KEF’s New Wireless Bookshelf Speakers Are Modern Marvels

Audiophiles are a prickly lot, especially when it comes to wireless speakers. KEFs cordless speakers are a nearly ideal window into the future of high-fidelity audio.Two to TangoThe British company has actually been making speakers since the early 1960s, but the large majority of audiophiles understand KEF for its more current designs. The businesss exclusive Uni-Q motorists, which install the tweeters concentrically within the midrange speaker, are its contemporary calling card.
Photograph: Kef Never fear, geeks: The new variation of the LS50 looks the like the old one. Theyre rounded rectangular shapes with a curved front that showcases the beautiful motorists. You can get them in numerous colors, but my review units came in a sophisticated 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 dedicated outboard hardware, the back of the ideal 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 TV– a rare feature that makes them outstanding for positioning in a living-room on either side of a screen. For completely cordless operation, you can pair a PC or phone with them utilizing Bluetooth, or add 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 included small black remote, or by managing the backlit touch controls on the top of the ideal speaker.New KEF SoundUnder the hood, the businesss engineers have actually spent a considerable amount of time making sure that the LS50 Wireless II heartily outperform the initial KEF wireless design that came out a number of years ago.The new speakers include what the company calls Metamaterial Absorption Technology, which according to KEF, permits the speakers to take in approximately 60 percent of the distortion-causing energy thats normally reflected back into the speaker cabinet. The maze-like structures of this material inside each speaker arent easy to design; it took a two-year research study task with a company called Acoustic Metamaterials Group (AMG) for the business to develop.The results are less complicated to comprehend than the innovation itself. Switch on the KEF LS50 Wireless II and you are greeted by the most immersive, distortion-free sound youve most likely ever heard from speakers this size. They may look the like 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 inhabits a nearly three-dimensional location in the sound, allowing you do easily dart focus between them or to hear more plainly how they integrate into the whole.Ive become obsessed with Lucy Dacus brand-new track “Hot & & Heavy,” which constructs from synthy pads to full-fledged dance rock over the very first minute. On the KEFs, the slow addition of instruments and layers pulls me through the song, 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 best edge the engineer obtained from the signal ever so a little misshaping when she sings her loudest.

KEFs cordless speakers are an almost best window into the future of high-fidelity audio.Two to TangoThe British business has actually been making speakers since the early 1960s, but the large majority of audiophiles understand KEF for its more recent designs. You can get them in numerous colors, but my review units came in a classy 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 businesss engineers have invested a considerable amount of time guaranteeing 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 absorb up to 60 percent of the distortion-causing energy thats generally 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 most likely ever heard from speakers this size.