Imagine the sound of a high-end stereo system: detailed, powerful, incredibly lively. Now remove the tangle of wires, bulky amplifiers, and complex settings from this picture. This is exactly what the KEF LS50 Wireless bookshelf speakers offer.
These are not just speakers, but an entire audio system in a compact package. Inside each one is a powerful amplifier for low and high frequencies, as well as all the necessary components for wireless music reception. All you need to do is plug them into a power outlet and select your favorite track.
In this article, we will examine what these acoustic chameleons are truly capable of. We will listen to how they transmit music via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, evaluate the convenience of controlling them from a smartphone, and, of course, immerse ourselves in their renowned, benchmark sound. Do they justify their price and prestigious name? Let us explore this together.
Irresistibility
The black and blue version looks very impressive. The combination of glossy black, a forward-curving front panel, and the aggressive look of the Uni-Q driver, which even has sharp protruding ribs on its suspension, reminded me of the xenomorph from the Alien movie series. It looks serious and convincing. If you don't mess up the design of the stands, the system will look irresistible.
In addition to the remote control, power cables, and a patch cord connecting the left and right speakers, the package includes another standard patch cord for Ethernet and a long USB cable for connecting to a computer. I would like to note that the cables look very high quality, and there is no desire to replace them with something more substantial.
There is a wide selection of inputs, allowing you to connect your computer, TV, CD player, and even vinyl at the same time.
There were no problems connecting the speakers to the network. With automatic DHCP IP address distribution, no manipulation is required; just connect the cable, and the speakers are ready to go.
Connecting to a computer via USB was not so easy and quick. Windows requires a driver, a link to which can be found in the specifications published on the website, in the instructions, or in the video tutorial on connecting the speakers. However, the website does not have the usual “downloads” section, which is initially confusing.
The layout of the touch buttons and indicators does not spoil the design, but it does not stand out in terms of functionality either.
After installing the driver, the audio stream can be output from any software player installed in Windows. The ASIO protocol is not supported, but Foobar can use the equally high-quality WASAPI.
Dual control
If we look at the competition, conventional active speakers, like all kinds of network audio systems, usually do not have a remote control at all. In the first case, this implies that the preamplifier or source has a remote control, and in the second, all control is reduced to working with the app. The KEF LS50W has both, which is a huge plus at times, but can sometimes be a source of stress.
The proprietary app used for setup and control is available on Google Play and the App Store. There were no problems finding and installing it, but there were some complaints about its performance. The app does not support the now familiar internet radio and streaming services such as Tidal and Spotify, but this functionality is at the top of the developers' list. By the end of the year, they promise to add support for multi-room systems.
The app looks stylish. The main thing is to remember to upload the album cover images to your server.
We'll talk about the settings a little later, but for now, I'd like to draw your attention to another feature. The fact is that the app is not the primary means of control. It can only be used when the “Wi-Fi” input is active on the speakers, and to select the input, as you understand, you need to either pick up the remote control or walk over to the right speaker and press the touch button on it. This is somewhat inconvenient, especially since advanced settings are only available through the app. In other words, if you are listening to music from your PC, optical or analog input and you decide that you need to adjust the sound settings, you will have to perform a series of manipulations before you get to the desired menu.
This is what a modern Hi-Fi system might look like: speakers and a smartphone. You can listen to CD-quality FLAC files over a WiFi network without any loss of quality. 
Another factor that reduces user comfort is the lack of visible input indicators. There are indicators, but they are located on the top of the speaker. It is impossible to see them from the listening position. This would be acceptable if the remote control had separate buttons for direct selection of each input, but this is not the case either. The inputs are selected by sequentially pressing a single button. So, you either learn to do this blindly, memorizing the sequence of inputs and counting the presses from one to the next, or you hang a mirror above the speakers so you can see the input indicators. I don't have any other ideas.
Guess which of the three remotes belongs to the pair being tested?
Well, to balance out this mess with something positive, I'm eager to share my main discovery: when connected to a computer via USB, the remote control can be used not only to control the volume, but also to control playback! Within a playlist, you can switch tracks, pause them, and start them again. And this, in my opinion, is humanity's greatest achievement since the invention of the USB DAC itself!
Settings from the boss
The sound settings menu in the KEF LS50W app is not a boring couple of lines, but a whole world that you can write legends about. There are three sections for users with different levels of training, and they look completely different from each other.
The first section, called “Default,” is more than concise. It consists of a message that the sound is well tuned and nothing needs to be changed. In fact, even in this case, there is something to touch, because there are two buttons on the back panel of the speaker that are used to set the basic parameters describing the installation conditions: on a stand or on a table, close to or far from the wall.
The Basic settings are simple and straightforward. If you know English
The second section, “Basic,” offers a more accurate description of the situation in addition to these two factors: for example, specify the distance to the edge of the tabletop and to the wall in centimeters, indicate the approximate area of the room and the degree of its soundproofing, and specify whether a subwoofer is connected. In my opinion, this is the optimal setting option, allowing you to get good results without any special knowledge. Anyone can measure a few centimeters.
