I love it when a company listens to their customers and makes real improvements to the new products. Not having to play the amplifier lottery seems like a really huge deal. Thanks Darko.
John, we just opened our new KEF LS50 WII speakers! It's the most expensive music purchase we have ever made and we don't regret it. With your guidance, we made a sound purchase that is filling our home with warmth, tranquillity and beauty (We're currently listening to Tripping with Nils Frahm). Thanks to you & your team for all your hard work. It's forever changed the listening experience in our home.
It takes forever to get through one of your videos because I keep having to pause to check out the artists you are talking about. Found some good ones through you. Thanks!
Please ensure your comment is 1) on topic, 2) advances the conversation, 3) free of URLs and 4) devoid of conspiracy theories, hubris, racism and misogyny. Kindly keep it civil.
Isn’t the problem that the Version 1 speakers are lacking some the functionality/licensing required for the new app? I’m a Qobuz user and have to hardwire my Mac whereas the Version 2’s can stream directly.
You are assuming that the hardware in the LS50 Wireless is compatible with the LS50 Wireless II. It could be they are entirely different and incompatible platforms. Do you expect the manufacturer of your car to give you a new engine or update your car if they make improvements in the next model year?
I think it’s criminal that the new app is not available for the first versions of the LS50 or LSX. App’s should not be built per product. The last update on the original KEF app was Oct19 (4.1). My fear that they will never update this, with the speakers becoming obsolete to new OS updates seems very likely. This type of planned obsolescence is outrageous particularly for the audiofile/enthusiast segment and the cost. I’ve reached out multiple times to KEF support and directly to employees (over LinkedIn) on this and got no answers. John, could you please be a voice for us and bring this up with the team? It seems such a shame for such great products and loyal customers.
I just sold my Musical Fidelity streamer for a sideways move to Bluesound Node 2i. The reason was the lack of any follow up updates for the Mu-Fi compared to continual updates to the Bluesound Vault2 I already had in system 1. I have LS50s too. Very happy with the presentation with REL subs. I am curious about the Meta.... BUT! I'd never consider a product with built in software by a speaker manufacturer. Let KEF do what they do best and get electronics from a manufacturer who'll stand by their older product. And Mu-Fi for amps ;-) Bluesound continues to support their older product with backward compatible updates, and responds to support questions thru their app. Thanks for the review and music suggestions Darko!
As an LS50W Gen I owner, anyone tempted to pick up a pair on the cheap: DO NOT. Spend the bucks to buy the Gen IIs. The Gen I apps are awful. I could not get the speakers to connect to my plain vanilla mesh network and had to buy a Bluesound Node 2i to do the job instead, bypassing the KEF’s DAC and streamer. KEF seems to have fixed all of the problems. My bad luck is your good fortune.
I've had a pair since 2017 and remember how freakishly bad things were back then... their successive improvements have fixed my personal issues with them (lots of drop-outs, initialize setup was crazy flaky), but I don't use a mesh network in my house. I only use them with Roon and they work pretty well, just wished they would auto-turn on like my LSX system in my bedroom. I'm interested in these mainly for sonics and am trying to find out if it's worth it to upgrade. The problem is I don't *use* my living room system all that much, maybe 5-6 hours per week for pure listening.
I had to do the same. One year out, I am really impressed by Bluesound Node 2.i. KEF, not so much. I *DO* like the sound of these speakers, but the APPs were and remain garbage. I should not have had to spend an addition $500 to stream Qobuz. It's a harsh lesson on the LIMITATIONS of all-in-one systems. And to reply to Mr. Darko, a stereo set up is not a car.
The fact that the new KEF Connect doesn't support the (read: my own) original LS50W absolutely confirms my suspicion, that whole concept has a pretty big miff of planned obsolescence to it.
I think that the LS50W II adresses another kind of customer, prone to TV and loud music... Future LS50W buyers will be delighted as its price is to go down. Still I will complain to Kef about the app lack of retro-compatibility: I agree that this is disrespectful.
Same with Hegel. My H360 had only 1 software-update. None of the known streaming issues has ever been resolved. Discussions always ends with: it's an excellent amp. I agree with that, but I bought it as an all in one solution. New models have the same issues or even worser. They suggest to use Roon over airplay. I don't pay that kind of money to use airplay...
@@DarkoAudio where do we start :) streaming from NAS my favorite solution has become Hificast. Nice interface and gapless playback. For streaming services bubble upnp is my go-to app. The main problem is e.g. track advance in all of the apps (new track already started, while on the screen still 2 seconds from previous track, by the end of the album sometimes 20-40 seconds running behind). With long compilation boxsets this is a serious problem, when the delay is getting longer than 1 track the Hegel stops playing. Skipping tracks, ffwd,... a serious problem. Playing from tidal and qobuz in bubble same problem + content in hi-res sometimes problematic. In my opinion the Hegel hasn't enough buffer memory. It's not my network, because all other audio/video streaming devices play flawlessly both wired and wireless. According to Anders they will be recruiting someone in the near future to solve these issues for future models? But that will be for future models only, I suppose. H190, H390, H590 was promised Roon, but after months it's still not there. Streaming Roon over airplay is no alternative, sorry. People bought these devices mainly as a streaming - dac - amp solution, and now realize that the streaming part was just an afterthougt or gimmick. As much as I love the sound of my Hegel, I feel quite disappointed. I took 2-3-4 years before they finally admitted there is a problem (much respect to Anders & Johan btw).
@@DarkoAudio in reviews of many hifi mags no word about these issues (apart from you). And often no word if products don't have no gapless playback. Same for other brands. Products that have similar issues getting 5 star ratings, I don't get it. Sometimes I use Roon (oppo udp-205 coax out). But imo Roon is good for playback, but wasn't impressed with their database. Often poor artwork or no artwork (local artists, electronic music). So I decided to keep my own artwork and tags as much as possible. Radio function: after playing Nicolas Michaux 'Parrots' it's playing John Denver all the time. Same for Kris Dane's "Rose of Jericho" album. Melanie De Biasio's "Blackened Cities" was followed up by Diana Krall if I remember well (second time was better) ;) A popular German techno-producer was followed up by religious Jehova-music. My conclusion, it just works fine with popular / legacy artists. I'm a paid subscriber, but for my personal music collection I prefer the interface of hificast, despite the track advance issue.
John I really appreciate these reviews on the “Sonos generation” products. The fact is most of the music people will listen to is on a digital streaming platform and there’s not enough HI-Fi reviews on these products. I’m especially interested in the Naim mu so, Martin Logan crescendo B&W wedge. All HI-Fi products that get left out of the conversation for casual listening which 80% of what people do.
There are many hifi audio product reviewers out there, but few, if any, comes close to the production value and presentation of what John does. Keep it up. Love your presentation. Your work is in no small part why I own some of the stuff that I bought. And roon too come to think of it lol(which was also partially motivated by you lol)
I guess you will review "The Fives" from Klipsch at some point. It will be interesting to see and hear the differences between a £2500 high end speaker set, and an £850 lower end speaker set.
I enjoy these videos as much for the music recommendations as the coverage of hifi gear. I'm enjoying the remix of True Faith and I have a huge Roon playlist of techno thanks to JD.
@@peterbooth6753 Me too. I honestly watch more for the music suggestions then I do for the Hi Fi reviews as I have very similar musical taste as he does.
Well, looks like after only 2 years my Kef LS50W will be making way for the LS50W2. The app upgrade, along with full MQA support and HDMI eARC have me wanting it. The fact that the driver has a major upgrade along with far more headroom on the already strong amps is a bonus.
I appreciate the detailed features review, the clear explanations, and the outstanding production quality. The subjective listening tests, not so much. But overall thanks!
