Generic Affiliate Links: Amazon: amzn.to/3v6i6ov Audio Advice: www.audioadvice.com/?referral=erins-audio-corner Best Buy: howl.me/ck2IPpcOp1h Crutchfield: shop-links.co/cgZmmT81jmh Parts-Express: parts-express.sjv.io/Y9zoEB Newegg: howl.me/ck2IQg52L5b Samsung: howl.me/ck2IQ5qe16w Target: howl.me/ck2IRDNsIqn Thomann: www.thomann.de/de/index.html?offid=1&affid=2577 Emotiva: shorturl.at/pBEU9 Monoprice: bit.ly/3yAY6NH Arendal Sound: arendalsound.com/store/?refer=hardisj Purchases through these links can earn me a small commission - at no additional cost to you - and help me continue to provide the community with free content and reviews. Doesn't matter if it's a TV from Crutchfield, budget speakers from Audio Advice or a pair of socks from Amazon, just use the link above before you make your purchase. Thank you!
I have KEF LS50 Wirelles II speakers (in RED), and I'm very happy with them. I'm divorced like you, my daughter is also 13 like yours, I'm sure you're a great dad to her and it's nice to see that you've bounced back so nicely. Enjoy! 👍
I was finally able to listen to these speakers this weekend in a shop. I came for the Klipsch sevens because of a hefty discount. Listened to them and found them... I dont know how to describe them. They propably make good frequency response graphs but they were not pleasant to listen to. The sound was mechanical and the tweeter and woofer felt disconnected with each other. My wife liked the looks of the Kef so we tried those too. I was blown away by the stereo imaging and the detail. They dont go as low as the sevens but they are so much more fun to listen to that they are a clear winner in my opinion. My wife and children had the same opinions. Now I am waiting for a good price drop and will defenitely buy the LSX II. The regular black one, not the LT because the design fits my room better.
Thanks Erin, an excellent, thorough review. I bought a pair of these a month or so ago for my study/den/lair. They sit on the desktop, so a metre listening distance at mostly, 60-70db, no 90db listening at one metre! Also listening in my armchair 3-4 metres away. Lovely sound using Tidal/UA-cam, at desktop it is an immediate sound, due to the dispersion patterns you mentioned, which is what you want in this application. The sound fills the small room. The dynamics are great. I bought the KEF P1 stands (very expensive here in Australia) to get them off the desktop and try to help minimize reflections. These active speakers are exactly what I wanted. No desktop clutter with amps/dacs etc. I wouldn't be using them for living room application, too small. BTW a whole bunch of "bookshelf" speakers were excluded from my purchasing decision, too big for a desk space and you need to sit 3-4 metres away for the sound to integrate IMO. Great job KEF.
For most people, I think this would be the ultimate soundbar killer paired up with a sub. Like you said, compression and distortion will be an issue if you want to anger the neighbors and crank it up, but otherwise, at typical listening levels, I think these would be an incredible substitute for upper mid-range soundbars. Thank you as always for your insight!
Honestly, I would take the Samsung Q990C (now available for around 600 bucks or so) or 990D. They measure awesome, thanks to Harman that is under them, and as a bonus, Genelecs were used as a benchmark when they created these soundbars. The only thing with these soundbars are left/right separation...
The issue is, that for me, I can get Samsung HW-Q930C an Atmos Soundbar with 2 surround speakers and a subwoofer, which is rated among the best soundbars out there for Movies/TV Shows. I can get it for around $480 in Ukraine. For me, getting physical surround speakers, a subwoofer, Dolby Atmos compatibility, eArc, upfiring speakers (a lot of them) for almost half the price is a deciding factor :). Should I be a stereo proponent, maybe. I would rather get a Samsung (Harman's owner now) soundbar for movies and TV shows.
@@AbsoluteFidelity But the Samsung just doesn't sound as good. It can get very harsh sounding, and you constantly have to adjust the volume to hear things. I'm willing to bet the KEFs sound twice as good - and only have 2 pieces.
@@Mr21scott I own the Q990B and the LS50 Meta. I can tell you this, tonally they are very identical, the Q990B even has the upper hand when it comes to clarity. In no way does it sound harsh, unless I have the volume cranked up above 70. No need to adjust a single thing. The Metas of course have the imaging and separation the bar can only dream off but bass, clarity, surround sound, dynamics, headroom, max volume, the Q990B kills it. Are the Metas twice as good? Not in any single area besides being conventional stereo speakers. The Q990 has been thru the Harman treatment, I have not seen a soundbar that has been measured and perfected to death while in R&D.
My grandfather had an old GMC pickup truck that was that exact metallic green color. It was a pretty popular color in the mid century. Super nostalgic for me, love that color also!
I have the LSX II. Using them in my family room with a subwoofer for music and TV. I bought them as open box for $899. I’m very happy with them. I compared them to the LS50, R3 Meta and found them very comparable in sound for much lower cost.
They need a matching sub for this price point. It's not realistic to compromise those aluminum alloy midbass drivers with that much low end equalization to get anything beyond a moderate output level. That dip in the higher end is a bit suspect as I believe it is covering something up near the crossover between the midbass and treater . It could be the midbass , tweeter or both. Kinda looking like the don't reach each other due to driver abnormalities in both drivers.
Hi Erin, love your channel and insights. I owned some KEF LS 50's and never warmed up to them. To me they always sounded somewhat metallic. I eventually compared them with some paper cone speakers that I considered purchasing. It became apparent I needed to sell them. I am not sure why I heard them so differently from many other people.
Nice review. It practically confirms my "feelings" with objective data. I got a pair of those for my dad's secondary TV/music setup (not the living room) a couple of months back. There are a few points I'd like to add: * The amount of EQ controls is too limited. There are some, but not enough * Sub integration is not what I'd expect in 2024. There is no assist in gain match between the sub and the speakers. TBH, for sub integration and room correction I'd expect some kind of assisted setup like you get with the AVRs including mic or at least with the phone app. * HDMI is a bit flaky. I had some issues with Sony TV not always powering on or of the speakers and more importantly not taking control (switching the speakers to TV source). That's kinda miss as the speakers have Spotify connect and Tidal connect which are very convenient for music, but when i wanted to watch TV, it wouldn't switch to TV when the TV is turned on. * The ARC/eARC connection setup is annoying as I had manually to tell TV to output PCM only. At my home I have a 5.1 setup with LS50 Meta as mains and Q150 as surrounds. I thought those would be closer to LS50, but other than the look, they are much closer to Q150. Just for fun, I tried my best (for music) with Denon x4700H + LS50 and Denon x4700H + Q150 vs LSX II LT all paired with SVS SB2000 (just for fairness I disconnected the less ideal one as I use a pair of them). I understand that the x4700H alone costs way more than LSX, but anyway, the result after applying room correction etc, is that even Q150 sounded noticeably better. I do like the way they look, so I guess I wish KEF would release a passive LSX for 400-500$. I believe that paired even with something like WiiM amp they would be better overall than this active package. P.S. I'd like to thank Sound United (Denon) for bringing Tidal connect to my receiver with the latest firmware. That was the most missing feature for me. TBH not many things left to wish for in a Denon AVR.
Do you know of any active wireless speakers that allow more control over EQ? I know the KEF Connect app is bested by a dedicated EQ in a passive speaker setup, but the customizability beats any other app that I've personally used (tbf tho I'm in a unique situation where wireless bookshelf speakers are really the only option).
