Our review sample only has access to an early version of the app, so some functionality – including music server discovery – isn’t available. However, first impressions suggest it’s a positive replacement for the often-glitchy Stream app on the LS50 Wireless. Loading dense service libraries, navigating its clean and logical interface and switching inputs proves a pleasant and reliable experience. These sonic advancements are not only a credit to KEF's engineering but also representative of how far such speaker system concepts have come in recent years. Needless to say, we look forward to hearing more products using MAT technology in the future. They don’t get five stars however because the quality of engineering in the speakers doesn’t extend to the app needed for streaming. When switching on the speakers immediately switch on from standby and start to play in a second or two. After a few more seconds they stop playing and the app opens a red bar asking me to select the speakers in settings. They are already selected and show as such. After a further variable wait they start to play again. I’ve learned that my intervention makes no difference, so I just wait. This can happen a couple of times before they settle down. Reinstalling the app makes no difference and it happens whether I use my phone or iPad. Even beyond the flawless musical performance, LS50 Wireless II is a breeze to set up thanks to the KEF Connect app. It is intuitive to use with any source in your home, and it allows simple over-the-air firmware updates that bring you new and improved features with the minimum of fuss.

Every aspect of LS50 Wireless II has been considered for acoustic benefits and from a design perspective. The low-diffraction, curved baffle is precision modelled around the Uni-Q driver, while eye-catching heat sinks and colour-matched ports are located on the well-equipped rear. The top-mounted control panel is designed to be stylish and functional. As well as offering the dynamic range to make the most of Hi-Res music, the LS50 Wireless II also supports many associated formats. MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) – as used by TIDAL Masters – is compatible. ROON Endpoint status means it’s compatible with the award-winning music player – including Hi-Res files. Sound-wise, these speakers are extremely balanced, with a good depth and soundstage. They are not too warm or too harsh, but sit nicely in the middle. They certainly produce a strong bass but do not go as deep as some speakers, so are pushing you towards adding a subwoofer. They control quite well at higher volumes. There is a good level of detail and presence, and the ultimate test is that I can actually close my eyes and sink into the music. For the money it's good. Prices valid in stores (all including VAT) until close of business on 28th November 2023. (Some of these web prices are cheaper than in-store, so please mention that you've seen these offers online.) Simon Davies led the KEF Industrial Design Team from 2000 through to 2018. He was responsible for key product designs including LS50 and LS50 Wireless, The Reference and R Series. Since 2018, Simon has acted as a design consultant for KEF, and continues to work very closely with the KEF Industrial Design Team.

Performance

Audiophiles will be pleased with support for streaming files up to 24-bit/384kHz, as well as MQA and DSD256; but even if you eschew the wonders of Hi-Res Audio in favor of some simple Spotify streaming, you won’t be disappointed by the sound. A truly revolutionary tool in the KEF acoustic armoury, Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT™) is a highly complex maze-like structure that absorbs 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of the driver, eliminating the resulting distortion and providing purer, more natural sound.

In many ways, what was more surprising was how KEF had made the LS50 active. Rather than go the traditional way of applying amps to speakers; attach/integrate the amp and power supply and leave control to somebody else, via either RCA or XLR, KEF turned the LS50 into a system. It became a device that needed only an internet signal to be a fully functional device in its own right. As decisions go, it was a good one because KEF has sold a great many of them. The effect of MAT is clearly heard in the cleanliness of the treble, although the difference in purity can be heard across the frequency range. Mids are cleaner-cut and bass more defined, their extra refinement making the originals sound a touch crude. The whole presentation has been opened out, that extra room not only filled with subtler, more precise detail, but also allowing for greater instrument separation that makes its delivery sound much less congested in comparison. As a product following in the footsteps of such a huge success, the KEF LS50 Wireless II arrive with a world of expectation on their shoulders – but they well and truly meet those expectations. Make no mistake, this is a sequel of rare quality. All aspects of the LS50 Wireless II’s performance is aided by KEF’s bespoke Music Integrity Engine. This collection of bespoke Digital Signal Processing algorithms is optimised for the Uni-Q driver, enabling it to deliver a perfectly timed performance, for better imaging and a tighter sound. We listen to Adrienne Lenker's Symbol and it is a more captivating affair through the Wireless IIs. The extra space between her vocal and the strings is in relative contrast to the originals, where it sounds as though they're fighting against one another for attention. That extra spaciousness isn’t at the expense of cohesiveness either – a hallmark quality of the Uni-Q driver’s tweeter-inside-the-mid/bass-cone design.

Whereas the 150mm driver in the passive Meta makes demands (and considerable demands too) on an external amplifier, the Wireless II brings that power on board and quite a bit of power too. My comments in the passive review that the LS50 benefits from a bit of driving might benefit from the framing that each wireless version has no less than 380 watts of power. This is split with 100 watts allocated to the tweeter and 280 to the mid bass. At the moment the app has BBC radio stations available. These are occasionally interrupted by messages from the BBC that they will soon not be available. It would be helpful to have heard from KEF whether they will add BBC Sounds to their app or not. You can choose to operate LS50 Wireless II completely wirelessly at 24bit/96kHz resolution for a completely clutter-free set up, or you can connect the two speakers with the supplied cable for 24bit/192kHz resolution sound. The manner that this is integrated into the top of the cabinet is beautifully realised and it’s details like this that help the KEF to be genuinely user friendly. The fit and finish is every bit as good as the passive version too. Do be aware that there some unavoidable quirks of placement that the KEF can’t easily nullify though. Any HDMI or optical connection from a TV is going to have to come out to the master speaker and both of those speakers need mains power. If you can dress it correctly, a setup based around the Wireless II will look outstanding… but you’ll need to put the effort in.

Thanks to its HDMI, optical and coaxial digital, plus analogue 3.5mm inputs you can also connect up other sources, such as your TV, games console, CD player or turntable (with built-in pre-amp). Connecting the computer was a bit more work. I would have appreciated a USB input, but instead I needed to use an external sound card with a TOSLINK output. The KEF LS50 Wireless II is the second generation of active LS50. When KEF released the original LS50, it did so as a passive design (and very good it was too). The company then proceeded to surprise quite a few people (myself included) with an active version. The surprise was twofold. Firstly, with the honourable exception of its subwoofer range and the curious - but rather good - Egg Digital Music System, KEF has largely focused on passive speakers. For the firm to go active after many decades of happily not doing so was a surprise. I bought the LS50 Wireless II speakers, mainly to listen to The Archers and route large conference calls through. I never imagined or had any intentions of using them to listen to music through.Solid all-rounder I'm using these in a smaller room as desktop speakers, and I wasn't sure if I would have enough space for a separate amplifier. In the end I decided on the all-in-one solution to save space. The obvious question is whether the KEF LSX II would have been a better solution, and I think they would have been a very good choice too, but the LS50W2 had a bit more clarity and depth to them. I did not want to compromise. In our review of the original LS50 Wireless, we noted their “clean and precise” manner and “neatly layered and nicely defined” soundstage. KEF has taken these attributes to another level here. LS50 Wireless II is more than a high-performance loudspeaker; it’s the perfect all-in-one speaker system. It reveals every detail of your favourite music, which you stream from any source thanks to wireless compatibility with AirPlay 2, Chromecast and more. The LS50 Wireless II sound incredibly well balanced, displaying great stereo separation and a wide enough soundstage to truly fill any room with detailed, clarified audio.