I have a pair of ls50 wireless 2, and I experience a lot of signal drops outs when using wifi and hdmi connection. I actually on Friday sent my speakers back to Kef to check them. If I’m going to continue to have these drop outs, I’ll have to give them back and buy something else, because it’s annoying.
To answer the question of the day: a combination of price and performance. I got a pair of LS50 Wireless on sale for -50 % a bit over a year ago and that was a great deal. I can't see myself upgrading to LS60 Wireless at 6k, but drop a few grand off, and I might reconsider.
Then again, at times I do miss my old system with passive speakers and an old Yamaha AV receiver.
You can't fault Yamaha. Very well engineered. My NX-N500 powered active speakers from them still work amazing after all these years. The KEF's i had didn't last long, loads of issues very unreliable.
Watching you present your review is enjoyable. Great thoughts. 👍
Google and hifi? Not for me. For me the hifi experience is a brake from our too connected, "screeny" life. I love active speakers, because they have an obvious advantage over passive coming from the absence of passive crossover between amp and driver.
I have a totally passive system, based around a large slim pair of Kef floor standers. The total cost of my system is 4 times that of the LS60.. so, In that respect, I think they represent a powerful performance to price ratio. I’ve not heard them. I don’t think that type of set up would float my boat, but I never say never. Judging on the reviews and comments I’ve read to date, I think these will take off and could be a major influence on the future of hifi. I wonder what the pairing with the Kef KC62? Phenomenal, I suspect. Hats off to Kef.
Now that surprises me. My Dali Spektor 1s is one of the best small desk speakers I have ever heard. And they are mechanically flawless.
They're WOOD?!?!?! Man I want them so much more 😩
Also great touch on short notice for the end. ♀️=♂️
Thanks for noticing that, Ethan. It's been a rough weekend.
Of course. Incredibly frustrating and disappointing.
I'm a little surprised that you liked the LS60W sound, but you weren't very excited about the LS50W sound, where you can also customize the sound to your liking. And no one will even listen to these speakers with the default settings, it just makes no sense. Would it be time to take the LS50W back for testing, this time with the KC62 subwoorer?. It would be interesting to know what you think of that combination compared to the LS60W. More value for money?
Check out Darko's 2nd video on the LS60. A significant portion of the video is on how the LS60 compared to the LS50 + KC.
It's kinda cool you can play with the sound like that
They beat Kef - sort of - yes but also no - here is why - The kef are a better sounding speaker than the price point B+O which are the 18's - and they are also better than the the 28's which cost upwards of 11-12K depending on finish. You can add two subs to the B+O 18's but they are both binaural - ie you cannot separate the stereo signal - you cannot add a sub to the 28's as B+O suggests it damages the frequency response and will sound worse - not sure what this means but this is what the top engineer at b+O said when I emailed them. You can add two subs to the Ls60's and have them in stereo and you can have them act wirelessly or physical RCA and separate the stereo element nicely which is what I did - however they don't like working at lower volumes and switch off - the 28's can work on a wide or narrow spectrum and the difference is very noticeable - but you can play with the soundstage of the Kefs too if you know how to use the App properly - there are two Kef apps and one is remarkably better than the other but the one does not work on the LS50II's for some reason - You can bang a couple of nails in the wall and have the B+O mounted off the floor - neat - the B+O's also work seamlessly with the B+O centre console speaker - but you need the right TV and it costs 6k but it is astoundingly good - so yes but no but yes but no. They do not beat the B+O 50's which cost 35K or even the B+O 90s which are upwards of 100K depending on options - but to be fair the Beolab 'Dalek' '5's are still better than the LS60's - I replaced the Beolab 5's with the Kef LS60's because they kept needing servicing and it was getting pricey and taking longer each time - so in conclusion and to round things out - has Kef beaten B+O?
Yes, but also no.
I have theatre and 18s，maybe with theatre two sub can be in stereo mode？
@@stevenfong9419 I have now got two KC Subs working in stereo on the LS60's and a short trow projector -projecting to 120" - its a mini cinema but when the projector isn't on it's a stereo -also added a PS5 - stereo gear in white, subs in white, PS5 in white and the Samsung projector is white - yes it cost a small fortune - but it is amazing
Would love these but just can’t afford them.
Great review again. I did a lot of research on the LS50WII. You see them always very close to the wall in pictures. The rear port design was the decision for me. Just to be sure it works in my space, I decided on front ported bookshelf speakers. SF Sonetto II.
I active vs passive has it pro and con. Many you mentioned in this video.
Based on your previous videos, I paired the Sonetto II with the MF MS5i.
These speakers are closed enclosures. No rear port. You can have them close to the wall.
Great review as always! Y'all rock! And I hear ya on the cable salad issue. I had powered bookshelves and switched to passive speakers because I hated all the cables hanging off the back.
Thinking KEF needs to make available a preamp that can hook up various components for us traditional two channel users with turntables and other gear. Love the fact with DSP you can make these speakers sound like anything you want, could easily see them adding in presets for sound signatures of their classic models like the 104/2 just for fun. Most concerned about its performance under 50db, its the very reason I like full size speakers instead of bookshelfs, most of my listening is at very moderate levels and very much appreciate a speaker that has dynamics and grabs your attention even at a half a watt. Considering these are based on the LS 50 Meta with not only one but two of their subs in one cabinet and the fact they have their own amplification and streaming ability its easy to justify their seemingly high MSRP.
I like them visually and the fact that nothing else is required when you only stream. The price is high, but Dali Rubicon and Dynaudio Focus is as expensive. You cannot compare active to passive imho.
I'd love to have them, but I can't justify that much on a set of speakers right now (maybe ever). I absolutely love the idea of a fully wireless set of speakers for my living room. Don't do any hifi listening in that space just TV. I'll take an excellent wireless sub with them, thanks. Not in white or blue for me. It wouldn't match my decor. If I am going to get the speakers I want, I may need to build them myself. 😅