So i want to try out speakers (concerto meta and r2 meta) but there is no where within 4 hours to listen to them. I want to buy them from beat buy online, try them out, than return to best buy and get them somewhere else cheaper. Has anyone e else had success with that?
Received my Wiim Amp Ultra today. Pretty impressed by the packaging and unit itself.
Setup with a Philips TV and KEF Q750 speakers. Ran the RoomFit EQ, added a little bass. I know that to some audiophiles, using a Class D amp and playing with EQ is blasphemy, but so far, this package sounds fantastic!
I want to buy Coda W for my desk. Two sources:
1. Mac notifications, music, YouTube
2. AirPlay from my iPhone
I want it to default to the Mac and switch to AirPlay when I play something from the phone, then go back to the Mac on its own when AirPlay stops. Having to reach for a remote or app to switch is a fail.
Before anyone says “just get the LSX II”: I’ve ruled them out on purpose. Too many reports of firmware instability, and I don’t trust the long-term support — my worry is they get abandoned and become useless the day Apple changes the AirPlay spec, as new WiFi specs come out, etc. I’d rather keep the streaming in a separate (not too expensive) box I can replace and let the speakers just be speakers.
Two options I’m weighing:
Option A – rely on the Coda’s own input switching: Mac into USB-C, AirPlay via a WiiM Mini into optical (Toslink). Both feed the Codas directly and I let the speakers handle the switching.
Option B – let a WiiM Pro Plus do the switching: Mac into the WiiM via USB-C-to-Toslink, AirPlay into the same WiiM, then one Toslink out to the Coda. Codas stay on one fixed input.
My worries:
• Waking from standby: does the Coda (Option A) or the WiiM (Option B) reliably wake the speakers when a source starts?
• Switching back: does it return to the Mac on its own once AirPlay finishes, or get stuck on the idle AirPlay input?
• Volume control: I don’t want three separate volumes (Mac, iPhone, Coda remote) that don’t talk to each other. For Option A: does the Mac’s volume actually change the Coda’s level over USB-C, or do I have to max the Mac and use the Coda’s own volume? And does the iPhone volume slider still work through the WiiM Mini’s optical out, or is optical fixed-level so I’m stuck on the Coda remote? For Option B: can the WiiM be the single volume control for both sources, and does Mac volume still do anything when it’s going in as a USB-to-optical feed?
If you’ve actually run a Coda W with two live sources, does Option A work in practice, or is the WiiM worth it, or are both options doomed?
Thanks.
This my current setup. There is no other place to place my subwoofer than in this picture. Its placed between the cabinet and a small corner in mijn wall. Since the Kube is front firing, it's not a problem (I think/hear). Because of the size and quality I am thinking about replacing the Kube with the KC62. But the KC fires left and right. One hitting partially the cabinet, the other partially the wall. Or, if I rotate it 90° one will fully hit the wall and the other by front firing. I'm curious if this will be an upgrade or degrade the sound quality.
I've been trying to get into high quality stereo speakers recently. Everytime I see a review of audiophile gears, people always use the same genres of music to test them (rock, classical, jazz), I know it has something to do with audiophile demographics, types of music that get good master, ect. When I study I listen to lofi, jazz and classical, which I know for sure will perform well on high end gears. But what about modern music? I listen to kpop girl groups, jpop, edm, house mostly. I will be using it for near field listening at my desk, my head will be about 40 inches/100cm away from each speaker. I have a cheap 8 inch ported sub right now and will upgrade to a good sealed sub in the future. For now I'm using Edifier r1280t, it's really boomy, the instruments and vocal details are not clear.
Edit: Guys please include the types of music you listen to, i know these sound great but if all you listen to is jazz, classical, rock which these hifi speakers are tuned for then you're not really helping my case!
Hi I came cross this website on Google shopping that they are selling kef ls50 for unbeatable price… I was wondering if this is a legit ?
