Andrew the LS50 does not have the DAC and AMP built in. That’s the LS50W. The LS50 are passive speakers.
Yes your correct. I deal with 100’s of products every day and in this case I have confused the part numbers.
Here is a quick list of the relevant Kef products
Kef LS50 - Passive speakers, requiring an AMP and DAC
Kef X300A - Powered speakers with a USB audio input
Kef LS50W - wireless network speakers soon to have Roon support
I was thinking of the Kef X300A not the LS50. I have a lot of users using the Kef X300A with a microRendu.
Sorry for the confusion.
Great info Thanks. I had the X300A before I bought the LS50W. The X300A is an excellent speaker but the added functionality plus the pure fact that the LS50W is a better speaker made the upgrade easy.
I had a lot of fun with the X300A. But the LS-50W is a listening experience of a total different order. Being supported by Roon soon, this is a great all in one system. Here are some findings.
I already really, really liked the lower region of the LS-50W. However I was curious how the system would sound with the R400b sub to fill in the lows. And I can say I really like the result. It doesn’t become ‘boomy’ at all, being one of my concerns. Instead I think I really like the result, even some improvements because of the simple fact that the LS-50W gets offloaded and has more energy to fulfill other tasks…
Techy as I am I took some measurements with the minidsp umik-1, and REW. Initial measurement is without sub being plugged in (red line). Next I took a measurement with the sub (green line).
My interpretation is now as follows.
I can clearly see the LS50-W is limited beneath 50Hz, 50Hz already being extremely low for such a small speaker. I also see a dip around 35Hz. Surprisingly It happens with AND without sub being plugged in, probably by the simple reason the sub and the speakers are at the same distance of the wall. I also noticed the volume of the sub can be turned up a bit. (It indeed was set at a too low volume).
I already had the experience that the lower area (beneath 300Hz) were overrepresented, without and with sub. The graph more or less acknowledges this. So next thing to do is experiment with the DSP which is inside the LS-50W. Bass is set to Normal, will set it to Less to see what happens. Next thing I probably need to do is buy floor stands, to get the speakers further from the wall.
These are just measurments. Needless to say it now already sound so great, and I really enjoy listening to music more than I ever did before…
When I have a chance I also put in measurment results for the X300W. Will be continued.
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Good experiment here:+1:t3:. Looking forward for your next experiment post 
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This article in Norwegian, with the title “A match made in heaven” tests the LS50 Wireless and R400 combo.
The conclusion is that it is a poor mans blade.
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you guys have piqued my interest in the kef ls 50 wls even more.
and with blk friday here i’m tempted to sell my all in one naim muso for a set of the kefs.
i was offered some sweet prices on a kef ls 50 wls and tv bundle by a rep at visions electronics.
i currently have Roon,tidal, a microrendu 1.4 and lps power supply hooked up to my focal alpha 50 desktop speakers. …the naim muso is in the living room.
since my laptop is so old and can’t handle roon i’ll opt for a sonictransporter i5 soon (hopefully
blk friday sales will occur there, too, hint hint)
additionally i’m upgrading my old tv with a new oled so am hoping these speakers, if i buy them,
could do double duty quite well.
question: has anyone swapped in a different DAC ie chord mojo or hugo 2 or other to experiment with the SQ?
My understanding is that the Jeff analogue inputs convert the signal to digital as it passes the signal from one speaker to the other via Ethernet. Given this it seems unlikely that an external DAC would improve the sound.
You should be able to use the optical input fir the tv.
yes i confirmed this with a kef rep…analog in gets converted to digital.
so the internal speaker dac would take over anyway in the end.
well consider me now a member of the kef club…just ordered a pair of the white ones
today…got a 5 yr extended warranty on them to just play it safe (will help with resale too)
for cdn $250
For resale, most warranty is only for the first owner of a product.
Not at visions electronics…is transferable
i’m now looking at getting in a sub for them.
https://www.kefdirect.com/ls50w-active-music-system-subwoofer-integration
my room is 12x25.
looking at svs sb2000, psa 15v or rythmik F12…would love a funk audio 18.0c but way out of my budget.
i’m getting in the white version with matching white performance stands next saturday with an LG 65’’ Oled tv to replace my 14 yr old rear projector.
also sold my naim muso…so 2.1, here we come.
seems even the well respected paul mcgowan of ps audio loves the concept of active speakers.
but in his eyes there is just (not yet) enough demand.
I have quite a few customers using the SL50w speakers with our sonicTransporter i5 as a server. All have said they love the sound and the simplicity.
For those looking for a good Subwoofer to match with their LS50W.
I have a REL S2 sub, and it plays mindblowingly good with the KEFs.
for subs i’m looking at (all sealed)
SVS sb2000 (could get single or a pair)…Rythmik F12(servo), PSA 15S etc
sure i’d love a JL audio E112 but pricey at cdn$2k plus…even more so for
a Funk audio 18.0.C (cdn$3-4k).
my room: 12x26, 9’ ceilings.
mostly want a good sub for music (great quality bass)
, less so HT (don’t like to piss off neighbours)
play at moderate levels
guys a question, please:
i have the sonictransporter i5, also Roon and the Kefs LS50 wireless.
but since the kefs are now Roon ready am I right in that i no longer
need the Microrendu 1.4?
kefs are in the living room hooked up via ethernet.
MR/lps ultracaps and sonictransporter with laptop on desk near kitchen.
(was using this desk gig for cans).
You are correct that if you are running the latest LS50W firmware you technically no longer need the microRendu. Before you sell it you should compare the native implementation to the Rendu. I sold mine and regretted it and ended up buying another because I think the Rendu sounds better than the native implementation. YMMV.
Which one sounds warmer to your ears John?
The Rendu or the LS50W’s ethernet interface?
Warmer? Hard to say. Probably the LS50W native. But more detail retrieval and depth with the Rendu.
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