@@laylahassomethingtosay My only experience is the LSXs. And TBH, never again. There are plenty of a very small streaming amps (calss D) that do offer more tuning. And from my experience, room correction (be it manual or dirac/audessey) is a very helpful feature to get the best sound.
Nice review. The measurements look good to me. It would make a nice desktop speaker. Not sure why I don’t have any love for Kef. My demos have left me uninterested but the data shows they are always solid.
I wasnt impressed with the R3, R3 Meta, even the Blade Metas. What I was impressed with were the LS60, Reference 1 and LS50 Meta. All in the same room or 2. Weird.
@@malice9807 yeah maybe. I tried to make sense of it in the measurements but could not. I also owned wider dispersion speakers too so understand how it plays into things. Anyway not a big deal. As always it is good to listen too and see what you like. On paper some of these are “perfect” but in reality some of the difference are harder to discern in the data.
Nice idea, but a bit on the pricey side for me. I managed to put together a (well-placed) soundbar /sub combo (about $400 in today's dollars) for my TV room, and I'm perfectly happy that it worked out as well as it did after some motivated tweaking and in depth understandings of the equipment. IOW, I probably got some luck. Don't think the extra $600 would have been worth it for me to have the dsp filtering and extra convenience of placement of left/right channels. Maybe for another room I'd need something similar to this concept. Anyway, good luck to all in your pursuits.. Erin, thanks as usual for your tireless efforts..
@@RacingAntI totally agree! I’ve heard several soundbars (mostly in the higher price bracket), and while some sound impressive with movies, I have yet to hear one that doesn’t fall apart with music. Some are able to sound decent with the “right” music content, but I don’t want my equipment to decide which recording I can (or can’t) enjoy. 😉 With most music, they either sound like a center channel (without the mains 😁), or they introduce all sorts of artifacts and phase issues while trying to create the illusion of being wider than they’re really are. I would only advice anyone on buying a soundbar if the main goal is to watch movies or get a more decent sound than most TV’s are able to achieve (which is mostly terrible). For anyone else that mainly listens to a lot of music, I’d go with this KEF concept without a second thought. I’ve sold several (expensive) soundbars in the past because that’s what people want (they’re usually more discreet than a pair of speakers). But I never bought one for myself, nor I ever felt tempted to do so, no matter how good and expensive it was.
@@RacingAnt well I don't listen to music in the TV room, I just watch shows, movies, UA-cam videos .. have other rooms in the house for listening to music. As I said, it wouldn't have been worth it for me, but to your claim, it makes sense that it should do a lot better for $1000 versus $400, with biamping, dsp, and more separated channels. Although, did not get the sense from Erin's video that it had any more quality output capability with a sub than what I'm using now in the TV room. The only benefit obvious to me was better placement or separation of the drivers.
@@MrRocktuga the thing is thar I use soundbar and sub for the TV (cable, streaming movies, etc) through hdmi.. I have music rooms with expensive equipment in them.. I listen to my music there! That said, if somebody's priority is to want to do everything in that mode, movies, streaming, etc. and they have little money and space, I see nothing wrong with going the soundbar and sub route, provided it is setup well.
For their asking price there is a ton of value with these speakers. During the Pandemic, KEF was blowing out the slightly smaller EGG version of these. They use the 10th-generation UniQ driver and a 25wpc Class-D amp. I used them in a small TV room and they were fantastic, so these would be even better. To excel, the EGGs needed an external DAC, whereas the LSX would use the internal DAC. Appreciate you taking the time to review products that bring genuine value without breaking the bank.
I have a question if a KLIPSCH R-8SW R8SW subwoofer is enough for these speakers (KEF LSX II LT) to enrich the bass when listening to music and watching movies ? Or do you need a more powerful subwoofer ?
For the size, Kali LP-UNF speakers immediately come to mind as a direct competitor to the new LSX LT--a comparison would be great. Look-wise, the KEF wins hands down, Kali wins the value proposition, but how about purely on the sound department?
Looks like a nice speaker! Good job KEF! Erin could you please consider measuring the new CerwinVega! Vega series 10 studio monitor. It’s a 10” 3 way that offers high SPL and clarity like no other in the similar price point as this little KEF. There is a stigma with CerwinVega! And nobody wants to review them. I know this won’t bother you though. Also there new little LA165 is a great bang for the buck speaker that would be great to see a review on!
Cerwin vega just haven't made anything impressive for decades, kind of like MTX. Seems like they dont have research engineers or something. Still, why not give them a shot, I'm with you.
@@ghostrecon3214 they had some wonky years foresure. But they still have some good products! The big XLS series measure good and I know the new LA series sounds fantastic, although it’s a cheap speaker. And I really think the new Studio monitors offer something that no one else is. You’re right nobody is giving them a chance. They shouldn’t be totally ignored! Who wants to see the same reviews over and over again especially with all the cheaper chifi stuff. It’s neat but there is others out there that could also use some attention. 👍🏻🔈
@@JR-ho5qm Where can I see the XLS measurements? Also, what do the Studio Monitors offer that no one else does? it would be really cool to see that iconic brand make a comeback.
@@ghostrecon3214 I haven’t actually seen the measurements for the XLS but the measurements for the gen 1 version the CLS are available to find online. Im really just assuming they are similar. 👍🏻The CV! studio monitors play fairly loud are punchy and clear. They also have SKAA technology and are priced pretty good. Check them out!
Really appreciate your reviews and these speakers sound like they can fit into a lot of peoples use scenarios. I am interested in your opinion regarding perceived volume level differences in speaker systems that achieve good bass extension like an F3 of 35 Hz and those with an F3 of 50 to 55 Hz. My experience, using a good quality subwoofer dialled in gently, but giving extension down in the 30 her region allows me to listen a good 10 dB lower. Good basic extension also seems to give better spatial cues and overall depth and width and scale to imaging.
Great review, Erin. I must confess that I had higher hopes on that diffraction issue, since this is the MKII version of an active loudspeaker with DSP. But I would definitely buy these instead of any soundbar for my particular use (a _lot_ more music listening than movies, and not even my projector and Atmos receiver with multi sub setup was able to change it 😁). I do wonder how a small KEF bookshelf from the “Q” line paired with a AV receiver (with PEQ or Dirac) would compare to these speakers. These definitely look cooler than the Q line, but they they don’t appear to be on the same technological level as the LS50 Meta (which makes sense, considering the price difference and all that’s included). Do you have any thoughts on this?
