You don’t need a separate amplifier or receiver with separate speakers for a long time now for a high-quality audio system. The KEF LS50 Wireless II contains integrated amplifiers. Place these chic bookshelf speakers in the listening room and stream your favorite songs. How does this all-in-one audio system work in practice? Read it in this KEF LS50 Wireless II review.
KEF LS50 Wireless II
Price € 2799 per speaker set
Audio drivers Midrange/woofer (13 cm), tweeter (2.5 cm)
Frequency range 40Hz – 47kHz
Maximum (playable) audio quality 192kHz/24bit (pcm)
wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), bluetooth 4.2
Connections HDMI, s/pdif (optical/coaxial), 3.5mm audio input, ethernet
Audio formats Mp3, m4a, aac, flac, wav, aiff, alac, wma, lpcm, ogg, mqa, dsd
Protocols AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Roon, UPnP
Dimensions 30.5 × 20 × 31.1 centimeters per speaker
Weight 10 kilos per speaker
Website https://nl.kef.com/ 9 Score 90
- Pros
- Easy configuration
- Stylish design
- Many connection options
- Great sound quality
- Broad file support
- Negatives
- Duration
- No protective cap
- Scarce remote control
- Requires two outlets
- English app
- Lacks a solid bass
Despite the relatively compact housing, every sound box of the KEF LS50 Wireless II ten kilograms. That is quite heavy for monitor speakers. That’s promising, because apparently powerful power supplies are built in. Position the speakers on a TV cabinet, shelf, or optional stands.
The sound box looks sober, but stylish. KEF has omitted frills as much as possible. The renowned speaker brand focuses on critical listeners with this product. The solid suggested retail price of 2799 euros is therefore appropriate. The front contains a spacious 13-centimeter midrange/woofer, which houses a 2.5-centimeter decoupled tweeter. A protective cap is missing, so be careful with the vulnerable audio drivers. Interested parties can choose from the color schemes black, grey, white and red.
The top of the right speaker has a modest control panel with touch keys. Use it to switch audio sources or adjust the volume. Incidentally, the manufacturer also supplies a compact remote control. This remote control feels a bit cheap and doesn’t really fit well with this luxurious speaker set.
Connect speakers and select audio source
Connecting the KEF LS50 Wireless II is quickly beeped. Keep in mind that both speakers have a power supply, so you have to reserve two sockets. The English language KEF Connect app guides listeners through the configuration. Download this application from the Play or App Store. After creating an account, the app detects the speakers almost immediately in the home network.
Decide whether you want to connect the speakers via Ethernet or WiFi. In the latter case, choose the correct network name, after which you enter the corresponding password if prompted. Via a button on the back it is possible to connect both speakers wirelessly, although you can also use a network cable for this.
As soon as this active speaker set is connected, you can stream music directly via the home network. The KEF Connect app refers you to the online music services Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz, among others. Thanks to UPnP support, the app searches for music servers in the network at your request. Useful in case you have an audio collection on a computer, media player or NAS manages.
Alternatively, you can play audio from locally connected sources just as easily. Connect a television via HDMI and provide TV programs with good sound from now on. Furthermore, the back of the right speaker contains an optical, coaxial and analog input. Connect, for example, a computer, CD player, game console or record player (with phono preamplifier).
Sound quality
As you would expect from an active speaker set in this price range, the audio quality is excellent. Place the bookshelf speakers far enough apart and experience a beautiful stereo image with high detail. The songs sparkle, so there is no listening fatigue even after hours of sessions.
The highs sound flawless, while the relatively small sound box also manages to produce a decent bass. Do you value exciting genres such as dance and hip-hop? In that case, the low reproduction may be a bit lacking. Optionally connect a subwoofer for a more emphatic bass reproduction.
Even with highly compressed Spotify streams, the KEF LS50 Wireless II effortlessly lets you hear what it’s got. The difference with cheap audio sets is very big.
For an even better sound, fire streams or music files of a higher quality at the speakers. This becomes clear when we stream an album with high-quality flac files via our test system. The songs sound very open and dynamic, making the music come to life, as it were. With a wired network connection, the speakers can handle a maximum quality of 192 kHz/24bit.
Conclusion
The KEF LS50 Wireless II is excellent in practice, although we do struggle with the hefty asking price. There may also be costs for speaker stands. Nevertheless, we heartily recommend this all-rounder because of its user-friendly configuration, many connection options and high sound quality.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re watching a Netflix movie, streaming a Spotify playlist or listening to a CD. This active speaker set promotes the sound of any source to a pleasant listening experience, in which the smallest audio details come to the fore. However, a strong bass reproduction is missing in exciting music styles.
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