Its not that hard. Once konfigured the LSX, I measured the delay including the transmitter and time aligned them mit REW. Timing is therefore great.
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KEF LSX Review (Wireless Speaker)
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
I have just added the green KEF LSX (version 1) to my work from home desk after reading this entire thread and am quite happy. All audio thus far has been through my headphone setups or through the LG monitor audio. I haven't had any Roon connectivity issues - they were immediately identified and have been flawless. I am using a cheap USB to Toslink adapter to run audio from my Mac (can do 24/192 per Roon), and decided that for work calls bluetooth is enough from my work computer. So far, I am quite happy. Maybe its because I got a deal on them, but they sound quite nice and its great to get a 3D soundstage at my desk. The detail and dynamics are nowhere close to my headphones, but I intend to use these for more casual listening during work. So far I am not using a sub, but will try out the two I have around the house.
Thank you to everyone that contributed to this thread - it was helpful in my buying decision.
Thank you to everyone that contributed to this thread - it was helpful in my buying decision.
badhusband
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I also just bought one second hand and in good condition for like $405 with all the accesories and og packaging, now this is great value.
pseudoid
Master Contributor
I don't understand why a manufacturer - like KEF - would offer a pair of floor-bound active speakers/monitors (e.g. LSX-IIs), which can solely be controlled via a mobile phone.You are bumming me out: I was hoping to inherit it back.
How hard could it have been for KEF to provide user-control thru a desktop (OS-agnostic) application?
I realized she was not making use of them, at her workstation and inquired.
TL&DR: She loved their sound and aesthetics but hated its 'smart' features. Of course, she was right!
I unplugged them about a month ago.. but -- Hey! -- they still retain their aesthetics!
These KEF LSX-IIs have become the 2nd least useful audio
nick-v
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Huh?I don't understand why a manufacturer - like KEF - would offer a pair of floor-bound active speakers/monitors (e.g. LSX-IIs), which can solely be controlled via a mobile phone.
How hard could it have been for KEF to provide user-control thru a desktop (OS-agnostic) application?
I realized she was not making use of them, at her workstation and inquired.
TL&DR: She loved their sound and aesthetics but hated its 'smart' features. Of course, she was right!
I unplugged them about a month ago.. but -- Hey! -- they still retain their aesthetics!
These KEF LSX-IIs have become the 2nd least useful audiohardwaredoor-stops I've ever bought!
On top of their app-controlled features, they have HDMI ARC, Toslink Optical, USB-C and even an analog 3.5mm auxiliary input making them extremely flexible.
... and check out the bad reviews here (2.7!):
play.google.com
My desktop is a chromebox, so these reviews have me worried if I ever decide to move from KEF LSX I to II
KEF LSX I doesn't use KEF Connect... I bought my KEF LSX I late so I avoided teething troubles...
The KEF LSX I Control app actually scores worse (1.5!) though several five star reviewers moved up from one star "after latest upgrade...".
KEF Connect – Apps on Google Play
Control app for LS50 Wireless II, LS60 Wireless, LSX II, LSX II LT, XIO
My desktop is a chromebox, so these reviews have me worried if I ever decide to move from KEF LSX I to II
KEF LSX I doesn't use KEF Connect... I bought my KEF LSX I late so I avoided teething troubles...
The KEF LSX I Control app actually scores worse (1.5!) though several five star reviewers moved up from one star "after latest upgrade...".
6 years in now and LSX Bluetooth/WiFi still not obsolete!
Surely the industry has to make sure BT & WiFi don't become obsolete in 3 (or even 6) years (customers would riot...)?
The KEF LSX should sound as good now as it did 6 years ago... and does...
An older (Bluetooth 3) source (Amazon Firestick) sounds awful with KEFs (Bluetooth 4.) But blame the source! Firesticks are inexpensive so Amazon can get away with "buy the latest to repace it"...)
A recent source (Fire Tablet, Amazon Music Unlimited, Bluetooth 5) sounds fine on KEF LSX (at least for the week or so I've been listening this way....)
Or have KEF just been lucky? Might Bluetooth 4 have played as badly with 5 as 3 did with 4?
You say:
"But ah, that midrange. It sounded correctly balanced with the Skellern and Rachmaninoff recordings—piano recordings in general sounded well balanced if warm—but in the Cleveland Quartet's recording of Borodin's String Quartet 2 (16/44.1 ALAC from CD, Telarc CD-80178), the mids were indeed balanced too forward, as they were with my recording of the Mozart Flute Quartet movement on Editor's Choice. Interestingly, though I'd gone for a natural treble balance when I made this live recording, the highs still sounded too sweet through the KEFs—with the Borodin recording, which has a scratchy top end, the LSX's treble sounded more natural."
By the highs sounded "too sweet" do you mean the high frequencies (treble) are overly emphasized in a way that is fatiguing, painful, and unnatural? If so that's what I find with many of my classical CDs through the KEFs. But, then again, many sound well balanced, natural and very pleasant - better than anything I've heard on any system in my limited experience (tonality as good as Senn HD650, and spatiality, of course, better...) I agree that piano generally sound great on the KEFs.
Strange that the Borodin recording sounded "more natural"! By "scratchy" I take you to mean harsh, abrasive, and unpleasant, like the the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. How coud the KEFs fix that!
