The KEF website says these support Google Chromecast. I use Qobuz as my streaming service, so does that mean that I could use the Qobuz app on my phone or iPad and cast directly to the LS60 from the Qobuz app? Can someone that owns the LS60 and uses Qobuz confirm this? That would be a great solution for Qobuz users since you don't have to use the KEF app and you wouldn't need a separate streamer (or Roon)... Thanks.
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How does it sound ? - Kef LS60 W
- Thread starter Tangband
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Yes you can, as long as the 60s and your ipad/phone are on the same network.
Keith
Keith
BigFKahuna
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I do have the KEF LS60's and if I remember correctly when Android users come over Chromecast is available. My question, why do you not want to use the KEF Connect app? My imagination tells me the sound is slightly better than Airplay which is supposedly CD quality, however I prefer the actual Deezer app over that in Connect. Is that your issue as well?
I had the same hallucination.
Fair point - I had gone in with the assumption that the SQ would be near enough the same. Given that assumption, I like the UI of the Qobuz app, and didn't see a reason to move from it (and sometimes speaker companies aren't great with software). If the SQ is demonstrably better with the KEF Connect app, that's a different story. Is there an objective way to assess the perceived improvement in SQ of Chromecast vs KEF Connect?
I don't have the LS60 myself, but they are on a short list, and I like to sort out some of these details as part of my decision-making process. Thanks for the insights and continuing discussion.
- Thread Starter
- #146
Airplay is much better than standard bluetooth, but not as good sounding as high res and FLAC from a NAS. I havent heard any system where airplay sound as good , if one uses lossless material as a source. Im sure youre experience is the same
.If I speculate, It may (maybe) depend on the volume control implemented in Airplay, I dont think it is entirely transparent.
Is Chromecast using Airplay to do its thing? I know you can use Airplay to push from the iPhone/iPad to a source that is Airplay compatible (and I understand the consensus on SQ differences for Airplay), but isn't Chromecast a different thing? I think that's why Qobuz users are happy with the WiiM Pro - because it lets them use the Chromecast function from the native Qobuz app to cast to the WiiM. It is entirely possible that I've got something confused here (or maybe Chromecast doesn't work with Apple products?). Anyway, not meaning to pollute this thread with tertiary LS60 questions...Airplay is much better than standard bluetooth, but not as good sounding as high res and FLAC from a NAS. I havent heard any system where airplay sound as good , if one uses lossless material as a source. Im sure youre experience is the same
If I speculate, It may (maybe) depend on the volume control implemented in Airplay, I dont think it is entirely transparent.
- Thread Starter
- #148
As I understand it, cromecast plays directly from your wifi ( not push from your iPhone/iPad) and theres a possibility to play 24 bit 192 kHz material with chromecast with much higher bitrate than AirPlay .
I demo-ed the LS60 was really disappointed. I have no idea why the LS50 wireless II that was beside sounded way clearer, wider and just better in every way except for the bass. Same room same listening position. Wonder if the LS60 was set up properly... Could'nt believe my ears when i tried the LS60, it sounded like something was covering the Uni-Q. Me and my GF was really surprised when the LS50 came on and it was better in every way on med volume or loud volume or soft volume.
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The former is plausible, absent the “much,” depending on program.
The latter is in the category of claims that are likely to make one feel foolish if tested under controlled conditions.
- Thread Starter
- #151
Probably a wrong setup - ls60 seems to need a big room with some space L and R . Maybe the eq was set wrong.
I simply can’t imagine how that scenario could arise, the LS50s with a sub are very similar to the LS60s, I set both up here next to each other
I felt the 60s just had a tighter, cleaner, clearer sound better controlled bass but there wasn’t a huge difference and perhaps if one spent more time optimising placement …
Keith
Got my LS60s + 2x KC62 set up this weekend. No measurements yet and the positions of things aren't final, we're still unpacking moving boxes, so things may improve from here. Even in a less than ideal setup (speakers 6' apart, LP 9' away) things sound great. They make my 80s-era B&W DM2000s sound like rocks banging together. The importance of the KEFs' even dispersion is obvious from the first minutes. Clean, lifelike, surprisingly deep bass - the reviews match my experience so far. Good recordings sound good, bad ones sound bad, etc.
Even 90 degrees off-axis, (in the kitchen, no less) the sound isn't good per se, but it's surprisingly good. You do get some imaging even standing right in front of one speaker or the other (or even outside the pair), and and at the MLP it's quite good even with bad placement.
Adding the subs is surprisingly impactful and once you mess with the EQ a bit, everything sounds that much better with nulls getting filled in. We were watching that new Netflix live-action One Piece and the cannonfire had all the oomph I cared for it to have at 9PM with neighbors on either side...
As most of the reviews say, setup is really painless. Pop them out of the boxes, plug 'em in, and fire up the app, it's basically that simple. I was pessimistic about the wireless transmitters for the subs connecting properly, but they connected pretty right away with none of the fooling around I'd mentally prepared for.
I think these also really set the bar for compactness and convenience. Not to lean into stereotypes too much, but my wife commented on the sound quality (a first) and hasn't complained about their appearance yet (also a first.) I guess you really can have it all.
Wireless actives really are "the future", (well, the present... and recent past... Sonos has been doing well with them for many years now) and now that we're reaching higher heights of hi-fi with these all-in-one streaming """lifestyle""" speakers, it's harder to see the appeal in separates.
Of course I am aware of and somewhat agree with the arguments for them over actives, (I own 4 or 5 amps myself, still) but it's really nice to get a killer system set up in 5 minutes with no extraneous electronics you need to cram into a cabinet somewhere. I'd say any audiophile manufacturer that aspires to relevance should put streaming actives on their roadmap if they aren't already - my guess is that the market for separates is going to shrink even further over time, just so long as reliability remains in the same ballpark as separates.