Brilliant video. Informed, educated, insightful, knowledgeable and passionate. Great work, I’ll subscribe. Oh….and Depeche Mode? The icing on top of the gorgeous cake!
Great video. I was dissapointed to see they omitted the USB input on new version (as they did with coaxial on v.1 - they put it back and killed USB??? Are they nuts???)
Good thing kef finally decided to hire a proper dev team for the app. It would be good to add backwards compatibility to 1st gen of ls 50 and lsx. I have LSX and open the control app only when I need to reset the speaker for various reasons. As for these all in one speakers that are not a niche product...well it's true to a certain degree. Most of people when looking to buy a system will probably try a 1k max set-up...and these are way more. If you have the money and you don't want the hassle of set-up, yes these are a really good option. But I do think I can get a better sound from a pair of R3s with a Hegel and a bluesound. And kef is not really the brand that has really hard to pair speakers. I bet you can even get a really good sound with a rotel or even emotiva as long as you have a proper dac. But with these you can simply move whenever and enjoy really high quality audio.
Despite my admiration for the brand, I must criticize the absence of retroactive updates throughout the life of the product, as is the case with most manufacturers, which after two or three years stop supporting the products and any news in terms of formats or usability improvements can only be enjoyed by purchasing the new product. Linn and Naim, among a few other exceptions, are different. I am a 2007 Linn DS user and my device has the same features and enhancements as the 2020 models and I have the option to upgrade the hardware at a reasonable cost. In addition, the quality of use of the applications is at a much higher level than anything on the market, with Linn, Naim, BluOs and Lumin being the leaders far ahead of the rest of the manufacturers.
I e ordered a pair of these , I’ve been waiting 2 months for them to show up ! I laughed when you were discussing the wireless aspect of them , my Mrs said they’re not really wireless if there is a mains cable 😂😂
Thank you John for the clear review of the Kef. Myself I'm not entirely fond of speakers which have almost everything build in, especially streaming options like spotify connect. What if in 3 years spotify connect is not anymore supported on your speaker / app? Or other services... then you're stuck with your 2500 euro speaker. Rather have those services within a separate device. But I can totally understand people who buy them for the easy install, no separate devices etc.
Absolutely, John. LS 50 Wireless /Wireless ll with a quality Sub will sound amazing. And probably all you need in a minimalist system. A quality Sub like REL will add another £ 4 - 500 to the equation must be money well spent. Just my two cents. 🙃🙃
A new app for the wireless 2 but not the first gen. Thats a big shame. this I part of the reason I went back to passive speakers R3 . There is no garranteed support for any period of time with these all in ones.
Not even the KEF LSX are supported in the new app, while KEF is still selling them as the latest and greatest. With Sonos you get like 10 years of software updates over multiple generations. And that's why KEF will never reach the mainstream like Sonos does with their active speakers.
Agreed. KEF does not care about their users after product is sold. 4 years after, apps for old speakers are still unusable. I had to buy Roon to be able to use them. Some of my friends bought it and now using them as Bluetooth speaker only because this damn thing will not connect to wifi. Absolute disgrace. Great speakers with garbage software. Will not go anywhere near Kef active speakers ever. I also have Naim Uniti nova - and that one just works. Will buy another Naim product any day.
Pretty tempting! That HDMI ARC is a smart move by them. I found the tweeter fatiguing after a while on the originals...great to hear it's improved on the new one.
I expected your video on this product this weekend... not disappointed ! :) I almost bought the LS50 few months back. I'm glad I waited. They seem like a real improvement on the previous version and at the same price ! That's a no brainer to me.
You beat me to it! Yes, John, I know you don’t like to do comparisons but this seems like a matchup that is worth your time considering the timing or the two releases.
I think it would make good business sense for KEF to backport the new app to the original LS50 W. It will give those looking to buy the LS50 W II peace of mind knowing that their product will see support even if/when an LS50 W III arrives.
@@DarkoAudio Thanks for your candid response. That could very well be true but it does not instill confidence in those looking for a product in this price class to remain well supported for a reasonable amount of time.
Great review John! Having an intuitive app and Chromecast support really seals the deal for me. I'm surprised not more amps and active speakers offer it. I've been hoping my Powernode 2i would get it but Bluesound are having trouble getting it done. This will most likely be my next pair of speakers.
KEF really need to bring the new app to backward support the original LS50W - heck they should even add the missing services support to the old speakers.... not airplay or chromecast but at least Deezer and SoundCloud
I'm a Roon into LS50w version 1 user. I absolutely love the sound of my LS50w v1 but I must admit that I'm tempted by the version 2. Getting even better sound is nice but equally compelling is the full RAAT implementation which incidentally shouldn't you technically as of date of recording say is "planned" since the KEF white paper says this is coming "(via a firmware update)" so I don't think Roon has officially signed off on it being a certified implementation yet has it? On my Roon-Tested V1s it's great that the remote and Roon app volume controls (including mute) sync perfectly with each other and reflect each other's changes but it drives me nuts that I can't hit pause on the KEF remote to pause the music but instead have to reach for the Roon app on my iPad (hitting pause on the KEF remote causes Roon to "lose control of the output device"). As I understand it a condition of being Roon Certified is that KEF must also ensure that the transport commands on its remote also sync fully with Roon. One question on RAAT. How does input switching and wakeup work if at all? Right now I do actually use my LS50w v1s for both Roon (via the wired Ethernet input) and my TV (via the optical in) and to play music I have to explicitly switch on the speakers and select the network input for Roon to even see the speakers in its list of endpoints. On a full Roon-Certified implementation must the client include code so that a Roon core can automatically take the speaker out of standby and switch its audio input to the network so that music starts playing simply by selecting something to play via the Roon remote? If I had one teeny, tiny complaint about KEF's v2 update it is that I wish they had addressed one concern I had when I bought my v1s. I have a very minimalist decor and chose the white version plus stands in order to make them as visually unobtrusive as possible in my room. Now I admit that it is a tiny point but in the same way that black tablets tend to have black bezels around the screen and white tablets tend to have white bezels around the screen I wish that on the white speaker finish they had changed the backing colour for the top control panel on the primary(*) speaker to white rather than black so that it blended in better with the cabinet. As I say, not a big deal and the black backing on my white v1s actually bugs me less than I feared it would but it would still have been nice if that tiny little detail had been addressed, I can't see that anyone buying white speakers would have been upset by such a change. Then again, if this is all that I have to complain about that's pretty impressive. (*) As you might see, I have read up a lot on these new speakers hence me adopting the KEF official terminology change from master/slave to primary/secondary!
Excellent review. Always look forward to your perspective. Usability is very critical to the user experience and I am excited to hear the new changes Kef made on that front as well as the Meta technologies. I look forward to see what Kef plans to do with the Meta technologies in regards to the Kef R3. Your videos have peaked my interest about the streaming audio experience. Dipping my toes into the streaming world with my LUMIN U1MINI and L1 5TB and Tidal. I love having the options to listen to my analog lp's and cassette tapes, digital sacd player and now streaming. You have made it easy to understand the streaming benefits which is not an easy thing to communicate as well as an interesting music selection. Thank you.
I just ordered a set of the Carbon Black LS50W2, though I wish they came in the Royal Blue/Gold finish like the new passive LS50 Meta. Won't ship until mid to late November, but I'm excited to try these babies. Already have a buyer for my LS50W, so I'm all set.
Thank you for your review, John. Actually you prevented me from making a big mistake! I will NOT give up my LS50W for this second version; too many weird decisions from KEF around the changes (HDMI instead of USB, mini jack instead of RCA), and the good ones - the nice app, the absorber - does not balance them. This is a different product for a different target customer. I am not a TV Guy. I am not using an audiophile 2250 £ set to watch youtube, netflix, or disable my ears with loud music...