@ErinsAudioCorner Cool little speakers and really nice performance considering their size, as well as a great built-in feature set and control via the app! I still wish that they had included the option for a simple analog RCA input, though. 🤷♂ It's also unfortunate that the Bluetooth chip in these KEFs is just v4.2 and doesn't support LDAC, especially since if I understand correctly, that is how you connected to the KEFs for your testing? For reference, I'm using the Kali IN-8 2nd Wave studio monitors in my "casual listening" bedroom setup, and the only source/input they are connected to is an iFi ZEN Blue v2 Bluetooth receiver (it has incredible BT connection range). The ZEN Blue supports the SBC, AAC, Apt-X, Apt-X HD, and LDAC Bluetooth audio codecs, and it indicates which one it is using via a color-coded front panel LED indicator as well as voice prompts when you pair/connect to it. Even in this "casual listening" setup, there was a NOTABLE difference in Sound Quality between LDAC vs any of the other wireless Bluetooth audio codecs, with LDAC being superior as long as it was set to "Highest Quality" and 990kbps/900kbps streaming in the Bluetooth Source settings, and not set to LDAC's lower 660kbps/600kbps, or 330kbps/300kbps options. As we know, the lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz Redbook CD standard is at 1411 kbps, and LDAC comes the closest to this (other than the not yet widely available "Apt-X Lossless" codec, which is still "adaptive"). In this setup I use my older 12.4" Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet as my Source/Streamer which supports all of the above-mentioned Bluetooth audio codecs, and you can select which codec to use in its Bluetooth settings. The Tab S7+ has 512GB of internal storage and I've added a 1TB microSD memory card for my lossless local music file storage, which I used for the comparisons, but I can also use any of the more popular streaming services as well, including Apple Music. Unfortunately, Apple iOS devices do not support LDAC via Bluetooth as it is a Sony-developed technology, so you are limited to using the original SBC Bluetooth audio codec or Apple's AAC, which in my listening were both noticeably inferior to LDAC (my GF uses an iPhone 14 and I still have an older iPad as well, and she helped to facilitate my "blind", level-matched listening comparison). 🤷♂
I wish KEF would give us proper parametric EQ in their app for room correction. This goes for their entire WIFI line up. I couldn't imagine to buy $5000 LS60's and not being able to do room correction! Of course, you can get around this but then it just becomes an active speaker and you lose all the other benefit of it being a WIFI speaker. Can we nag KEF enough about this so they give us a firmware update? :)
I got mine (LS60)hooked with Eversolo to get them EQ. Don’t mind them when play loud but evening/lower volume listening really made them sound dull for me. Dmp6 PEQ allowed me to tidy some of lows and highs at least to my liking. But as you say its another box that changes the way I use them. And that could be done by simply updating app to give access to full PEQ from KEF
I spend a decent amount of time at my desktop and have went from Focal aria 905 to Ascend Acoustics Luna to kef ls50 meta. Been happy with the metas and couldn't go any bigger. Would you recommend the ls50 meta as endgame for $1000 to $1500 range for desktop? Or something else? Have a rythmik f12 sub also.
Nice response and diffraction, think nothing so wrong with the deeps in room response, even my Genelecs 8030 c have another one around 2 kHz if I remember well. Looking for a pair of small monitors to a small room, now is more difficult because the Genelec 8020 pair and Kef LSX 2 LT have the same price !! Any suggestion? The setup will be to listen by pleasure, not to mix or edit
Did you try them with a sub? If so what crossover point did you use (the app seems to let you adjust it)? Basically wondering if the high volume concerns are largely diminished by adding a sub and crossing at 80 to 120 hz. Thanks for the review.
@@justbrowsing5279 I would guess 90hz or higher. I have not had good luck with subs above 80hz and tend to like subs down to 60hz. The subs I have owned are JL E112 and JTR RS1s both using an active highpass.
In the hierarchy of negative attributes, a 4k dip is ... palatable! You're right Erin, soundbar killer is right! A pair of these and a pair of KEF subs would provide a highly capable, killer simple system ... even for non-enthusiasts.
What's the timecode for HDMI testing? I clicked this video for one thing: how do you use the HDMI mode in Windows without needing it to appear as a secondary display?
As this is an active speaker with DSP, I'm curious whether they could have made the (on axis) frequency response more flat or why the choose not to do so.
Actually quite a smooth response. Erin noted the 4k dip and attributed it to likely diffraction artifacts. I'm not familiar with this offering, however I can't imagine not having EQ baked in. I mean if you're active two-way, may as well shape the response, limit/high-pass the very bottom, etc.
So I thought my towers were underpowered with AV alone, picked up a emotiva a3. Got addicted, severely upgraded amp. Dollar for dollar, I have been interested in this speaker for a while for another room, but would it be better in general to repurpose a3 and just pick up passive speakers and a dac?
Hi Erin, great review! Did you get the chance to measure if you apply a 80hz high pass filter ? Wondering if it could bring down distortion. Thank you 😎
I have a pair of KEF X300A (2013). Nice little speakers, sounded really good at a higher volume. Down side? The app is dead, USB interface is very old, and the electronics have a fault. I'd bypass the internal electronics, but am sure there's DSP in there. In my "projects" pile...
I thought I was crazy for liking the original LSX over my own LS50 non meta but couldn't accommodate an active speaker at that time. Looking back, I don't think the KEF coax driver does well in 2 way passive designs without their DSP dynamically controlling bass compression with volume.
Something i notice. Most kef speakers have a 5db drop from bass to treble. Most of my own designs i stick to a 3db slope bottom to top as i feel it sounds much clearer to me. Many other designers also choose a shallower slope bottom to top as well. Is there a theorhetical slope from 20hz-20khz, that is ideal for preference?
Are you using do tweeters on a flat baffle? A slope depends on the radiation pattern. Wave got it designs along with coaxial designs, which are essentially wave. Gods tend to be more narrow. Therefore, less reflections mean a steeper slope.
@@AbsoluteFidelity Depends on playback level. A more aggressive house curve facilitates lower listening levels. A more moderate tilt would facilitate higher listening levels.
Hey Erin, maybe a stupid question, but when you're referring to SPL, like the fact that you listen at about 85dB at 10ft, which weighting are you referring to? Ive been using C whenever setting levels, and assume that your compression and multitone distortion testing is also using C-weighting, but you know what happens when you assume...
@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks for making an ass out of me!!! Just kidding. This helps me calibrate my ears a bit and helps me understand just how loud things are being played during your testing. I thought I needed my SPL meter in C to understand my sub levels, but I guess if I'm doing that sort of work, I should be looking at an RTA anyway.
The diffraction is a bit of a bummer ngl, expected more from KEF......But, seeing as these are meant to be used nearfield, it's probably not going to be a big issue for the users they're targeting 😁
Thanks! Here’s a link to the console I’m using: www.amazon.com/dp/B07MTNQBCW/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_6J2MTTJDR5ZQAFQ97896?linkCode=ml2&tag=medlemusin-20
Pretty sure those are Erin's "active/variable" impedance load circuits to simulate real-world speaker loads when testing amplifiers. Could be mistaken, though.
Those do look sweet in that color. Solid sound bar replacement. Most people I know with sound bars think 80 DB is too loud for extended listening. lol. DLP in a speaker like this is a smart move. Would love them in a small multimedia room with a solid sub.
Honestly, I can’t think of a serious use case for these speakers. Powered speakers - NO App required to access features - NO Price - NO My biggest beef is the app. Which part of this deal has the greater shelf life? The app or the hardware? In the last 5 years I’ve been burned by companies deprecating the software and my hardware along with it. I have stopped buying products that require apps. App functionality for hardware is an afterthought. For large companies, apps serve two purposes: -Consumer data harvesting - Direct advertising channel. This is especially so if the app has to communicate with an outside server, you know: the CLOUD, before your hardware does its thing. This product is a big no from me.
It does look like these problems are present at higher output levels. I'm assuming these are Chinese made and the quality of aluminum alloy products are not quite up to par. I could be wrong, but that is my experience with bicycle products and the frames have alot of resonance and ringing. Anyway the thing is China has very good artisans working with paper and silk and a very long history that it's built on. That being said I would very much like to see how this concept would sound with paper based cones and silk domes with a coaxial concentric lay out and electronic elements. Pretty sure it could come in a spiffy well damped cabinet to boot being small like this at nearly half the price. Add a small decently powered class D amp with a paper based 8 inch sub and you are still well under the $900 . The KEFs clearly need a sub too . That would certainly extend the bass and knock down the distortion at higher levels in the lower midrange and reduce the load on those midbass drives.
