KEF
KEF LS50 Wireless II
Pickup currently unavailable at Shop location
KEF LS50 Wireless II
Simple. Elegant. Beautiful.
The LS50 Wireless II speaker from KEF is the perfect all-in-one speaker/audio system that delivers true audiophile performance. It reveals every detail and nuance of your favorite music, and offers a plethora of streaming options. Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Chromecast and so much more. There are no preamps, amplifiers or other components to buy in order to have beautiful, audiophile quality music playing in your home. The LS50 Wireless II has all of that built in.
Our Take: The Sound
The speakers surprised us with it's rather reserved sonic character. Far from being in your face, the LS50 Wireless II with the META Tweeter presents the music accurately, with incredibly detailed highs and a warm, rich bottom end and midbass. Power is important to the LS50 W II. Different power cords will influence the character greatly, as will power conditioning and good electrical outlets. Our best results were when we Plugged the LS50's into a QSA Yellow AC receptacle, and used an Audience Forte F5 power cordfor powering the speakers. The soundstage really blossomed with width and depth. Detail became even more finessed and natural as well. Bass improved along with the vocal ranges. We ultimately recommend a KEF KF62 Subwoofer for filling in the bottom end with more visceral impact.
Reviews
Documentation
Turn on the KEF LS50 Wireless II and you are greeted by the most immersive, distortion-free sound you've probably ever heard from speakers this size. - Wired Magazine
Fully Active
The LS50 Wireless II features 100 watt class A/B amplifiers (known for their smoothness) for the the high frequency drivers, and 280 watt class D amplifiers (Known for their powerful, punch and clean bass) powering the midbass drivers. The sound is powerful, musical, and accurate. There is also a built in streamer and DAC with plenty of digital inputs.
High Resolution Music Playback
The LS50 II Wireless has support for streaming music files up to 24bit/384kHz, as well as MQA, DSD256, and Roon Ready. However
Streaming Options
- Spotify Connect
- Apple Music
- Amazon Music
- Tidal Connect
- Qobuz (via the KEF Connect App)
- Deezer
- Internet Radio
Wireless Streaming Support
- Airplay 2
- Chromecast
- Roon Ready
- Bluetooth
12th Generation Uni-Q Driver with MAT
The LS50 Wireless II features KEF's 12th generation Uni-Q driver with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT ¢) for exceptional acoustic accuracy and a pure natural sound.KEF's Uni Q technology is essentially an advanced coaxial driver. Every KEF home audio model has some version of the Uni Q driver as it's foundation. The coaxial driver provides a coherent, point source and offers even dispersion across a wide listening area. This means that the sound will appear to emanate from one coherent location, as opposed to hearing sound from a high and a low frequency driver separated by several inches. The sound will be phase coherent, meaning all frequencies will arrive at your ears at the exact time they are supposed to. Last it also means that the sound will be balanced across a wide listening area, so everyone in the room can enjoy the same fidelity.
Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) is a highly complex maze-like structure that eliminates the unwanted sound of the back wave of the driver, resulting in a purer, more natural performance. This back wave often reflects through the front of the driver causing smearing issues and distortion. The maze like chambers in the MAT are tuned to specific frequencies, and up to 99% of the back wave is absorbed by MAT.The performance benefits will blow you away.
As a Desktop/Near Field Speaker
The LS50 Wireless II is a perfect desktop speaker. It's small size, and powered design make is a clutter free option for your office. The Uni-Q driver is a perfect speaker for near field listening. The coaxial design means the all of the frequencies produced emanate from a single point, producing a uniform, coherent sound field even in close proximity to your ears.
Matching Stands
For in-room use, we recommend the matching stands. The color matched and perfectly sized stand compliments the sleek and modern styling of the LS50 Wireless II. Priced at $449 per pair.
Pairing with the KC62 Subwoofer
Adding a single or a pair of the KEF KC62 micro subwoofers creates a system with even more impact and room shaking bass response. The KC 62 not only fills in the low end beautifully, but it has the audible effect of improving the midrange as well.
"This was the flattest 40Hz–200Hz response I have ever achieved in my room, with any speaker. The effect of this flatness was not subtle. With the LS3/5a, the focus, impact, and fundamental tone of plucked bass notes—by Dave Holland, Charlie Haden, and Charles Mingus—were dramatically improved. With the KC62 dialed in, midrange presence and spaciousness were improved in ways that made it easier for me to look into the soundspace and stay focused on performances. Instruments and voices sounded bigger, more physical, and easier to "see" with the KC62 engaged."- Herb Reichert, Stereophile
Specifications
Drive Units Uni-Q Driver Array:
- LF: 130 mm (5.25 in.) aluminium cone
- HF: 25 mm (1 in.) vented aluminium dome with Metamaterial Absorption Technology
Frequency range (-6dB) measured at 85dB/1m: 40 Hz - 47 kHz *Depends on EQ settings
Frequency response (±3dB) measured at 85dB/1m: 45 Hz - 28 kHz *Depends on EQ settings
Amplifier output power (per speaker) LF: 280W HF: 100W
Wireless streaming features:
- AirPlay 2
- Google Chromecast
- ROON Ready
- UPnP Compatible
- Bluetooth 4.2
Streaming services
- Spotify via Spotify Connect
- Tidal
- Amazon Music
- Qobuz
- Deezer
- QQ Music via QPlay
- Internet Radio
- Podcast
Source resolution:
- Network up to 384kHz/24bit Optical up to 96kHz/24bit
- Coaxial up to 192kHz/24bit
- HDMI up to 192kHz/24bit
Interspeaker connection Wireless: all sources resampled to 96kHz/24bit PCM
Wired: all sources resampled to 192kHz/24bit PCM
Supported formats (all inputs):MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, WMA, LPCM and Ogg Vorbis
Supported format (network):
- MQA
- DSF: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256
- DFF: DSD64
Dimensions (HWD per speaker): 305 x 200 x 311 mm (12 x 7.9 x 12.2 in.)
Weight (per set): 20.1kg (44.31lbs)
Power input: 100 - 240VAC 50/60Hz
Power consumption:
- 200W (operating power)
- <2.0W (standby power)
Primary speaker Inputs:
- HDMI eARC
- TOSLINK Optical
- Digital Coaxial
- Analog 3.5mm Auxiliary
- USB Type A (service)
- RJ45 Ethernet (network)
- RJ45 Ethernet (interspeaker)
Output: RCA Subwoofer output
Wi-Fi network standard: Dual-band 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
Secondary speaker Inputs:
- USB Type A (service)
- RJ45 Ethernet (interspeaker)