KEF LS50 Wireless
Tis is where it all began, just a couple of short years ago. The KEF LS50 Wireless took us more than a bit by surprise when they arrived in our testing rooms in 2017. And, more importantly, the pair also absolutely delighted us with the impressive functionality, superb sonic ability, and sheer “rightness” of the product. So impressed were we, indeed, that the LS50 Wireless became the very first entry into our newly created Hall of Fame at our Awards in 2017.
KEF’S LS50 Wirelesses combine a wide range of features in an elegant two-box format. There are two fully active speaker boxes, arranged in a master and slave configuration. All sources connect to the right (master) speaker, which is then linked to the left by means of a supplied ethernet cable. Wireless doesn’t actually mean truly wireless, you have mains leads for each speaker and a connecting lead between them. Still, this is a neater solution than traditional separates.
Uni-q design
The Award-winning passive LS50S are the basis for this design. The drive units remain unchanged. These speakers use a Uni-q array where the 25mm aluminium dome tweeter sits in the centre of a 13cm magnesium/aluminium mid/bass cone. This helps to produce an even dispersion of sound and improves integration between the two drivers.
The beautifully built and finished enclosure is the same as the passive version, bar a few centimetres extra depth to accommodate the electronics and heatsinking. There are three cabinet options: the Titanium of our review samples, gloss black or gloss white – each with a coloured Uni-q driver array.
These are true active speakers where each drive unit has a dedicated power amplifier. A 30W Class A/B circuit feeds the tweeter while a 200W Class D module powers the mid/bass unit.
There are also controls for adjusting the sound for different speaker placements with options for close-towall or free space positioning as well as between desk or stand supports.
The dedicated app is well laid out and easy to use. It controls the streaming functionality and allows plenty of scope to fine-tune the speaker’s performance. There is room for improvement, though. It’s a little glitchy and unresponsive, making living with these speakers a fussier experience than it should be.
But to our ears, they sound at least as good as the best comparably featured separates combinations. Remember, here there are no extra electronics to house or cables to hide, just a pair of beautifully built speakers on a pair of stands.
We play Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa and are deeply impressed by what we hear. The LS50 Wirelesses sound clean and precise, digging up detail and delivering it in an organised and stable manner. We’re struck by their ability to generate strong dynamic shifts without stress. These are small speakers but they manage to fill our listening room. KEF claims a maximum sound pressure level of 106db, which should be loud enough for most people in most circumstances.
Positioned a little away from the rear wall and toed-in towards the listening position, they render a lovely, expansive soundstage that’s neatly layered and nicely defined. It’s even-handed yet refined enough to make the most of less than optimal recordings or sources.
Moving onto Massive Attack’s Angel, shows the LS50’S impressive bass performance. You won’t get deep floor-shaking bass, but they generate low frequencies that are taut, articulate and punchy. For a speaker that stands 30cm tall, it’s an impressive result. The good news continues higher up the range with a transparent and fluid midrange and insightful highs. Vocals are delivered with passion, while percussion comes through with bite and composure.
KEF has done a terrific job in taking the Award-winning LS50S and making them an even better proposition. That £2000 price tag looks hefty for such compact speakers, but it also buys you a dedicated streamer, a Bluetooth module, 24-bit/192khz DAC, preamp and four power amplifiers with 460W of output. Is this what the hi-fi system of the future looks like? We certainly hope so.