I understand that one of the many benefits of Roon is the propriety RAAT protocol.
Apparently Roon were unable to use the RAAT protocol when building LS50w compatibility.
Does anyone know what is being used in place of RAAT and what the resulting compromises are in, if any?
So everyone is different. I am extremely happy with the Roon implementation on my LS50W. The only downside (and itâs not for me) is that you canât group the LS50W with other RAAT zones in the home. I never do this so I donât give a rip about that. This, for some people, is a show stopper. Since I never do this I often wonder why itâs such a big deal but then again I really donât care so itâs not a big deal for me. They work great. Sound great and I have had mine for quite a while with no real issues.
I agree. A lack of grouping ability is not an issue for me either.
RAAT offers benefits in addition to grouping though. See the third post by Danny: What's wrong with UPnP?
Iâm very interested to know what Roon used instead with the LS50w and why RAAT could not be implemented.
There were lots of posts about the why question you are asking when these speakers were first introduced. I am sure you can find them by searching the KEF specific section of the forums to learn more.
I just got the LS50 Wireless. Love the sound but the fact they are not technically Roon Ready is a real pain for me. They were intended to be part of a multi-room system. I guess I should have clued in when I read âRoon compatibleâ on the Roon website. Nevertheless now I canât group them with the rest of my Roon ready components. Only can play them via Roon by themselves, not paired with my PS AUdio setup 
. Had to buy a $600 Bluesound Node 2i streamer that is Roon ready to make it happen via Toslink. Not too happy about the extra cost but it works. Hopefully Kef can make it happen down the road via Firmware update.
I am able to group them with the iPhone (I do it to get playback control on the Apple Watch). Maybe thereâs been an update or I am missing something
Are you using them wireless?
I have the same problem and I want to group the zones.
I have kef ls50w connected with wifi and a HT system connected to marantz receiver and htpc (core).
Can I solve it by: connecting ls50 to a laptop and laptop wired to network then make it the core and install Roon Bridge on the htpc?
Or buy chromecast audio?
No - I realized this is what I was missing 
Theyâre connected via USB to the Roon Core computer so RAAT runs on the PC.
Does anyone know if the new LS50 wireless II is truly Roon Ready and able to be grouped with other Roon devices?
Yes, according to KEF that is the plan. KEF talks about âRoon Readyâ for the W2, but itâs not shipping yet so we donât know if theyâll be RR from the startâŚ
Yeah, but they say the Gen 1 are âRoon Readyâ on their website also, and we know thatâs a bit of an exaggeration.
If they will be able to be grouped with other Roon RAAT devices, Iâm a buyer right now
My understanding is RAAT for the new version. Grouping with other RAAT devices should work. I tried the LS50W at home. Didnât play well in my system so I took it off my âlistâ. Iâll definitely try the new version as soon as itâs available.
They have removed the gen1 from their site as far as I can see and only gen2 up there now which they are touting as Roon Ready. If they are then it will need to launch with them being authorised as part of the new crackdown. As its not launched I guess they can get away with it for now if itâs not been fully certified yet.
Just to confirm - Gen 1 was Roon Tested, and was always advertised as Roon Tested - any mention of Roon Ready for the original in any comparison charts will be a copy/paste oversight.
Roon Ready is also coming - no firm date at this moment. See below from our HK website.
Man, I need to charge my iPad !
Thanks Ben!
Couldnât you assemble an Rpi + digi hat + Ropieee and connect it to your speaker? I do this with my Dynaudio wireless speakers and it works great. The Rpi solution is realitively inexpensiveâabout $140 or so I think, including the case.
Yes, I could have swapped out my pre/pro to one with streaming (like a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge) or added a Roon endpoint, but for a bedroom system, I want to reduce the number of âboxesâ. The LS50W2 is very attractive from either aspect (cheaper than the Mytek and less boxes than the other solution)
