I just got a brand new LS50WII to pair with a half year old Samsung TV through HDMI ARC, Optical and Bluetooth with very disappointing results:
HDMI ARC - once the speaker is connected, they show up in TV’s audio output menu as an option, but once i choose it, the sound will play through LS50 for about 3 seconds and then it drops. If i select a different source on the LS50 then back to TV, it comes back to the menu but the same happens again. I had a Pioneer receiver previously and connected through ARC to the TV with zero issues.
Optical - Can be selected by the TV, but no sound out of LS50 at all.
Bluetooth - there is a 0.5 to 1 second sound delay so not usable.
I changed the TV’s sound output mode to PCM as I found a few posts mentioning that.
Has anyone experienced this or have a suggested solution?
Optical out from my Sony 4K TV to the new LS50 WII works perfect for me. I have not tested the HDMI yet. No delay at all. Check your optical cable and the sound output menu on your Samsung TV (PCM/Stereo out from optical.)
Optical and HDMI(ARC) both work for my LS50-2’s however if I turn off my 2020 Sony Bravia TV then the speakers will keep cycling back on regardless of the sleep settings.
I was told by KEF support that this will be fixed in a firmware upgrade…at some point.
The sound is very good via HDMI.
Be sure to go to the KEF web page and put in a service request.
I have the option to use eARC or ARC on my Sony. Currently I have ARC chosen with PCM. When I was experimenting I believe that they both worked.
I am using a basic Amazon brand HDMI cable and it works fine. My speakers are hard wired to each other with an ethernet cable. It sounded a lot better to me than Wi-fi.
Not yet fixed but have a couple updates, think I’m getting closer…
I stopped by my local KEF showroom (I’m in Hong Kong) today and the staff told me based on my description this is the first time they have heard of such issue and might be faulty speakers. Asked me to wait for support to call me since i had submitted an email…so now I wait…[KEF if you’re reading, that is a pretty poor reaction time. Your products aren’t cheap!].
Second update - i figured out that the failure by the TV to recognize the speakers is somehow related to the KEF Connect app. Any change I make in speaker settings on the app will cause the TV to recognize the speakers (though again only for a few seconds). For example, changing volume, source, toggle desk/wall mode on and off, etc. will allow the TV to “see” the speakers and thereby connect for a few seconds. So this may be an app/software issue rather than speakers or TV. Just a guess.
I hope that they do call you but in my experience with them over the past two months they only email.
My experience is that they say with each new issue I have brought to them " This is the first time I have heard of that." I know for a fact from reading here and on another forum that others have brought up the same issues. They either have very poor communication within their company or a policy that tells them to always say that. I feel that they rushed these speakers to market for the Christmas season.
I have mixed feelings about buying them. They do sound great using a Roon endpoint and their coax input. My concern is that they have questionable customer support and that, being an All-in-One device, if any hardware goes really wrong I will be dead in the water with that support. They do not even have their own support forum where they can monitor customer experience.
I have the exact same issue with my 2020 Samsung Q90T.
Interestingly the speakers work fine with my 2018 Samsung TV with HDMI ARC (not the eARC on the newer TV), so I doubt it’s a case of a hardware fault with your particular set.
I’d be interested if you get a response from KEF regarding this issue.
I finally got in touch with KEF tech support today. They still need to discuss…i suggested that they bring a loaner speaker over to test out a different set. But based on Glen’s experience, this could be an issue with the way these speakers work with some models of Samsung TV, meaning the loaner would likely not work either, and KEF’s suggestion of taking my speakers back for testing prob also won’t matter. Will keep you all posted.
I have exact issue with my LS50W II. HDMI works with my LG CX OLED, but not with my Samsung Q80R. It is not an issue with the Samsung port (soundbars work fine w/ ARC), but rather LS50W II compatibility issue with ARC vs eARC ports. I’ve spoke with KEF support a few times and they are aware of the problem and said it will be address in a future firmware update.
I got an email from KEF today about this firmware update. Unfortunately I just tried it and it doesn’t work for my Samsung TV. I have let them know and hopefully they get around to an update for Samsung’s soon.
I did the v.1.3 update today. This issue are still not working : " * Fix issue where speaker reports to app that it is still in firmware update after firmware update has completed." My LS50 W2 was saying the update was in progress according to my iPhone app and the pending lights on topp off the main speaker for almost 2 hours ! Then I had to disconnect them from the AC maincircuit for a couple of minutes, and then the update progress stopped and the speakers went back in sleep mode. Power up again and the version says 1.3 and everything (luckily) works well…
Hi! I’ve been waiting since early October for the LS50W2 to work with my LG OLEDB8. Until fw1.2 it couldn’t even sense the eArc from the TV. With fw1.3 it does but I get no sound. Contacting KEF has been fruitless so far… Sigh!
Second wake-up source worked fine with my LG WX over eARC… until the most recent firmeware update (from 1.3 to also 1.3?!?). Now I have to select TV from the KEF app every single time when I switch on my TV. Even if it was off for just seconds… Very unhappy with the speakers… no roon, stupid wakeup and goodby sounds, now this,…, and disappointing sound quality overall (even when paired with REL S812…)
