A few weeks ago, we were highly critical of the KEF brand which in Australia, is significantly overpriced, especially their so called wireless speakers, which still need an Ethernet cable strung between two of their KEF LS 50 speakers to generate Stereo sound.
Since then a lot of people have asked me what is the alternative to KEF speakers when it comes to high quality stereo sound from wireless capable speakers.
The answer lies in a combination of speakers with both solutions significantly cheaper than the KEF LS 50 offering.
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| Australian Retailer Pricing For KEF LS50 Wireless Speaker |
What we propose is two options from Bluesound or Denon Heos.
The Bluesound Pulse 2 Wireless Streaming Speaker is a 80 Watts Tri-amplified powered music system with built-in DirectDigital, amplifier and speakers. With wide range support for audio file, cloud music services and wireless connections, the Pulse 2 is a serious music system that retails for around $1,399 a pair will set you back $2,798.
Unlike the KEF LS 50 which can only deliver Stereo sound by plugging in an Ethernet cable the Bluesound speakers not only playback 24bit or High Res Audio they can instantly be paired via the Bluetooth app, the same way that a consumer can pair a pair of Sonos Play 5 speakers.
Another alternative is the HEOS 7 wireless speaker that retails for $999. What I suggest is that you look at buying two of these speakers plus the Denon HEOS Stereo amplifier which will cost you an additional $899. The total outlay is still only $2,897 which is still considerably less than the KEF LS 50 Speakers.
With the Bluesound speakers you can also create a Fixed Group in Android or iOS? A fixed group of Players appear as a single Room in the Player Selection Drawer.
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You can even set two Players as a Stereo Pair such as two PULSE family speakers act as a Left Speaker and Right Speaker on opposite sides of a wall unit or room.
Setting it up is simple all you do is open the player selection drawer by pressing the house icon in the top right corner of the iOS or Android app. Select the fixed groups icon from the header bar of the player selection drawer.
Then from the My Fixed Groups listing press the + sign to start the Fixed Group Wizard and then scroll through the list of available Players and select the two Players you wish to Stereo Pair and then press Next, an alarm will sound in the speaker who are pairing. It easy, quick and simple.
This eliminates the need to run cables across a room as is needed with the KEF LS 50’s It’s also a cheaper superior solution to the KEF offering.