Kef started in the paper, then poly, and now alloy world. Most try other materials over paper because of breakup. Kef has a lot of engineering tied up in several generations of Uni Q. I'm sure they are getting the best sound out of the alloy cone.
@seanb3303 How do you get "TIN" can coloration from ALUMINUM??? They are two completely different metals with wildly different properties (weight, density, resonance, damping). 😛 FYI, Kali Audio uses paper-based cones and fabric dome tweeters for their concentric midrange/HF drive units in their active/powered "Independence" series studio monitors. But do they "sound" better or perform better than the KEF UniQ drivers? Maybe in some regards or metrics, yes, and in others, no. It's a balancing act of compromises and tradeoffs. @stevengagnon4777 The cost difference between paper or fabric/silk based and aluminum diaphragms is insignificant. I'm not sure why you think these same speakers made with paper/silk drivers would result in HALF the price for the finished speaker pair??? From an engineering standpoint, the material choices for transducer diaphragms are chosen based on MANY different factors and variables. The most notable are weight (Mms), stiffness/rigidity, and the damping properties of each material. The type and termination of the surround, the type and physical connection of the voice coil former to the spider and to the cone/diaphragm, the BL of the motor, the overall compliance (Cms), etcetera, ALL play a part, including determining the point or points at which any potential breakup modes might occur. You can't simply swap aluminum for paper or silk and expect a drive unit to automagically perform better or "sound" better. Each transducer is an "all inclusive design" to achieve the end goal. For instance, the highly regarded and world class Scanspeak Revelator and Illuminator drivers have versions that use both paper AND aluminum alloy cones. The same is true for the amazing Purifi PTT-series drive units. For the paper-based Scanspeak cones, they found that they needed to incorporate multiple radial slits in the cone that are re-sealed with a special doping/adhesive, or they use molded/pressed-in geometric indentations/ridges to stiffen the paper cones to reduce deformation/flexing and improve damping. But these extra steps in the manufacturing process of the paper cones/diaphragms result in additional cost compared to their aluminum alloy equivalents. So, there simply is no single "perfect" diaphragm material for ALL drivers, although beryllium comes just about as close to the ideal combination of weight/stiffness/rigidity/damping there is. However, it is exponentially more costly to produce as it's a rare earth metal and in regards to the difficulty and safety protocols required to manufacture it into usable diaphragms.
Tannoy speakers do NOT travel well, the baskets are crap and it doesn't take much during shipping for them to deform (bend) and cause the voice coil to rub or be stuck. Ask me how I know... 😠
@@TheDumbTake-xb6rr which Revel? I have yet to hear a Kef I like better than the equivalent revel. Salon II>blade, Studio 2 > Referance 3 etc. maybe at the lower end things are different.
Good review as always. But all these things have are looks. They are way too overpriced for what you get. Most people would prefer a soundbar because they push vocals forward, they are slim under the TV, and the sub gives more mid-bass. Nobody knows/cares about flat response and they don't even do that well for the money.
Hey Erin, I would avoid Tannoy with their new(ish) chinese manufacturing. Their old engineers started up "Fyne Audio" with a fresh engineering look and made in Scotland still. This is the continued spirit of Tannoy without the overhead of international ownership etc. Personally I think they're awesome performers.
I am sure they sound great. But these KEF boxes are so ugly to me. That green is not my taste, but whatever color I just think these KEFs look very strange in terms of proportion and the driver right in the middle doesn’t help and I would think it would be sonically preferable to have the driver towards the top of the cabinet (reduce some reflections from horizontal surfaces, tweeter closer to ear level etc.) the old iq line put the driver high in the cabinet eye and that seemed far more logical and more balanced visually. And they looked more elegant.
Argh... Kef included a 10/100 ethernet port to save a few pennies. Problem is a lot of newer network equipment doesn't support 10/100 (esp those with mGig or 10G).
Unless you mean those with SFP. I have a ridiculous number of 100Mb devices, and they all still work on newer UniFi switches except SFP plugs that have a minimum of 1Gb.
It’s not necessarily done to save money you know? Higher speed ethernet adds noise, and hurts sound quality. Many high end streamers max out at 100 for this reason. ✌️
@@amb3cog that's a great point. My 10Gb devices add tons of noise! PoE is more on top of that. And with the length of copper in your house, it adds up.
@@slofty There are no bits, or 1's and 0's, going through a network. There is an analog electrical signal going through it, and therefore it's subject to noise like everything electric is. A bit is a measurement of data. It's the smallest unit size there is. It's a single binary value, usually a 0 or 1. However, the state might also be represented by yes/no, on/off or true/false. ✌️
These measurements you've done of the KEF speakers don't make sense. They all use waveguides so you would expect a much narrower dispersion than a typical non coaxial speaker. But I've looked at some non coaxial speakers on your website and the measurements show that the KEF have much WIDER dispersion than almost every other speaker. This is the opposite result.
The wider dispersion of this coax is due to the smaller more shallow driver/waveguide. Larger coax drivers tend to narrow down the dispersion so these as well as the LS60 have a wider dispersion.
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The detail and range at higher volumes is simply amazing. I don't regret buying them, but a sub really completes this set.
I have KEF LS50 Wirelles II speakers (in RED), and I'm very happy with them. I'm divorced like you, my daughter is also 13 like yours, I'm sure you're a great dad to her and it's nice to see that you've bounced back so nicely. Enjoy! 👍
Best advice...don't get married with the majority of the women in the g7 countries
I was finally able to listen to these speakers this weekend in a shop. I came for the Klipsch sevens because of a hefty discount. Listened to them and found them... I dont know how to describe them. They propably make good frequency response graphs but they were not pleasant to listen to. The sound was mechanical and the tweeter and woofer felt disconnected with each other.
My wife liked the looks of the Kef so we tried those too. I was blown away by the stereo imaging and the detail. They dont go as low as the sevens but they are so much more fun to listen to that they are a clear winner in my opinion. My wife and children had the same opinions. Now I am waiting for a good price drop and will defenitely buy the LSX II. The regular black one, not the LT because the design fits my room better.
Thanks Erin, an excellent, thorough review. I bought a pair of these a month or so ago for my study/den/lair. They sit on the desktop, so a metre listening distance at mostly, 60-70db, no 90db listening at one metre! Also listening in my armchair 3-4 metres away. Lovely sound using Tidal/UA-cam, at desktop it is an immediate sound, due to the dispersion patterns you mentioned, which is what you want in this application. The sound fills the small room. The dynamics are great. I bought the KEF P1 stands (very expensive here in Australia) to get them off the desktop and try to help minimize reflections. These active speakers are exactly what I wanted. No desktop clutter with amps/dacs etc. I wouldn't be using them for living room application, too small. BTW a whole bunch of "bookshelf" speakers were excluded from my purchasing decision, too big for a desk space and you need to sit 3-4 metres away for the sound to integrate IMO. Great job KEF.
For most people, I think this would be the ultimate soundbar killer paired up with a sub.
Like you said, compression and distortion will be an issue if you want to anger the neighbors and crank it up, but otherwise, at typical listening levels, I think these would be an incredible substitute for upper mid-range soundbars.
Thank you as always for your insight!
Honestly, I would take the Samsung Q990C (now available for around 600 bucks or so) or 990D. They measure awesome, thanks to Harman that is under them, and as a bonus, Genelecs were used as a benchmark when they created these soundbars. The only thing with these soundbars are left/right separation...
