We COMPARE the KEF LS60 Wireless to THREE *other* hi-fi systems

This is PART TWO. Watch PART ONE here:

👉🏻 This episode is brought to you by AudioQuest:

🎥 Camera: Olaf von Voss
🎬 Editor: John Darko
🕺🏻 Motion GFX: John Darko
💰 Ad segment: Jana Dagdagan

🛋 My listening room in 2022:

0:00 A Legacy of Rentals
1:07 Living with the LS60 Wireless
4:03 Bring in the LS50 Meta + KC62
7:55 What about the LS50 Wireless II / room correction?
10:40 Klipsch Forte IV (slight return)
13:13 'HIGHLY' 😉 recommended
17:52 A JBL 4349 moment + final thoughts + outtakes

Craig Finn - A Legacy of Rentals

Mouse on Mars - Radical Connector

KEF's LS60 Wireless white paper

Podcast: Inside KEF’s LS60 Wireless w/ designer Jack Oclee-Brown

A short film about the KEF LS50 Wireless II

A long film about the KEF KC62

A short film about the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120

A short film about the Klipsch Forte IV

A short film about the Rotel A11 Tribute

A short film about art & Apple Music on Samsung’s ‘The Frame’ 2022

#kef #ls60wireless #loudspeakers
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[DarkoAudio]

PLEASE READ *before commenting*!
1) Got a question? Please ask it of the Darko.Audio YouTube community (and not me) as I'm off making the NEXT video
3) Polite comments that advance the conversation are most welcome (but no URLs, racist/sexist remarks or conspiracy theories, please)

[JC.LC.]

What about the warranty on them? Because if remember correctly the LS50's only have 1 year warranty. In my opinion that's not enough, if KEF believes in their products then they need to show that to the consumer by offering longer warranties.

[LukeVesty]

I'm not an audiophile. Not even close. But I just find this guy compelling to watch and I'm having trouble not watching any more of these videos.

[jmtennapel]

I love how you pull the music into the reviews. It is about the music in the end 👍

[fatphoca]

Now you can see how ahead of the game Meridian was decades ago.

[tommorrison]

Another thoughtful and thought provoking video. I think the vast majority of listeners would be very happy with the LS60 (or LS50 Wireless/LC62 combo, or Burkhardt kit) once they got it in place and used equalization to tailor it to their room. As for the build versus buy integrated comparison, I’ve always built systems and enjoy the process. But buying what is basically a bespoke amp/speaker combo designed by some of the world’s top audio engineers is an attractive proposition.

[parthmadhubhai]

I think we all are excited to hear an a700 vs ls60 comparison. My bet is on a700 but no comparison can be found yet unfortunately

[azamayub]

Would love to see a future comparison with Buchardt A700 with its Primare bubdle

[mikehuntington]

Excellent job with the review!

My only problem is with the built-in streaming software. I purchased an original pair of LS50 wireless, and the software was absolutely terrible! Kef did NOTHING to fix the problems it had.

You are at the mercy of a company if they put out a bad update or anything. And because Kef have proven to me, that they ultimately don't care about long-term customer service.... I would not trust them.

Just a word of caution for anyone considering spending this much money on these speakers.

[TPQ]

Excellent review as usual John! Your team is my go-to source for information on all things high end audio, and one of my top 3 YouTube Channels.

[KenManheimer]

I really appreciate that you recognize and acknowledge the dichotomy between component choice and integrated systems. I have a similar take on it but with a slightly different framing that brings what I see as the crucial questions more specifically into focus. For context, in May of 2021 I got a pair of KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers, and in October I got a KEF KC 62. After around 40 years of separate (decent, particularly as time went by) components. I am *extremely* happy with this integrated system. The crucial point that I think is not adequately described by the dichotomy as you present it is that last bit of consonance that I feel was my motivation in sorting through combinations of components, searching for the best integration.

It may be that some people come to enjoy the search for the best combination as a thing in itself, but I never lost sight of the urge to have the sound be as good as possible, whatever the avenue to get there. Along the way I may have found myself vacillating through different combinations of trade-offs, discovering that improving one aspect was at the cost of some other, or imagining that some variation improved something without a cost to anything else, or so on. But in the end, finding a really good combination was hard, and good integration between the components while getting the functionality I wanted was the goal.

