Review on Pair of Carbon Black KEF LS50 Wireless II Speakers by Ryan Cross

I have to say that I've been a long-time sound freak with a strong penchant for separate sounds. However, technology has advanced and this product has (unsurprisingly) received rave reviews from the omniscient YouTube. I was looking for comfort and good sound quality. I didn't get the last one, and the first one isn't all there is to it. Connection to the network was quick and the world's latest KEF app is better than the two apps they released for the first-gen LS50 wireless model. However, loading the current firmware caused the system to hang and it took several reboots of my phone and turning the speakers on and off for it to work. I used Spotify Connect and the Spotify app immediately recognized the speakers and the music played! First of all, every volume control on these speakers is software based. There are buttons on top of the main speaker and you can use your phone, but there's no way to program the "initial volume". So if your phone is set to maximum volume when plugged into the speakers, you'll get a full-bodied sound that can't be good for your ears or speakers. Also, the speakers are on your local network and other devices like my Sony TV can find them and "sync" with them, so when you turn the TV on you get full sound from the speakers again. I was able to find a menu on Sony to disable the sync factor, but be prepared for this with any products you have connected to your LAN. Finally, the sound quality. I hate that part because it's just my opinion and you know how it is. I did however compare to others, a couple of Revel 106bes (much more expensive) and a couple of ELAC debut refs (much cheaper) and there was no comparison at all, KEF was completely out of their league compared to both. other passive speakers. So take it for granted but without prejudice I listened to these speakers and there was little detail, they sounded muffled as if the noise/distortion was quite high. Perhaps the best "message" was that I didn't want to turn up the volume and keep listening, which is exactly the opposite of the response you're supposed to get from a good speaker. Definitely give them a try if you value convenience, but for the price you can put together a great 2-channel setup with the only inconvenience being multiple cables. A nice integrated Yamaha and a pair of first ELAC reference speakers are just one example. Visit audiosciencereview.com for product reviews and measurements that are actually unbiased and really helpful.