Big_Ben

So this is all over the place....... I got this in this morning after phoning suppliers in UK to try to get information on the High Res and an ETA on availability of the speakers. ......."Our KEF representative says the LS50 wireless system is DLNA certified so should cope with 24/192 on a wired network. The same should apply to wireless so long as it's a stable 5Ghz signal....." So the email i got from KEF direct says USB only, the High Street reseller gives the above info out. Which is it ????? Be great if KEF would make a definitive statement on this.

Confirmed by Andy at KEF ...... "The best sampling rate (Up to 192kHz (USB Type B)with LS50 Active can only be achieved via the USB cable.Please contact your local retailer for availability." So not going to get the High Res from Ethernet, Wi-Fi or RCA in's. Only way to get the 192Khz sampling rate is via USB

Thank you wisnon - that is very helpful information. I have sent an email to KEF asking about 192Khz/24Bit being available on which input. Also, when are these speakers available for purchase. Lets see what the horses mouth has to say.

Indeed. All of this is why the tablet makes sense to me with these speakers, but yes not strictly technically about the speakers. I only offered this information in response to "chatter" about the subject. But lets keep it on topic. What is about the speakers is can some one confirm that 192/24 is only available to the LS50 Actives via USB? I respect your real life experience and its great that you share this, but would ask you why is it that ONLY a windows tablet will do this? Is it something about tablets playing music in general or something specific to these speakers? I am only interested in how this all plays out to THESE speakers. I have no interest in any other topic other then how to get a source playing to these speakers. What will be the best way way to get the best from these speakers ? I think that is speaker specific and pertinent to this thread.

Most of you looking at the KEF LS50 actives would be pretty up to speed on it all i would think. But if anyone was looking for a basic primer on some of the in's and outs, i found this info following a link posted up a few posts. https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/our-tech has lots of good infomationals Just passing it along in case like me you need a basic education . Even though i am a newb, still getting the LS50's ;}

Hahahaha.. yeah for thieves ! Not out here for research. Its a long story not suitable for this forum. I just live here now. I dont want to go back to civilisation. Couldn't stand it after being out here for 18 years already. I just like listening to music. I like nice quality music. Not super loud or anything. Just good quality - well at a reasonable level. I am not an "audiophile" as you guys call yourselves. I am just an average guy who likes to listen to music at times. Sundown is always a nice time for some nice tunes....with a nice cold beer, watching the sun go down over the escarpment. I was going to get the smaller wireless KEF's. While researching the KEF's i read all about the LS 50 passives. I seriously considered going that way but in the end all the reasons i listed took precedence. I was thinking about really going for it and going with the Devialet's but decided that was way too much speaker for me at this time ( as correctly pointed out - dont know enough about computer based audio to dive in too deep right now) The LS50 actives therefore seem perfect to me. Between the smaller KEF wireless speakers and the Devialet's. Some good things on the LS50 actives...2.4Ghz AND 5GHz radios. 802.11n as opposed to just B/G on the smaller wireless KEF's. Some big improvements right there. 802.11ac would have been better, but it is what it is. Sub output. Not sure i will go that way but nice to have the option. I have not heard them and have zero chance of auditioning them. But I am willing to bet they are good. Also, why Cat 6 Ethernet to connect them together? Why not Cat 5e? What is it about Cat 6 that they went this way. Just curious.

Anyways,.... got cunning. I downloaded the user manual of the ASUS tablet. There is precious little mention of its sound abilities other then this..... See the part about " Supports 192Khz / 24 Bit Digital USB audio output. I take this as meaning, yes it does support 192/24 from its USB - C port. So in theory what i want to do is possible. I am a little skeptical though as there is so little mention of the tablets 192/24 ability. But if the above statement from the manual is indeed as it is - 192/24 out the USB port then that would be the way to go when the time comes to use 192/24 - right? I have raised this several times now but no one biting...the speakers themselves only do 192/24 when fed by its USB port - i have i got that right? Its the 13th today.... where are the LS50's ?

A very interesting conversation. Thank you for that gents. I have a very unique situation. I bet none of you have my situation. Never say never, but....... I live in the Rift Valley of Africa. I am setting up a permanent camp that will be my home for the next 10-15 years. My home will be a series of tents. So very hard to secure anything other then security guards to stop theft. The less boxes i have to worry about the better. Then there is the dust problem we have here. You wouldnt believe the dust build up. But then anyone who has lived in the tropics knows about dust. Heat. WOW...the heat. Power is from batteries that have to get charged somehow. But all electronics fed via inverter so at least thats under control. So small, light all in one box is perfect. I am considering building a small bunker out of concrete and steel and i may be able to house a server in there. If i go that way then yes other options open up for a source of the music. But untill then feeding off a tablet seems so ideal to me. So easy to unplug it and take it with me when i go to the big smoke for supplies, so easy to unplug it and lock it away when i am out in the bush doing things. I have no 24/192 music at all. It just seems to be a good standard to aim for so that i am ready for the next 10 years. Today i have nothing Hi-fi at all, starting from scratch. I have a JBL soundbar that is surprisingly good. I have CD's. I have music downloaded from the Internet and i use Spotify sometimes, currently trialling Soundcloud. I think that's where the music is coming from for me as i go forwards. Online. This whole HI-Fi thing has been turned on its head as far as i can see. Online music streaming, DAC's, Active speakers, server backends for local libraries. In another life, many years ago i had a Tube Amp, a cassette deck, a CD player, a surround sound receiver, an equalizer. It was a whole rack of components. How things have changed. @bunno77. Am reading your posts.

