Kef to announce new products?

[TK33]

Why did you go with big speakers on desk rather than something like a pair of Genelec G Ones with F One sub or something? Just curious since it’s sitting quite close and quite a bit of volume to sacrifice on desk.

Short answer: because I like the speakers.

Long answer: they're honestly not that big on my desk, which is 60" x 30". I also don't really consider LS50s to be "big speakers" (R3s are big speakers in my opinion). I put the LS50 Metas on some risers (Node 2i and a USB charger are under the right speaker, nothing really under the left) and there's plenty of room for my 35" ultra wide monitor (mounted), DAC, amp, laptop, Thunderbolt hub, desk lamp, 2x mice (I also have a desktop PC next to the desk and use both the desktop and laptop for work) and behind my monitor is a dual wireless charger, Shure MV7 mic (when not in use), and a pair of Aeon 2 Noire headphones. Still have plenty of room to work and I work with a lot of paper. There is actually a foot of extra room on the right side of my desk but I cant physically move over anymore because I have a file cabinet under my desk. I don't really think I am sacrificing any desk real estate that I would otherwise need.

I had Q100s on my desk for a while before the LS50 Metas, which are similar in size, and had Q300s on my desk at one point as well so maybe I am used to the size but I don't think they are too big for nearfield desktop use at all. imaging on the LS50 Metas is fantastic and doesn't sound like the audio is coming from speakers to the left or right of me like they sometimes did with the Q100s. Instead, it sounds like the music is playing behind my monitor. Am very happy with my setup and would recommend LS50s as nearfield desktop monitors if you have the space for them.

Edit: attaching a photo I thought I had posted previously but may have posted somewhere else instead.

 

[Tom C]

Short answer: because I like the speakers.

Long answer: they're honestly not that big on my desk, which is 60" x 30". I also don't really consider LS50s to be "big speakers" (R3s are big speakers in my opinion). I put the LS50 Metas on some risers (Node 2i and a USB charger are under the right speaker, nothing really under the left) and there's plenty of room for my 35" ultra wide monitor (mounted), DAC, amp, laptop, Thunderbolt hub, desk lamp, 2x mice (I also have a desktop PC next to the desk and use both the desktop and laptop for work) and behind my monitor is a dual wireless charger, Shure MV7 mic (when not in use), and a pair of Aeon 2 Noire headphones. Still have plenty of room to work and I work with a lot of paper. There is actually a foot of extra room on the right side of my desk but I cant physically move over anymore because I have a file cabinet under my desk. I don't really think I am sacrificing any desk real estate that I would otherwise need.

I had Q100s on my desk for a while before the LS50 Metas, which are similar in size, and had Q300s on my desk at one point as well so maybe I am used to the size but I don't think they are too big for nearfield desktop use at all. imaging on the LS50 Metas is fantastic and doesn't sound like the audio is coming from speakers to the left or right of me like they sometimes did with the Q100s. Instead, it sounds like the music is playing behind my monitor. Am very happy with my setup and would recommend LS50s as nearfield desktop monitors if you have the space for them.

Edit: attaching a photo I thought I had posted previously but may have posted somewhere else instead.

Very nice looking. And I agree about the sound and imaging, mine are great!

 

[andrewngu]

Looking at hifishark history, they were selling between 7-8.5K prior to the Reference Meta announcement. There’s a Rosewood pair up for 8.2K right now. I think 10K is a bit ambitious now that the Meta is out.

Dropped the price to 8.2K as well. The meta's can't be that great to warrant anything more than 6k loss on these right? lol

 

[JDragon]

Dropped the price to 8.2K as well. The meta's can't be that great to warrant anything more than 6k loss on these right? lol

You paid full price on the Ref 3s?

 

[andrewngu]

You paid full price on the Ref 3s?

'Fraid so. Them's the breaks in hi-fi lol.

 

[Ashenfall]

Someone has leaked documentation for the upcoming LSX II regarding licencing and registration under the Taiwanese National Communication Commission here

The main document of interest is the first link with photos. The others are fairly boring with a lot of Chinese script detailing the testing setup (and by testing I mean boring stuff like electrical safety and wifi radiation)

From the photos we can see

• 6 colour variations (black, white, green, blue, red and something similar to the first gen LSX soundwave edition)
• possibly USB-C input
• TV input via HDMI

 

[jakan]

Someone has leaked documentation for the upcoming LSX II regarding licencing and registration under the Taiwanese National Communication Commission here

The main document of interest is the first link with photos. The others are fairly boring with a lot of Chinese script detailing the testing setup (and by testing I mean boring stuff like electrical safety and wifi radiation)

From the photos we can see

• 6 colour variations (black, white, green, blue, red and something similar to the first gen LSX soundwave edition)
• possibly USB-C input
• TV input via HDMI

Wow, thanks for sharing. The cabinet size seems to have increased quite a lot. Although the ruler references from the pictures (and overall state of the speakers) aren't the best.

