KEF’s New Wireless Bookshelf Speakers Are Modern Marvels
Audiophiles are a prickly bunch, especially when it concerns wireless speakers. In order to save cash, area, or time, audio companies will frequently take the style of a larger, more expensive gadget and dumb it down slightly to make an item thats more accessible, and probably better for the majority of us. Of course, audio enthusiasts turn up their noses at such compromises.Until I tried the KEF LS50 Wireless II, I tended to concur with them. Even at the high end, cord-cutting speakers just never ever matched their cabled equivalents. But after a month listening to these brand-new KEFs play whatever from Sheryl Crow to Stephen Colbert, Ive heard genuine evidence that cable televisions and amps will eventually go the way of the dodo. KEFs wireless speakers are a nearly perfect window into the future of high-fidelity audio.Two to TangoThe British company has been making speakers considering that the early 1960s, but the huge majority of audiophiles know KEF for its more recent styles. The companys proprietary Uni-Q motorists, which install the tweeters concentrically within the midrange speaker, are its modern calling card. These flower-like drivers have actually moved the original LS50 model to near-mythical levels of nerd appeal given that they launched in 2012 to celebrate KEFs 50th anniversary.The LS50 Wireless II has the very same concentric chauffeur style as the initial.
Picture: Kef Never fear, nerds: The new version of the LS50 looks the like the old one. Theyre rounded rectangles with a curved front that showcases the stunning drivers. You can get them in lots of colors, but my evaluation units can be found in a stylish matte black with copper accents.Unlike the passive LS50 Meta speakers, which require a stereo amp to offer the juice, the LS50 Wireless II speakers are self-powered. Plug them into the wall, and to each other, and there are no external amps required.Even without devoted outboard hardware, the back of the right speaker has a smorgasbord of inputs. Youll find an optical input, a coax cable jack, a 3.5-mm mini-jack, and even an HDMI ARC port for TELEVISION– a rare function that makes them excellent for placement in a living-room on either side of a screen. For fully cordless operation, you can pair a PC or phone with them utilizing Bluetooth, or include them to your Wi-Fi network for AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, or Roon streaming. Controls for all of the above can be changed with the consisted of little black remote, or by dealing with the backlit touch controls on the top of the best speaker.New KEF SoundUnder the hood, the companys engineers have actually spent a substantial amount of time making sure that the LS50 Wireless II heartily surpass the original KEF wireless model that came out several years ago.The new speakers feature what the company calls Metamaterial Absorption Technology, which according to KEF, permits the speakers to take in up to 60 percent of the distortion-causing energy thats generally reflected back into the speaker cabinet. The maze-like structures of this material inside each speaker arent simple to style; it took a two-year research study project with a business called Acoustic Metamaterials Group for the business to develop.The outcomes are less made complex to comprehend than the innovation itself. Turn on the KEF LS50 Wireless II and you are greeted by the most immersive, distortion-free noise youve probably ever spoken with speakers this size. They might look the exact same as their predecessors, but they definitely sound better.The depth and width of the sound phase is significantly improved, thanks to that lower distortion down low. Each aspect of the music youre listening to occupies a practically three-dimensional place in the noise, enabling you to easily dart focus in between them or to hear more plainly how they combine into the whole.Ive become obsessed with Lucy Dacus new track “Hot & & Heavy,” which constructs from synthy pads to full-fledged dance rock over the first minute. On the KEFs, the sluggish addition of layers and instruments pulls me through the tune, as though Im able to see each aspect of the music through a sharp, clear lens. I can hear exactly where each of Dacus vocal consistencies is being in the sound, the perfect edge the engineer obtained from the signal ever so a little distorting when she sings her loudest.
KEFs wireless speakers are an almost ideal window into the future of high-fidelity audio.Two to TangoThe British company has actually been making speakers considering that the early 1960s, but the vast bulk of audiophiles know KEF for its more recent styles. You can get them in many colors, but my evaluation systems came in a stylish matte black with copper accents.Unlike the passive LS50 Meta speakers, which need a stereo amp to offer the juice, the LS50 Wireless II speakers are self-powered. Controls for all of the above can be adjusted with the included small black remote, or by dealing with the backlit touch controls on the top of the ideal speaker.New KEF SoundUnder the hood, the companys engineers have spent a considerable quantity of time ensuring that the LS50 Wireless II heartily outperform the original KEF wireless design that came out several years ago.The brand-new speakers include what the business calls Metamaterial Absorption Technology, which according to KEF, enables the speakers to take in up to 60 percent of the distortion-causing energy thats normally shown back into the speaker cabinet. Turn on the KEF LS50 Wireless II and you are welcomed by the most immersive, distortion-free sound youve probably ever heard from speakers this size.