Correct. I dont know anywhere near enough about computer audio. Its confusing and a fast moving target. Unless you have many many spare hours to read forum after forum its not an easy thing to come up to speed on. But what i do know is playback from a computer in one of its myriad of forms is convenient. Active speakers are what i want - they suit my situation in so many ways that i wont go into. They just fit. Perfectly. Now which ones? devialet phantom? Or Kef X300WA ? Was all set to go with the KEF's because i think the Devialet are too much speaker for me right now. Done stacks of reading on them. Seem to be too many issues with them right now. Now come the LS 50 Actives. The choice is easy for me. Now how to feed them. As i said i want minimalist. I dont want endless audio toys to fiddle with. A tablet seems ideal to start off with. The Tablet i linked too seems ideal given its high res output. But i dont know how to configure the chain from Tablet to Speaker to achieve that high res *IF* it even makes sense to worry about it. And that is what has driven my comments. SO i would love to know how to get 24/192 from that tablet to those speakers. I am set on these speakers. The whole concept works for me. I am sure it works for many others as well. I am not interested in separates, and the latest DAC and amp etc etc. All in one box is just perfect and to come from a high end manufacturer is perfect. Just add tablet and go. I think that's a great place to start. Answer in bold was only intended to make my replies to you easier to see by standing out a little. Answering inline keeps it all in context. No offense intended.

Having a look at those tablets. OK so is it really just a waste of time to be trying to get 24/192 working? Perhaps its not really worth the hassle at this time? I mean, how much music is out there for this anyway? Maybe within a year or two devices will catch up and this will be much easier to achieve ? Until then, a more basic tablet like the links point too? I just dont want to be continually looking for the next greatest. I would like to install it and forget all about what plugs into what. At least for another 5 years. By then who knows what will be the latest buzz of new tech out there

But Bluetooth is lower quality - right? even Apt-X.Will I be able to hear the difference ?? No idea. Will Wi-fi sound better then BT Apt-X ? Any reviews out there yet of actual setup and running LS-50 Wireless? I see on Amazon they now list availability of Jan 15th 2017. Is this delay industry wide or just Amazon stocks?

Yep found the cables for this - AudioQuest look good. However does this not mess up the plan? The Tablet supports 24/192 out of its 3.5mm jack. The LS 50 support 24/192 on INPUT to its USB IN. Seems there is a mismatch here. Is there such a thing as 3.5mm to USB ? If there is, would that solve this puzzle? Little information out there on the 24/192 capabilities of this tablet so far as its new on the market. So i dont know how to find out if it supports 24/192 out of its USB - C port. I know this is off topic but it relates to how these speakers will be used. Devices like this Tablet used as source to these speakers change the game.

At that pricing i will buy in the UK. I am in Africa, so i have to import no matter what i do. Rather get them out of UK if possible. Now when can we get hold of them? Does that tablet i linked to a few posts up make any sense as a source? Its USB-C so a USB - C to USB -A cable and the tablet should output 24/192 to the USB input of the speakers. A tablet as source makes a lot of sense in this scenario - no DAC in the Tablet is used as the file is passed digitally via USB to the speakers and its high rez 24/192 capable being passed. Can now get 256GB Micro SD cards to go in the tablet, so plenty of room for music files. Not sure, dont know enough about all this yet. Still learning. What i do know is i want active speakers driven by a PC or tablet or similar. Edit..... More research lead to this about the tablet..... " It supports 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, and DTS audio with support for 24-bit/192 kHz audio output through the headset jack." Does this ruin the idea then? The headset jack is 3.5mm. Is there a 3.5mm jack to the type of aux input cables that are found on the LS50's?

Do you mean to imply that the speakers have wide range voltage input......something like 100-240V 50/60Hz ?

You hit the nail on the head ! No more rack of components. No more Hi-Fi "Tax". The really really big one for me is less for thieves to steal or more accurately less for me to secure and bolt down. Where i am i have a HUGE problem with theft. So Actives speakers like this are ideal. Plus as you say, all we need is a DAP as source and its a done deal. I was looking at this ASUS tablet...would this work as a source? https://www.asus.com/Tablets/ASUS-ZenPad-3S-10-Z500M/ " with DTS HD Premium Sound and support for 24-bit, 192kHz audio via compatible devices"