KEF LS50W Original (Good deal or too good to be true?)

[Bashcrawler]

I like quality audio, I have been a headphone person all my life.
My life situation is changing and now taking the plunge into marital life.

I've wanted to get proper speakers so I can enjoy AWESOME audio with my woman. The LS50 Wireless was what I settled on a few years ago, but never purchased. A few days ago I went to crutchfield.com and found the LS50W on Scratch and Dent for 1.3k USD. I was ecstatic thinking "what a great deal" and purchased them right away...
Then I started reading forums and how the units are failing (especially one roon forum). Some threads here as well that it's not uncommon for the unit to die just outside of 1 year warranty. I contacted crutchfield to get a quote for 5 years insurance for them but they are not offering any. I was thinking I have 2 months to return the speakers, maybe wait for the Meta to become available and see how the KEF Meta sounds with my really old and cheap amplifier and then upgrade the Amp someday.

I would appreciate some suggestions, my budget is under $2k preferably.
Goal is to get a speaker system that my soon to be wife and I can enjoy for years to come.

My headphone collection:
STAX L300, STAX 300, ZMF Ori, ATH M50x (street drivers), Sennheiser HD 6XX. +Others I can't recall right now.
Mostly I use the Stax L300 or ZMF Ori behind AudioGD DAC.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I was always extremely leary re the one year warranty with the LS 50W. That and the fact that it incorporates a Class AB amp in that tiny cabinet. And I don't know if they fixed it, but the streaming/wireless interface is reputed to be really "cocked up". But $1300 is a great price nonetheless.

 

[Tsuchi]

I was looking at a pair of KEF's and the 1 year warranty was a pretty big turn off. As much as I love the coaxial design... that was the deal breaker for me.

The Neumann KH120 or KH80 + sub are worth considering and are very capable for their price and size. I wouldn't use them beyond a midfield listening environment though.

I can also vouch for the KH120's durability. I've had mine for over 4 years, no issues at all. They're built like tanks.

 

[tmtomh]

I ordered a pair before moving into a new house and returned them almost immediately. The wireless interface was garbage and there was very audible self-hiss, more from one speaker than the other, over Wi-Fi/Airplay that was not present with other wireless methods and protocols. My guess was EMI.

They sounded nice, but not as good as I'd been led to believe from all the rave reviews.

For $1300, especially if they are a relatively recent production pair, they could be a great deal, though - much of what I hated about them could very well have been addressed by firmware updates.

 

[brandall10]

I was always extremely leary re the one year warranty with the LS 50W. That and the fact that it incorporates a Class AB amp in that tiny cabinet. And I don't know if they fixed it, but the streaming/wireless interface is reputed to be really "cocked up". But $1300 is a great price nonetheless.

There's been numerous issues with the initial runs of the LS50Ws, but they seem to have stabilized in the past couple years.

I will say that I've had 2 major failures out of warranty... the first time I needed both controller boards replaced. It wasn't cheap, but it was reasonable (about $400 shipped). The second time the ethernet connector on the right speaker became flakey and Kef replaced it for free. So on the whole, Kef didn't take advantage of the situation, if it means anything.

AFA a scratch and dent... $1300 is reasonable if it comes w/ warranty. Otherwise you can get these in excellent condition used for probably this price or a bit less.

 

[Milesian]

Just sent mine in for an out of warranty repair. No feedback yet from KEF. Slave speaker disconnecting intermittently. Can’t complain, this is my third year with them. No issues until now.

 

[zorak950]

I feel like I'm missing something with this one year warranty business. The policy on KEF's website shows five years for drivers and accessories, two years for electronics. Granted there are a pretty long list of exclusions, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

https://us.kef.com/warranty-info

 

[bemaniac]

I bought a pair on Ebay 3rd user and the left speaker died a month later. I sent them to KEF UK and they replaced all amp boards and input boards free of charge and I only paid labor. I admitted they were used and they were more than happy to fix them for me.

I will be investing in KEF every single time now given how amazing their service is.