Active Kef LS50

[Tait]

Listened to these yesterday. I have the passive versions with naim amplification.

Bigger sound, more space between instruments, better decay of notes, deeper bass. Couldn't believe what I was hearing to be honest. I want!

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Tait]

The Nait XS.

And to answer your question, yes, and then some! Buttery smooth, fantastic imagery and very musical.

I've had these in my home for about a month now and I couldn't be happier with them!

Don't miss my old system at all.

[Tait]

On 22/03/2017 at 10:53 PM, wgb113 said:

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

 

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?

[Tait]

So I borrowed a pair of my uncle's Russ Andrews 500 Series Powerkords to power the KEFs and....very impressed! Currently using Russ Andrews Classic series powerkords (2 below the 500 series) but the difference was startling!
More separation, tighter bass, improved details/dynamics. Just a greater sense of being involved with the music.
Stevie Ray Vaughan 9 minute epic Tin Pan Alley was a real eye opener!

One problem.....the price. At £500 each they aren't cheap! Ha!

What's the going rate for a kidney these days!?

[Tait]

Great news regarding the upcoming Tidal update.

Time will tell if my Blusound Node 2 is eventually made redundant!

[Tait]

The update that includes Tidal integration as well as the ability to change speaker settings under any input, not just Wi-Fi is now available in the Google Play store!

[Tait]

Had another update to the Android app yesterday. IOS users, did you get it also?

 

WHAT'S NEW:

- Various bug and crash fixes
- Fixed issue with Speaker sound settings not being accessible for some users 

 

Note! when switching away from Wi-Fi you will receive a warning that Wi-Fi is disconnected. 
Speaker sound settings are still accessible in other sources. 
If you are experiencing any issues, power off your router and wait ~60s before turning back on.

 

I've updated and can confirm this feature now works!

[Tait]

Is anyone using their LS50's with a microrendu? If so what do you think, worth the investment?

 

I'm using a Bluesound node 2 atm.

[Tait]

On 25/07/2017 at 3:08 AM, DarwinOSX said:

 

Tell us about that. :-)  I've been thinking of doing the same thing.  I use optical for my TV and would like to get Roon and MQA from the Bluesound.  My understanding is you have to connect it to the RCA ports?

That's correct, for MQA you have to use the Bluesound's RCA ports. Very nice it sounds too!

To my ears MQA files sound just that bit more natural (analogue, if you will).

 

If your using an external MQA DAC you can now set the bluesound to send the file to the external DAC.

[Tait]

Roon support is now available!

 

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/roon-1-3-build-269-is-live/32316

[Tait]

Anyone using their LS50's with Innuos Servers?

Thinking of swapping my laptop for a Zen Mini.

[Tait]

On 3/11/2018 at 11:27 AM, Stahl said:

Hi all, I wonder whether anyone can shed some light on the following issue with my Ls50 Wireless speakers.

 

Following a couple of months of wonderful listening via Roon and Tidal, my right (Master) speaker not drops sound intermittently every few seconds; left speaker is fine. This happens with all sources. I’m hard wired to the internet, have the latest firmware.

 

I did a hard reset, re-updated firmware and software, etc. right speaker works fine for a few minutes, then back to drop outs. This sounds like a serious hardware issue, but wanted to check with you guys first.

 

many thanks in advance for any advice or insights.

I'm afraid they'll have to go back for repair. I had exactly the same issue across all inputs.

Turns out it was one of the components that connects the left to right speaker that was faulty.

To be fair to KEF, they fixed and returned my speakers within a week and they've been fine ever since. I'm in the UK.

[Tait]

New update released today...

 

 

[Tait]

Thought I'd revive this thread by describing the improvements that adding an Innuos Phoenix has done to my LS50's and MK2 Zenith server setup.

 

The improvement is not subtle.

Soundstage has improved by quite some margin, instruments now seem to have their own space; the noise floor has dropped as I'm hearing things which I've never heard before; timing has improved (feets tapping a lot more!); The top end has a lovely shimmer to it.

 

Yes it's expensive, but having listened to it for a few weeks now, I can say it's the best upgrade I've made.

 

Definitely worth a look for anyone that has the KEFs but is looking to improve the sound even further.

[Tait]

22 hours ago, Richard Dale said:

I only use my LS50s and subwoofers with a wireless connection as it is really a ‘lifestyle’ system although on a large scale and I don’t want to have computers, USB cleaner uppers etc adding clutter. On the other hand having said that, I’m interested in what sort of scale the delta is between a high end USB input like you have, and a wireless music connection via UPnP.

 

I've never listened to my KEF's via wireless so can't comment there, but the difference between streaming natively via the KEF app and my Innuos setup really is night and day.

[Tait]

On 6/16/2020 at 4:19 PM, bunno77 said:

Very happy this thread is still going. I still don't own them but have heard them quite a few times now.

 

Can I ask if you have compared this to using the ethernet input ie Roon/DLNA etc via ethernet

 

Sorry, somehow missed this post.

 

I tried Roon briefly, before I bought the Zenith, using a laptop, but for me, I couldn't justify the price of Roon.

[Tait]

Not quite. The Zenith was ex demo. But that's besides the point!

 

Improvements to sound quality were worth every penny. Don't knock it until you try it!