Hey there,
so this is my first "real" Setup. I always had speakers on my Desk, mostly low budget studio monitors and some Teufel Concept E Systems as a Teenager.
I just finished renovating a House with my Wife (hence the missing furniture and TV) and put together this Setup kind of as a reward for myself.
Its a Marantz 40n which i managed to get for 1800€ and KEF R7 (non Meta) Speakers which were 2300€ for the pair. They were bought by someone a few years ago but never even left their boxes so they are basically brand new.
At first my Wife hated the tall Towers but got used to it very quickly. She even told me i could get a Subwoofer after i metioned a few times very carefully, that it would be nice to have for movies and more depth in Music aswell.
So thats the next thing to add and besides a Turntable. Updates will follow.
Im looking into the KC92 or KC62.
Any suggestions which one to get?
The room is about 32m²/344ft²
Hello There!
I recently got my KEF Coda W, and while the build quality is impressive, I’ve encountered a very bizarre anomaly regarding the inputs. I’m curious if other Owners have experienced this, as its seems to be a characteristic of the model rather than a defect.
The Issue is when I connect via Bluetooth, the sound is fantastic: crystal clear, wide soundstage, and deep, punchy bass. However, the moment I switch to any other input (Optical, USB, or RCA), the quality drops significantly. The soundstage collapses, and the bass feels dull and flat.
This is NOT a defective unit or a 'cheap cable' issue with few reasons,
I started to suspect some Technical mystery because when I have wired Inputs: Optical (up to 96kHz/24bit) and USB-C (up to 192kHz/24bit) "should" technically destroy Bluetooth in terms of fidelity. I’ve checked the KEF Connect app, but options are very limited. Everything is on default settings. Anomaly can be seen even though iPhones only support AAC for Bluetooth (which is lossy), it somehow sounds 'Pro' compared to a wired Lossless connection.
Does KEF apply some aggressive 'Music Integrity Engine' tuning specifically to the Bluetooth chip that isn't active on other inputs? Or is there some weird gain-staging issue with the internal DAC for physical inputs? I can't find any mentions on this topic.
Has anyone else noticed this? It feels like these speakers were 'voiced' for Bluetooth and everything else was an afterthought.
I apologise in advance for the question as I've already seen how common it is with the research I've done already.
I got a panasonic SG-X5L turntabke and KEF iq3 speakers off a friend and cannot figure out how to set em up. To my understanding I need a preamp to power the speakers but the only ones I can find have an RCA input from the turntables but the panasonic only has outputs for speaker cables.
Is it possible to use these together? Also sorry for the dusty ahh pics
For my new listening room, I bought a pair of Klipsch R-100M speakers for $8.00! Meant to be temporary while I searched for better ones. They did sound good, especially for the price I paid! I just upgraded to a pair of KEF Q150 speakers. In like new condition. Paid $250 on FB Market place. Sounds great!
Hello everyone, I once again and reaching out for opinions on amplifiers.... I apologize if you're tired of seeing these posts! If you do not want to read the entire post, there is a TLDR below that summarizes things concisely.
Current Set up:
Front L/R: R3 Metas
AVR: Pioneer LX505
Power AMPS: Fosi V3 Mono's 48v PSU
Rears: B&W 602 S1's
Subwoofer: B&W ASW608 (Crossed at 50hz)
On my last post I gained a lot of feedback that somewhat confirms my theory of the Fosi V3 Mono's just not being the right match for my R3 Metas. I find it a little cold and analytical, and sometimes a bit too sharp for my liking. I do find that the speakers do somewhat fall apart when listening to complex tracks loud. From my research, it seems that the low impedance dips the R3 demand might be too tall of an order for the V3's to do cleanly.
After looking online and establishing a rough price point, I'm down to two options.. which are both class AB. I'd like to try AB as I think the sound signature will be more in tune with what i am looking for.
