★ *REVIEWING: **bit.ly/37HOx27**, **amzn.to/3eOr0hP* ★ *QOTD: We have reviewed a lot of powered speakers - which is your favorite?* ★ *Love our conversation/outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end* ★ *COMMENT RULES: Please be respectful. No outside links, URLs, email addresses, etc. Violations are automatically deleted.*
So far I’m a Kanto guy, unless the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 count. The Klipsch have always been computer speaker because of the lack of connection options but if Klipsch ever just updated that area and left the rest alone, they would have a monster powered speaker offering that has always just ROARED! Until then the Kantos 4’s are in my budgetary sweet spot.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I discovered the 2’s through a guy at work. We had them on our desks but an office doesn’t really let you test a speaker. As soon as we started working from home we both upgraded. Me to the 4’s and him to the 6’s. I don’t think either of us will ever be able to go back to the office!! Hey, where’d the usual cabinet go? Did your TV finally squeeze it out?
Love your set up look. Finally someone who appreciates lifestyle and design than just audiophile sound. So tired of looking at expensive setups being showcased in some garage with extra speakers and components all over the place. Keep up the fantastic work.
Big fan of your reviews and how well produced your videos are! Kef has really become a strong contender for my next home theater. Really hope to see more Kef reviews from you guys in the future!
Very excited to see you guys cross the 200k mark! Keep up the amazing work, you’re my favorite to watch and have helped me along my audio journey. Cheers to 200!
I did. You guys always have great reviews. Now the KEF's ls50w II are a great option for someone looking for simplicity and not looking to spend money on seperate components and experimenting trying to find the perfect synergy. But, if you are someone that is looking to put together a badass hifi system, and is willing to spend a little time and money, the KEF Meta's are a GREAT speaker. I heard them fresh out of the box with a Rodgers tube amplifier, no subs, not broken in, and their sound was truly amazing. KEF overall produces very good quality audio components and I think anyone with a pair of LS50 metas or wireless II have a speaker thats truly remarkable.
As a owner of a pair of KEF R3s, I can say personally I know the R Series! I have a buddy that works at KEF. I was back and forth between R3s and R5s. Through his guidance, I went with R3 and I haven't looked back. That being said, I had a chance to listen to the Blades 2 and a few of the Reference series. I can not describe in words the sound all of those speakers produced. I actually had dinner with a couple of the KEF guys last night and FINALLY heard the KC62. Little guy packs a serious punch! I'm hoping to visit their NJ movie theater soon made up of nothing but R Series CI speakers! Great video!
Not sure if u read comments of older videos later, but this speakers gets firmware updates too! which possibly also increases the streaming and sound quality. I've had this with Sonos, which the Arc's latest update really changed the sound in a positive way. And I noticed in the release notes of the ls50w2 they also do these kinds of updates.
Used to have KEF Ref 107 (known as Daleks) way long ago. Passive but amazing. Built like a tank, weigh a ton. See pictures just for fun last sold 20yrs +
Thanks! I am A/V full ATMOS oriented so trying to integrate a setup with powered is over the line of possible. I had the Q-towers and they were great for orchestral works but I found the rock and roll a bit set back.
Loved this video Andrew & Kristi, you gotta get more KEF gear for review. I'm lucky enough to have heard Blade's and they are amazing!! I have a 7.1 set up using KEF R series, R700, R500, R100, R200c and R400b sub with Yamaha RX-A3080 and Rotel Rb1552mkii power amp. Love it
Great review, just the thing I was researching. I’ve decided to resume my audiophile hobby after a gap of 15 years due to family reasons, I don’t fancy going back in time to return to tube amps etc etc and and am rather keen to explore new avenues & the latest advancements such as these wireless ii powered speakers system. It seems to tick most of the boxes for me and besides I never enjoyed all that spaghetti hanging out the back. So thanks for the tips.
I’ve heard the KEF Blade speakers in a show room. Granted the show room was the worst for that quality of a speaker but the bass was the most articulate deep bass I’ve ever experienced in any speaker and made me stay for hours listening to song after song.
Happy Sunday morning Andrew and Kristi. The LS50W II will find a home in many systems and they fill a need for those who wants a “do it all “ speaker. Wireless is going to be the future for many audiophiles, but it is not there yet. As mentioned the sound is the sound. With passive speakers along with the right gear will undoubtedly sound better. The one advantage of wireless is with updates to the speaker’s software. The sound signature can be tweaked by the manufacturer as Klipsch did with the Fives. One thing I will say… the room setup in this video was awesome. Those Kef’s looked fantastic along with the furniture in the space. Kudos to you and Kristi for great production work.