The KEF LS50 must be a good speaker because it ALWAYS comes up in reviews. It seems to be used for countless audio comparisons etc. I never thought of it for myself but I’ve come to believe that it must be a very good choice for a lot of people.
Great review as always, thanks John and loving the FDW reference in sound cloud! Shame they couldn’t update/combine the previous two Kef apps into one for previous systems (as a LSX owner my only gripe with a fantastic system).
Absolute stunners. The sonics coming out of this are unlike any other brand I heard in that range. But! Kef: what were you thinking when you designed that remote? It's a 5€ plastic thing. It doesn't feel like quality and it doesn't stand up to the promise you made with the speakers. Why not making a remote in aluminum in the exact same color scheme of the speaker model? I'd like to have a white remote with a golden/orange ON/OFF knob. Or a grey one with crimson red one. that would round the design story. The remote you include is a disappointment. If you need an orientation, pls refer to the Apple TV one to see it can be done. Anything else in the Wireless 2 is top notch.
If people complain about the power cords being not "wireless" enough, KEF can make LS50 version III with lithium battery built-in to play for 5 hours of more for a charge. That might help. Better yet, make a pair of matched stands, using the column(s) and the base to store a huge battery on each. Use electronic contacts on the stand top and the speaker bottom to supply power for a month of normal listening (and do some other things in the future). The power cable only plugs into the base of the each stand when charging is needed (you only need one mains cable now because you can charge the two stands alternatively). That's probably as close as "wireless" speakers can get until technology allows us to supply electricity wirelessly, hahaha.
My initial idea was to swap my LS50W's for the new ones. But now I'm not so sure anymore. Minor differences in sound, major differences in the features. For me the sound of my LS50W's is perfect. Connected my tv with optical and playing Roon/Tidal through the Roon-app. Never bothered the lousy Kef-app, except for the setup. So all the new features (minus PC!) bring nothing extra that I need. Maybe the RAAT setup and standby-mode (like Sonos) are interesting but to upgrade for that? Think I will wait for the LS50Wiii instead ;-)
Really not cool that a $2,500 speaker that's just 4 year old is stuck with a cruddy, outdated app with no sign of real update. I'm an LSX owner and disappointed in KEF's level of support. Has me wary of buying streaming powered speakers in the future.
Amen. Could not get my LS50s wireless to work with Spotify. Support was stumped after days/hours working on it. Instead of fixing App and system with tons of complaints on LS50 wireless they left us behind for entirely new speaker/App. Not cool.
Exactly why I went to the passive version. Imagine what support will be like once the warranty expires. I hope its not like the disposable toaster. To early to know but time will surely tell.
This is my main concern about active loudspeakers. You can’t just swap out the streaming components later when the software becomes outdated. As much as I like the all-in-a-box nature of this product, I prefer to have the ability to keep the speakers for the long haul. Streaming is moving so fast I wouldn’t want to drop big $ on it without being able to upgrade
Such great video as always! I have a question... maybe its a silly one. I'm an owner of the LS50 W first version and I always wondered when using Audirvana with Tidal account on WiFi mode, who is pulling the file from the router? My iMac to Audirvana and then sending it to Kef´s or Kef speakers pulls the file from the router? Many thanks!
John Darko seems to make videos on the *exact* products I'm interested in whenever I'm struggling to find info about them. I already own the first gen LS50ws, but this iteration seems to have absolutely nailed it. Would love a comparison between these and the Buchard A500...
Nice, but, the loss of USB input is a huge bummer for anyone who likes this in a PC setup. And with all the working from home nowadays, it’s a huge x 2 bummer.
ThinkingBetter Yup. This would be at the top of my list with that. Without it it tips the scales back to using a external DAC and then at that point I am looking at any speaker and unlikely a KEF. Either too expensive or under spec’d. The review of the sound over the 1 was mild at best as well.
You can use the optical out or coax out from the pc. I think modern AMD and Nvidia graphics cards support audio over HDMI, so that's possibly an option too.
@@QoraxAudio But how to split HDMI video from the audio to HDMI eARC? Some 2019 TV include it I have not seen it on computer monitors. I use the TV as second monitor, but it has toslink out for audio not the new HDMI eARC.
@@redhotsili123 same here, the app has been my main problem with the gen1 since the very moment I got them. Sonically they're great, but controlling them is just too darn buggy. I had not been able to find such reports before I got them, and I kind of regret not sending them back once I found out it was this bad. I just kept hoping they'd be improved but they never were... Seems like the only fix is to use 3rd party software like Roon (although Roon IS amazing for more reasons than just app responsiveness/stability) or other UPnP players. Other apps work better (BubbleUPnP on Android, mConnect on iOS) but they are still lacking. Spotify Connect on the other hand works flawlessly. Also the fact that they added Wake On Lan (wake from sleep using the app/spotify rather than using the remote or on-speaker touchscreen) support in a v2 version of the gen1, which is a hardware feature, is very frustrating. In my opinion they should've added the hardware from the beginning, as WOL support is far from novel technology (every computer since at least 2010 has had this). I'm pretty upset they decided not to backport the new app. Feels like the gen1 buyers are fully neglected now that the shiny new version is out. I don't want to want the new version, and for the sound quality alone I don't, but the fact that the software has been improved so much kinda does. If the gen1s are not getting any more improvements at all and there is no kind of trade-in program, I doubt I'll ever buy into KEF's gear again.
I rate the LS50W II as a lifestyle speaker with great performance & support for streaming, but excessive for myself utilising Spotify only. A price hike to £2250 hoping original buyers will upgrade is a cheeky move...Given what has been said so far, KEF need to update their Customer support to loyal buyers in this market. Myself, I’m buying an Amp with streaming onboard to run my Neat SX3is (I just can’t swap them out for KEFS TBH) Great review tho 👍🏻
I have LS50W and I use a google chromecast into the optical port of the KEF's. then I use the tidal app on my iPhone and it completely bypasses the KEF stream app. its night and day difference btwn tidal app and the KEF stream app. its a £30 upgrade which for me has totally sorted the app usability issue.
Sound like an awesome pair of speakers but the convenience does come with a caveat around upgradeability especially around the dac and longevity being tied to how long kef support them.
Would love to hear about off-axis imaging and overall sound. If you have this on your TV then your family might gather around to watch and they can't all be in the exact sweet spot for listening.
Off axis sound is surprisingly good, uni-a design helps widen that “sweet spot” a good margin. Sitting on the couch I can live with not fighting for the middle seat, it’s a great experience everywhere. However the middle seat will always be king.
John, love your channel and appreciate all you do. I pulled the trigger and bought the LS50 wireless II. I have been blown away by the sound in my room and very happy with the purchase. Adding the KC 62 when they are available again. My question is about Hi Rez music in the Mac ecosystem. I have Audirvana on my MacBook Pro and run that to a Sprout DAC/Amp feeding HiFiMan Sundara headphones. I have been very happy with that setup. Now, with the LS 50 II's, I am struggling to find the best way to get a hi Rez signal to the speaker. As far as I can tell, this is not possible with Airplay. Any thoughts or suggestions? Keep up the good work!
Another illuminating and comprehensive review. Thanks a lot. Have you considered doing a review of products in the Sonos category, ie Sonos’ products, Denon Heos and the like? That’s an entry point for many from the “Sonos generation”.
It actually made me quite unhappy that KEF won't bring the new KEF Connect to the original LS50W or LSX. Feels like those users are stuck with janky beta software. There shouldn't be much difference across platforms, surely it could be implimented.
same here. Absolutely furious. I'm a LS50W v1 owner and I felt completely abandoned by KEF. We paid $2200 to them and had to tolerate this stupid stupid app for years.
