Active Kef LS50

[DarwinOSX]

4 hours ago, erniejade said:

Has anyone done the firmware update and been successful?  

As posted above I did it and everything went fine. 

[DarwinOSX]

6 hours ago, erniejade said:

So no distortion issues that others are having?   Nothing weird going on?  Did you have to reset your dsp settings?  

All has been good for me with everything that you mention.  The previous issues were with the Windows firmware so perhaps they made sure the same issues weren't in the OS X firmware.  But since they haven't issued a Windows firmware update since people reported problems then I guess who knows.

With all my bitching and moaning about an OS X update I figured I would be a guinea pig. 

 

[DarwinOSX]

1 minute ago, erniejade said:

Awesome! . I am running it on an ipad and will give it a shot.   Thanks! !

 

The combination of the firmware and app update seems to have improved a lot of functionality. Finally Kef seems to be putting some attention into this. More to do though. 

[DarwinOSX]

1 minute ago, erniejade said:

On my iPad, I clicked the download for OS X and it comes up with open with. What do you open it in?  

IPads use iOS, Macs use OSX. This is a disk image for a Mac.

[DarwinOSX]

Just now, erniejade said:

Well shoot! That stinks.  I thought they run on the same stuff.  I don't want to use windows since you had problems with it.  Shoot.  I will figure out something.  

I didn't use Windows others did and had issues. Kef has admitted some people running Windows have had issues. 

[DarwinOSX]

26 minutes ago, GeorgeFlush said:

For LS50 Wireless owners:

 

I have the million dollar question, do the speakers "hiss"?

 

Let me explain a bit, I own a pair of JBL LSR 305 right now, and upgraded my regular computer to a silent one (SSD drives, fanless), so I haven't got noise from other devices in the room. I listen to the speakers nearfield (1,3 meters distance), due to the cheap noisy internal amps, I hear hiss from the tweeters when not playing music, and is annoying.

 

So, in a quiet room, at a close distance, do you hear hiss or hum from the speakers?

Would appreciate a noise level comparsion between the JBL and the KEF, sadly, manufacturers don't give noise specs on active speakers.

 

'There is no hiss at all. 

[DarwinOSX]

41 minutes ago, GeorgeFlush said:

Thanks!

So dead silent when not playing music, wonderful...will buy one pair asap, can't touch the price perfomance ratio

You won't regret it for sound quality that's for sure. 

 

[DarwinOSX]

29 minutes ago, erniejade said:

Tried to do the firmware update in a borrowed Mac laptop. It had 10.6 and after you try to run the install, it says you need 10.10 Or higher.  The firmware wait continues.  

That's pretty lame.  There is very little difference between those two which means they only tested on one version.

Ask the person you borrowed it from to upgrade. It's a minor upgrade. 

Meanwhile I changed auto standby to 60 minutes which worked at first but now it stays on all the time. 

Sloppy Kef, sloppy. 

 

[DarwinOSX]

10 hours ago, aksh said:

Need help.

Just bought a new pair of white LS50Ws and updated on MacOS. Got the Update successful screen. Since then, the speaker has gone into hang mode (icons switching between 'select' and 'reduce volume'. Reset LED keeps blinking green and does nothing when reset pressed. How do I do a complete system reboot?

That sucks.  You will want to know about the FAQs for his speaker.

http://international.kef.com/ls50-wireless

 

Here is how to do a reset.

 

A5: How to do a factory reset?

1.     Press a paperclip or a small Allen key on the “Reset” button in the back panel

 

2.     Release the pin when the blinking green light goes solid

[DarwinOSX]

On 7/16/2017 at 0:46 PM, GeorgeFlush said:

Couldn't find any review on this, but it may be an interesting comparsion vs the KEF

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR705P

These are pretty different products.  The JBL is a studio monitor with nowhere near the inputs or flexibility of the Kef's.  The Dynaudio speakers are a much better comparison.

[DarwinOSX]

1 hour ago, GeorgeFlush said:

 

Digital crossover? Check

Phase and time corrected? Check

Bespoke drivers? Check

Room correction? Check

Bi-amplified? Check

2k price? Check

 

The only difference is that you need an AES/EBU card like Linx AES16e to run them digitally, the rest is equal but on a sturdier, less hifi package (minus the streaming capability of course)

They're both competing products for anyone wanting active speakers without needing the wireless and streaming capability.