The issue is, that for me, I can get Samsung HW-Q930C an Atmos Soundbar with 2 surround speakers and a subwoofer, which is rated among the best soundbars out there for Movies/TV Shows. I can get it for around $480 in Ukraine. For me, getting physical surround speakers, a subwoofer, Dolby Atmos compatibility, eArc, upfiring speakers (a lot of them) for almost half the price is a deciding factor :). Should I be a stereo proponent, maybe. I would rather get a Samsung (Harman's owner now) soundbar for movies and TV shows.
@@AbsoluteFidelity But the Samsung just doesn't sound as good. It can get very harsh sounding, and you constantly have to adjust the volume to hear things. I'm willing to bet the KEFs sound twice as good - and only have 2 pieces.
@@Mr21scott I own the Q990B and the LS50 Meta. I can tell you this, tonally they are very identical, the Q990B even has the upper hand when it comes to clarity. In no way does it sound harsh, unless I have the volume cranked up above 70. No need to adjust a single thing. The Metas of course have the imaging and separation the bar can only dream off but bass, clarity, surround sound, dynamics, headroom, max volume, the Q990B kills it. Are the Metas twice as good? Not in any single area besides being conventional stereo speakers. The Q990 has been thru the Harman treatment, I have not seen a soundbar that has been measured and perfected to death while in R&D.
My grandfather had an old GMC pickup truck that was that exact metallic green color. It was a pretty popular color in the mid century. Super nostalgic for me, love that color also!
I have the LSX II. Using them in my family room with a subwoofer for music and TV. I bought them as open box for $899. I’m very happy with them. I compared them to the LS50, R3 Meta and found them very comparable in sound for much lower cost.
Really appreciate the insight and what you're doing for our community, Erin 👊🏼 Keep this up!
Wow!
That's the same color as my Dad's '73 AMC Ambassador! Nice!
(he ordered it, had it made and equipped exactly w/what he wanted!)
Thanks!
No problem!
They need a matching sub for this price point. It's not realistic to compromise those aluminum alloy midbass drivers with that much low end equalization to get anything beyond a moderate output level. That dip in the higher end is a bit suspect as I believe it is covering something up near the crossover between the midbass and treater . It could be the midbass , tweeter or both. Kinda looking like the don't reach each other due to driver abnormalities in both drivers.
Hi Erin, love your channel and insights. I owned some KEF LS 50's and never warmed up to them. To me they always sounded somewhat metallic. I eventually compared them with some paper cone speakers that I considered purchasing. It became apparent I needed to sell them. I am not sure why I heard them so differently from many other people.
same with me. bought, tried, sold. they looked fantastic however....
Nice review. It practically confirms my "feelings" with objective data. I got a pair of those for my dad's secondary TV/music setup (not the living room) a couple of months back. There are a few points I'd like to add:
* The amount of EQ controls is too limited. There are some, but not enough
* Sub integration is not what I'd expect in 2024. There is no assist in gain match between the sub and the speakers. TBH, for sub integration and room correction I'd expect some kind of assisted setup like you get with the AVRs including mic or at least with the phone app.
* HDMI is a bit flaky. I had some issues with Sony TV not always powering on or of the speakers and more importantly not taking control (switching the speakers to TV source). That's kinda miss as the speakers have Spotify connect and Tidal connect which are very convenient for music, but when i wanted to watch TV, it wouldn't switch to TV when the TV is turned on.
* The ARC/eARC connection setup is annoying as I had manually to tell TV to output PCM only.
At my home I have a 5.1 setup with LS50 Meta as mains and Q150 as surrounds. I thought those would be closer to LS50, but other than the look, they are much closer to Q150.
Just for fun, I tried my best (for music) with Denon x4700H + LS50 and Denon x4700H + Q150 vs LSX II LT all paired with SVS SB2000 (just for fairness I disconnected the less ideal one as I use a pair of them). I understand that the x4700H alone costs way more than LSX, but anyway, the result after applying room correction etc, is that even Q150 sounded noticeably better.
I do like the way they look, so I guess I wish KEF would release a passive LSX for 400-500$. I believe that paired even with something like WiiM amp they would be better overall than this active package.
P.S.
I'd like to thank Sound United (Denon) for bringing Tidal connect to my receiver with the latest firmware. That was the most missing feature for me. TBH not many things left to wish for in a Denon AVR.
Do you know of any active wireless speakers that allow more control over EQ? I know the KEF Connect app is bested by a dedicated EQ in a passive speaker setup, but the customizability beats any other app that I've personally used (tbf tho I'm in a unique situation where wireless bookshelf speakers are really the only option).
@@laylahassomethingtosay My only experience is the LSXs. And TBH, never again. There are plenty of a very small streaming amps (calss D) that do offer more tuning. And from my experience, room correction (be it manual or dirac/audessey) is a very helpful feature to get the best sound.
Now the question is if you will review a stereo pair of HomePod 2‘s 🤩
Awesome video as always. Keep up the good work man.
Does the sub out feature add in a high pass filter to the speaker?
It does. You control it through the app.
@@ErinsAudioCorner LOL
@@Bob-Fieldstoo cool to be more articulate got it
Nice review. The measurements look good to me. It would make a nice desktop speaker.
Not sure why I don’t have any love for Kef. My demos have left me uninterested but the data shows they are always solid.
You likely just don't prefer a flat response like kef
@@Luke-qs2cg I own the JBL 4367 so probably not an issue as most my speakers are flat by choice.
@@JamesWilliams-gf8gm i doubt many speakers are measured flat but doesn't mean they sound the same.
so maybe JBL's sound is more to your taste
I wasnt impressed with the R3, R3 Meta, even the Blade Metas. What I was impressed with were the LS60, Reference 1 and LS50 Meta. All in the same room or 2. Weird.
@@malice9807 yeah maybe. I tried to make sense of it in the measurements but could not. I also owned wider dispersion speakers too so understand how it plays into things. Anyway not a big deal. As always it is good to listen too and see what you like. On paper some of these are “perfect” but in reality some of the difference are harder to discern in the data.
would you recommend these over the kali or kanto speakers for desktop/pc use?
these or the JBL 4305p? or move up in budget to 8330A for desk use for gaming / music / YT
Nice idea, but a bit on the pricey side for me.
I managed to put together a (well-placed) soundbar /sub combo (about $400 in today's dollars) for my TV room, and I'm perfectly happy that it worked out as well as it did after some motivated tweaking
and in depth understandings of the equipment.
IOW, I probably got some luck.
Don't think the extra $600 would have been worth it for me to have the dsp filtering and extra convenience of placement of left/right channels. Maybe for another room I'd need something similar to this concept. Anyway, good luck to all in your pursuits..
Erin, thanks as usual for your tireless efforts..
If you also want to listen to music, these will destroy soundbars. Particularly if you care about soundstage and imaging.
@@RacingAntI totally agree! I’ve heard several soundbars (mostly in the higher price bracket), and while some sound impressive with movies, I have yet to hear one that doesn’t fall apart with music.
Some are able to sound decent with the “right” music content, but I don’t want my equipment to decide which recording I can (or can’t) enjoy. 😉
With most music, they either sound like a center channel (without the mains 😁), or they introduce all sorts of artifacts and phase issues while trying to create the illusion of being wider than they’re really are.
I would only advice anyone on buying a soundbar if the main goal is to watch movies or get a more decent sound than most TV’s are able to achieve (which is mostly terrible).
