Kef LS50W - can't play hi-res above 96kHz

Oh thanks for the update, Randy. I’m already on the 5GHz network, but knowing that this can be fixed by playing with the network configuration does give me hope!

I’m communicating with KEF support as well and they have been great help.

Thanks.

I have the speakers and the Mac Mini both connected by ethernet cable to the router, and all the connection issues I had before disappeared, now I can upsample without problems too. Make sure that u have upgraded the firmware, there was a new one on November.

I also use the KEF wireless and I can play 24/192 without a problem.

Thanks, Alex. I also have the music server connected with the Ethernet cable. It seems like everything is indicating that the problem is in the connection between the router and the speakers. When i have time next week, I’ll try to connect my speakers directly to the router and see.

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Cantodea, awesome! Enjoy your music! I feel alot better now that i know there are also lots of users who don’t have any issues. The bad thing about forum sometimes is that only the people have problem use it to complain, and so everyone just focus on the negative side of things.

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Just to keep everyone posted. I went and got a top of the line ASUS router and I tried directly connecting the speakers to the router with an Ethernet cable, but I am still unable to play any music above 96 kHz.

My last resort, as suggested by the support representative, is to file for a warranty service with Visions (where I bought the speakers from). After a week later, KEF replied back to Visions saying that they won’t be taking the speakers back to do any test, and they insisted that the issue is with Roon.

My understanding is that this cannot be an Roon issue as there are other users on this forum who can play the music without any problem.

I have exhausted all my options now. If any support representative from Roon can see this post, can you please confirm if KEF has reached out to you guys recently and working on resolving this with your team?

Hi @Calvin_Chan,

Did you by any chance try resetting the KEFs to factory default settings? Section A5 on the KEF Troubleshooting Manual provides instructions on how to do so. I would try factory resetting and then upgrading the firmware, I have seen some reports that this helps with similar issues.

Hi @noris

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have tried resetting KEFs to the factory default settings multiple times and have ensure that they are on the latest firmware.

As mentioned in my previous post, I actually don’t think it’s a problem in Roon. But since KEF told Visions that it’s a problem in Roon, I just want to see if KEF has contacted your team in regard to this issue.

Thanks,

Calvin

Hi @Calvin_Chan,

I’ll check with our hardware team to see if anyone from KEF reached out to us, I just ping’d them but might take a bit to hear back.

Can you confirm if this same issue occurs in other apps as well? What about via USB?

Another user above was able to reproduce the behavior in Plex, testing for this might yield some additional data points.

Hi @noris,

I only have used Roon to test the speakers. Unfortunately, my speakers are still at Visions and I won’t be able to test it with other apps at the moment. USB connection through my laptop works without any problem. That’s another indication to me that the problem is not in Roon.

Thanks!

Calvin

Hi @Calvin_Chan,

I reached out to our hardware team and they haven’t heard anything from KEF regarding this specific issue either. If you are able to get the speakers back in your possession and perform more testing do let us know the results. Happy Holidays!

Hi @noris,

Thank you for the confirmation. The support representative from KEF US said he will contact KEF Canada for me (he has been very helpful by the way). I am waiting for their response. Since it’s the holidays this week. I don’t expect to hear back from them until the New Year. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks again and wish you have a happy holidays as well!

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Did you ever get a resolution? KEF support was adamant that it was not the speakers. Fortunately I was within my return window to Visions so I exchanged them myself and the problem went away. I relayed this info to the resource at KEF I was dealing with and his only response was ‘Wow’. Perhaps communication within the company service lines is not up to par.

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Hi David,

It’s awesome that you got the problem resolved! Unfortunately, I’m not as lucky (yet). When i first encountered the problem, I was thinking that it was because of my network, so i spent a long time trying to troubleshoot it myself. By the time i contacted support, it was already a month and half later and missed my return window…

So to continue, my almost brand new speaker has been sitting in Visions service department for a month now. I think KEF finally approved the exchange two days ago so I’m just waiting for Visions to call me when the speaker arrived. I’ll keep you guys posted.

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I got the new replacement today but I am still getting the same problem. Perhaps it is indeed a problem with my setup. I have no more idea at this point.

That is certainly a bummer. I wonder what the chances are you received 2 defective units.

I’m trying the process of elimination, by setting up a test environment with only the essential components. I fresh installed Roon core on a new powerful laptop, factory reset the router (without even connecting to the Internet), and only connect the laptop and the KEF speaker to the router with a Ethernet CAT 6 cable. I am still getting the same problem that the speaker will only work if I down-sample everything to 96 kHz.

@David_MacLeod, if you don’t mind me asking, what is the “Date of Fabrication” of your speakers? My previous one is Jan 2019. And my new replacement one is Dec 2018. I am wondering if KEF has switched to using a new WiFi board at some point.

Connecting the speakers to the laptop with a USB speaker works, so I believe the DAC/Preamp/Amp should all be working. The only thing I can think of is the WiFi board.

I wonder if there is a KEF representative I can contact in this forum. Sorry Roon, for using this forum for trying to troubleshoot an issue that is not related to your product.

Mine are October 2018. I don’t recall the date from the first set.

Thanks for the information.

Has anyone managed to find a solution to this issue?

I have purchased my LS50Ws in October 2019 and have same issues since. Can’t stream 192Kbps Hi-Res music and tried various paid and free software. I have also tried it wireless in both 2.4 and 5GHz modes as well as wired to my Gigabit router. 96 still plays, yet quite unreliable. They have the most up to date firmware as well.

However, over USB, it works just perfectly fine. Should I file a warranty claim?