Dear John: Question about sound quality and electronic music. I listen exclusively to electronic music and I use your recommendations as a baseline for audi gear. Should I avoid speakers that are too transparent and detailed with that type of music? Music that In most cases has no studio, no mics, no instruments to worry about! Mainly just computer samples and digital production tools. What's you're view: Should I buy something with high transparency? Or get something that is more forgiving of the audio quality? Love your work :) PS: I'd still want a smooth tweeter
Personally I’d say go for something with the sound signature you like most rather than looking for speakers that fit a particular genre. I only listen to electronic music, dnb and techno mostly and I wouldn’t let that limit my choice of speaker, headphone or iem. If you like a smooth top end and value that above all else find something that meets that need
@@r08zy I am an elektronic lover also. The quality of electronic music has gone up in the last decade. Loudspeakers will always be the weak link in the chain. The better your speaker, the more they disappear from the equation. No balanced speaker is to transparent or to detailed, You be surprised by the insight such speakers give you, because you get more inside the head of the musician.
I started with an Audio Pro C10 mkii to have music on and for the price and the speaker it was it was amazing. But I missed stereo, details, clarity and the fact that I in the future would by a stereo-set and make them obsolete made me return them back. I've since tried DALI Oberon, tried KEF LSX, looked at used Rubicon 2's and now a part of me just wants to stop overthinking and just get this because what I keep asking myself is "is this really giving me the best sound per dollar". I loved the oberon 1's and for the price they seem great, but I cant use them for listening to big orchestras and heavier types of rock. The KEF LSX is amazing, but everyone complains about the apps. The Rubicon I absolutely loved. I trully love those speaker, but with a decent amp (with abilities to stream) it will over 2300 usd and at that price we're getting dangerously close to an LS50w ii. The Oberon 1 with a powernode 2/2i will be around 1000 usd, but I'm not sure if that's a smarter choice than the KEF LSX which are going for 902 usd. And this is a weird situation, because even though I absolutely loved and love both DALI speakers It seems like the speakers that give the most sense to buy are either KEF LSX or KEF LS50 wireless ii. I do have a decent headphone set up so tbh I'm thinking about just buying a dac for my phone and use them around the apartment instead as no speaker in teh budget hifi-class is able to play classical musical and orchestras well but I do not like wearing headphones that much ):.
Just bought my Kef LS50W 10 months ago.... so a bit sad right now, you can't never be fullfilled with audio at this rythm. Feels like connectivy got upgraded, but as far as sound and despite the meta absortion material you don't seem like there is world between them and that calms me down.... cause acording to "Steve" is like they were from another world. Question about old LS50W, just suscribed to Amazon Music HD and I can't send music on "wifi" mode, only throught BT. Is that normal or something than new 50WII allow but old ones still not?
What if you want to connect a turntable? I FEEL (but do not know if this is the case) that 3.5 mm stereo jack is not a serious connection for quality equipment
Hi John, thanks for your great reviews! love to hear your thoughts, Elac NAVIS ARB51 or KEF LS50 Wireless II ? They are pretty much the same cost here in Australia. Have been saving for a while
Hi John, Thanks for again a useful and entertaining review. My question: do the improvements of the LS50 WII in your opinion make such a difference that you would revisit your conclusion in your Buchardt A500 review (giving the Buchardts a significant higher "rating" than the KEFs)? After that review I was planning to take the risk of testing the A500. But now I am considering to first listen to the LS50 WII (and the Elac Navis ARB51).
As a total beginner I really enjoyed this review. Can you recommend a streaming service that has original sounding music? I have Spotify on my phone but all the albums (80’s’ music I like) sound so digitally fake. How do I get streaming to sound like my old CD player? ( I still have the cds) Thanks
I think these wireless 2 are a no brainier update even for wireless 1 owner. Better Amp, new DSP, all Streaming Services, all Connectivy Standards, new App... The 12Gen UniQ and Meta is just the icing on the top. Once there is a good deal on the new , likely Xmas, i will switch!
I'm in the same boat. Feels an awful lot like current owners are getting every improvement they could ask for. I love how many serious options the active speaker space now has with Klipsch "the fives", Ls50x's, LS50wii's, and Buchard A500's.
AnotherAnonymousMan Yep, but for the KEF got one thing right from the start that makes them so spot on for current market - its all integrated in the speaker and therefore if you connect the record player at least the signal isn’t streamed like on others ... and in todays enthusiast / hifi market it is all about Vinyl and Streaming.
Another great review. Attempted to set up a Qobuz account last night but the pay screen kept giving me an error message. Set up a Deezer account instead, very impressed with it so far. Had everything I searched for including quite obscure stuff.
Doe these speakers need special room placement? How do they handle being near a corner around 10-30cm away from walls? I don't recall John mentioning that in the video, might be wrong! :) Thanks for another good video.
How far we come...20 years ago I was mixing and matching.amps, preamps, DACs, transports , cables...now just LS50 Wireless II.
Still need a cd transport.
I love it when a company listens to their customers and makes real improvements to the new products. Not having to play the amplifier lottery seems like a really huge deal. Thanks Darko.
John, we just opened our new KEF LS50 WII speakers! It's the most expensive music purchase we have ever made and we don't regret it. With your guidance, we made a sound purchase that is filling our home with warmth, tranquillity and beauty (We're currently listening to Tripping with Nils Frahm). Thanks to you & your team for all your hard work. It's forever changed the listening experience in our home.
It takes forever to get through one of your videos because I keep having to pause to check out the artists you are talking about. Found some good ones through you. Thanks!
Please ensure your comment is 1) on topic, 2) advances the conversation, 3) free of URLs and 4) devoid of conspiracy theories, hubris, racism and misogyny. Kindly keep it civil.
nice ..
kef genuinely taking the piss not making the app backwards compatible. customers paid 3 thousand dollars, kef should take care of them.
It's truly horrible
Isn’t the problem that the Version 1 speakers are lacking some the functionality/licensing required for the new app? I’m a Qobuz user and have to hardwire my Mac whereas the Version 2’s can stream directly.
You are assuming that the hardware in the LS50 Wireless is compatible with the LS50 Wireless II. It could be they are entirely different and incompatible platforms. Do you expect the manufacturer of your car to give you a new engine or update your car if they make improvements in the next model year?
I think I was never that excited to watch a new youtube video pfff. Really well made review, thank you
I think it’s criminal that the new app is not available for the first versions of the LS50 or LSX.
App’s should not be built per product. The last update on the original KEF app was Oct19 (4.1). My fear that they will never update this, with the speakers becoming obsolete to new OS updates seems very likely.
This type of planned obsolescence is outrageous particularly for the audiofile/enthusiast segment and the cost.
I’ve reached out multiple times to KEF support and directly to employees (over LinkedIn) on this and got no answers.
John, could you please be a voice for us and bring this up with the team? It seems such a shame for such great products and loyal customers.
I have also tried to contact KEF several times. No reply
I just sold my Musical Fidelity streamer for a sideways move to Bluesound Node 2i. The reason was the lack of any follow up updates for the Mu-Fi compared to continual updates to the Bluesound Vault2 I already had in system 1.
I have LS50s too. Very happy with the presentation with REL subs. I am curious about the Meta....
BUT!
I'd never consider a product with built in software by a speaker manufacturer.
Let KEF do what they do best and get electronics from a manufacturer who'll stand by their older product.
And Mu-Fi for amps ;-)
Bluesound continues to support their older product with backward compatible updates, and responds to support questions thru their app.
Thanks for the review and music suggestions Darko!
Is the app necessary? Because if it is, the speaker won’t last more than 4-5 years, if it doesn’t get updated, it will be unsupported in newer OS.
Pablo Villegas yes, there is very limited capability without the app (aux in and possibly Bluetooth)
Products at this price definitely should come with lifetime support.