Amazing speakers. Great for someone like me that has a smaller living room, small child, and can't fit a ton of components. Expensive, but, there are others less expensive speakers that can get the job done almost as good. I've never considered powered speakers for me, but, you convinced me that they can be good. Thx, and all the best to you and Kristi.
Adam T5V £135 each are near field monitors but are liked as audiophile speakers. Active speakers are very different to just a powered speaker. Kef LS50 and B&W Formation Duo are active DSP speakers.
Very very interesting take from Kristy focusing on how much the "setup" influences sound eventually on passive speakers, and the fact that you are able to create your sound from them. With powered you get what you get, which can be a good thing and limiting also.
This is one honest n accurate review. It’s just a great speaker for its price. Not a very resolving or refined speaker but to get that one needs to spend quite a bit more. I would love these speakers for say the living room. Hook them up a sub and to the TV. It’s good enough to enjoy music or a simple HT system. By the way, the satin finish is just lovely and they look great with the S2 stands.
I’m with Christy (hope I spelled that right). I’m just starting to listen to the Kef LS50 Wireless II now. For me the simplicity demanded a serious listen, but the reality is if they don’t sound right the alternative will be separates. I wasn’t shopping for all-in-one. It’s always about the sound and there really isn’t anything that directly compares so yeah I think it perfectly reasonable to compare these with some other stack.
Loved the review. Hope you have fun with the KEF Blades! Polite question: you do realise just how large and heavy they are and that a team of strong men will be needed for installation? Your doors and door frames might suffer a bit getting the Blades in and out.
I have been waiting for your review of these for a while and as usual, you didn’t disappoint. I certainly agree with your description of the sound and I was initially a little disappointed by the neutrality. I have had them at home for a month now and certainly appreciate them as an all round package. I got off the high end Merry go round a couple of years ago and have been looking for a good looking all in one solution with good quality sound and I feel that these fit the bill as they also fit perfectly in to the aesthetics of my living room. Thanks for producing quality and engaging reviews.
Thank you for a honest review, and one of the first II's review that is not entirely overwhelmingly positive. Design wise, I would recommend you trying the KEF R3 (or a tower version). I've heard they should work really well for both HiFi and cinema.
I appreciate you pronouncing Porsche correctly, lol. Always love your reviews, you both have a refreshing perspective on Hifi and make us aware of your preferences and biases which I think makes your reviews more trustworthy than others.
Thank you so much. We do our best to just let you know what we thought of the product given how we live and we try and make it approachable for everyday people as well as more die hard enthusiasts.
Hi guys. Want to thank you for your show. I look forward to seeing the latest to bolster my knowledge. Compared to all of you out there, I feel very amateurish. Not into the techno lingo stuff, but at some point I know they are a valuable resource. I just know I like what I hear....and what I don't. Ibdont have the opportunity to go and experience all of these units out there, So I count on you for some guidance. Andrew and Kristi's diffetent perspectives is must see TV, as far as I'm concerned. Great job!
Glad you finally got these in! They seem versatile and incredibly professional, but I have always heard that the sound is divisive, and you definitely confirmed that. I think you finally steered me away from the dream of one day owning a pair of KEFs (in a good way), but I wouldn't be opposed to hearing them sometime.
Great Reviews. I'm fairly new to the channel and I love your reviews. Is there a way to use them as part of a 5.1 Home Theatre setup? (and keep using them as a stereo streaming speakers) I assume if the AVR has pre outs, it can, right?
i have the R41pm's (with a sub) and the 5's from klipsch. 41's are at my desktop and the 5's are in the living room 16x16 ish on some bookshelf's from ikea. i talked my cousin into buying the R51pm's. i run my 41's through a cambridge dac. otherwise everything else is tos link or eArc from a tv with only bluetooth ever reachin them. i think powered is the future too. the amount of options it solves for is too much to disagree with. people still want pug in play. personally ill always be separates until I die lol. cost is my only inhibitor to that. great video and congrats on 200k and to another 800k!
Especially appreciated the talk afterwards. I'm sceptical about the value proposition of the "smart" functionality and connectivity part of the Wireless II. Streaming sources are so cheap and easy to come by, whether through used chromecast audio's or very user friendly Raspberry Pi solutions (e.g. Volumio offers Tidal connect). Why depend on KEFs in-house apps and electronics? Same for DACs, with the excellent value Chifi products. If you spend €2500, sound is a way more important issue than connectivity. In this sense the Wireless II vs. Meta passive comparison is very valuable. It's also a terrifying prospect to me that you might encounter software bugs and the like, just to listen to your hifi.
