I’d love to hear something from Roon. I’m seriously considering these, but many people claim the controller app leaves much to be desired and that it doesn’t work with Tidal. I don’t see Spotify’s appeal unless the rumours of Spotify hifi-def turn out to be true.
I got greedy and asked the following by email KEF:)
-
Please please add auto wake up through wifi and USB! I believe it’s a function easy enough to implement and we have seen this feature on most of the similar products out there!
-
Please make the speakers always online so I can adjust the settings whenever I want. Now I have to switch it to wifi mode to tweak the settings is kind of annoying as I don’t have anything that’s playing through wifi. I can’t even tell what volume I’m at if I’m not playing through the mobile App.
-
Please allow the app to disable some input ports so I can quickly switch the input mode. Using one button to cycle through the modes may be physical limit but its UI can surely be improved. Of course adding auto switch mode function will be even more sophisticated!
-
Please make the speakers airplay ready and RoonReady. It maybe a long shot but I it is possible!
1 Like
I have the same speakers and have the same list of things I’d like to see. Number 1 for me would be make them Roon-Ready. #2 on your list took me a while to figure out. I kept trying to access them via the app while they were in PC mode and the app would not see them. Took me a few tries for my Ah Ha moment. #3 would be great too. I am never going to use AUX or Bluetooth. Let’s kill those off for now.
I saw your post from a few above your last where you say you don’t have much 24/192 stuff. I also am using a microRendu for Roon and using Roon to upsample all my 16/44 stuff to 24/192. I think it sounds great this way. Just an FYI.
I have the same setup now(microRendu+LS50w). The result is very pleasing.
Still want those listed functions though. There’re now five cables connected to the right speaker how can they call it wireless?
I’m planning to buy LS50 Wireless shortly. But they have to work with my Roon setup. I have a Windows Roon server with a Chord Hugo connected to USB for headphones. Will Roon see and use KEF LS50W as endpoint if I connect them to USB in the same way as the Hugo? Sorry if this is self-evident. I am new to Roon. Perhaps all DACs work with Roon? I have only tested Hugo, Mojo, Dragonfly Red and IFI DSD and they all work very good.
No the LS50 will not be an “endpoint” for Roon. In your example the Hugo would be the endpoint and you would connect the analog outputs of the Hugo to the analog inputs of the LS50 and use it as a powered speaker. You would then be bypassing the internal DAC. The LS50 is not yet Roon Ready. KEF says they are working on it but who knows what that actually means. In order to make my LS50’s Roon ready I use a microRendu. The speakers are so good that them not being Roon Ready is no reason to disqualify them.
Thank you John. If I connect the Hugo to the analogue input on the Kefs, will the room correction things still work? Since I will be upgrading to a Hugo 2 in the end of this month, I guess that DAC will be “better” than the one in the KEFs, so perhaps the solution might even be on the positive side, at least regarding the sound. Or perhaps I will buy a microRendu - though I rather not.
Surely the KEFs would work if you connected them via USB to a computer. They don’t need to be Roon Ready for that to work. Roon Ready refers to them being network devices and working via Ethernet or wifi. Roon should work with any USB DAC connected to a computer provided the necessary drivers are available for the computer.
I think you can have multiple USB devices connected to the same computer but I don’t think you can play from them both at once.
I understand that analogue signals into the kef 50 wireless are converted to digital anyway. So yes the other processing will work but there is not much point in feeding things through the Chord DAC first.
The best solution for now is to use one of the available RoonReady network devices such as Raspberry Pi or sonicorbiter or microrendu or Sotm SMS 200.
You lost me. What room correction? Are you talking about the switches on the back (or in the software) then yes those will still work. As for the DAC in the Hugo being better than the DAC in the KEF I would have to guess yes since the Hugo costs as much at the LS50 do alone.
Thank you philir. I think your answer is what I hoped for. I will just buy the KEFs and test what’s best.
Oh, yes. I ment the EQ. I was a litte tired/confused 
It was in the middle of the night in my times zone. Yes, I don’t doubt Hugo is a better DAC, but that does not matter if the signals are converted to digital in the KEFs.
There is no way to bypass the internal DAC in LS50w. That’s a down point for KEF. I don’t have a decent DAC so it’s no issue for me and the result is more than pleasing. #I owned NAD 368 and LS50 passive and the LS50w with microRendu is obviouly an upgrade to the old bundle sonically. Upgrading the front end to have LS50 passive to compete with LS50w is beyond my budget.
But, since you’ve already have a decent DAC, I assume a more rantional approach is to get decent active speakers without internal DAC(like the Focal ones). That’ll give you more flexibility in upgrading your system. Also, as my friend has a pair of focal Trio 6, I can say the sound is marvelous.
Hmmm… Thanks, gives me somethings to think of. I’m leaning towards LS50w. It might be more practical. The Hugo is battery driven and use mostly use it to drive headphones. I’m going to test to connect it directly to my windows Roon server. If I need to get a miroRendu, I will get one.
Do you think the microRendu makes big diffrence in sound quality with the LS50w - besides the Roon endpoint thing?
thanks for all the valuable input guys! I still miss some “basic” features, though.
- The need for switching inputs to wifi in order to remote control the LS50w is kind of ridiculous
- RAAT support would be awesome. With all the electronics already in there an additional streamer seems a bit unnecessary.
- as mentioned by @Jingxi_Tang: The ability to disable certain inputs, or, even better: auto input selection.
These points all seem to be possible through firmware upgrade. Once it is done, the LS50w are a one-stop shop!
And lastly: They seem to sound incedibly good and that should be the most important fact of all. Since that is done already, the other issues should be easy to address 
I have just ordered a pair and will closely monitor the these things, especially the RAAT support. As a newbi Roon user I have come to the following conclusion - without actually having the LS50ws yet: LS50w will work a an USB point in Roon, but RAAT support will add sound quality (no USB downsides) and the freedom to put the speakers far away from the Roon server.
I am sure you will enjoy them. The LS50W sound amazing. The complaints I am reading about them are amusing. It’s like buying a Ferrari and then complaining about the size of the trunk. If you judge them on how they sound you will be pleased at the end of the day.
I cannot wait to get them. I will just have to pick out the first serious listening session. The brand new ECM album from Tomasz Stanko’s New York Quartet “December Avanue” comes to mind.
1 Like
Sweet!!! I just ordered that one myself.
I got it the same day it got out on highres.com. It’s very very god. I like it even more than “Wislawa”
I can’t tell if microRendu made the speaker sound better or not because my comparison will be apple to oranges.
I never directly connected LS50w to any computer. I used UPNP through wifi, which is the only bit perfect mode I’ve used other than with mR. The sound is similar.
However my main collection is on Tidal so I can’t live with KEF app(and of course I need Roon). mR is the walk around to get the speakers Roon ready.
I used Roon -> Airplay -> Apple TV -> hdmi -> TV -> toslink -> LS50w before the mR arrives. MR out performs this setup(no doubt).
I’m also considering trying out the Auralic Aries. It doesn’t seem to out perform mR regarding SQ, but it’s a more convenient piece for me. It’s also not more expensive than mR plus a good LPS.