No optical

No USB

No Bluetooth

No wifi

No RCA

No upgradeable firmware,

No app with integration to DLNA and various streaming services.

The Kef is designed for a combination of home theater and music.

The JBL is designed specifically to accurately replicate studio sounds.

 

These are very different products for very different purposes.

[DarwinOSX]

3 hours ago, Tait said:

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.

 

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?

[DarwinOSX]

On 7/18/2017 at 5:53 PM, GeorgeFlush said:

 

Sir I think we'll never agree on this 

Just imagine if you want an active desktop speaker for nearfield listening, best possible quality and you don't care about USB, bluetooth, RCA or streaming because you don't need it, then the active LS50 and the JBL are competing options.

LS50 is marketed as a studio monitor, and the active version seems to perform much better according to all the reviews published, so is suitable for the task.

 

 

The LS50 I assume you mean LS 50W is not marketed as a studio monitor at all but as an audiophile monitor.  The one you are showing is specifically a studio monitor.  I don't think you realize studio monitors are designing for mixing rooms etc not for audiophiles.

Kef markets it as an audiophile level speaker that can also accept many devices like TV's turntables, external DAC, and be on your ethernet network and also wifi..  Look at their website.  It could not be clearer.

http://us.kef.com/ls50-wireless

[DarwinOSX]

16 minutes ago, Tait said:

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.

I've been using a Meridian Explorer 2. 

'I want to connect my TV optical to the Node 2 then the Node 2 to my Kefs. 

[DarwinOSX]

So my Kef's are attached to my Samsung JS9000 optical port.  After seeing many positive reviews I attached an iFi SPIDF sound purifier and it is a really nice difference in sound quality.  More distinct and separated. It's a no brainer for $149. :-). I play Roon and Pandora from Apple TV HDMI to the Kef's.

http://ifi-audio.com/portfolio-view/accessory-spdif-ipurifier/

 

Got the idea from Darko's review.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/09/ifi-spdif-ipurifier-entry-level-pricing-next-level-results/

 

[DarwinOSX]

3 hours ago, erniejade said:

Nice choice on the ifi!.    For the $, they make a good product.   

Thanks, I'm really happy with it especially for the $$

[DarwinOSX]

4 hours ago, unclepuncle said:

Just got a pair of these yesterday and happy with the sound but have a problem with the speaker losing it's network connection everytime I put it into standby, or after it goes into standby under its own steam after 20 mins of inactivity.

The only way to reconnect is to do a hard reset using the button on the back of the master speaker and then go through the whole 'add new speaker' procedure again.

This works perfectly each time but the connection is lost when the speaker goes into standby!

 

I am using an oldish Netgear modem/router DG834 so nit dual channel, 5k or whatever the latest spec is - could that be the problem.

 

The initial set-up goes perfectly and I am running Tidal through the app - nothing else is connected to the speakers. 

The app isn't perfect by any means and there are some glitches, drop-outs, track jumping etc, but I can live with that. But I can't keep going through this hard reset malarkey everytime.

 

Any ideas or suggestion?

 

 

 

Are you on the latest software and firmware?

Have you talked to Kef? You can submit a support request via the app now. 

'When you say network connection I'm not sure if you mean wired Ethernet or wifi. 

'If wifi go read the FAQ for these speakers on the Kef page. They give specific channels to use for wifi and other details. 

If you aren't having issues with anything else with that router is probably not the router. 

[DarwinOSX]

4 hours ago, unclepuncle said:

Well did the hard reset and I struggled to get the speaker recognised during the install procedure (when you have to go into the iPad network settings and select it). I then connected an ethernet lead attached to a homeplug, and then the speaker appeared in the network screen, so I selected it and went back into the app to finish off the set-up. Everything seemed ok and I played some music via the integrated Tidal.

But again the Kef switches itself off after 20 minutes of inactivity (while I went for a dog walk) and then the app says no speaker when I bring it out of standby.