As an LS50W Gen I owner, anyone tempted to pick up a pair on the cheap: DO NOT. Spend the bucks to buy the Gen IIs. The Gen I apps are awful. I could not get the speakers to connect to my plain vanilla mesh network and had to buy a Bluesound Node 2i to do the job instead, bypassing the KEF’s DAC and streamer. KEF seems to have fixed all of the problems. My bad luck is your good fortune.
I sold mine after 3 months in may
I've had a pair since 2017 and remember how freakishly bad things were back then... their successive improvements have fixed my personal issues with them (lots of drop-outs, initialize setup was crazy flaky), but I don't use a mesh network in my house. I only use them with Roon and they work pretty well, just wished they would auto-turn on like my LSX system in my bedroom. I'm interested in these mainly for sonics and am trying to find out if it's worth it to upgrade. The problem is I don't *use* my living room system all that much, maybe 5-6 hours per week for pure listening.
I had to do the same. One year out, I am really impressed by Bluesound Node 2.i. KEF, not so much. I *DO* like the sound of these speakers, but the APPs were and remain garbage. I should not have had to spend an addition $500 to stream Qobuz. It's a harsh lesson on the LIMITATIONS of all-in-one systems. And to reply to Mr. Darko, a stereo set up is not a car.
The fact that the new KEF Connect doesn't support the (read: my own) original LS50W absolutely confirms my suspicion, that whole concept has a pretty big miff of planned obsolescence to it.
I think that the LS50W II adresses another kind of customer, prone to TV and loud music... Future LS50W buyers will be delighted as its price is to go down. Still I will complain to Kef about the app lack of retro-compatibility: I agree that this is disrespectful.
Same with Hegel. My H360 had only 1 software-update. None of the known streaming issues has ever been resolved. Discussions always ends with: it's an excellent amp. I agree with that, but I bought it as an all in one solution. New models have the same issues or even worser. They suggest to use Roon over airplay. I don't pay that kind of money to use airplay...
Now you've got me curious about the "*known* streaming issues" on the Hegel. What are they exactly?
@@DarkoAudio where do we start :) streaming from NAS my favorite solution has become Hificast. Nice interface and gapless playback. For streaming services bubble upnp is my go-to app. The main problem is e.g. track advance in all of the apps (new track already started, while on the screen still 2 seconds from previous track, by the end of the album sometimes 20-40 seconds running behind). With long compilation boxsets this is a serious problem, when the delay is getting longer than 1 track the Hegel stops playing. Skipping tracks, ffwd,... a serious problem. Playing from tidal and qobuz in bubble same problem + content in hi-res sometimes problematic. In my opinion the Hegel hasn't enough buffer memory. It's not my network, because all other audio/video streaming devices play flawlessly both wired and wireless. According to Anders they will be recruiting someone in the near future to solve these issues for future models? But that will be for future models only, I suppose. H190, H390, H590 was promised Roon, but after months it's still not there. Streaming Roon over airplay is no alternative, sorry. People bought these devices mainly as a streaming - dac - amp solution, and now realize that the streaming part was just an afterthougt or gimmick. As much as I love the sound of my Hegel, I feel quite disappointed. I took 2-3-4 years before they finally admitted there is a problem (much respect to Anders & Johan btw).
@@DarkoAudio in reviews of many hifi mags no word about these issues (apart from you). And often no word if products don't have no gapless playback. Same for other brands. Products that have similar issues getting 5 star ratings, I don't get it. Sometimes I use Roon (oppo udp-205 coax out). But imo Roon is good for playback, but wasn't impressed with their database. Often poor artwork or no artwork (local artists, electronic music). So I decided to keep my own artwork and tags as much as possible. Radio function: after playing Nicolas Michaux 'Parrots' it's playing John Denver all the time. Same for Kris Dane's "Rose of Jericho" album. Melanie De Biasio's "Blackened Cities" was followed up by Diana Krall if I remember well (second time was better) ;) A popular German techno-producer was followed up by religious Jehova-music. My conclusion, it just works fine with popular / legacy artists. I'm a paid subscriber, but for my personal music collection I prefer the interface of hificast, despite the track advance issue.
John I really appreciate these reviews on the “Sonos generation” products. The fact is most of the music people will listen to is on a digital streaming platform and there’s not enough HI-Fi reviews on these products. I’m especially interested in the Naim mu so, Martin Logan crescendo B&W wedge. All HI-Fi products that get left out of the conversation for casual listening which 80% of what people do.
Absolutely superb review. Really informative and well structured. An easy to follow review that non audiophiles can understand. Job well done!
Glad you see it that way because this was exactly my intention. In fact, I worried that the techy details might have been too much.
John Darko I think that was obvious. Great review as allays . Guess the new ones have also that 200hr breakin period
There are many hifi audio product reviewers out there, but few, if any, comes close to the production value and presentation of what John does.
Keep it up. Love your presentation. Your work is in no small part why I own some of the stuff that I bought. And roon too come to think of it lol(which was also partially motivated by you lol)
I guess you will review "The Fives" from Klipsch at some point. It will be interesting to see and hear the differences between a £2500 high end speaker set, and an £850 lower end speaker set.
Amazing speaker system.... Amazing Darko review.... again.
john i gotta say i really love your videos, the way u point all the important things and visuals is so dope
That is a great version of DM's Enjoy the Silence. Glad you mentioned it!
I enjoy these videos as much for the music recommendations as the coverage of hifi gear. I'm enjoying the remix of True Faith and I have a huge Roon playlist of techno thanks to JD.
@@peterbooth6753 Me too. I honestly watch more for the music suggestions then I do for the Hi Fi reviews as I have very similar musical taste as he does.
Well, looks like after only 2 years my Kef LS50W will be making way for the LS50W2. The app upgrade, along with full MQA support and HDMI eARC have me wanting it. The fact that the driver has a major upgrade along with far more headroom on the already strong amps is a bonus.
How would you compare the sound.. (power)
I watched this video, bought the speakers and could be happier. Thanks!
Thank you for active speaker reviews.
Definitely the way I am headed.
Mum n Dad user here... just purchased thanks for your amazing reviews ❤
I appreciate the detailed features review, the clear explanations, and the outstanding production quality. The subjective listening tests, not so much. But overall thanks!
Brilliant video. Informed, educated, insightful, knowledgeable and passionate. Great work, I’ll subscribe. Oh….and Depeche Mode? The icing on top of the gorgeous cake!
Great video. I was dissapointed to see they omitted the USB input on new version (as they did with coaxial on v.1 - they put it back and killed USB??? Are they nuts???)
Good thing kef finally decided to hire a proper dev team for the app. It would be good to add backwards compatibility to 1st gen of ls 50 and lsx. I have LSX and open the control app only when I need to reset the speaker for various reasons.
As for these all in one speakers that are not a niche product...well it's true to a certain degree. Most of people when looking to buy a system will probably try a 1k max set-up...and these are way more. If you have the money and you don't want the hassle of set-up, yes these are a really good option. But I do think I can get a better sound from a pair of R3s with a Hegel and a bluesound. And kef is not really the brand that has really hard to pair speakers. I bet you can even get a really good sound with a rotel or even emotiva as long as you have a proper dac.
But with these you can simply move whenever and enjoy really high quality audio.
I'm enjoying the LS50 Wireless II on S2 stands and today the KC62 will be delivered, all in white. Sounds and looks great!
Despite my admiration for the brand, I must criticize the absence of retroactive updates throughout the life of the product, as is the case with most manufacturers, which after two or three years stop supporting the products and any news in terms of formats or usability improvements can only be enjoyed by purchasing the new product.
Linn and Naim, among a few other exceptions, are different. I am a 2007 Linn DS user and my device has the same features and enhancements as the 2020 models and I have the option to upgrade the hardware at a reasonable cost.
