If you can’t go ethernet from Roon Core both to router and KEF (that would be ideal) and you have wireless issues in terms of connectivity problems, try static IP adresses for both Roon Core and KEF. In my case that gave me a rock stable WIFI connection (5GHz) between Nucleus and KEF.
Do it! the new control app allows switching of inputs- memorises volumes on inputs and memorises EQ profiles - plus a new super one touch way to swap master speaker to left channel instead of fiddly top LED panel button pushes …
Hi Everyone,
Today I bought a pair LS50W’s second hand from a local guy (sadly they are not sold in my country).
Now, I have zero experience with loudspeakers, as thus far I have been into headphones exclusively. My reference setup is currently Audeze LCD-3 headphones connected to a Chord Hugo 2.
I brought the speakers home and hooked them up, and I put them on my IKEA TV cabinet (this one, if it matters: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60239715/) as I have no speaker stands yet. I reckon the distance between the speakers was 1.2-1.3 meters. And the cabinet is 50 cm high. The speakers were maybe 15-20 cm from the wall (>30cm is recommended, I know).
After reading all of the rave reviews I expected to be blown away by these speakers… but I wasn’t.
The bass felt one-note at times and uneven, the treble didn’t sparkle as I imagined it would… it just didn’t feel “hifi” enough. The sound was rather smooth though, pretty cohesive, and vocals stood out rather nicely. Sound stage wasn’t very good imo and didn’t feel 3-D like or holographic. Everything was happening in the space between the speakers.
Granted, I only had about an hour to play around with them. I tried the different switches of the EQ to represent the room and the physical setup but eventually, weirdly, preferred the default setting.
I’m trying to understand if the fault is with the placement of the speakers and the room (can the difference be that big?), my expectations (coming from a really good headphone setup), or the speakers themselves.
I have found 2 examples online, one of them on Amazon, of people who received speakers that didn’t sound faulty but also didn’t sound very good. They compared them to passive LS50’s that sounded better. These people had their LS50W’s replaced and the new ones sounded a lot better.
Reading through this thread, I didn’t see anyone having a problem with the sound of the speakers, just with various defects.
Could it be that I was sold one of those not so great sounding pairs? I would hate to think so…
I would appreciate any thoughts on this matter from experienced people like you 
couple of ideas to try…
factory reset…
make sure firmware is updated…
iso-acoustic stands (not sure how much that ikea cabinet vibrates??)…
adjust position for good imaging of sound…
then tune settings to match your room…
early on a few of us did make comments about the need to tune the output to get what we liked.
also, you might need to give it time for your brain to get used to the sound, this is typically not a quick process in my experience anyway…
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Hi
You do not mention your source for the LS50s… USB from a Mac or PC?
Mine are on two 30” stands, in an 8 foot equilateral triangle with my listening chair. My room is damped with acoustic panels, so my DSP settings in the LS50W is +2 for treble and -5 for the bass.
Playing Tidal through my PC to LS50W, they sound even better than my LCD2F headphones.
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Thanks @bearFNF,
I did do a reset from the back panel in order to setup the new wifi in my house. That’s the same as a factory reset, right?
I will of course try your other suggestions. I’m not sure whether I should get iso-acoustics to put on a cabinet or just proper speaker stands. I have a toddler and a 2.5 years old so I need something stable.
Brain adjustment is probably a big factor too…
Thanks @Peter_Invan,
I just used them in Roon through the wifi and then also the ethernet, so it was using the built-in DAC of the speakers.
I’d be surprised if the USB input is better than the ethernet. Is it?
Do they have better bass than your LCD2F? Without a subwoofer? That’s really impressive
I cannot comment on whether USB direct is better than using the Ethernet or using the speakers as the streaming device. No firsthand experience.
I need to correct my prior post: my stands are 30" high, such that the tweeter is at the same height as my ears when sitting. They are filled with sand and have spikes through my carpet.
Have you tried adjusting up the treble in the advanced settings?
I sometimes use the DSP/ EQ settings in Roon to boost the treble further (to suit my old ears).
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Yesterday I played more with placement (still no stands) and managed to improve the sound. I was also able to set the DSP to help with the room characteristics. I also ended up boosting the treble which surprised me as I thought my room was more lively than damped.
Good recordings sounded pretty good and average ones not so good.
I felt like I really needed to turn the volume up in order to get an engaging sound. I guess this is normal…
Still haven’t tried using the Roon EQ
I use 5G wifi (with Roon interface) which to me sounds better than USB (same is the case with my Devialet amp and Dynaudio speakers). I would suggest speaker stands (I got the Kef ones) instead of cabinet and check the settings in the setup - this is not my main stereo, so my recollection setting them up is vague - but I do remember tinkering with the settings and placement made a huge difference to sound. Also I have the Audeze LCD 4 headphones (for travelling) with chord mojo - the experience of headphones to speakers is totally different as is say listening to my surround sound system in my theatre (which is designed not for sound but rather providing you with the cinematic experience which requires vision). Treat each experience differently and enjoy it rather than comparing audeze to KEF speakers.
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I am yet to update to the new firmware - do you notice a difference in the sound quality or do we have more functionality? Also no MQA unfolding I bet (i am aware of their anti MQA philosophy-
However am happy with the Roon first unfold - I compared a Donald Fagen album from my server to the Roon MQA first unfold - I could barely tell the difference on the Kefs. On my other system (Devialet and Dynaudio) maybe marginal but Devialet DAC is pretty good _san_s MQA.
Thanks. I put them on stands now (Monoprice Monolith - I went for the budget option) and the sound is definitely better. The way my living room is set up I’m forced to keep them about 18cm from the back wall and 180cm apart and I think that’s killing the sound. Also the room is not treated in any way… The sound is decent enough now, rather balanced. Still not crazy about it though.
Don’t think there’ve been any improvements to sound quality, the DSP engine remains unchanged for a while now.
There are definitely improvements in functionality - switching sources via the app instead of the remote. You can also save sound settings as presets, which makes comparing different settings much easier.
I just use Roon with Kefs and rarely use the Kef app on either my android or IOs devices - so the firmware update has had no impact for me - I have to say for a built in DAC/ Amp/ Speaker solution it does punch out very good sound.
I have had my Key LS50W for a month now.
Great sound—best I have had.
No problems.
Strongly recommend
I just received my LS50W (replaced LS50) and today was my first day doing lengthy listening. The speakers sound stunning but ran into an issue 3 times within a few hours.
I hear a quick noise almost like a record needle sliding then they shut off and the power button blinks. Sits in that state until I pull the power on the right speaker.
Happened twice while listening to Roon and a third time while sitting on aux, not playing any music.
Sent an email to support—we’ll see what they say.
They go back to kef tomorrow…
I have had my speakers since January 2017. No problems whatsoever with daily use until this evening, when the master speaker crackled and became staticky. I performed a hard reset and updated to the latest firmware, but cannot get rid of the static no matter what I do - including changing inputs. I already reached out to my local KEF dealer for support. Fingers crossed, because I believe I am out of warranty. Has anyone else had this specific issue?
My left speaker gut a crackling noise, they fixed it even though it was just out of warranty. I contacted KEF directly though, as I bought direct.
I purchased mine back in April, 2017 and just started having problems with the right speaker after warm up. I haven’t been using them much which I suspect is the reason the problem didn’t occur earlier. In any case, KEF support has been responsive and they should get them in about a week.