Active Kef LS50

[feelingears]

On 6/3/2017 at 0:29 PM, DarwinOSX said:

Once again Kef puts out garbage software with half the things not working including the so called fixes.

I've had mine since December and I think I'm finally tired of all the usability and software issues.  Kef support simply does not reply to questions either.  I see no indication Kef is going to get their act together either.

Seriously thinking of replacing them with a receiver and ELAC Uni-fi UF5 speakers and I won't ever buy Kef again.

I'm posting everyplace that sells them and has a review to want others to know what they are getting into before they buy them.

 

THANK YOU. (Assuming your post is legit.) I just deleted a long diatribe here about crummy software and lousy user experiences. I will be sure to try before I buy, and maybe just buy used if it really is that bad. I also refuse to support incomplete products and poor software.

 

This makes me appreciate good Schiit all the more. Uptone and Sonore also come to mind. But hey, we can hope KEF aspire to improvement rather than, say, Nikon-like arrogance (a notable non-audio example of documented poor service over the years).

 

[feelingears]

1 hour ago, DarwinOSX said:

Why would my post not be legit...

 

Because on the net nobody knows if you're a dog? Kidding. No offense. 

 

I don't own the product so I have no experience with it. And I know this isn't Amazon, so I wrote that only to imply that I'm accepting your opinion despite the very small chance you have a conflict of interest. 

 

My experience with technological products and my observations suggest you're legit, and that companies tend to care about the sale but not the support. Even big ones like Nikon. This just represents their budget and their people. No great insight there. Other readers have to judge for themselves. I posted because I want companies to be more like Schiit and Uptone. One must have hope...some hope anyway. 

[feelingears]

This is all really a shame because like many people, I'm intrigued with the concept and the product. When I see half-a** service, I run the other way. 

 

I had budgeted for these a couple months ago. Now I'll watch and set my sights on Dynaudio instead. Maybe some Adams will be fun in the meantime. Ugly, I'll admit, but software headaches and brick wall support instead? NFW. 

 

To end positively: thanks all for posting here and warning the rest of us. This is audio; there are plenty of outstanding substitutes (whether Darko says so or not) to get excited about. 

[feelingears]

Like these ideas. And I'm a big fan of the W4S reclockers (Remedy and Recovery). Cool to have options with digital like this–the passive switch is a great idea. 

[feelingears]

4 hours ago, Bryan said:

Non-upgradeable DACs from mid-level-up components are issue for longevity. If no upgradable DAC, perhaps KEF will have incarnation of powered speaker with DAC which can process more types of high resolution files? If so may become interested in KEF again after my positive impressions with their KEF LS50s.

 

Well every pro reviewer admits their listening library is something like 90%+ PCM, and mine is about 99.9%, so personally I'm less concerned about upgrading, plus their DAC is presumably selected and tuned for their amp, enclosure, drivers, etc. so I'll go with what they've got or software upgrades (assuming those don't brick the product).

 

Anyway I finally got to audition these things at my dealer and despite their less than optimal setup (listening via wifi connection and via BT), there's a lot to like about the sound. And to the point of the DACs, I'm hearing why so many are raving about this system. (It is a system more than a speaker, clearly.) I like the idea that I don't have to spend or use a separate DAC (since it's built into the price!). 

 

I'm definitely going to get a pair to audition at home because I want to hear how it sounds with my own digital front end. 

 

The one thing that does give me pause however is the bass. (I guess I'm hung up on this end of the frequency spectrum.) From my audition, it's almost as if the drivers are being asked to do too much. Maybe it's unfair to be comparing these to my floorstanders, but while the sound is full, it comes off a bit blurry (bass guitar notes for example, and lower registers of the piano). 

 

Perhaps this is the wifi connection (streaming Tidal)? It's definitely bad with BT from my iPhone, which to my taste is not even good for casual listening.

 

To end positively, if the bass can be sorted out, the treble details and tonal body around instruments is highly impressive. 

 

 

 

 

 

[feelingears]

Oh that's cool and yes, you would want better decoding and converting. Totally get that. 

 

A lot of my favorites are lossless but not as much as I'd like. I can hear the difference if I a/b and if given a choice I'd want the higher res.

 

HQ Player is tempting but a little too geeky for my taste (read: not user friendly, not built to serve a wider customer base). 

[feelingears]

On 9/23/2017 at 1:11 PM, George Hincapie said:

I collected the LS50W today. Have to say that so far, I am disappointed. The bass is a bit all over the place and they seem bright to me. Feeding them WAV over WIFI at the moment...making my ears hurt. Have set them up in the KEF app with distance from wall, room size etc.

 

Is there a trick to make these sound good?

 

@George Hincapie Just curious if you've found a way to get bass to sound "right" to you. DarwinOSX's provided good posts on the inputs, etc. Maybe you've heard an improvement?

 

I auditioned them and the top half is pretty great on my dealer's system. "Sadly" I heard detail and tonal body I don't hear in my current system. (This doesn't happen frequently for me, and I love how once your ears are opened, you learn what you've been missing!) 

 

The bottom end however, didn't make me smile at all. I want to hear these in my own home with my own front end before I feel like I can say I "know" the sound.