The KEF LS50 Wireless II are high-fidelity audiophile grade speakers that deliver extremely detailed sound performance that stays true to the original recording, allowing you to hear music exactly as the artists intended it to be heard. They are very powerful speakers with each speaker coming with a 280W amplifier for the midrange frequencies and 100W for the tweeter, allowing you to hear the highs and mids with pristine clarity. While these speakers do not really have deep low-end bass due to the lack of a subwoofer, you can easily use an external subwoofer such as the KEF Kube 8b to get much deeper bass response. The KEF LS50 Wireless II is a fully wireless system that supports Spotify Connect, Apple Airplay 2, Tidal, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 4.2 for direct music streaming. It also provides an incredible 384kHz/24bit streaming depending on the connection – and also supports HDMI Arc, Digital coaxial, Wi-Fi and analog 3.5mm audio inputs. If you are looking for an audiophile grade speaker system that can deliver high-fidelity sound, the KEF LS50 Wireless II is definitely a great choice.
Sound Performance
The KEF LS50 Wireless II delivers some of the most articulate and accurate sound performance we have ever heard from a set of Hi-Fi speakers. You can really feel the difference between these speakers and other high-fidelity systems and hear details in the music that you might not have noticed before in the original recording. The highs are distinct and clear with really smooth treble ranges; we did not hear any hint of harshness at higher volume levels. Vocals sounded very lifelike and surprisingly natural and spacious – you feel as though you are sitting inside a live concert hall while listening to these speakers. The midranges are accurately produced and present due to the dedicated 280W amp; this makes the sound feel warm and natural to listen to, and the LS50 definitely has a warmer sound signature compared to other Hi-Fi sound systems we have tested.
One aspect of the KEF LS50 Wireless II speaker that really stands out is the spatial imaging and soundstage. These speakers deliver exceptionally wide soundstage with very good stereo presentation – you can practically sit in front of these speakers for hours on end and re-listen to all your favorite soundtracks and pick up details in the sound that you might not have noticed before. The separation that these speakers produce is incredibly good – you can hear the subtle sounds of musical instruments such as the plucking of guitar strings, the stroke of piano keys and the reverb of a drum roll with accuracy. We also found that the off-axis listening is really good as well and these speakers can really project the sound forward to your listening position.
We also tested these speakers together with the KEF Kube 8b subwoofer and we were blown away by the combination of bass, mids and highs that really makes your music feel lifelike and incredibly engaging. These speakers deliver some of the clearest highs and vocal performances that you will ever hear from your music soundtracks, and you can easily get a sense of where the vocalist is standing on stage while listening to this Hi-Fi system. Furthermore, the KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers come with an app with a built-in low pass filter for subwoofers and you also get instantaneous sliders for gain settings to adjust the bass response.
Specifications
The KEF LS50 Wireless II has a very wide frequency range of 40 Hz to 47 kHz, and can provide a source resolution of up to 384kHz/24bit which is definitely one tier above what most Hi-Fi audio systems can offer. They support virtually all audio formats including lossless audio files such as FLAC. They also work with Wi-Fi dual-band 2.4 GHz / 5 Hz connections which provides consistently clear sound performance. The LS50 also comes with KEF’s music integrity engine with its own digital signal processing optimised for the Uni-Q driver, allowing these speakers to have very fast frequency response with virtually no distortion. We also liked the fact that each tweeter and mid-range driver has its own amplifier – the tweeter is driven by a 100W class A/B amplifier, while the mid/bass drivers are powered by dedicated 280W class D amplifiers. The speakers have enough power to provide room-filling sound up to 108db without any coloration due to its Uni-Q driver array.
In addition to wireless Bluetooth, the LS50 also supports multiple input options including HDMI Arc, TOSLINK, Digital Coaxial and analog 3.5mm auxiliary connections. When we tested out the HDMI and Digital Coaxial inputs, the sound felt really crisp and clear without any dips in sound quality or sudden lag. The connections are impeccably designed and integrates nicely with virtually any Hi-Fi stereo setup.
Design
We absolutely liked the design of the KEF LS50 speakers. The cabinet is made from piled MDF and the front is hard resin, and the speakers feature a modern classic finish that blends in nicely with modern contemporary décor. The entire cabinet feels well-polished and very sturdy; straight out of the box you can feel how heavy these speakers are which indicates that they are made from quality materials. These speakers have an excellent build and to say that they look better than any other Hi-Fi system we have tested is an understatement – these speakers look high-end and very well polished when placed on Hi-Fi speaker stands. Even our Bowers and Wilkins 700 signature speakers seems less well-built by comparison to the KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers, which speakers volumes about its design.
The only real issue we had with the LEF LS50 speakers is that the app is not great and comes with limited features. Having said that, you only need the KEF app to adjust the sound settings once and you can use other music apps such as Spotify and Tidal to control the other aspects of the sound. We did take some time to accurately sync up both speakers together with the Wi-Fi connection, but once the speakers are linked together they will play music in perfect sync.
The Verdict?
The KEF LS50 Wireless II are hands down one of the best Hi-Fi speaker systems you will ever hear. They are capable of delivering pristine audio quality with crystal clear highs, detailed midranges and realistic vocals. You can practically listen to these speakers for hours on end and pick up details in the music that you might never have heard before. We also found the LS50 speakers particularly good for instrumental music where you can hear the spaciousness and separation in the audio, and pick up subtle instrumental cues that would not have been noticeable in any other Hi-Fi system. The design of these speakers looks incredibly sleek and modern, and the entire cabinet is made from pilled MDF with reinforced resin material to provide added durability. They look incredibly sleek when placed on top of Hi-Fi speaker stands and they can sync wirelessly to each other without any additional cabling. Overall, the KEF LS50 Wireless II is hands down one of the best speakers we have tested and highly recommend them for their accurate and realistic sound performance.