It no longer appears in the network setting screen of the iPad? Yet the wireless icon on the top of the speaker is solid white and it is still connected to the homeplug.

 

 

 

 

 

'Did you try all the things I already mentioned?  I'm having a hard time understanding what you have done. 

Again I don't think it is your network. 

 

[DarwinOSX]

Making sure the software and firmware are updated should be the first step. 

This does not sound like network. 

[DarwinOSX]

You really need to find a way to update the firmware. 

Some of the issues you are describing are what a lot of us had early on. The firmware and app updates work together to solve these sorts of issues. 

I've had my Kefs since last December.

Kef is going to tell you the same thing. 

http://international.kef.com/product-support

[DarwinOSX]

26 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

You can change the sleep timeout to 60min by holding down the desk/stand button at the rear until the lights blink.

 

I have mine hard wired to my LAN via Ethernet cable.  When I use the iOS app for settings, I select the Wireless input on the top panel.  I believe the app communicates with the LS50W  through my LAN via the wireless access point on my router.

 

You need to borrow a laptop to do the firmware update.  Hook it into your LAN by Ethernet cable.

 

I got excellent support from the KEF America support site.  Prompt and useful info.

 

I don't think his issue is that it times out as intended but that when it times out he can't reconnect. Plus I don't think you can change the timeout if you're not on the latest firmware.

According to Kefs instructions you connect both by Ethernet and USB to do the firmware update. 

To the OP, you can expect regular firmware updates to fix issues like this or add new functionality. So you should be prepared to have some way to do this as needed 

 

 

[DarwinOSX]

9 hours ago, realhifi said:

Yikes. That's iOS 101. I would have thought that would have been tried before even thinking there was an issue. 

It is for some of us but I'm not surprised people don't know that. 

[DarwinOSX]

3 hours ago, unclepuncle said:

Well it was a new one on me.

I'd never had to that with the Aurlaic, Naim or Oppo apps that I have used.

 

Still the method seemingly works everytime and I am now thoroughly enjoying the Kefs.

 

I only use Tidal, via the app, and have a few questions.

 

All my favourites are stored in the album category - and it lists them by most recent first, which means to scroll down to the first album I favourited takes ages. Is there anyway to change the list to alphabetical?

Also I don't seem to be able to add any new favourites via the app. When I click on the heart icon I get a message saying it can't be done (I will do it again when I get home and relay the exact message that appears).

 

I'm using Roon with iTunes and Tidal integrated as well as some FLAC files stored on my NAS. I play to the Kefs by Apple TV connected from my TV to the Kefs by optical and also by a SonicOrbiter to the Kef USB port.  The combination of Roon and SonicOrbiter are really great for a cohesive solution that sounds fantastic and way better than just using the Kef app.  

[DarwinOSX]

28 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

 

INVESTIGATION....

 

I can duplicate the intermittent "stuttering" problem playing Grateful Dead/American Beauty/Operator (MASTER) using the Windows Tidal app.

• Imac27 > Bootcamp PC > USB > iPurifier > iUSB > KEF LS50W
• In Tidal, I have the LS50W setting to Exclusive/Force Volume
• I also get stuttering playing some HIFI tracks, but it is less frequent than MASTERS. Grateful Dead/American Beauty (HIFI) plays fine.
• No other apps loaded/playing in the background

NEXT: changed the DAC...

• Imac27 > Bootcamp PC > USB > iPurifier > iUSB > Meridian Explorer2 line out > KEF LS50W
• In Windows Tidal, I have the Explorer2 setting to Exclusive/Force Volume/Passthrough
• Grateful Dead/American Beauty (MASTER) now plays fine.

Now I suspect the problem is in the Windows Tidal app (doing the partial unfold).   Version 2.1.10.314

 

P.S. I find the sound quality of PC > USB > LS50W to be better than running the the E2 line out > RCA sockets on LS50W.

 

Why are you using the Windows Tidal app instead of Mac?

 

 

[DarwinOSX]

46 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

Tested MacOS Tidal app.  So far no stuttering on Grateful Dead/American Beauty (MASTER) 

I’ve never had stuttering on the Mac app.