Kef LS60 wireless review by ErinsAudioCorner

[abdo123]

But it doesn’t go down to 23Hz and it has more distortion at low frequencies. There is no free lunch. Pick your poison. The LS60 is still a small speaker meant for smaller rooms and for that it does excellently.

Huh?

The LS60 has the surface area of a 12inch sub. The whole idea of this system is that you don’t compromise anything for a full-range setup

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Oh my….I think I met her once in a nightclub

After how many drinks? ;-)

 

[HarmonicTHD]

Huh?

The LS60 has the surface area of a 12inch sub. The whole idea of this system is that you don’t compromise anything for a full-range setup

Please read the context. With “it” I referred to the LS50.

 

[Chester]

After how many drinks? ;-)

Far too many

 

[Robovox]

Heard the LS60s on demo at the Ascot Hifi Show a few months back. They were playing some very bass-heavy electronic music and the bass was staggering from speakers of that size. Overall, they didn't give much away to the Blades, which were also shown, especially given the price differential. The very obvious movement of the bass drivers was little disconcerting and from a practical point of view I would prefer the drivers to be behind grilles but overall the LS60s are a phenomenal speaker.

 

[kma100]

Ugliest KEFs by a mile in my opinion.

Design is interesting....I love the look.

 

[Open Mind Audio]

It just seems that a lot of people don't like these lifestyle speakers.

And I kind of get it. For music, in small to medium sized room, this is the ticket for most people. Just plug it in and you are done. No extra boxes or tweaking required.

Add a couple of subs and your movie needs are also met.

Agreed. I love my LS60s. I bought them after a big move that got me fed up with lugging all my equipment around. The LS60s are now our primary stereo set up. They sound tremendous (albeit I never listen much north of 88-90 dBs tops), and they have plenty of bass. One measure of their greatness: My wife, who always maintained her little JBL portable speaker sounded just fine, now moves to the room with the KEFs for her casual listening -- and she even hogs the primary listening chair, which she's never done with any speakers we owned before.

Four of us did blind A/B testing with my home theater pair of Triton Ones. The reactions were unanimous that we all liked both about the same, preferring the KEFs for some music, the Tritons for other. For me, the Tritons outperform the LS60s on classical music, where they seem to have greater speed and detail in how they reproduce the full spectrum of orchestral sound, especially the sparkling top end. The Tritons also sound better on live music, giving a feel for ambience, and they have a tad more bass. The KEFs won hands down with everyone for acoustic pop, folk, and vocals. They have plenty of bass, and I would never have noticed a difference in bass if I wasn't switching back and forth in an A/B test. The soundstage is certainly as good in the KEFs - to me it's better, but that's highly subjective.

I run all their music off ethernet cables that come up through the floor, so we see almost nothing except the power cord. Now if KEF would only create a multichannel version.

It's not all sunshine and roses. The wireless bandwidth tends to clog up over a few weeks and you have to reset it. I prefer using them wired, so that's not an issue for me, but it's annoying for something that has the word "wireless" in its name.

Still, these are my new favorite audio purchase ever, eclipsing the venerated Oppo 205.

 

[dfuller]

I expected better, I'm not going to lie. That big bass boost is unfortunate, as is all the diffraction. Kind of difficult to justify for $7,000 a pair when not on sale...

 

[Chester]

@amirm do you have one of these incoming any time soon?

 

[kemmler3D]

Nice to see some independent measurements come out for these, finally! I have also had a set for a couple months now and I'm quite happy. That said I didn't pay full price. On the other hand supposedly the preference score is at or near the Kii 3 so it's not exactly a rip-off at MSRP either.

IME the bass is more than adequate in-room. With subs, you have to lower the bass quite a bit to even get close to neutral. So I am looking forward to getting some proper EQ on mine. But as far as soundstage, neutrality, clarity,- my experience aligns with Erin's. - these speakers do a great job of getting out of the way of what's on the recording.

The form factor and ease of use is also great for me. There isn't a good place for amps (or a DAC or anything at all) in my living room. The house was renovated and there is a nicely shaped space for a smart (read: all-in-one) TV and nothing else. Basically just a 50" x 70" x 7" nook in the wall.

