KEF LS50 Wireless II Review: Made for the streaming era

Audiophiles are a spicy bunch, especially then wireless speakers. To save time, space, or money, audio companies will often take the design of a more expensive and larger device and slow it down a bit to make the product more accessible and probably better for most of us. Of course, audio fans turn a blind eye to such commitments.

Until I tried the KEF LS50 Wireless II, I used to agree with them. Even at a high level, cable-cut speakers were never paired with cables. But after hearing these new KEFs for a month playing Sheryl Crow Stephen Colbert, I’ve heard real evidence that amplifiers and cables will eventually go the dodo’s way. KEF’s wireless speakers are an almost perfect window into the future of high-fidelity audio.

Bi Tangoari

The British company has been making speakers since the early 1960s, but the vast majority of audiophiles are familiar with KEF for its new designs. The company’s proprietary Uni-Q controller, which mounts the tweeters centrally in the center speaker, is a modern calling card for it. These floral-looking drivers have pushed the original LS50 model to near-mythical levels of semi-attractiveness since it was launched in 2012 to celebrate KEF’s 50th anniversary.

Fear not, nonsense: the new version of the LS50 looks the same as the old one. They are rounded rectangles that show wonderful guides. You can get them in a variety of colors, but my review units were in a black matte color class with copper accents.

Unlike passive LS50 Meta speakers, which require a stereo amplifier to deliver juice, LS50 Wireless II speakers are self-powered. Connect to the wall and to each other, and no external amplifier is required.

Even with external hardware offered, the back of the right speaker has plenty of inputs. You’ll find an optical input, a coaxial cable jack, a 3.5mm mini-jack, and even an HDMI ARC port for TV; rare features are great for placing in the living room on either side of the screen. For wireless operation, you can pair a PC or phone with them via Bluetooth or add them to your WiFi network to play AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect or Roon. Controls for all of the above can be adjusted with a small remote black included or by handling the back light touch controls at the top of the right speaker.

KEF new sound

Under the campaign, the company’s engineers have spent a lot of time making sure the LS50 Wireless II, which came out a few years ago, outperforms the original KEF wireless model.

The new speakers are called Metamaterial Absorption Technology by the company, according to KEF, because the speakers absorb up to 60 percent of the energy that causes the distortion that is usually reflected in the speaker cabinet. The labyrinthine structures of this material inside each speaker are not easily designed; it took a two-year research project to be developed by a company called the Acoustic Metamaterials Group (AMG).

The results are more difficult to understand than the technology itself. Turn on the KEF LS50 Wireless II and it will surely take you to the immersive, distortion-free sound you’ve never heard from speakers of this size. They may look the same as the previous ones, but they sound completely better.

The depth and width of the sound stage are significantly improved, thanks to this lower ground distortion. Each element of the music you’re listening to takes up almost three-dimensional space in the sound, making it easy to focus between them or hear more clearly how they blend in as a whole.

I’m obsessed with Lucy Dacus ’new track“ Hot & Heavy, ”” starting from the synthesis pads and building into full dance rock in the first minute. In KEFs, the slow increase in layers and instruments attracts me to the song, as if I could see every aspect of the music through a sharp, clear lens. I can hear exactly where each of Dacus’s vocal harmonies sits in the sound, the perfect edge that distorts the sound so slightly when the engineer sings his voice.