In addition, the quality of use of the applications is at a much higher level than anything on the market, with Linn, Naim, BluOs and Lumin being the leaders far ahead of the rest of the manufacturers.
I e ordered a pair of these , I’ve been waiting 2 months for them to show up !
I laughed when you were discussing the wireless aspect of them , my Mrs said they’re not really wireless if there is a mains cable 😂😂
Thanks John! I’ve been waiting for your review all week. I like to balance your review with that of the old school Steve Gutenberg one.
Thanks for the tip on the Enjoy The Silence Quad Mix!
Well there you have it , the best review you’re ever going to see or hear about these new speakers. Just superb.
Been looking forward to your KEF LS50 Wireless II coverage going to pick a pair up as soon as I can!
Haha have fun with that bro. Let us know what you think.
Great review as always, John. And good good job. These KEF are really a clever sound system.
Thank you John for the clear review of the Kef.
Myself I'm not entirely fond of speakers which have almost everything build in, especially streaming options like spotify connect. What if in 3 years spotify connect is not anymore supported on your speaker / app? Or other services... then you're stuck with your 2500 euro speaker.
Rather have those services within a separate device.
But I can totally understand people who buy them for the easy install, no separate devices etc.
These are incredible little speakers.
After listening and comparing a few pairs I was really impressed with the metas.
Absolutely, John. LS 50 Wireless /Wireless ll with a quality Sub will sound amazing. And probably all you need in a minimalist system. A quality Sub like REL will add another £ 4 - 500 to the equation must be money well spent.
Just my two cents. 🙃🙃
I've been waiting all week for this! Great job!
A new app for the wireless 2 but not the first gen. Thats a big shame. this I part of the reason I went back to passive speakers R3 . There is no garranteed support for any period of time with these all in ones.
Absolutely. 4 years later and you don’t get to upgrade to the new app. This feels like a poor advert for actives in my opinion.
Not even the KEF LSX are supported in the new app, while KEF is still selling them as the latest and greatest. With Sonos you get like 10 years of software updates over multiple generations. And that's why KEF will never reach the mainstream like Sonos does with their active speakers.
Would really love if they made a Wireless R3. That speaker is more towards the sound I prefer.
Agreed. KEF does not care about their users after product is sold. 4 years after, apps for old speakers are still unusable. I had to buy Roon to be able to use them. Some of my friends bought it and now using them as Bluetooth speaker only because this damn thing will not connect to wifi. Absolute disgrace. Great speakers with garbage software. Will not go anywhere near Kef active speakers ever. I also have Naim Uniti nova - and that one just works. Will buy another Naim product any day.
@@amirjubran1845 Or, even better: R3 Meta
Yea thank you for the review Darko ☀️
Pretty tempting! That HDMI ARC is a smart move by them. I found the tweeter fatiguing after a while on the originals...great to hear it's improved on the new one.
Fatiguing? How so? Aren‘t speakers supposed to get better the longer they‘re played in?
@@speedmunki3372 ear fatigue! Everyone's hearing is different obviously but the originals didn't improve over time for me with the tweeter.
I ADORE that we opened with the cover of PE's Fear of a Black Planet.
I expected your video on this product this weekend... not disappointed ! :)
I almost bought the LS50 few months back. I'm glad I waited. They seem like a real improvement on the previous version and at the same price ! That's a no brainer to me.
Great job John & what sounds better for movies Buchardt Audio's A500 or KEF LS50 Wireless II?
A500 go down to 25hz so will have an advantage in that regard
This please :-)
You beat me to it! Yes, John, I know you don’t like to do comparisons but this seems like a matchup that is worth your time considering the timing or the two releases.
Please see my comment elsewhere.
@@DarkoAudio Where is elsewhere John?
Great speakers for people wanting a compact all in one solution and a performance to match
Compact yogurt sound. Don't buy without comparing them with real active speakers.
I know gapless playback is a personal thing, but I'm gonna grumble over here how in 2020 this is not a standard.
Another Great Review John 👍
its not gapless playback? Then I can stop watching ...
@@shawnsteuer9951 Chromecast isn't (on the LS50WII or in general, I don't know)
I think it would make good business sense for KEF to backport the new app to the original LS50 W. It will give those looking to buy the LS50 W II peace of mind knowing that their product will see support even if/when an LS50 W III arrives.
That is exactly my opinion
It might be your opinion but have you considered that it might not technically be possible?
@@DarkoAudio Thanks for your candid response. That could very well be true but it does not instill confidence in those looking for a product in this price class to remain well supported for a reasonable amount of time.
Finally the review we’ve been waiting for
Great review John! Having an intuitive app and Chromecast support really seals the deal for me. I'm surprised not more amps and active speakers offer it. I've been hoping my Powernode 2i would get it but Bluesound are having trouble getting it done. This will most likely be my next pair of speakers.
KEF really need to bring the new app to backward support the original LS50W - heck they should even add the missing services support to the old speakers.... not airplay or chromecast but at least Deezer and SoundCloud
If there is no update for the old one, I would not buy kef again.
I'm a Roon into LS50w version 1 user. I absolutely love the sound of my LS50w v1 but I must admit that I'm tempted by the version 2. Getting even better sound is nice but equally compelling is the full RAAT implementation which incidentally shouldn't you technically as of date of recording say is "planned" since the KEF white paper says this is coming "(via a firmware update)" so I don't think Roon has officially signed off on it being a certified implementation yet has it?
On my Roon-Tested V1s it's great that the remote and Roon app volume controls (including mute) sync perfectly with each other and reflect each other's changes but it drives me nuts that I can't hit pause on the KEF remote to pause the music but instead have to reach for the Roon app on my iPad (hitting pause on the KEF remote causes Roon to "lose control of the output device"). As I understand it a condition of being Roon Certified is that KEF must also ensure that the transport commands on its remote also sync fully with Roon.
One question on RAAT. How does input switching and wakeup work if at all? Right now I do actually use my LS50w v1s for both Roon (via the wired Ethernet input) and my TV (via the optical in) and to play music I have to explicitly switch on the speakers and select the network input for Roon to even see the speakers in its list of endpoints. On a full Roon-Certified implementation must the client include code so that a Roon core can automatically take the speaker out of standby and switch its audio input to the network so that music starts playing simply by selecting something to play via the Roon remote?
If I had one teeny, tiny complaint about KEF's v2 update it is that I wish they had addressed one concern I had when I bought my v1s. I have a very minimalist decor and chose the white version plus stands in order to make them as visually unobtrusive as possible in my room. Now I admit that it is a tiny point but in the same way that black tablets tend to have black bezels around the screen and white tablets tend to have white bezels around the screen I wish that on the white speaker finish they had changed the backing colour for the top control panel on the primary(*) speaker to white rather than black so that it blended in better with the cabinet. As I say, not a big deal and the black backing on my white v1s actually bugs me less than I feared it would but it would still have been nice if that tiny little detail had been addressed, I can't see that anyone buying white speakers would have been upset by such a change. Then again, if this is all that I have to complain about that's pretty impressive.
(*) As you might see, I have read up a lot on these new speakers hence me adopting the KEF official terminology change from master/slave to primary/secondary!
Great thoughts and reviews aside, I love the production quality of your videos. Keep it up!
Excellent review. Always look forward to your perspective. Usability is very critical to the user experience and I am excited to hear the new changes Kef made on that front as well as the Meta technologies. I look forward to see what Kef plans to do with the Meta technologies in regards to the Kef R3. Your videos have peaked my interest about the streaming audio experience. Dipping my toes into the streaming world with my LUMIN U1MINI and L1 5TB and Tidal. I love having the options to listen to my analog lp's and cassette tapes, digital sacd player and now streaming. You have made it easy to understand the streaming benefits which is not an easy thing to communicate as well as an interesting music selection. Thank you.