Edit: I didn't run the ethernet cord to the left / secondary speaker, I have solid wifi coverage (TP Link Deco AX4300) and zero trouble so far. So the only wires I'm using are a power cord per speaker and an optical cable to the main speaker.
Even 90 degrees off-axis, (in the kitchen, no less) the sound isn't good per se, but it's surprisingly good. You do get some imaging even standing right in front of one speaker or the other (or even outside the pair), and and at the MLP it's quite good even with bad placement.
Adding the subs is surprisingly impactful and once you mess with the EQ a bit, everything sounds that much better with nulls getting filled in. We were watching that new Netflix live-action One Piece and the cannonfire had all the oomph I cared for it to have at 9PM with neighbors on either side...
As most of the reviews say, setup is really painless. Pop them out of the boxes, plug 'em in, and fire up the app, it's basically that simple. I was pessimistic about the wireless transmitters for the subs connecting properly, but they connected pretty right away with none of the fooling around I'd mentally prepared for.
I think these also really set the bar for compactness and convenience. Not to lean into stereotypes too much, but my wife commented on the sound quality (a first) and hasn't complained about their appearance yet (also a first.) I guess you really can have it all.
Wireless actives really are "the future", (well, the present... and recent past... Sonos has been doing well with them for many years now) and now that we're reaching higher heights of hi-fi with these all-in-one streaming """lifestyle""" speakers, it's harder to see the appeal in separates.
Of course I am aware of and somewhat agree with the arguments for them over actives, (I own 4 or 5 amps myself, still) but it's really nice to get a killer system set up in 5 minutes with no extraneous electronics you need to cram into a cabinet somewhere. I'd say any audiophile manufacturer that aspires to relevance should put streaming actives on their roadmap if they aren't already - my guess is that the market for separates is going to shrink even further over time, just so long as reliability remains in the same ballpark as separates.
Edit: I didn't run the ethernet cord to the left / secondary speaker, I have solid wifi coverage (TP Link Deco AX4300) and zero trouble so far. So the only wires I'm using are a power cord per speaker and an optical cable to the main speaker.
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Just a note, the L-R connection does not use WiFi / internet. The connectors and the cable are identical, but that's where the similary ends. The only reason to use the cable is if you want to use 192khz, since the wireless connection is max 96 khz.
Today did a quick informal test and convinced myself that the phase correction is audible.
I use this track as my stress test for phase / impulse response listening tests.
This track (The Rub Off by Plump DJs) works well because the synth lead is unipolar... i.e. the waveform only goes up. The song content actually looks like an impulse response, so it seems to be the exact sort of thing that would benefit from phase correction.
Not a rigorous test at all, but the quieter 'click' notes sounded much less audible with the phase correction off. Could be placebo since that's exactly what I expected to happen. Might try a blind ABX test if I can get my wife to cooperate.
Anyone else found material that seems to sound different with the phase correction on / off?
I use this track as my stress test for phase / impulse response listening tests.
This track (The Rub Off by Plump DJs) works well because the synth lead is unipolar... i.e. the waveform only goes up. The song content actually looks like an impulse response, so it seems to be the exact sort of thing that would benefit from phase correction.
Not a rigorous test at all, but the quieter 'click' notes sounded much less audible with the phase correction off. Could be placebo since that's exactly what I expected to happen. Might try a blind ABX test if I can get my wife to cooperate.
Anyone else found material that seems to sound different with the phase correction on / off?
WaterFlame
Member
I believe there was a post on the Roon forum where it was provided a technical rationale for Airplay being not fully transparent. It had something to do with the clock differences between the receiving device and sending device. There are differences in how airplay is implemented also.Airplay is much better than standard bluetooth, but not as good sounding as high res and FLAC from a NAS. I havent heard any system where airplay sound as good , if one uses lossless material as a source. Im sure youre experience is the same
If I speculate, It may (maybe) depend on the volume control implemented in Airplay, I dont think it is entirely transparent.
Other than that, there was an issue with Airplay 2 where it was only Qobuz sending true cd quality when casting from Iphone. Tidal and Apple Music sent lower quality files. Was not an issue with Airplay 1 though.
WaterFlame
Member
I have had my LS60 for a couple of days now. So far, I really like the sound but I had to measure with REW and significantly reduce bass (wall mode -7,5db and bass extension set to «less», lifted treble by 1db). Without the adjustments, the sound was much inferior to my Kef R5 with Nad m23. Now I like LS60 a bit better - bass is more extended without a subwoofer, there is more depth to the sound.
The only issue I have been having is that Tidal Connect is very laggy compared to Wiim Mini and Pro I have had before. Airplay works fine, Roon i have not tested with LS60 yet.
The only issue I have been having is that Tidal Connect is very laggy compared to Wiim Mini and Pro I have had before. Airplay works fine, Roon i have not tested with LS60 yet.
- Thread Starter
- #159
Yes, I can verify some of this and have been looking at the bitrate with airplay 2 .
Apple lossless and TIDAL with AirPlay 2 make everything 256 kbit/s. TIDAL connect hifi is more than double bitrate for about the same money.
I have stopped my Apple lossless account and have TIDAL instead.
Apple airplay 2 is not bad sounding.
If anything, it errors on the warm and forgiving side for the sound. I use airplay 2 for movie sound ( Apple tv5 to WiiM pro ).
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- Thread Starter
- #160
Chromecast is not using airplay, its high res. Apple AirPlay 2 is always 256 kbit/s. Now back to the ls60 discussion.
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