So there is a lot to be said for the AIO streaming speaker if you are space-constrained.

For me the looks were also a big factor. If WAF requirements were zero, I'd probably build myself some JBL M2 clones or something equally over-the-top. In real life, it's a dream come true to be able to get this level of sound quality without any guff from my SO.

Before showing her the LS60s, she was lobbying for wall-mounting small bookshelf speakers or just getting a soundbar, something sad like that. Taste varies but KEF did me a big favor designing these the way they did.

 

[Purité Audio]

The bass is adjustable of course , I like them the Kii Three has been mentioned and they aren’t at all dissimilar imho.
Labelling them a ‘lifestyle’ speaker is really a disservice, if KEF made an active version of the blade would that be labelled ‘lifestyle’ ?
Keith

 

[Soniclife]

The LS60 has the surface area of a 12inch sub. The whole idea of this system is that you don’t compromise anything for a full-range setup

They are much more like a 9", once you account for all the lies in driver sizes, see the following thread for an attempt to work out a generic conversion.

Relative Size of Drivers = how many of these to equal one of those?

I've touched on this before, but I thought it might be nice to have this information all in one spot, and since I addressed this in another forum, I thought it would be worthwhile to cut and paste it here. The question was asked, more or less, how many 4" speakers does it take to equal an 8"...

www.avforums.com

 

[bodhi]

The bass is adjustable of course , I like them the Kii Three has been mentioned and they aren’t at all dissimilar imho.
Labelling them a ‘lifestyle’ speaker is really a disservice, if KEF made an active version of the blade would that be labelled ‘lifestyle’ ?
Keith

I guess it depends what one means with "lifestyle". The LS60 is all-in-one product with small footprint and looks that don't hurt the eyes of the people who are not into more traditional towers, not to mention all the extra boxes and remotes that come with them. I wonder if the people in KEF themselves think that the raison d'etre of LS60 is performance. Nothing wrong with a lifestyle product if it performs well enough.

The reduced price changes the equation a bit though. At 7k, compared to more traditional 2,.2 passive setup with room correction you are certainly paying for lifestyle features, but at 5k it's starting to sound like good value for money.

 

[kemmler3D]

I guess it depends what one means with "lifestyle". The LS60 is all-in-one product with small footprint and looks that don't hurt the eyes of the people who are not into more traditional towers, not to mention all the extra boxes and remotes that come with them. I wonder if the people in KEF themselves think that the raison d'etre of LS60 is performance. Nothing wrong with a lifestyle product if it performs well enough.

The reduced price changes the equation a bit though. At 7k, compared to more traditional 2,.2 passive setup with room correction you are certainly paying for lifestyle features, but at 5k it's starting to sound like good value for money.

I think if I was going for a bang-for-buck passive setup it'd probably have to be the Ascend Sierra LX, a couple SVS subs, a JDS or Topping DAC and a WiiM. And whatever hypex amp I could find secondhand. You'd probably come in just below the cost of the LS60s alone with nothing serious to apologize for in terms of sound.

Of course you'd give up a little in terms of directivity, and my wife would be sad. So I'm not losing any sleep over the value proposition.

 

[warpdrive]

Seems like a well engineered set.

But mostly you wouldn't ever buy these for $7K. KEF's sale prices should be considered regular price because they will go on sale again and again like clockwork. They keep playing these pricing games to make it seem like you are getting a great deal.

 

[moonlight rainbow dream]

Lack of PEQ is a big headscratcher. That's like the killer feature of a DSP/app control speaker.

 

[sweetchaos]

Oops, forgot to use ChatGPT 3.5 (the free one) for Erin's video:

Summary:

The reviewer discusses the KEF LS60, a smaller speaker with good sound quality. They mention a new extension for the clipple nearfield scanner for more efficient measurements. The speakers retail for $69.99 but are currently on sale for $449.99. The reviewer emphasizes the urgency due to the sale ending soon.

They describe the speaker's features, including its drivers, inputs, and streaming options. The speaker is noted for its neutral sound and adaptability to different positions. The reviewer provides subjective thoughts on its performance, praising its neutrality and cohesive sound.

