Active Kef LS50

[Fridolin]

Yes, pulling the right power cord, waiting a minute and plugging it back again solved the problem for me.

[saintintn]

Tried that. Didn’t help. 

[erniejade]

Do you have the latest firmware? 

[Stahl]

Hi all, I wonder whether anyone can shed some light on the following issue with my Ls50 Wireless speakers.

 

Following a couple of months of wonderful listening via Roon and Tidal, my right (Master) speaker not drops sound intermittently every few seconds; left speaker is fine. This happens with all sources. I’m hard wired to the internet, have the latest firmware.

 

I did a hard reset, re-updated firmware and software, etc. right speaker works fine for a few minutes, then back to drop outs. This sounds like a serious hardware issue, but wanted to check with you guys first.

 

many thanks in advance for any advice or insights.

[DarwinOSX]

You will have to contact Kef and I expect they will want you to send them in for replacement. There have been lots of issues with these speakers.  

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/poll-of-kef-ls50-wireless-owners/32500

[Stahl]

I feared that would be the answer ..... makes me somewhat nervous to continue the LS50W adventure. I absolutely love their sound, if and when they work, but worried about repeated issues, particularly when the warranty runs out. Alternative is to go back to a slightly more conservative set-up such as (1) Bluesound Powernode 2 or (2) a Cambridge Audio CXA60 and Bluesound Node 2, and passive LS50s. But I don’t think it’ll be able to produce the overall SQ of the LS50 Wireless.

[DarwinOSX]

I bought mine right when they came out which is over a year ago now.  I'm on my 2nd pair.  They sent me brand new ones as replacements and I seriously considered selling them but still have them because of the SQ.

I went through all of the issues with the almost useless app which is now only marginally useful and a bunch of firmware upgrades.  I still think Kef has not invited in good software developers, my guess they outsourced it.

They are also really bad at communicating and e-mail to support often go unanswered.

Overall I'm glad I kept them but always wonder if they are going to go out again and with a miserly one year warranty they are now out of support. 

 

[Stahl]

I’m with you on their stellar SQ and Roon integration, and don’t want to give up on them just yet. To be honest, when I had some questions concerning replacement of the speaker connection cable, Andy at KEF/UK was extremely helpful and reasonably quick in responding. So I do hold out hope that all will be ok.

[DarwinOSX]

Oh if you are UK you will likely get better service and also a longer warranty than one year.  In the U.S. they use a distributor who is not responsive.  I think they try to repair them in the UK whereas here everyone I have seen so far just got brand new ones.  It took about three weeks between sending them back and getting the new ones.

Yes for me Roon integration is a killer app for these and a good reason to keep them.

[DarwinOSX]

Are you sure you are on the latest firmware?  One of the things it is supposed to fix is the speakers not communicating with each other.  I imagine you are but just checking..

 

"Fixed low voltage protection issue causing system or slave error"

[Stahl]

No, I live in Switzerland, but contacted both the KEF guys in Germany (who service Switzerland as well I believe) and KEF/UK. Both were pretty responsive. My possible issue here in Switzerland is that I bought the set second/hand in November 2017 from a person in Zurich who had bought the speakers back in January 2017. Hardly used, and so they were as good as new and in top shape. They also came with a 5 year warranty till 2022 with one of the largest electronics stores in Switzerland. So in theory, I should be good to go, as long as they honor the warranty after I took over the speakers.

[Stahl]

I did a hard reset and update firmware this morning again via my MacBook and KEF firmware app, connected directly to the master speaker. Firmware update 2.04, I believe; indicated this was the current firmware. I don’t think it is a communication issue between both speakers. They both play audio, but the master speaker consistently drops sound every 3-5 seconds. Unless it is the longer connection cable I use, although it is a high end cable, which KEF told me should not be a problem at all.

[Stahl]

BTW, the audio drop outs started about 2 months after I took them over, so I don’t believe this was already an issue from the start. They played beautifully up until then.

[Tait]

On 3/11/2018 at 11:27 AM, Stahl said:

Hi all, I wonder whether anyone can shed some light on the following issue with my Ls50 Wireless speakers.

 

Following a couple of months of wonderful listening via Roon and Tidal, my right (Master) speaker not drops sound intermittently every few seconds; left speaker is fine. This happens with all sources. I’m hard wired to the internet, have the latest firmware.

 

I did a hard reset, re-updated firmware and software, etc. right speaker works fine for a few minutes, then back to drop outs. This sounds like a serious hardware issue, but wanted to check with you guys first.

 

many thanks in advance for any advice or insights.

I'm afraid they'll have to go back for repair. I had exactly the same issue across all inputs.

Turns out it was one of the components that connects the left to right speaker that was faulty.

To be fair to KEF, they fixed and returned my speakers within a week and they've been fine ever since. I'm in the UK.

[Stahl]

Thanks, Tait. Looks like I may have the same issue. Thankfully, KEF support in Germany and the KEF service centre here in Switzerland have been quick to respond. Am sending them to the service centre here tomorrow for repair. So hopefully I‘ll have them back in no time to enjoy my music.

[Stahl]

Quick update on the test/repair status of my LS50 Wireless‘ ....

 

KEF service Centre got back to me indicating the motherboards are faulty and need to be replaced. No spares available so need to be ordered, and total repair time will take 10-14 days.

 

Well, at least the problem was identified. Let‘s hope I can get back to enjoying my music soon. 

 

Very pleased with KEF service so far though.

[DarwinOSX]

Seems like there are some advantages to being in Europe of you need Kef support compared to the U.S. although I would rather get brand new speakers instead of repairs.  

[Stahl]

A new pair of speakers may be preferable indeed, although you‘ll never have 100% certainty that they will not be faulty. I have some posts in fora where folks were on their 3rd set ..

 

Having mine repaired by KEF also ensures they are thoroughly tested for any other potential issues and will get them back in top shape , or so I hope and expect.

[DarwinOSX]

Yes I agree. My replacements were made the same date as the ones they replaced. 

[Ben2300]

+1

[DarwinOSX]

Is anyone using a Sonos Connect with the Kef's?

I'm very happy using Roon with the Kef's but also thinking about having a Sonos option.

 

 

[[email protected]]

On 2018-02-19 at 6:37 PM, Alexi said:

Thanks for the advice guys. Is there a way of streaming Tidal from, say, iPhone to the KEFs without using the app? Unsure if Roon has a direct integration or whether it is still only a 'remote'.

 

In any case, I'm unsure if Roon is worth the £350/$499 for a lifetime membership if I'm just going to be streaming Tidal? What are people's thoughts - worth the price? 

May end up direct connecting the Macbook on occasion, however mostly using my iPhone as a convenient source to stream through the KEF app (however inconvenient the app may be!). 

You can use an Apple CCK to connect any iOS device by USB cable.

[Stahl]

Don’t know if this helps in any way, but my set up is Mac-based. I have Roon core on my MacBook Pro, which is mostly connected and permanently on via an Apple Thunderbolt Display on the first floor. Got the KEFs on the ground floor in the living room, hardwired to my router, and I control everything via the Roon app on my iPad Pro ... this includes Tidal, iTunes Library and high-res music files read from a NAS, and when needed internet radio stations.

 

Having Roon organize it all is great (although cataloging everything can always be improved of course).

 

i don’t have the life membership (yet) but do think the annual membership fee is worth it ... hassle free access to all my music sources in a nice package and format.

[Stahl]

Ah, and can do everything from my iPhone 7+ as well via the Roon app!

[Tait]

New update released today...