Always interesting reviews. I have them. Love them for simplicity. Agree with the clinical critic. It's a shame that we can't have some DSP to personalize the sound. I would have liked to hear more about the sub pairing because I was wondering if there was any point getting a matching kc62 in a 20m2 living room. what are your thoughts?
Hi Andrew and Chrissy (I hope i spelled that right), can you guys do a review of an "on-wall" speaker? I think that thin profile speakers mounted on the wall is just the most beautiful way to go, and practical (with kids). Are there any major sacrifices with those on-walls offered by KEF, Klipsch, Dali, etc? I'd be willing to pay significantly more for on-walls with equal sound quality, so as to avoid the pain of breaking them, or breaking my shins, as the years go by. Also, a video on the most beautiful/artistic speaker systems out there in general, would be great too. Digital Trends did a great video about a Portland-based artistic speaker series. I feel like this genre is right down your alley. Thanks for all your amazing content.
If I already have a Powernode 2i and RSL Speedwoofer 10s, would you recommend getting the LS50 Meta or selling the Powernode and buying the LS50 Wireless II? Subjectivity will of course affect this decision, but just wanted to get your thoughts.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews in the end I didn't want my electronics inside the speaker and felt I would be better served with separates. Added the Rotel RA-1572 and it works well for me.
This is awesome, I’m super interested in powered speakers, I think allowing yourself to let go of the idea that a “real” system consists of passive speakers, an amp, and an outboard source is really exciting
I’ve been waiting for this review for awhile! I went ahead and bought the wireless 2s after your meta review. I love the simplicity and flexibility. I love the sound too but now I am curious how the Meta sound different with different amps. I paired them with a REL T9i and I’m very happy with it. “The only one who has to love the sound is me.” :) That being said the only negative for me is they don’t sound as big as my Polk LSI floor standers. If you want a vote for a KEF floor stander I would vote for the R series. I’ve been curious about them. Not entry level and not out of reach entirely.
I would love if you could review the Blade 2 speakers. I think that would be a fun review to watch!! Crossing fingers that will happen at some point. As for powered speakers I'm bias since I have LS50 meta, and would say the LS50 WII speakers.
Thanks for the great review. Question: I have a Marantz 8015; could I connect a pair of these KEFs to the pre-outs of the front channel (to the aux-in on the KEFs), so I have these speakers as a high end front channel for home cinema and could also connect to them wirelessly?
I think its all what you like and nothing else. You two are pretty good at reviewing tech i like listening to you. Keep doing what you do and be blessed overall.
Great content, Andrew. I went with the Formation Duo myself for the sound and aesthetics. I wish the Formation Duo had more connectivity, but I see where they are going with it.
The Duos are great and I can totally see why you (or anyone) would pick them. Do you have the Formation hub? That is a great way to add more connectivity if you need it.
I have been waiting for this review since I first saw the LS50 Wireless II speakers in the background. Just because of Kristi's take on Meta video six months ago "I think that they may not get those back" When Kristi was talking about powered Wireless II speakers :D
Great review as always! I am a fan of Kef Speakers, not just because of their sound, but their design. I just ordered a pair of Kef R5 towers and I’m excited. Hopefully you get more in to review!
Hi, can you share to us what amplifier did you use with the metas to get the sound she is talking about? im looking forward yo buy an audio set and i have the question if powered or passive w/amp, thx!!
Can I ask you a question? Hope so😜. Seen you beolab 28 and you mentioned Nef ls50. If you should choose one of those, what would you choose? Ps very good presentation.
Not relevant to this specific review, but just wanted to say that I really appreciate you including Christa's opinions in your reviews. As a (apparently rare) female audiophile, I really appreciate hearing where you guys agree and where you don't. And I also really enjoy hearing her take on the aesthetics of various speakers/amps as well. Maybe it's a female thing, but I've never understood why companies make beautiful sounding speakers that make my eyes bleed when I look at them, and I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Very good review. I have a question. I run my Audio Technica LP-120XUSB turntable in my man room but would like to hear it in the house without having to crank up the sound out of my room. Does a wireless speaker work? Also if you don’t mind me asking what type of mic do you use for your videos so clear! Thank You
Great review, I'd be curious to see you review the PSB Alpha AM5 as a lower cost powered speaker option. I am a big fan of PSB speakers and their sound.
I think a lot of questions arise when you consider the Wireless IIs which have an “arguably ideal” amp pairing, versus the Metas where some budgets might have an amp like the AXR 100 or a NAIM Uniti Atom - comparatively the Metas could be a lot more or a little less. Do you or Kristi have an opinion on using Metas with a “budget amp” versus the Wireless IIs?