Option 1: NAD M25
This is a 7 channel monster from quite a while ago. Someone has it for sale 3 hours away from me for $1500 CAD. He got it fully serviced in 2024, replaced and upgraded caps.. and some other things on the invoice that he had provided me. He stated he hasn't had any issues since the service and is working flawlessly. In the photos, it does appear to be in nearly mint cosmetic condition. The seller has been super transparent and forthright, providing invoices, contacts for the company that did the service, etc.
This option appeals to me as it has tons of power, seven channels which I like as I can run the R6 Meta I intend to buy in the near future off of it. From what I've read, I think I would also like the sound signature of the NAD M25. However, it does have a fan, and is old.. so that makes me a bit hesitant.
Option 2: Rotel 1582 MKII
This is the more modern and simple option for taking care of my R3 Metas. From my understanding, the sound signature should be somewhat similar to the NAD, but should provide more punch and be a bit more musical. It is also newer, but also is only two channel so doesn't provide me the future flexibility as my space operates as a home theatre as well. It is also well over my budget, at $2399... so it would be a stretch to buy it.
Any advice is welcome, thank you!
TLDR BELOW:
I’m looking to replace my Fosi V3 Monos because they sound a bit cold/analytical with my KEF R3 Metas and seem to struggle or get sharp when complex music gets loud. I want to try a Class AB amp for a fuller/smoother sound.
I’m deciding between:
Option 1: NAD M25 — $1,500 CAD used
Older 7-channel Class AB amp, fully serviced in 2024 with upgraded caps and invoice provided. Appeals to me because it has lots of power, can also run my future R6 Meta center, and seems like it may have the warmer/smoother sound I’m after. Downsides: age and fan.
Option 2: Rotel RB-1582 MkII — $2,399 CAD
Newer/simpler 2-channel Class AB amp for just the R3 Metas. Likely safer long-term and possibly punchier/more musical, but it’s well over budget and doesn’t help with my future center/home-theater setup.
Which would you choose for KEF R3 Metas in a mixed music/home-theater setup?
I recently purchased an Eversolo Play, LS50 Meta and a Technics SL50C turntable to start my journey into budget hi fi.
I LOVE my KEFSs but I feel the Play may not be getting the best out of them. Are there amp pairings that are commonly agreed upon?
My research has led me towards Hegel H120 and I would coaxial out use the DAC in the amp itself since the Play does not have a line outs.
Would love to hear what the community thinks and if there are well known pairings!
A friend recently asked about my LS50WII and as the field of active wireless speakers and their price variability are expanding, I'm wondering what if any other options he should consider.
I've owned the first and second generation of these speakers and adored them but the market has changed since 2017 and 2020. The first generation at $2k had network issues so KEF sold me the second generation at a steep discount, $1,450. I then sold the first generation for $1k. As a broke law student, I recently sold the second generation for $1,450, breaking even. That is, I got about nine years of service from these speakers for $1k.
Since my last purchase, KEF has since increased the price of the LS50WII to $3k and introduced the LSXII, LS60W, LSXII LT, and CodaW. I'm aware of similar products from Bowers & Wilkins, Buchardt, Dali, Martin Logan, Paradigm, PSB, Technics, SVS, and Wharfedale.
Reframing the initial question, are any of them worth considering? I suggested that he consider the LS50WII from Accessories4less and the CodaW from KEF. I haven't heard the CodaW but assume they're louder and less resolving than the LS50WII. Before we talk about passive products, he is unlikely to take up a passive system as he is coming from Sonos and has an infant.
I have a 4.2 system with 4x Q1 Metas in a workshop crossed over at 80hz with 2x SVS Micro 3000s Revo subs. I put the foam plugs into to fully seal the speakers and smooth the crossover to the subs. It's a big 24x36 space so I am driving them loudly enough to fill the room.