They mention a few cons, such as potential issues with maximum SPL in larger rooms and excessive bass. The reviewer discusses adjustments made through the app, including the wall mode for bass adjustment. They express a desire for parametric equalization in the app.

The reviewer provides detailed data and measurements, discussing frequency response, distortion, and directivity. They note a defraction dip around 10 kHz and discuss the speaker's limitations in maximum SPL. The need for careful placement and adjustments is highlighted.

In conclusion, the reviewer recommends the speaker for its neutrality and adaptability, with some caveats about maximum SPL and bass adjustments. They provide an affiliate link for potential buyers and invite feedback on their assessment.

Actionable Steps:

Based on the review, here are some actionable steps:

1. **Consider Purchase with Discount:** If interested in the KEF LS60 speakers, consider taking advantage of the current sale price of $449.99 before it ends at the month's end.

2. **Evaluate Room Size:** Assess whether the speaker's maximum SPL of around 100-105 dB at 10 feet is sufficient for your room size. If in a larger room, be aware of potential volume limitations.

3. **Adjust Bass Settings:** Experiment with the bass settings through the app to find the optimal configuration for your listening environment. The reviewer suggests using the wall mode feature to control bass response, especially if it seems excessive.

4. **Explore App Features:** Explore the features of the app, including the ability to adjust treble settings. Consider the reviewer's suggestion for additional parametric equalization bands, if available, to fine-tune the sound further.

5. **Optimize Placement:** Experiment with speaker placement, considering both distance from the wall and toe-in angles. The reviewer suggests trying different positions to achieve the best sound quality.

6. **Provide Feedback:** If you decide to purchase the speakers and use the affiliate link, consider providing feedback to the reviewer based on your experience. Share your thoughts on how well the speaker aligns with the review's assessment.

7. **Be Mindful of Weight:** If setting up the speakers involves lifting, be cautious due to their weight (about 72 lbs each). Take necessary precautions to avoid potential strain or injury.

8. **Monitor Dynamic Range in Music:** If you often listen to music with higher dynamic range, be mindful of the speaker's performance, as mentioned in the review.

9. **Verify Data with Own Measurements:** If you have the capability, consider verifying the speaker's performance with your own measurements in your specific room environment.

10. **Explore Additional Information:** If more details about the speakers' inputs and streaming options are needed, visit the manufacturer's website for the spec sheet and additional information.

These steps aim to guide potential buyers in optimizing their experience with the KEF LS60 speakers based on the provided review.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

If I bought these, I'd cross them over at 150 hz to my two SB 2000's and use the PEQ in JRiver together with DLBC to make everyone work and play well together. Bet I could get them to hit 105 db doing that.

If I decide to upgrade from my LS 50 Metas, these are an option, along with the Sierra LX, and the Sointuva AWG.

 

[kemmler3D]

Lack of PEQ is a big headscratcher. That's like the killer feature of a DSP/app control speaker.

Anecdotally, and from personal experience, a company selling as widely as KEF does is scarred by past customer service experiences and doesn't believe their customers will do anything but cause problems if they provide PEQ.

When you consider the unenlightened masses of audiophiles who think DSP is a 4-letter word, maybe this POV makes sense.

That said, I think 1) The LS60 definitely has enough CPU onboard to provide a few bands of PEQ for us and 2) the general public is getting a bit savvier to DSP as time goes on. ASR and the Crinacle / IEM types are spreading knowledge pretty fast.

So I tend to agree that they ought to ship a firmware and app that enable as many bands of PEQ as they can muster. If WiiM can do it at $60 what's KEF's excuse at $5000?

It would save me a hell of a lot of trouble if I could do room correction in the KEF app instead of setting up a whole outboard DSP unit just to do 10 or 20 bands of EQ.

 

[Hemi-Demon]

Cool design, pretty good measurements. Kef has some issues with speaker disconnections and firmware upgrades on some of their other wireless speakers. At $5,000 I think the Philharmonic HT Towers + Buckeye Integrated amplifier + a WIM Pro streamer is a better bet.

I definitely don't think these are worth $7,000 because they look great.