Ok I found one, and only one, reference to the WM8740 - https://m.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=348&t=501829. The orginal post is copied/quoted on a few other forums, including headfi.
It’s a bit of a random cut and paste list of specs - wonder where he got that from. Surprised that they would use a 10 year old dac chip but if true it just goes to show that the Dac chip itself is only one part of the equation.
Updated the original post with a passive speaker system, that at least I think looks very interesting, and that is still desktop friendly.
I am not sure what the question you are asking here is exactly, can you be more specific?
I don’t really know anything about how the LS50W’s work on the inside. I know a fair amount about how the ethernet/wifi subsystem works, but I don’t have any particular inside information. I can say that I like the way they sound and that I use them as my main day-to-day speakers, but I have not attempted to compare them to anything other than a Sonos Play:3. I also have not tried to use them with anything other than the network input, so I have no idea if using a different input would sound better or worse.
Apologies Dan, I realise my post was vague at best. My question was about the type of DAC that Kef have implemented in the LS50W’s which is hard-to-come-by information. Hence, my approach to you as someone who has worked in a technical capacity on the LS50Ws and whether you knew what the DAC chip was. Your response has answered my question… 
All inputs on the KEF are immediately converted to digital (if not already) so that the data can be transmitted over the ‘speaker cable’ (ethernet link) to the other speaker. So, yes, this is a 100% accurate statement
This question was asked at AXPONA in Chicago this year and that was the response, all signals get converted to 192kHz/24-bit.
Yes, sorry, still getting the hang of how these forum threads work
Which Klipsch are you referring to? The R-15PM or some other form of their Pro Media speakers? I had the R-15PM for a while (with a Klipsch 12" sub) and then I got the KEFs. Had them both in-house for a bit. The Klipsch have moved on. There was a drastic difference between the two, functionally as well as sonically. The KEFs were quite a bit better IMO. I did like the Klipsch remote due to it having individual buttons for the inputs…
I wouldn’t write off using a TT with the Kefs. I’ve not got a TT myself but Darko talks about this in one of his reviews/articles on the Kefs:
Can’t remember if it was this one or his 6moons article… you may need to search around a bit.
It won the EISA award this year, and I also heard from a reliable source its a very solid no-nonsense pure ESS-DAC. I haven’t heard about the headphone amp, but for me that’s not a priority. Unlike some DACs, it has very little coloration.
I also heard John Westlake (the designer of the Pro-Ject dac, and also the designer of the multi-award AudioLab MDAC a few yers back), that better power would be an improvement, hence the iFi iPower. I will use it directly from the computer, and I would like to isolate the power so its from iPower only, hence the vbus isolation.
No it’s this way because aside from the D/A process itself it also uses dsp for the digital/active crossover, phase alignment, and room eq management. One very large part of the reason why they sound so good and something not possible without dsp. There would be no way to do this stuff if the analog signal was passed directly to the amplifiers. (Then you would just have active LS50’s which would certainly take the amplifier matching out of the equation and which some might want as well …)
Not a complete answer, but I use Mark & Daniel speakers in my second room. They are small bookshelf boxes, with a ribbon and a cone. My electronics budget is too high, because there was no Shiit when I installed it. But M & D Maximus line is listed at $1600 - $2000, so today it might fit.
I always think the speakers are vastly more important than the electronics.
This is what the M & D look like in my 5 x 5 meter room, with and with correction with Acourate:
Haven’t seen any mention of the Magnepan desktop system for speakers. That would be my starting point.
You need 2 of the mid/bass speakers for the mini maggie or stereo image will suffer, and then a DAC and powerful amp, and you still would need to add a sub to get good bass below 50hz. It will end up quite costly!
Its a very interesting idea, and I would love a pair of proper 80hz - 20khz Magnepan monitors and a Magnepan “sub”, which seems to be a logical next step from the mini maggie.
I am way late to this party but will put in a pitch for Audioengine P4 or P5 speakers with stands. Great sound and totally designed for near field listening.
I power these with a NAD D3020 which can take USB or optical input from your computer. The NAD has a sub out, although I power my sub (Velodyne Impact Mini) with the speaker level inputs.
Outstanding sound for me, Roon plays to the device with ease. Total cost including cables and wires probably half your budget. Unless you feel that expectation bias would set in because you didn’t pay more this is a setup certainly worth considering.
PS on this the NAD does not offer DSD or MQA if you are so inclined, I personally am not. There are other amps out there that do offer those features if you wanted them at not significantly more money.
Adding a few products not mentioned above. I listen at my desk all day every day to the following setup and I absolutely love it:
The source is my Mac Pro and Roon.
I like the idea of using one driver, but I have a large desktop and can easily handle more normal monitor sizes, so I think a normal 2-way speaker will be best for me (around 30 cm high), with a sub.
So I have a question about that as it relates to your setup. I used to have larger monitors on my desk as well but found that it was too easy to sit inside the normal soundfield throw of full-sized two way speakers (hopefully this description makes sense). At my desk I sit roughly two feet or less from the optimal placement of the speakers on either side of the monitor. I was having to practically turn the speakers almost facing each other to get proper soundfield placement.
Going with a set of speakers more designed for nearfield use with proper disbursement allowed me to more properly place the speakers with less toe-in, angle them properly toward my listening position and, at least for me, totally take the room out of the equation, hence no need for room correction. My listening experience became much more intense and satisfying due to these changes, I had previously been going way overkill.
Have you not found a similar issue, or, are your speakers pushed back further than I describe with my setup?
Not really, the speakers are 1.5 meters from my head, and 1.4 meters from each other. They are about 40 cm from the back wall, and over 1 meters from the side walls. Its still near field, but more similar to a studio setup than a typical office setup.
I could move the speakers closer, but I like this distance, it gives a little more fullness compared to very near field.
Right now I have Dynaudio X14a (active) speakers and they sound good, but I have been thinking about moving up a step, hence this thread.
Very nice speakers, thank you for the detail! I have never demo’d or listened to Dynaudio speakers except briefly at some audio shows although one of the bookshelf units (I don’t remember now which one) was on my short list (which I was willing to buy without hearing as they had gotten so many rave reviews) before I ended up with Focal Aria 906’s instead (family room kit where the wife acceptance factor was more of a concern!). I also see why you still are looking for a separate DAC since the Excites do not have anything internal. I used to have a desk full of separates (as I did a third setup I have at home where my two channel system lives) but tired over the years of so many pieces and parts all over the place all the time so condensed into more all-in-one boxes for the computer and other systems a year or so ago.
Good luck with the search and your upgrades, hopefully all this input from the forum has been helpful (or maybe not, there is always the “too much information, not enough to go on” risk of sensory and detail overload).