Wonderful review. Sounds like a smart solution to multiple audio problems.
Well, just bought a pair. Arriving soon, but if theyre anywhtnear as enjoyable as the R3 Meta's I'm running on my main system, I'll be very pleased.
and how are they?
I just ordered a set of the Carbon Black LS50W2, though I wish they came in the Royal Blue/Gold finish like the new passive LS50 Meta. Won't ship until mid to late November, but I'm excited to try these babies. Already have a buyer for my LS50W, so I'm all set.
Thank you John, really appreciate your reviews
Thank you for your review, John. Actually you prevented me from making a big mistake! I will NOT give up my LS50W for this second version; too many weird decisions from KEF around the changes (HDMI instead of USB, mini jack instead of RCA), and the good ones - the nice app, the absorber - does not balance them. This is a different product for a different target customer. I am not a TV Guy. I am not using an audiophile 2250 £ set to watch youtube, netflix, or disable my ears with loud music...
No usb + no rca = no sale to turntable owners?
The KEF LS50 must be a good speaker because it ALWAYS comes up in reviews. It seems to be used for countless audio comparisons etc. I never thought of it for myself but I’ve come to believe that it must be a very good choice for a lot of people.
So helpful John. Think I'll go ahead and get a pair!
Great review, always a good watch. High quality without the snobbery 👍
Great review as always, thanks John and loving the FDW reference in sound cloud! Shame they couldn’t update/combine the previous two Kef apps into one for previous systems (as a LSX owner my only gripe with a fantastic system).
John, super presentation!
Absolute stunners. The sonics coming out of this are unlike any other brand I heard in that range. But! Kef: what were you thinking when you designed that remote? It's a 5€ plastic thing. It doesn't feel like quality and it doesn't stand up to the promise you made with the speakers. Why not making a remote in aluminum in the exact same color scheme of the speaker model? I'd like to have a white remote with a golden/orange ON/OFF knob. Or a grey one with crimson red one. that would round the design story. The remote you include is a disappointment. If you need an orientation, pls refer to the Apple TV one to see it can be done. Anything else in the Wireless 2 is top notch.
If people complain about the power cords being not "wireless" enough, KEF can make LS50 version III with lithium battery built-in to play for 5 hours of more for a charge. That might help. Better yet, make a pair of matched stands, using the column(s) and the base to store a huge battery on each. Use electronic contacts on the stand top and the speaker bottom to supply power for a month of normal listening (and do some other things in the future). The power cable only plugs into the base of the each stand when charging is needed (you only need one mains cable now because you can charge the two stands alternatively). That's probably as close as "wireless" speakers can get until technology allows us to supply electricity wirelessly, hahaha.
It is not possible to make a battery version with this kind of small size unless you want to suffocate the driver.
Brilliant review thanks, I wonder how these compare to the AVI ADM speakers?
My initial idea was to swap my LS50W's for the new ones. But now I'm not so sure anymore. Minor differences in sound, major differences in the features. For me the sound of my LS50W's is perfect. Connected my tv with optical and playing Roon/Tidal through the Roon-app. Never bothered the lousy Kef-app, except for the setup. So all the new features (minus PC!) bring nothing extra that I need. Maybe the RAAT setup and standby-mode (like Sonos) are interesting but to upgrade for that? Think I will wait for the LS50Wiii instead ;-)
Absolutely fair comment re subwoofers in the context of a review.
Really not cool that a $2,500 speaker that's just 4 year old is stuck with a cruddy, outdated app with no sign of real update. I'm an LSX owner and disappointed in KEF's level of support. Has me wary of buying streaming powered speakers in the future.
I recommended the LSX to my aunt thinking the support would be better than Sonos and I regret...
Amen. Could not get my LS50s wireless to work with Spotify. Support was stumped after days/hours working on it. Instead of fixing App and system with tons of complaints on LS50 wireless they left us behind for entirely new speaker/App. Not cool.
Exactly why I went to the passive version. Imagine what support will be like once the warranty expires. I hope its not like the disposable toaster. To early to know but time will surely tell.
I kinda regret buying the LSX and think I should have bought some active monitors like the adam audio a5x instead.
This is my main concern about active loudspeakers. You can’t just swap out the streaming components later when the software becomes outdated. As much as I like the all-in-a-box nature of this product, I prefer to have the ability to keep the speakers for the long haul. Streaming is moving so fast I wouldn’t want to drop big $ on it without being able to upgrade
Great review. Always favoured the passive version, but this has given me something to think about.
As a KEF dealer I'm so excited about sell tons of these!
Such great video as always! I have a question... maybe its a silly one. I'm an owner of the LS50 W first version and I always wondered when using Audirvana with Tidal account on WiFi mode, who is pulling the file from the router? My iMac to Audirvana and then sending it to Kef´s or Kef speakers pulls the file from the router? Many thanks!
John Darko seems to make videos on the *exact* products I'm interested in whenever I'm struggling to find info about them.
I already own the first gen LS50ws, but this iteration seems to have absolutely nailed it. Would love a comparison between these and the Buchard A500...
Nice, but, the loss of USB input is a huge bummer for anyone who likes this in a PC setup. And with all the working from home nowadays, it’s a huge x 2 bummer.
ThinkingBetter Yup. This would be at the top of my list with that. Without it it tips the scales back to using a external DAC and then at that point I am looking at any speaker and unlikely a KEF. Either too expensive or under spec’d. The review of the sound over the 1 was mild at best as well.
You can use the optical out or coax out from the pc.
I think modern AMD and Nvidia graphics cards support audio over HDMI, so that's possibly an option too.
@@QoraxAudio But how to split HDMI video from the audio to HDMI eARC? Some 2019 TV include it I have not seen it on computer monitors. I use the TV as second monitor, but it has toslink out for audio not the new HDMI eARC.
Via Wi-Fi network?
Any idea if there will be some sort of trade in program for Gen1 owners?
Jason W I would like to know as well. Really upset they are not making the improved app available to Gen 1 owners.
No idea, sorry.
@@redhotsili123 same here, the app has been my main problem with the gen1 since the very moment I got them.
Sonically they're great, but controlling them is just too darn buggy. I had not been able to find such reports before I got them, and I kind of regret not sending them back once I found out it was this bad. I just kept hoping they'd be improved but they never were...
Seems like the only fix is to use 3rd party software like Roon (although Roon IS amazing for more reasons than just app responsiveness/stability) or other UPnP players. Other apps work better (BubbleUPnP on Android, mConnect on iOS) but they are still lacking. Spotify Connect on the other hand works flawlessly.
Also the fact that they added Wake On Lan (wake from sleep using the app/spotify rather than using the remote or on-speaker touchscreen) support in a v2 version of the gen1, which is a hardware feature, is very frustrating. In my opinion they should've added the hardware from the beginning, as WOL support is far from novel technology (every computer since at least 2010 has had this).
I'm pretty upset they decided not to backport the new app. Feels like the gen1 buyers are fully neglected now that the shiny new version is out.
I don't want to want the new version, and for the sound quality alone I don't, but the fact that the software has been improved so much kinda does. If the gen1s are not getting any more improvements at all and there is no kind of trade-in program, I doubt I'll ever buy into KEF's gear again.
Just bought gen 1 a few weeks ago. Disappointed with App and interface. Like a lot of people - love speaker, hate the App/tech
@@marklawlor9140 Roon works perfectly, I didn't bother with the app it's useless.
Superb review as always
please have a review on ls50 meta
I rate the LS50W II as a lifestyle speaker with great performance & support for streaming, but excessive for myself utilising Spotify only. A price hike to £2250 hoping original buyers will upgrade is a cheeky move...Given what has been said so far, KEF need to update their Customer support to loyal buyers in this market. Myself, I’m buying an Amp with streaming onboard to run my Neat SX3is (I just can’t swap them out for KEFS TBH) Great review tho 👍🏻
Amazing video mate! Genuinely!