For anyone else that mainly listens to a lot of music, I’d go with this KEF concept without a second thought.
I’ve sold several (expensive) soundbars in the past because that’s what people want (they’re usually more discreet than a pair of speakers).
But I never bought one for myself, nor I ever felt tempted to do so, no matter how good and expensive it was.
@@RacingAnt well I don't listen to music in the TV room, I just watch shows, movies, UA-cam videos .. have other rooms in the house for listening to music. As I said, it wouldn't have been worth it for me, but to your claim, it makes sense that it should do a lot better for $1000 versus $400, with biamping, dsp, and more separated channels. Although, did not get the sense from Erin's video that it had any more quality output capability with a sub than what I'm using now in the TV room. The only benefit obvious to me was better placement or separation of the drivers.
@@MrRocktuga the thing is thar I use soundbar and sub for the TV (cable, streaming movies, etc) through hdmi.. I have music rooms with expensive equipment in them.. I listen to my music there! That said, if somebody's priority is to want to do everything in that mode, movies, streaming, etc. and they have little money and space, I see nothing wrong with going the soundbar and sub route, provided it is setup well.
For their asking price there is a ton of value with these speakers. During the Pandemic, KEF was blowing out the slightly smaller EGG version of these. They use the 10th-generation UniQ driver and a 25wpc Class-D amp. I used them in a small TV room and they were fantastic, so these would be even better. To excel, the EGGs needed an external DAC, whereas the LSX would use the internal DAC. Appreciate you taking the time to review products that bring genuine value without breaking the bank.
I have a question if a KLIPSCH R-8SW R8SW subwoofer is enough for these speakers (KEF LSX II LT) to enrich the bass when listening to music and watching movies ? Or do you need a more powerful subwoofer ?
For the size, Kali LP-UNF speakers immediately come to mind as a direct competitor to the new LSX LT--a comparison would be great. Look-wise, the KEF wins hands down, Kali wins the value proposition, but how about purely on the sound department?
Looks like a nice speaker! Good job KEF! Erin could you please consider measuring the new CerwinVega! Vega series 10 studio monitor. It’s a 10” 3 way that offers high SPL and clarity like no other in the similar price point as this little KEF. There is a stigma with CerwinVega! And nobody wants to review them. I know this won’t bother you though. Also there new little LA165 is a great bang for the buck speaker that would be great to see a review on!
Cerwin vega just haven't made anything impressive for decades, kind of like MTX. Seems like they dont have research engineers or something.
Still, why not give them a shot, I'm with you.
@@ghostrecon3214 they had some wonky years foresure. But they still have some good products! The big XLS series measure good and I know the new LA series sounds fantastic, although it’s a cheap speaker. And I really think the new Studio monitors offer something that no one else is. You’re right nobody is giving them a chance. They shouldn’t be totally ignored! Who wants to see the same reviews over and over again especially with all the cheaper chifi stuff. It’s neat but there is others out there that could also use some attention. 👍🏻🔈
@@JR-ho5qm Where can I see the XLS measurements? Also, what do the Studio Monitors offer that no one else does?
it would be really cool to see that iconic brand make a comeback.
@@ghostrecon3214 I haven’t actually seen the measurements for the XLS but the measurements for the gen 1 version the CLS are available to find online. Im really just assuming they are similar. 👍🏻The CV! studio monitors play fairly loud are punchy and clear. They also have SKAA technology and are priced pretty good. Check them out!
Really appreciate your reviews and these speakers sound like they can fit into a lot of peoples use scenarios.
I am interested in your opinion regarding perceived volume level differences in speaker systems that achieve good bass extension like an F3 of 35 Hz and those with an F3 of 50 to 55 Hz.
My experience, using a good quality subwoofer dialled in gently, but giving extension down in the 30 her region allows me to listen a good 10 dB lower. Good basic extension also seems to give better spatial cues and overall depth and width and scale to imaging.
Can you pair them with a set of Kef LS50 wireless for multi-room using the app?
Great review, Erin.
I must confess that I had higher hopes on that diffraction issue, since this is the MKII version of an active loudspeaker with DSP.
But I would definitely buy these instead of any soundbar for my particular use (a _lot_ more music listening than movies, and not even my projector and Atmos receiver with multi sub setup was able to change it 😁).
I do wonder how a small KEF bookshelf from the “Q” line paired with a AV receiver (with PEQ or Dirac) would compare to these speakers.
These definitely look cooler than the Q line, but they they don’t appear to be on the same technological level as the LS50 Meta (which makes sense, considering the price difference and all that’s included).
Do you have any thoughts on this?
Test the Triangle AIO Twins.
On par with the KEF’s.
Hi Erin! For a soundbar replacement would you go with the lsx II lt with a sub or q150 with wiim amp pro and also a sub? Thanks
@ErinsAudioCorner
Cool little speakers and really nice performance considering their size, as well as a great built-in feature set and control via the app!
I still wish that they had included the option for a simple analog RCA input, though. 🤷♂
It's also unfortunate that the Bluetooth chip in these KEFs is just v4.2 and doesn't support LDAC, especially since if I understand correctly, that is how you connected to the KEFs for your testing?
For reference, I'm using the Kali IN-8 2nd Wave studio monitors in my "casual listening" bedroom setup, and the only source/input they are connected to is an iFi ZEN Blue v2 Bluetooth receiver (it has incredible BT connection range).
The ZEN Blue supports the SBC, AAC, Apt-X, Apt-X HD, and LDAC Bluetooth audio codecs, and it indicates which one it is using via a color-coded front panel LED indicator as well as voice prompts when you pair/connect to it.
Even in this "casual listening" setup, there was a NOTABLE difference in Sound Quality between LDAC vs any of the other wireless Bluetooth audio codecs, with LDAC being superior as long as it was set to "Highest Quality" and 990kbps/900kbps streaming in the Bluetooth Source settings, and not set to LDAC's lower 660kbps/600kbps, or 330kbps/300kbps options.
As we know, the lossless 16-bit/44.1kHz Redbook CD standard is at 1411 kbps, and LDAC comes the closest to this (other than the not yet widely available "Apt-X Lossless" codec, which is still "adaptive").
In this setup I use my older 12.4" Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet as my Source/Streamer which supports all of the above-mentioned Bluetooth audio codecs, and you can select which codec to use in its Bluetooth settings. The Tab S7+ has 512GB of internal storage and I've added a 1TB microSD memory card for my lossless local music file storage, which I used for the comparisons, but I can also use any of the more popular streaming services as well, including Apple Music.
Unfortunately, Apple iOS devices do not support LDAC via Bluetooth as it is a Sony-developed technology, so you are limited to using the original SBC Bluetooth audio codec or Apple's AAC, which in my listening were both noticeably inferior to LDAC (my GF uses an iPhone 14 and I still have an older iPad as well, and she helped to facilitate my "blind", level-matched listening comparison). 🤷♂
I wish KEF would give us proper parametric EQ in their app for room correction. This goes for their entire WIFI line up. I couldn't imagine to buy $5000 LS60's and not being able to do room correction! Of course, you can get around this but then it just becomes an active speaker and you lose all the other benefit of it being a WIFI speaker.
Can we nag KEF enough about this so they give us a firmware update? :)
I got mine (LS60)hooked with Eversolo to get them EQ. Don’t mind them when play loud but evening/lower volume listening really made them sound dull for me. Dmp6 PEQ allowed me to tidy some of lows and highs at least to my liking. But as you say its another box that changes the way I use them. And that could be done by simply updating app to give access to full PEQ from KEF
If Erin say's he fricken loves this thang.....Im in
what's a good read to understand these graphs?