I picked up a set of Metas after seeing your review of those and I absolutely love them! Interesting to see your thoughts on the wireless version. I'm thinking about picking up a subwoofer for my setup but I wonder if the SVS is a good choice considering the brand has a reputation for making their presence known in a way that something like the KC62 does not. Decisions decisions.
honestly, my favourite are the LS50s. But below the $1000 price tag, the Klipsch Fives are really a no brainer for a budget speaker, especially if someone who really doesn’t know much about audio gear and just wants a, grab, setup, listen and grin for the rest of their life with no regrets! But I really really hope KEF comes out with an LSX Meta. I have a very good feeling it might. And when it does, cant wait for your review! 😄👍🏼
I'm curious as to what firmware you were running on your review sample. Firmware 1.7 sounded absolutely amazing in every way. Once the speakers auto updated to 1.8 a good deal of the magic was lost. The soundstage isn't as wide or deep, and the sense of air around instruments, particularly drums, was dialed way back. Leading edge transients were also softened. I even tried out a second pair, but they suffered the same exact fate. I tried contacting KEF support, but they made it clear to me that their software vetting process is infallible, and thus couldn't possibly be the cause of the problem I am having.
Can you comment on the 3.5mm jack of the LS50W II series when connecting to turntable? I have the first generation and quite happy with the RCA port. With the 3.5mm on the new models, does the sound will be affected as from what I know, 3.5mm is worse compare to RCA?
I had the opportunity to go to a presentation given by Kef by my local dealer. There was a comparison between the Blade speakers and the top model of t he Reference range.Both are in the same price range and are the top of Kef.My impression was that the blade is not an allround speaker. For classical music I preferred the Reference. The Reference range excells in al music styles but has a classic design. The Blade is a very modern design. The Blade is in my opinion a very good speaker and you could compare it with the original LS 50 in overall sound character but much bigger. Ore you can say the LS 50 is a small version of the Blade and at that time there was no Metha. For me totally unaffordable but if you have the money take a listen. The Bade is on the market for several years.
First time I saw this video I didn't finisehd it. I have already saw it until the end and there are two topic I want to comment about. The first one is that I thank to Christie she mentioned the Tannoy Gold because I am thinking in a minimalistic gear with powered speakers and, of course the Kef LS50 W2 are a possibility in the all in one side, but a simple powered speakers togeher with the computer and a DAC are oher possiblity (Tannoy Gold 7 or 8 and Adam AX77 are the ones I have in my mind) And to know how is the Tannoy Gold sound compared with the Kef LS50 is something very important to me. In the same way I would like o know how the Tanmoy Gold 8 are compared with the Adam AX77 The other question is that when Christie mentioned Kef tower speakers, the first I thought is just the Blade that is something I would like to listened to or at least to get a review from you. Other speakers that I am wondering about them are the Tannoy revolution XT8F together with the Eaton. The Revolution are affordable ones and it could be a good choice. Definitivelly I would like more Kef and Tannoy reviews, because they are 2 very interesting brands.
For some reason I’d really like to see a powered tower version of those ls50 wireless speakers… like an easy setup for those who want towers without the the hassle of 2 or 3 other boxes in a cabinet…
I like when Kristi wants to compare the formation duos and the Metas. Because I would totally do that comparison. In the real world. Do I get the formation, or do I get the metas with my favourite amp that goes with? Is the separates worth it to the simpler B&Ws. I like that! It’s truly real world 😂👍🏻 I am team LS50 Meta with Uniti Atom on this 😆
The Rotel we recently reviewed would be a good pairing - bit.ly/3wAcZgx. Be sure to check out our review of the Bronze 100 speakers if you haven't already. You'll find a list of everything we used to test them in the description.
Really interesting review. I fall into the camp of people who edit their photos and videos in an attempt to make them look “better” than the original scene actually looked to the eye. I am the same way with music. Accuracy is not necessarily my goal. I want to be entertained by my system. I currently use a pair of Klipsch The Fives with a sub and am reasonably happy with them. I would love a bit more power/volume potential and WiFi functionality but with the characteristic Klipsch sound and the Heritage look. Something say in the $2000 range. I am absolutely sold on the convenience and minimalism of my current setup and only occasionally do I wish for more.
Anyone knows about Magnat monitor reference 2a powered speakers. Are they good for movies for a 2.0 set up in a small living room? Or they sound very 'flat' so better for studio monitors?
Hi Andrew, thanks for the review. I know you can’t compare active with passive speakers but in terms of sound the WA 2 compared to the Sonus Faber Lumina 2, which would you prefer in terms of sound?
