Active Kef LS50

[wgb113]

Seriously considering a pair of these. I loved the simplicity I had with my Quad 12L actives and Dynaudio BM5AmkII and these gave gobs more connectivity and tech built in.

 

The McIntosh/B&W Nautilus setup was always a goal if mine and it's enjoyable but there's something I miss about the LS50s.

@Kal Rubinson did you get a chance to bounce around the sub integration settings on the app? I ran dual subs with the passive LS50s but with only one Sub Out and a highish crossover point I'm wondering if there's any benefit to two mono subs (vs stereo subs like I have now).

[wgb113]

I have no idea what you are referring to.

 

Sorry Kal, let me clarify. I noticed you mentioned seeing some different settings such as multi-channel in the app that KEF will provide to take advantage of the Wireless LS50 technology. I was wondering if you had a chance to see, within the app, what sort of bass management will be made available.

 

Bill

[wgb113]

I got them sorted on proper stands (VTI VSP24B) and have been going through some new stuff - Shins, Elbow, Laura Marling, Temples - can't believe how good these things sound.

 

After having the passive for years and running them with dual subs crossed over @80 Hz I was fully ready to do the same. I think I could live without a sub happily for 95% of my music.

 

After hearing what KEF's been able to do with some EQ/DSP my search for a sub has steered from SVS to Elac. Their Debut line features similar tech to get the bass smoothed out at the listening position. For just under $3K (retail) you could have a nearly full-range kick butt setup.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

[wgb113]

My pair in the wild...these things rock!

 

[wgb113]

Man, been away a while.  Stopped in to check on the updates - glad I haven't updated anything yet!

 

Sorry to hear you guys are experiencing issues.  It's as if they didn't beta test the updates at all/long enough.  I was looking forward to the part about being able to manipulate sound settings without stopping the music and going over to WiFi.

 

I'm still loving the sound of the speakers and my usability issues are nil

due to only using them with hard-wired sources.  

 

I'm working on some DIY power cords and interconnects for them and will post pics when done.

[wgb113]

On 4/16/2017 at 7:15 AM, Tait said:

Nice setup! Always got time for a Rega CD player! ❤

I note your speakers are angled in quite a bit compared to mine, mine only have a slight tow in, did you experiment with positioning before settling on their final resting spot?

Sorry for the delayed response!  Yes, I did start with them firing straight out, and slightly closer together.  I found that I like this version a little further apart but still prefer them on-axis.

[wgb113]

On 4/15/2017 at 2:23 PM, peter27 said:

 

Can you expand on the similarities/differernces between the KEF LS50w and AKG K812. I own the former and have been eying the K812.

I think the AKGs sound very similar in the mids and highs to the KEFs - natural, open and airy is how I'd describe both.

 

The bass is difficult to compare, simply because speakers give you that visceral impact that headphones can't.

[wgb113]

I'm not experiencing any issues so I'm going to hold off on the updates.  Still amazed at these speakers each time I listen.

[wgb113]

Been away for a while - enjoying music and not worrying about gear!  Ran into an issue with my nearly 3yr old LS50Ws this past Monday.  Posted about it a couple of other places but figured I'd add it here as well:

 

First the stats:

• Manufactured 11/2016
• Running latest firmware.
• Approx. 150 - 200 hours on them.

Was listening to albums for about 3 hours on Sunday and everything was perfectly fine. Went to listen to an album Monday night and about half a side in it sounded like the left (slave) speaker’s woofer stopped working.

Played through the rest of the side (was needledropping) and then switched to the Optical input to rule out the Turntable and Phono Preamp as the fault. Used a mono CD and confirmed it was an issue with the speaker.

 

Checked the firmware version, it was up to date.

 

Disconnected and reconnected all source connection and the speaker-to-speaker cable.

 

Performed a Reset which did not work.

 

Unplugged both speaker’s power cords for a minute and reconnected. Everything was working fine again…for about a minute.

 

Unplugged just the slave speaker’s power cord - did not work.

 

Unplugged just the master speaker’s power cord - sound came back as normal…for about a minute.

 

Contacted KEF USA and they requested I send the speakers back which I’m doing today.  I’m obviously well out of the curiously short 1 year warranty at this point which is my reason for updating this post - to see how they deal with out-of-warranty repairs. I agree with the earlier poster that suggested KEF should have simply extended the warranty on all LS50Ws within a given production batch to at least 5 years (the standard warranty on the much-less complex passive speakers). They could have saved a lot of the bad feeling that have resulted as well as the hesitation prospective buyers feel when they come across the issues that are being reported.

 

As a big KEF fan I’m hoping they’re able to fix my pair at no extra charge other than shipping. I love the LS50W as it seems to me to be the fully-realized version of what they intended the LS50 to be (I lived with the passives for close to 4 years). I really don’t want to have to start a new search at this point, even though there are more options now than there were 3 years ago.

I’ll report back in about a month (they quote a 3 week turnaround time to diagnose and repair).

[wgb113]

So I got an update yesterday. Both “main boards” had to be replaced. They should ship Monday and I’ll have them back Tuesday/Wednesday.

As far as I know they replaced them free (except for shipping to them) and they’re 2 years out of warranty which I think is the right thing for them to do so, we’ll done KEF.

There does seem to be an unforeseen issue with early batches that hopefully has been fixed as they began to see problems. Still wish they would have done something similar to what Subaru did with the CVT on our Forester and simply sent a letter to owners stating they’d extended the warranty on them rather than leaving uncertainty out there.

Can’t wait to get them back!

[wgb113]

I'd reach out to KEF - they took care of my pair well out of warranty and I was only out shipping costs to them.

[wgb113]

On 1/21/2020 at 9:15 AM, mourip said:

 

Hang in there. I helped a friend set up her LSX's. I believe that KEF powered speakers are one of the best values in audio.

 

I had her download a trial version of Roon and within days she proceeded to purchase the lifetime license. Add in Qobuz and you can explore new music forever without filling your home with CD cases or buying music that you did not know that you did not like!

All is well - KEF fixed them well out of warranty and all I paid was return shipping to them.