KEF makes some good stuff! Perhaps you'll get around to reviewing the q750. I think those towers are a pretty good value.
For room 150 sq ft is it better to get speakers with wide or narrower directivity? My room is a sqaure. Thinking either KEF q750 or Elac Carina 247.4.
Be awesome to to give vintage KEF 105"s the full review. Like the ones from the Kendrick Lamar video.
Is there a Difference in SOUND between the LT and the NON-LT !? @ErinsAudioCorner
I spend a decent amount of time at my desktop and have went from Focal aria 905 to Ascend Acoustics Luna to kef ls50 meta. Been happy with the metas and couldn't go any bigger. Would you recommend the ls50 meta as endgame for $1000 to $1500 range for desktop? Or something else? Have a rythmik f12 sub also.
Nice response and diffraction, think nothing so wrong with the deeps in room response, even my Genelecs 8030 c have another one around 2 kHz if I remember well.
Looking for a pair of small monitors to a small room, now is more difficult because the Genelec 8020 pair and Kef LSX 2 LT have the same price !!
Any suggestion? The setup will be to listen by pleasure, not to mix or edit
Did you try them with a sub? If so what crossover point did you use (the app seems to let you adjust it)? Basically wondering if the high volume concerns are largely diminished by adding a sub and crossing at 80 to 120 hz. Thanks for the review.
@@justbrowsing5279 I would guess 90hz or higher. I have not had good luck with subs above 80hz and tend to like subs down to 60hz. The subs I have owned are JL E112 and JTR RS1s both using an active highpass.
Kef LSX II LT or Wiim Amp and kef q150? In my country lsx cost 100 $ more then Wiim and q150 combo? Help, thank you guys?
vs qef q150 and wiim amp? thx
Where would you set low pass filter for these if using with a sub? 80hz?
In the hierarchy of negative attributes, a 4k dip is ... palatable!
You're right Erin, soundbar killer is right!
A pair of these and a pair of KEF subs would provide a highly capable, killer simple system ... even for non-enthusiasts.
What's the timecode for HDMI testing? I clicked this video for one thing: how do you use the HDMI mode in Windows without needing it to appear as a secondary display?
As this is an active speaker with DSP, I'm curious whether they could have made the (on axis) frequency response more flat or why the choose not to do so.
Actually quite a smooth response. Erin noted the 4k dip and attributed it to likely diffraction artifacts.
I'm not familiar with this offering, however I can't imagine not having EQ baked in.
I mean if you're active two-way, may as well shape the response, limit/high-pass the very bottom, etc.
Does anyone know if the WiiM can be used to room correct the kef lsx?
Is there a similar speaker you can recommend (size and connectivity) to add to my big screen TV with a rather lower price point?
So I thought my towers were underpowered with AV alone, picked up a emotiva a3. Got addicted, severely upgraded amp. Dollar for dollar, I have been interested in this speaker for a while for another room, but would it be better in general to repurpose a3 and just pick up passive speakers and a dac?
Hi Erin, great review!
Did you get the chance to measure if you apply a 80hz high pass filter ? Wondering if it could bring down distortion.
Thank you 😎
I did. It lowered the lower midrange distortion a bit but not a lot. The limiter really helps achieve that but keeping excursion low at high volumes.
@@ErinsAudioCorner thanks for your quick response! And thank you again for the review 😎
I have a pair of KEF X300A (2013). Nice little speakers, sounded really good at a higher volume. Down side? The app is dead, USB interface is very old, and the electronics have a fault. I'd bypass the internal electronics, but am sure there's DSP in there. In my "projects" pile...
You should see the automotive metallic vinyl wrap on my 50 metas. If youre wondering cost me $400.
Damn, I was wondering if I could vinyl wrap some DIY subs but that'll add up fast for 6 10"
@ruvamsi it's worth it. Use a professional shop. I had to, the Ls50 Metas are all curvy.
Hey Erin, any chance you could review the GR-Research X-LS Encore speakers?
I thought I was crazy for liking the original LSX over my own LS50 non meta but couldn't accommodate an active speaker at that time. Looking back, I don't think the KEF coax driver does well in 2 way passive designs without their DSP dynamically controlling bass compression with volume.
Do you prefer these or the kali in-8 sound wise? Thanks for this review again!
Awesome review.
Thank you!
Erin, at a desk do you prefer these over Vanatoo T1E+ ?
Something i notice. Most kef speakers have a 5db drop from bass to treble. Most of my own designs i stick to a 3db slope bottom to top as i feel it sounds much clearer to me. Many other designers also choose a shallower slope bottom to top as well. Is there a theorhetical slope from 20hz-20khz, that is ideal for preference?
Are you using do tweeters on a flat baffle? A slope depends on the radiation pattern. Wave got it designs along with coaxial designs, which are essentially wave. Gods tend to be more narrow. Therefore, less reflections mean a steeper slope.
Wow, a 3db slope in room from 100hz to 10khz sounds bright to me.
@@AbsoluteFidelity
Depends on playback level.
A more aggressive house curve facilitates lower listening levels.
A more moderate tilt would facilitate higher listening levels.
Hey Erin, maybe a stupid question, but when you're referring to SPL, like the fact that you listen at about 85dB at 10ft, which weighting are you referring to? Ive been using C whenever setting levels, and assume that your compression and multitone distortion testing is also using C-weighting, but you know what happens when you assume...
I use a-weighting for listening. In my data the SPL is referenced to the midrange (300Hz to 3kHz).
@@ErinsAudioCorner Thanks for making an ass out of me!!! Just kidding. This helps me calibrate my ears a bit and helps me understand just how loud things are being played during your testing. I thought I needed my SPL meter in C to understand my sub levels, but I guess if I'm doing that sort of work, I should be looking at an RTA anyway.
The diffraction is a bit of a bummer ngl, expected more from KEF......But, seeing as these are meant to be used nearfield, it's probably not going to be a big issue for the users they're targeting 😁
Great review as always Erin! I like your media console …. What brand is it and/ or where did you purchase it. Thanks!
Thanks! Here’s a link to the console I’m using:
www.amazon.com/dp/B07MTNQBCW/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_6J2MTTJDR5ZQAFQ97896?linkCode=ml2&tag=medlemusin-20
Philandria is awesome!
That IS a good looking speaker!
Do they have 6.5" active speakers?
Did you run them off that DSP? It's good to know because they would sound much better than straight out of the box.
These are powered speakers with built-in DSP. There's no way around it.
these or the Klipsch Nines \ Sevens ?
Personally, I like these.
What in the name of god do you have going on behind those speakers in the beginning with all the jumper cables and copper wire?
Crossover prototyping?
Pretty sure those are Erin's "active/variable" impedance load circuits to simulate real-world speaker loads when testing amplifiers. Could be mistaken, though.
this speakers has better directivity than the whole kef line, is the only speaker that the tweeter don't have lower directivity than the midrange xD
Great sharing. Thanks.
Erin, you've become a KEF fanboy, mate.
Those do look sweet in that color.
Solid sound bar replacement. Most people I know with sound bars think 80 DB is too loud for extended listening. lol.
DLP in a speaker like this is a smart move. Would love them in a small multimedia room with a solid sub.
Love that you requested these… now they just next to send them to the rest of us 😂. That $900 is diabolical.
Honestly, I can’t think of a serious use case for these speakers.