In reality, while I got pretty good results over (much) time, I didn't get near to the performance that the KEF LS50 wII + KC 62 gave me out of the box. It may be that the LS50 Metas plus the Hegel amp you recommend would get me much of the way there (or whichever other good fits one finds, as time goes by), or even a little further, but I have the sense that the benefits are way below the point of diminishing returns versus the good job of integration that KEF has done with their system(s) in a box.

I was eagerly awaiting your review of the LS60 system, and am very happy with what you presented. It satisfied my curiosity, and I have to admit reassured me that the choice I made is just right for me. I don't have a big room or need for very very loud playing, and have the sense from what you said that the LS50 wII + KC62 integration from KEF does as good a job as I am going to find, giving me a mini version of the LS60 - maybe without some of the dynamics, and maybe not quite as well integrated as the single apparent source, total package that the LS60 offers, but pretty damn far in that direction.

So, here are real thanks to you for doing the work to investigate and report with great (discernment) fidelity what the various options offer. You address the questions I have with alacrity and grace! Perhaps the intricacies of the sonic trade-offs and occasional epiphanies of peak combinations make the continuing exploration worthwhile, as a thing in itself, for you and other audiophiles, but this one is happy to have found stable and very decent ground on which to reside, apparently without significant sonic sacrifice, in so far as I can tell...

[riccardovargetto]

Your angle is always interesting. I had the opportunity to listen to these beauties in a wonderfully treated room in a hifi shop here in Rome and I have to say that they’re impressive! Such a big sound from such a small and skinny cabinet! I think I could live with these ones.

[FireMunki]

This needs an update considering the massive price drop on the LS60s at the end of last year 2023!

[mchrome]

Almost every great find of my library of electronic music over 50 years has been by DJ’s recommending artists on college radio so it’s been a special treat to add to my music and listen to your
great reviews of audio gear at the same time. Thanks.

[thirdkey]

As an owner of both component/passive & minimalist/active systems, thanks so much for the anticipated dive into these but also for the sharing on your appreciation for both types. Both actives and headphone listening were my gateway into audiophile waters and the separates jungle. Especially with gaming, vid stream of multi-media plus casual music listening and for social gatherings, I really dig on what my actives provide. When it comes to vinyl, more critical listening and all other activity, the jump to the other system provides a whole other beloved experience.

[GiovanniBurroni]

love the "highly recommended album of the week" part! Your videos are easily some of the most enjoyable around

[electricsnut]

If by future, you mean throw away 10k tower speakers that will be superseded in 3yrs like the KEF LS50W were and cut off from updates… Thats assuming the amplifiers don’t die before then also.

[vikrambhaskar]

What an outstanding review Darko!!! Cannot be more satiating than this. Appreciate the hardwork of comparing them to passive systems in multiple configurations around the same price point. The end message about active speakers in general was really thought provoking!!

[TheSurfingCat]

Thank you for your patient and thorough review John. I've been without my system for a while after my Yamaha amp gave up the ghost. The KEF LS60 Wireless was one system option I was considering. I'm not one to rush decisions so I appreciate you not rushing your review.

The most useful part of your review for me was when you mentioned "small rooms" and "less than ideal room setups"; I think that's a really important thing to highlight to people that one of the main characteristics of the system - it's "dynamic wallop", isn't going to do well in a small, oddly shaped room with wooden floors, alcoves and other room issues that magnify reflections and bass.

For me, I think a possibly better option will be to pick up an NAD M10 V2 to pair with my LS50s (original) and get a KC62 on trial to see if I (and my neighbours) can live with it.

Finally, I think KEF might have missed a trick with the LS60 Wireless. With their big soundstage and impactful delivery they could make a fantastic home theatre setup if paired with LS50 Wireless II, or a small box like the Powernode and some passive LS50s as rears. If NAD/Bluesound can manage it, I'm sure KEF could work out a way to code 4.1 surround through their app. I hope it's something they are considering.

[ne]

I love the look of these, I love the concept. But original LS50 Wireless are maybe 6 years old and already their app is abandoned. $7k for a speaker system with designed obsolescence is not a great prospect.