KEF LS60 Wireless Just Announced

[voodooless]

digital amp

Can we stop calling Class D amps "digital"?

- €6000,- per pair

Called it! My 130mm woofer guess is probably wrong though.

 

[AirTimeDMC-12]

Can we stop calling Class D amps "digital"

Just made a quick summary of what was said in the video

 

[AirTimeDMC-12]

Called it! My 130mm woofer guess is probably wrong though.

Yep. LS60 has 4x 6,5 in. woofers (165).

 

[voodooless]

Just made a quick summary of what was said in the video

Well then the message is also directed at the guy in the video

 

[AirTimeDMC-12]

The specs mentioned in the video:

- 31,6 KG per speaker
- Wireless up to 96KHz. Wired 192KHz
- Meta technology
- Uni-Core technology
- Closed speakerdesign
- 108 x 13,5 x 33 cm (H x W x D)
- 4 woofers with 500 watt digital amp (not clear if 4 active or 2 active + 2 passive)
- midrange with 100 watt digital amp
- tweeter class a/b 100 watt
- Remote control by same app as LS50 Wireless II
- HDMI-ARC, Optical, Coax, Sub, RJ45 (2x), RCA, USB (service). On second speaker: USB (service), Sub, RJ-45 for wired speakerconnection
- Airplay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, TuneIn, Deezer, Qubuz, Amazon music
- Roon compatible

- €6000,- per pair

- Titanium Gray, Royal Blue and Mineral White


4 Years of development for this LS60 and Uni-Core was designed for this speaker. During the project was decided the release the KEF KC62 as a side project.


The LS60 is referred as a Blade Mini, in apperance and soud quality. New standard / bar in the industry. Will be a shock to all other brands.

I suspect it has the 5 in. MF-driver (125mm), same as R-series. Due to the overall width of the LS60, which is said to be 135mm, the 5.25 in. (130mm) MF-driver of the LS50WII/Meta will probably not fit in this cabinet.

Looking at the video footage, making a snapshot and comparing sizes of the MF and L, it looks like the LS60 has 4 x 6.5 in. woofers (165mm).

LS60 has a similar array of drivers as the R11, but include Meta and Uni-Core.

 

[abdo123]

Correct, although the deeper and more linear extension is also due to internal EQ on active loudspeakers which can be done externally though also on passive ones, on my desktop LS50 setup I use a HPQ filter which linearizes the bass response and additionally is a high pass filter to reduce distortion from bass lower than the reflex tuning similar to the one that many active loudspeakers have:

View attachment 205936

In the 80s and 90s quite many loudspeaker brands offered similar filters to use between the pre-amp and amp or the tape recorder loop.

Honestly the LS50 series struggle the most between 100Hz and 200Hz. The port is barely doing anything at that range so i would rather just close it if i were you.

 

[Trouble Maker]

If those really are $6k, end up dipping around $5k in a year or so, that's tempting.
They're not as deep as I imagined either, though maybe still too much for my space.

 

[thewas]

Honestly the LS50 series struggle the most between 100Hz and 200Hz. The port is barely doing anything at that range so i would rather just close it if i were you.

This way I would loose too on much bass and/or distortion in the port operation without a real benefit as the lower bass drop would be on a too low absolute level.

Source: https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-ls50-anniversary-model-loudspeaker-measurements

For a higher highpassed system with subwoofers it can be closed, although also there the only real advantage is the different shape of the rise edges.

 

[abdo123]

This way I would loose too on much bass and/or distortion in the port operation without a real benefit as the lower bass drop would be on a too low absolute level.

Source: https://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-ls50-anniversary-model-loudspeaker-measurements

For a higher highpassed system with subwoofers it can be closed, although also there the only real advantage is the different shape of the rise edges.

Aah i thought we're talking about bass managed setup.

 

[killdozzer]

First I saw the video and now it's private?

I really like the way they look. So thin and small, they are the medium room stand-alones. Can't wait to see measurements. I wasn't all that bad at the guessing game. (Wish I bought a lottery ticket )

So, it's a new iteration of the UniQ?

 

[retro]

Exciting speakers, and most likely they will measure great to outstanding. But damn, they look soo boring to my eyes.. But I guess the look will appeal to many and fit well in "modern" interiors..

The Reference series though, they look fantastic..

 

[voodooless]

SPL should not be too bad closed. Guestimate 103 to 105 dB per speaker at 1m at 40Hz should be possible.

 

[Zvu]

They look so elegant and slick to me. Not "in ya face" design so i like it.

Price is about the same as pair of LS50W + 2xKC62.

 

[Emlin]

They look so elegant and slick to me. Not "in ya face" design so i like it.

Price is about the same as pair of LS50W + 2xKC62.

With free stands!

 

[Darvis]

Only in plainer colours. I wanted the blue, and he wouldn't do it for them. So I have a spare stored safely away for when something unpleasant happens to one of the 7. At least got a fair bit off RRP for the number I was buying.

And having the spare already turned out to be handy when one of the set was faulty (crossover fault, causing about 2% distortion in the midrange, but no appreciable frequency response error). Saved me being short a speaker for the few weeks it took to get a replacement.

This was in Europe, mind - KEF's US store will sell you individual ones:

LS50 Meta Center Channel | KEF

Single Center Channel Speaker LS50 Meta is a highly precise, emotionally engaging loudspeaker built on revolutionary acoustic technology. Designed around the Uni-Q 12th Generation with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) driver array, this solid, compact loudspeaker is capable of delivering...

www.shop.us.kef.com

Although it's listed as a "center", it's not any different, just an unpacked one from a pair. No modified trim ring to get the text the right way up when sideways. (You can take it off and put it back yourself, but it can only be rotated in 60 degree steps, annoyingly).

I'm in Europe too, maybe I'll let the store knows I'm interested in such a trade, in case of another person asks for an odd number too. Thanks a lot for your answer

 

[Vacceo]

Even if these speakers dig really deep, I'd still get a couple of subwoofers. Because life without fat bass is boring.

 

[JiiPee]

What I would like to see is a truly wireless active floorstanding version i.e. one with a rechargeable battery back in the bottom end of the cabinet. This would give maximum freedom for placement. I could have one set of batteries on charger while the other set would be on speakers. The less wires and power chords, the better imho.

 

[thewas]

Aah i thought we're talking about bass managed setup.

No worries, that I use at main setup with my pair of LS50 Meta.

 

[Powerbench]

Slim…check
Floorstander…check
Powered….check
Wireless…check
Kef…check

My search may be over…

 

[Kachda]

What I would like to see is a truly wireless active floorstanding version i.e. one with a rechargeable battery back in the bottom end of the cabinet. This would give maximum freedom for placement. I could have one set of batteries on charger while the other set would be on speakers. The less wires and power chords, the better imho.

Here you go -> https://www.jbl.com/partybox.html