Imagine.. I just bought the ls50w 1 online and it's yet to reach me.. and I am watching thisss!
Hope they update those buggy apps..!
Return and buy Gen 2.
Feel the same
I have LS50W and I use a google chromecast into the optical port of the KEF's. then I use the tidal app on my iPhone and it completely bypasses the KEF stream app. its night and day difference btwn tidal app and the KEF stream app. its a £30 upgrade which for me has totally sorted the app usability issue.
@@daveselbow9128 Same setup here! :-)
Sound like an awesome pair of speakers but the convenience does come with a caveat around upgradeability especially around the dac and longevity being tied to how long kef support them.
Would love to hear about off-axis imaging and overall sound. If you have this on your TV then your family might gather around to watch and they can't all be in the exact sweet spot for listening.
Off axis sound is surprisingly good, uni-a design helps widen that “sweet spot” a good margin. Sitting on the couch I can live with not fighting for the middle seat, it’s a great experience everywhere. However the middle seat will always be king.
John, love your channel and appreciate all you do. I pulled the trigger and bought the LS50 wireless II. I have been blown away by the sound in my room and very happy with the purchase. Adding the KC 62 when they are available again. My question is about Hi Rez music in the Mac ecosystem. I have Audirvana on my MacBook Pro and run that to a Sprout DAC/Amp feeding HiFiMan Sundara headphones. I have been very happy with that setup. Now, with the LS 50 II's, I am struggling to find the best way to get a hi Rez signal to the speaker. As far as I can tell, this is not possible with Airplay. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Keep up the good work!
Same story here regarding the LS50 W2. Did you find a solution in the end?
Another illuminating and comprehensive review. Thanks a lot. Have you considered doing a review of products in the Sonos category, ie Sonos’ products, Denon Heos and the like? That’s an entry point for many from the “Sonos generation”.
Can't wait for the comparison with the new Q Acoustic Q Active 200 ;)
It actually made me quite unhappy that KEF won't bring the new KEF Connect to the original LS50W or LSX. Feels like those users are stuck with janky beta software. There shouldn't be much difference across platforms, surely it could be implimented.
I'm listening to your complaints and it makes me think to avoid kef.
same here. Absolutely furious. I'm a LS50W v1 owner and I felt completely abandoned by KEF. We paid $2200 to them and had to tolerate this stupid stupid app for years.
Dear John: Question about sound quality and electronic music.
I listen exclusively to electronic music and I use your recommendations as a baseline for audi gear. Should I avoid speakers that are too transparent and detailed with that type of music? Music that In most cases has no studio, no mics, no instruments to worry about! Mainly just computer samples and digital production tools. What's you're view: Should I buy something with high transparency? Or get something that is more forgiving of the audio quality?
Love your work :)
PS: I'd still want a smooth tweeter
Personally I’d say go for something with the sound signature you like most rather than looking for speakers that fit a particular genre. I only listen to electronic music, dnb and techno mostly and I wouldn’t let that limit my choice of speaker, headphone or iem. If you like a smooth top end and value that above all else find something that meets that need
@@r08zy I am an elektronic lover also. The quality of electronic music has gone up in the last decade. Loudspeakers will always be the weak link in the chain. The better your speaker, the more they disappear from the equation. No balanced speaker is to transparent or to detailed, You be surprised by the insight such speakers give you, because you get more inside the head of the musician.
Love your smart nuanced reviews, wish I lived in Berlin!
I started with an Audio Pro C10 mkii to have music on and for the price and the speaker it was it was amazing. But I missed stereo, details, clarity and the fact that I in the future would by a stereo-set and make them obsolete made me return them back.
I've since tried DALI Oberon, tried KEF LSX, looked at used Rubicon 2's and now a part of me just wants to stop overthinking and just get this because what I keep asking myself is "is this really giving me the best sound per dollar".
I loved the oberon 1's and for the price they seem great, but I cant use them for listening to big orchestras and heavier types of rock. The KEF LSX is amazing, but everyone complains about the apps. The Rubicon I absolutely loved. I trully love those speaker, but with a decent amp (with abilities to stream) it will over 2300 usd and at that price we're getting dangerously close to an LS50w ii.
The Oberon 1 with a powernode 2/2i will be around 1000 usd, but I'm not sure if that's a smarter choice than the KEF LSX which are going for 902 usd. And this is a weird situation, because even though I absolutely loved and love both DALI speakers It seems like the speakers that give the most sense to buy are either KEF LSX or KEF LS50 wireless ii.
I do have a decent headphone set up so tbh I'm thinking about just buying a dac for my phone and use them around the apartment instead as no speaker in teh budget hifi-class is able to play classical musical and orchestras well but I do not like wearing headphones that much ):.
Much waited! John + LS50W. Will it worth the upgrade? :)
Just bought my Kef LS50W 10 months ago.... so a bit sad right now, you can't never be fullfilled with audio at this rythm.
Feels like connectivy got upgraded, but as far as sound and despite the meta absortion material you don't seem like there is world between them and that calms me down.... cause acording to "Steve" is like they were from another world.
Question about old LS50W, just suscribed to Amazon Music HD and I can't send music on "wifi" mode, only throught BT. Is that normal or something than new 50WII allow but old ones still not?
What if you want to connect a turntable? I FEEL (but do not know if this is the case) that 3.5 mm stereo jack is not a serious connection for quality equipment
Why? Other than durability 3.5mm will not make a difference in sq over rca
I would honestly love for there to be a LSX II.
Hi John, thanks for your great reviews! love to hear your thoughts, Elac NAVIS ARB51 or KEF LS50 Wireless II ? They are pretty much the same cost here in Australia. Have been saving for a while
Hi John,
Thanks for again a useful and entertaining review. My question: do the improvements of the LS50 WII in your opinion make such a difference that you would revisit your conclusion in your Buchardt A500 review (giving the Buchardts a significant higher "rating" than the KEFs)? After that review I was planning to take the risk of testing the A500. But now I am considering to first listen to the LS50 WII (and the Elac Navis ARB51).
Simply the best ,great review 👍🏼
As a total beginner I really enjoyed this review. Can you recommend a streaming service that has original sounding music? I have Spotify on my phone but all the albums (80’s’ music I like) sound so digitally fake. How do I get streaming to sound like my old CD player? ( I still have the cds)
Thanks
Try Tidal
I think these wireless 2 are a no brainier update even for wireless 1 owner. Better Amp, new DSP, all Streaming Services, all Connectivy Standards, new App... The 12Gen UniQ and Meta is just the icing on the top. Once there is a good deal on the new , likely Xmas, i will switch!
I'm in the same boat. Feels an awful lot like current owners are getting every improvement they could ask for. I love how many serious options the active speaker space now has with Klipsch "the fives", Ls50x's, LS50wii's, and Buchard A500's.
AnotherAnonymousMan Yep, but for the KEF got one thing right from the start that makes them so spot on for current market - its all integrated in the speaker and therefore if you connect the record player at least the signal isn’t streamed like on others ... and in todays enthusiast / hifi market it is all about Vinyl and Streaming.
Another great review. Attempted to set up a Qobuz account last night but the pay screen kept giving me an error message. Set up a Deezer account instead, very impressed with it so far. Had everything I searched for including quite obscure stuff.
Lovin the intro music John
Doe these speakers need special room placement? How do they handle being near a corner around 10-30cm away from walls? I don't recall John mentioning that in the video, might be wrong! :) Thanks for another good video.
I've asked my a similar question. Does the meta-tecnology have consequence for speaker placement?