AFAICT the dimensions are HxWxD ~30cm x ~25cm x ~23cm. Used to be 24x15,5x18. This would also means they're bigger than the LS50 Meta's. Can this be correct?

 

[Vacceo]

I hope they can be sumarized as LS50 Wireless II with less SPL.

 

[BigFKahuna]

The entire R series is newly on sale at retailers here in Canada, with savings from C$500 (R3) to C$1200 (R11).

And if you are lucky you can find an open box deal for far less, at Visions at least. I am itching to move from the KEF Q950 to the R11's, but then I would likely want to upgrade my Cambridge 851A as well. The fun never stops.

 

[Jukebox]

AFAICT the dimensions are HxWxD ~30cm x ~25cm x ~23cm. Used to be 24x15,5x18. This would also means they're bigger than the LS50 Meta's. Can this be correct?

Definitely not
The box size of the LSX should remain the same as before. As they did with the LS50 meta, LS50W2, Reference Meta, Blade Meta.
It's expensive to redesign a new cabinet

 

[Hugo9000]

Ross Lovegrove's latest collaboration with KEF should be coming soon. Confidentiality on the filings has been lifted for over a month now. It's a headphone, the Mu7.

Circumaural Bluetooth headphones
Active noise cancellation: ANC on, Smart ANC, ANC off
Speaker drivers: 40mm
Frequency range 20-20000Hz
Sensitivity 118.5dBSPL/1mW at 1KHz
Impedance 16Ω
Max power output 15mW
Bluetooth 5.1
Codec SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD
Bluetooth power Class 2
Bluetooth range 10m
Bluetooth frequency 2.402GHz - 2.48GHz
Li-ion rechargeable battery 1100mAh
Battery play time (BT+ANC on) Up to 40 hrs
Fast charging (15 mins) Up to 8 hrs
Dimension (H x W x D) 199 x 153 x 89mm
Weight 309g
Operating temperature -10ºC to 45ºC
Power input 5V d.c., 900mA

Mr. Lovegrove said in an interview that he believed there was an in-house designed floorstanding speaker coming soon to celebrate the anniversary. Mr. Lovegrove has been friends with Victor Lo for decades, and of course was the industrial designer who worked with KEF on their magnificent superformed aluminum Muon loudspeaker.

This year marks KEF’s 60th anniversary. Having worked with KEF for 20 years, how do you feel?

My relationship with KEF is unique and rare. Victor Lo has been my friend for 20 years and is someone who appreciates design, technology but also the force of art as a driver for culture and innovation. When I design for KEF, I never reference other audio brands, I only focus on concentrating the serious audio research that their engineers are constantly creating into really contemporary designs that adhere to my lifelong commitment to sculpting technology. Therefore, the entire program of products I’m currently creating are very advanced and have a singular KEF DNA and aesthetic.

You’ve designed something special for KEF’s 60th anniversary — can you explain the concept behind your project?

For their 60th anniversary this year they will be launching an in- house design of a floor standing speaker I believe but then shortly after my MU7, which are my over ear headphones that have a very intuitive and tactile approach to form, material and interface.

@jackocleebrown please let me know if you'd like this post to be removed, or ask @amirm or one of the moderators, @AdamG247 or @BDWoody

The information I have included here is publicly available (interview in a Hong Kong magazine and images from filings whose confidentiality expired in March), but I haven't seen any formal announcements anywhere yet. Anyone who sees these images, bear in mind that the photos are from a test setup and may not reflect final finishing, etc. And of course, they are far from being glamor shots! I think they look more elegant and comfortable than my KEF/Porsche Design collab. Space One headphones haha, I assume the sound will be as good or better!

 

[Vacceo]

I´m quite glad they´re taking the Bluetooth 5.1 route. That ensures aptx HD use and that is excellent news.

 

[stren]

Interestingly I just got a marketing email from Kef showing this - the vertical speakers are not the R2C rotated because the shadowflare is too big. It could be a forthcoming center with bigger woofers, most likely just a poorly cropped R7 with shadow effects added

 

[Vacceo]

I'd say those could be monitors.

Seems like Arendal and Perlisten have influenced the renewal of this category.

 

[Emlin]

I'd say those could be monitors.

Seems like Arendal and Perlisten have influenced the renewal of this category.

And the horizontal one, with logo turned and resituated?

 

[Vacceo]

And the horizontal one, with logo turned and resituated?

A matching center, but that already exists in the form of R2C.

Perhaps the R line has been upgraded with something permeating from the changes in the Reference line.

Damn, now that they have released the Lotus sound system, I really wish I could get a set of those drivers...

 

[Ron Texas]

KEF recently ended the 20% off promotion on the R series leading me to believe a replacement is not coming soom.

 

[tecnogadget]

I think those are just R2C “LCR” style, they exist for a while, and the same happens with Reference center, you can buy it as LCR.

 

[Mystery Bear]

Cue speculation about what this may be. It is not just the LSX Mk2...

 

[thewas]

It seems a KEF LS60 Wireless is on its way
https://www.reddit.com/r/KEF/comments/tx0tny