Is there a system, suitable for a small room and near field listening, that fixes the problems with Borodin and Mozart and matches the KEFs in most circumstances?
"But ah, that midrange. It sounded correctly balanced with the Skellern and Rachmaninoff recordings—piano recordings in general sounded well balanced if warm—but in the Cleveland Quartet's recording of Borodin's String Quartet 2 (16/44.1 ALAC from CD, Telarc CD-80178), the mids were indeed balanced too forward, as they were with my recording of the Mozart Flute Quartet movement on Editor's Choice. Interestingly, though I'd gone for a natural treble balance when I made this live recording, the highs still sounded too sweet through the KEFs—with the Borodin recording, which has a scratchy top end, the LSX's treble sounded more natural."
By the highs sounded "too sweet" do you mean the high frequencies (treble) are overly emphasized in a way that is fatiguing, painful, and unnatural? If so that's what I find with many of my classical CDs through the KEFs. But, then again, many sound well balanced, natural and very pleasant - better than anything I've heard on any system in my limited experience (tonality as good as Senn HD650, and spatiality, of course, better...) I agree that piano generally sound great on the KEFs.
Strange that the Borodin recording sounded "more natural"! By "scratchy" I take you to mean harsh, abrasive, and unpleasant, like the the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. How coud the KEFs fix that!
Is there a system, suitable for a small room and near field listening, that fixes the problems with Borodin and Mozart and matches the KEFs in most circumstances?
Last edited:
I'm sometimes hearing sibilance and roughness in some spoken voice at high pitches.
The sibilant, potentially harsh, consonants (k, p, s, t, etc.) are predominantly found in the frequency range above 500 Hz and below 10KHz and predominantly, in the 2 kHz-4kHz frequency range.
Facts about speech intelligibility
Spoken and sung words should be intelligible. Unfortunatley, it can be technically challenging to retain intelligibility, when recording or amplifying the voice. In this article, we present some facts on speech intelligibility and, most importantly, how to retain it.
www.dpamicrophones.com
The tweeter response graph seems to match what I'm hearing (this is over 2 years of listening with KEF LSX as my main TV and talk radio speakers...) That is, the talk is usually good - maybe explained by the tame response between 2 kHz-4kHz (?) Sometimes the sibilance & rough brightness becomes a bit irritating. Could that be explained by the significant peaking starting at 4K, and the roller-coaster ride after that?
General listening is probably good enough for me to keep the speakers, but I'd think of upgrading if/when they break down. Do KEFs more expensive speakers have even tweeters? Does meta fix the tweeter? Which speakers have the tamest tweeters?
8K is inside the human voice range - at the upper end where sibilance and fingernails down the blackboard occur. So I think it does impact the listening experience - at least it is one explanation for my listening experfience - rough brightness now and again.
Some of my brighter classical music CDs are made too bright for comfort, excessive "ess-ing' sometimes happens on talk radio... This is offset by generally good mid range (2-4K)... perhaps explained by the very gentle downward slope (?)
Nah - it also has the uneven tweeter problem.
Yes it has the same tweeter problem! Roller coaster ride starting at 8K. Feel the excitement! (But I don't want excitement listening to BBC Radio 4 news...) Did amir listen to the same test tracks? I find LSX plays well much of the time, but bright tracks or voices really upset it
If, like me, you are moving from budget speakers like Wharfedale 9.0 you might be very happy initially, and for a while. LSX are bright and bumpy at 8k, but much less bright & bumpy than the Wharfs, and much tamer 2-4K (subjectively...) So, yup, quite listenable still, most of the time...
Do they suffer from high frequency hearing loss due to all that heavy duty listening?
Might be the perfect speakers for those suffering from hearing loss at frequencies above 8K!
How Aging Audiophiles Should Think About Hearing
A profession speech therapist and audiophile, Eric Forst, brings his experience (and Masters Degree) to help us all protect our hearing.
futureaudiophile.com
P.S. Link has a comment from THE Floyd Toole!
thewas
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Interesting that my reaction is the opposite! To me they sound bright/rough. It's not so much a fall off... after 4K it's a roller coaster ride - maybe you have hearing loss at 4K and those saying "it's great, no caveats" have it at 5K?
You don't mention the roller coaster ride after 4K. Isn't that the a problem? Might it be the reason the Borodin quartet sounded so bright?
I was thinking they wouldn't experience the tweeter boost at 8K (better shown on the Drive Components Near Field graph...) In any case, it's looking rather messy above 4K, where brightness can be a problem...
More promising at the time? What about now?!I debated the powered KEF's or the Gennie 8030s, though the 8030s seemed to be more promising at the time (two years ago), so I went with them. I must also add that the grilles on the 8030's have saved their drivers from my, then, 5 year old many times since their purchase.
Are you starting to get a little irritated with certain aspects through listening to them every day for two years?
Looking at the graphs they have a dip in the 1-4K region. Might this be notceabe in every day use? The KEF graph looks good in this region... their problems start after 4K!
Genelec 8030C Studio Monitor Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the powered Genelec 8030C Professional Monitor (speaker). It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $700 each. The 8030C has the same look of Genelec speakers of the last decade or so: To me it looks more "cute" than serious piece of gear...
www.audiosciencereview.com
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