In the expert settings, everything is presented in absolute values. How many dB on the high frequencies do you need to reduce so that your room does not seem noisy?
In the “Expert” settings, the approach is slightly different. Fine adjustments are made manually by controlling the output in the high and low frequency ranges and manually adjusting the subwoofer and its frequency to match the speakers. In addition, in expert mode, you can disable phase correction. Although I see no reason to disable this feature. The presence of the switch only confirms that KEF engineers are not wasting their time. The difference in detail and focus of the soundstage between phase correction mode and without it is obvious even to listeners who are far from the world of Hi-Fi and audiophile subtleties.
Radiators – a masterpiece of industrial design
It is reasonable to ask whether all other settings have an equally noticeable effect on the sound, and what would happen if all these adjustments were completely ignored. The installation settings in any version mainly affect the character of the bass and upper midrange. If you miss the mark with the settings in these ranges or don't adjust them at all, that's where the accents will appear, and the soundstage will be less precise and realistic. In short, all this digging around in the menu makes sense and produces a clearly audible result.
The KEF LS50 Wireless is not just a speaker, but a complete solution for those who want high-quality sound without the headache of wires and additional equipment. Inside, there is an amplifier, a DAC, and support for modern connection methods, including streaming. Connect to the network, connect to your phone or computer via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and immediately listen to music as if it were live: clear, detailed, with good soundstage and bass, despite its compact size. This is a rare case where everything has been thought out to the smallest detail, and the sound truly lives up to its ambitions.
Digital songs
I had previously heard how the KEF LS50W sounded from an analog input and via Bluetooth, but I hadn't been able to get to the main interfaces. And now, finally, the time has come to experience the full potential of this new product. For a speaker with metal cone drivers and such a compact size, the KEF LS50W provides a soundstage that is significantly more expansive and rich in timbre than one might expect. There is no dryness, harshness, or metallic overtones. There is not much bass, of course, but more than expected, and there is no obvious miniaturization of the sound image. The speed of the sound, which is quite expected for such dimensions, is quite consistent with the content being reproduced. The speakers do not fuss, working dynamically only when necessary.
In cool blue tones, the emitter evokes associations with Giger's paintings. But you haven't seen red yet!
Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 sounded very beautiful and melodious. The run across the piano keys down to the bass notes was reproduced smoothly, without accents. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (1989) surprised with their detailed spatiality and combination of a cohesive presentation with good audibility of individual instruments. Light classical and baroque music are ideal for the LS50W, but some symphonic works lacked scale and fullness, which made me think about the possibility of connecting a subwoofer.
To avoid accidentally confusing active and passive acoustics, the model name was placed in the most visible place.
The situation is similar with rock and electric blues. Overall, I was impressed with the sound quality. On the recording “Riding with a King,” the guitars of B.B. King and Eric Clapton were not only well reproduced in terms of timbre, but also clearly separated in space. The detail is excellent. When listening to Liquid Tension Experiment and Halestorm, there was no sense of muddiness or indistinctness in the midrange, and Dire Straits sounded perfect. But at times, again, there was a noticeable lack of deep bass notes. While Halestorm's “Dissident Agressor” with its shallow bass had a full sound, Dire Straits' “Calling Elvis” had a bass part that was more hinted at than fully reproduced.
This relatively small speaker truly works wonders.
Jazz sounded very good, from Ella Fitzgerald's standards to David Bowie's free jazz experiments. We were pleased with the dynamic capabilities of the acoustics and the overall tonal balance. Moments that were complex in terms of rhythm and polyphony were reproduced perfectly.
Needless to say, the soundstage was flawless on every recording. For modern KEF speakers with new-generation Uni-Q drivers, this is the norm, and we heard nothing else. The same can be said about the ability to fill the room with sound as evenly as possible and the lack of need to direct the speakers at the listener.
The relationship between the acoustics and various recording formats and sources is predictably linked to the high resolution of the acoustics. When connected via Bluetooth, compression can be noticed. In the case of analog sources, their quality and character largely determine the resulting sound (but in the end, the built-in digital player will still win).
The oval phase inverter port is integrated into the radiator design. It works quite intensively, but there are no buzzing sounds or drawn-out notes.
I couldn't notice any difference between USB connection and music playback from the server. The differences between CD-quality FLAC and Hi-Res weren't always audible, but only because some CD-quality recordings sounded almost as good as high-resolution files. The cleaner and more detailed the recording, the more vivid and natural it sounded. The only regret was the inability to play DSD directly.
So, the KEF LS50 Wireless proves that you no longer need bulky racks with equipment and a web of wires for uncompromising sound. Everything you need for an amazing listening experience is already hidden in these compact and elegant enclosures.
Of course, this is not a budget solution. But for your money, you get a ready-made, perfectly coordinated system. It is suitable for those who appreciate the beauty of sound and minimalism in interior design, without wanting to delve into the intricacies of configuring individual components.
To sum up, the LS50 Wireless is one of the most compelling arguments in favor of modern high-tech. They take the iconic sound of KEF engineers and present it in the most convenient and advanced form possible. This is the choice for the discerning listener who wants everything at once.