BUT the damn plugs won't stay in. The woofer is blowing them out and im finding them on the floor the next day. I am pushing them in as far as possible while still having a reliable chance of pulling them back out (don't want to lose them inside the port or enclosure)
I could 3d print something but im assuming foam is the right solution for absorbing resonance. Should I put them in loosely and cap them with a 3d printed cap? or would the cap introduce resonance by acting as a hard reflective surface? Is there some other recommended solution here?
EDIT:
To be fair, I've been hitting that KEXP recording of Angine De Poitrine pretty hard over the past week. on reflection, that can't be helping.
Got a pair of these as surrounds (odd choice, I know) a while back and only now did I realize that certain frequencies/type of music distorts pretty badly. The setup is these speakers connected to a Marantz NR1510 with different active front speakers.
I have tried:
-Fixing the cable connection & using banana plugs and without
-Purchasing better cables (upgraded to 1.5 mm² OFC speaker wire, the length is around 10 meters per speaker)
-Trying different speaker ports on the AVR
-Fiddling with ohm settings & other speaker settings on the AVR
But no luck so far. As you can hear, it's especially this type of hollow mid-high sound like piano or classical guitar that distorts. I watched plenty of movies and never noticed anything with these as surrounds, and you can listen to regular pop and not necessarily notice any distortion, which is why it took me a while to realize this.
Here's the weird part: I would obviously assume that the speaker/driver etc. is broken somehow, but both speakers distort in exactly the same way, and are otherwise in perfect shape and pretty new as well. I feel like that indicates the problem is elsewhere.
Any ideas? What could I do to try and isolate the issue without other AVR's or speakers at hand?
Edit: Not sure if this does implicate the speakers themselves, but the distortion audibly changes if I gently press on the cone.
Had been procrastinating about buying a sub because I wasn't totally happy with the bass. Decided instead to upgrade the power from an 'old' Quad 606 power amp which I thought was already pretty beefy to Quad Artera Monoblocks. Oh. My. God. Speakers are totally transformed - bass properly slaps now. They went from being 'mid' to a proper wall of sound. OK not cheaper than getting a sub, but I don't think I need one now. This is just for music so I don't need it to shake the sofa when something blows up on screen. That's a different use case.
Edit: just to add, now using XLR cables from the Naim to the monoblocks - much smoother 'balanced' volume curve.
Hi all. I’m what you’d call a noob or amateur with my level of knowledge with this stuff. I’ve recently purchased a used KEF Q200C Center channel and I currently have a standard two wire setup for my old center. When googling for info on how to wire this new center with only a two wire setup, it mentions metal jumping plates (shorting bars) are required. Looking at images of what those look like, it seems like that could be problematic with the design of the model having the knobs in the middle. Does anyone know how I can stick with my two wire setup? Are there any jumping plates that would work with this model? I’m currently using banana plugs, but I’m guessing those are going to have to go…
Thanks in advance!
Probably a small subset, maybe nonexistent, group of people interested in this, but I've had a Flic Twist sitting in a drawer waiting to be used for something for years and today pieced together an integration that makes it a controller for my KEF LSX II LT speakers.
In case anyone else is interested.
EDIT: Since people are asking and I was too vague.
Flic Twist is a smart home controller consisting of a large dial with a button in the center: https://flic.io/twist
This small script basically allows it to speak to the current model KEF powered speakers to control, volume, play/pause, and skip to the next song.
The caveat being I only have the LSX II LT's so that's the only speakers I've tested it on.
Hi everyone! I currently run my R3 Metas with a sub crossed over at 50hz (primarily due to the sub having to be in a cubby atm, anything higher and the sub is too localized).
I’m currently using a pair of Fosi V3 Mono’s to power them, going into my pioneer LX505. Lately I’ve been wondering if a class AB power amp would give me better sound quality, and if I’m missing out on anything with my Fosi’s.
I haven’t really tried any other proper HIFI amp, so I’m wondering if maybe anyone on this sub has been in my position, and upgraded to a higher end power amp. I’d like to hear your experience…. Especially if you went from Fosi V3 Mono’s to something else!