Powered speakers - NO
App required to access features - NO
Price - NO
My biggest beef is the app. Which part of this deal has the greater shelf life? The app or the hardware? In the last 5 years I’ve been burned by companies deprecating the software and my hardware along with it. I have stopped buying products that require apps.
App functionality for hardware is an afterthought. For large companies, apps serve two purposes:
-Consumer data harvesting
- Direct advertising channel.
This is especially so if the app has to communicate with an outside server, you know: the CLOUD, before your hardware does its thing.
This product is a big no from me.
With aluminum drivers i always worry about hearing that tin can coloration as well as ringing.
It does look like these problems are present at higher output levels. I'm assuming these are Chinese made and the quality of aluminum alloy products are not quite up to par. I could be wrong, but that is my experience with bicycle products and the frames have alot of resonance and ringing. Anyway the thing is China has very good artisans working with paper and silk and a very long history that it's built on. That being said I would very much like to see how this concept would sound with paper based cones and silk domes with a coaxial concentric lay out and electronic elements. Pretty sure it could come in a spiffy well damped cabinet to boot being small like this at nearly half the price. Add a small decently powered class D amp with a paper based 8 inch sub and you are still well under the $900 . The KEFs clearly need a sub too . That would certainly extend the bass and knock down the distortion at higher levels in the lower midrange and reduce the load on those midbass drives.
Kef started in the paper, then poly, and now alloy world. Most try other materials over paper because of breakup. Kef has a lot of engineering tied up in several generations of Uni Q. I'm sure they are getting the best sound out of the alloy cone.
@@walterdockins8475 yeah KEF definitely has their flavor. Pros and cons to harder vs softer materials.
@seanb3303
How do you get "TIN" can coloration from ALUMINUM??? They are two completely different metals with wildly different properties (weight, density, resonance, damping). 😛
FYI, Kali Audio uses paper-based cones and fabric dome tweeters for their concentric midrange/HF drive units in their active/powered "Independence" series studio monitors. But do they "sound" better or perform better than the KEF UniQ drivers? Maybe in some regards or metrics, yes, and in others, no. It's a balancing act of compromises and tradeoffs.
@stevengagnon4777
The cost difference between paper or fabric/silk based and aluminum diaphragms is insignificant. I'm not sure why you think these same speakers made with paper/silk drivers would result in HALF the price for the finished speaker pair???
From an engineering standpoint, the material choices for transducer diaphragms are chosen based on MANY different factors and variables. The most notable are weight (Mms), stiffness/rigidity, and the damping properties of each material. The type and termination of the surround, the type and physical connection of the voice coil former to the spider and to the cone/diaphragm, the BL of the motor, the overall compliance (Cms), etcetera, ALL play a part, including determining the point or points at which any potential breakup modes might occur.
You can't simply swap aluminum for paper or silk and expect a drive unit to automagically perform better or "sound" better. Each transducer is an "all inclusive design" to achieve the end goal.
For instance, the highly regarded and world class Scanspeak Revelator and Illuminator drivers have versions that use both paper AND aluminum alloy cones. The same is true for the amazing Purifi PTT-series drive units. For the paper-based Scanspeak cones, they found that they needed to incorporate multiple radial slits in the cone that are re-sealed with a special doping/adhesive, or they use molded/pressed-in geometric indentations/ridges to stiffen the paper cones to reduce deformation/flexing and improve damping. But these extra steps in the manufacturing process of the paper cones/diaphragms result in additional cost compared to their aluminum alloy equivalents.
So, there simply is no single "perfect" diaphragm material for ALL drivers, although beryllium comes just about as close to the ideal combination of weight/stiffness/rigidity/damping there is. However, it is exponentially more costly to produce as it's a rare earth metal and in regards to the difficulty and safety protocols required to manufacture it into usable diaphragms.
Idk, for $900 I'd go with Klipsch 7s/9s
In my country the 7s go for 1600 euro and the 9s for even more.
He said these are better in a comment above
Tannoy speakers do NOT travel well, the baskets are crap and it doesn't take much during shipping for them to deform (bend) and cause the voice coil to rub or be stuck. Ask me how I know... 😠
Let's talk about the stickers on the bezels of your monitors!
Ok. Let’s.
@@ErinsAudioCorner Let's remove it! XD
Tannoy is dead, try getting your hands on some Fyne Audio gear!
Dayum. I should have got this instead of the Revels 😢
I saw a review on UA-cam where a guy preferred some small Adam monitors over this LSX.
@@TheDumbTake-xb6rr which Revel? I have yet to hear a Kef I like better than the equivalent revel. Salon II>blade, Studio 2 > Referance 3 etc. maybe at the lower end things are different.
I am Sparta! (Thumb up #300)
Good review as always. But all these things have are looks. They are way too overpriced for what you get. Most people would prefer a soundbar because they push vocals forward, they are slim under the TV, and the sub gives more mid-bass. Nobody knows/cares about flat response and they don't even do that well for the money.
Hey Erin, I would avoid Tannoy with their new(ish) chinese manufacturing. Their old engineers started up "Fyne Audio" with a fresh engineering look and made in Scotland still. This is the continued spirit of Tannoy without the overhead of international ownership etc. Personally I think they're awesome performers.
I am sure they sound great. But these KEF boxes are so ugly to me. That green is not my taste, but whatever color I just think these KEFs look very strange in terms of proportion and the driver right in the middle doesn’t help and I would think it would be sonically preferable to have the driver towards the top of the cabinet (reduce some reflections from horizontal surfaces, tweeter closer to ear level etc.) the old iq line put the driver high in the cabinet eye and that seemed far more logical and more balanced visually. And they looked more elegant.
I think they were going more casual and lifestyle oriented with these. Have to move up to R3 Meta for elegance.
Argh... Kef included a 10/100 ethernet port to save a few pennies. Problem is a lot of newer network equipment doesn't support 10/100 (esp those with mGig or 10G).
Unless you mean those with SFP. I have a ridiculous number of 100Mb devices, and they all still work on newer UniFi switches except SFP plugs that have a minimum of 1Gb.
It’s not necessarily done to save money you know? Higher speed ethernet adds noise, and hurts sound quality. Many high end streamers max out at 100 for this reason. ✌️
@@amb3cog that's a great point. My 10Gb devices add tons of noise! PoE is more on top of that. And with the length of copper in your house, it adds up.
@@amb3cogHow is there noise when it's just bits though?
@@slofty There are no bits, or 1's and 0's, going through a network. There is an analog electrical signal going through it, and therefore it's subject to noise like everything electric is. A bit is a measurement of data. It's the smallest unit size there is. It's a single binary value, usually a 0 or 1. However, the state might also be represented by yes/no, on/off or true/false. ✌️
These measurements you've done of the KEF speakers don't make sense. They all use waveguides so you would expect a much narrower dispersion than a typical non coaxial speaker. But I've looked at some non coaxial speakers on your website and the measurements show that the KEF have much WIDER dispersion than almost every other speaker. This is the opposite result.
The wider dispersion of this coax is due to the smaller more shallow driver/waveguide. Larger coax drivers tend to narrow down the dispersion so these as well as the LS60 have a wider dispersion.
@@philipperegnier4569 But how can it be wider than a non waveguide tweeter?
They look like cheap plastic, because they are
No powered speakers for me, thank you!
If that's the case, I'm curious WHY you even bothered to watch this video???
@@bbfoto7248 the case looks nice, I watched till I saw the back of the speakers.