KEF LS50 Wireless II vs. Harbeth P3esr


I have an approx. 200 sq feet rectangle office space. Currently running Harbeth P3esr with Croft Acoustics phono integrated hybrid amplifier (ECC 83 tubes and MOSFET) with Node 2i streamer passing through Metro Acoustics Onyx NOS dac. Running Dueland 12GA oiled speaker wire. The sound is musical, detailed, airy and comfortable to listen to. Vocals are outstanding, instrument separation is just right - listening to music is a dream for hours long. Lifetime subscription of Roon with Tidal and Qobuz active services. One would ask - so why the itch to change anything. 

 

I find myself not listening to music as much as I'd like to due to the 'convenience' factor. I would like the Croft tube integrated to be on all the time, available for music play back on demand, between meetings or every evening - but I know that's not recommended due to the high heat generation and adversely impacting the tube lifespan. The amp does not have an idle and a wake up state. I have to 'plan' my listening sessions by warm up time and being careful not to shut down in between breaks and my next listening or timing it by shutting it down when long enough. 

 

Enter the 'convenient' KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers. Rave online audiophile reviews. Got a pair from my dealer for 45 days. Ran the speaker for 120 hours break in period and configured the DSP along with Roon MUSE setting for optimal room configuration. The KEF LS50Wii are very convenient all in one system. When not in use for 20 mins they go in standby mode to be woken by the next stream of music playback. They are Roon certified, and can play every sort of file format and stream including chromecast. But they just dont sound as good as my Croft and Harbeth set up. 

 

Close, but not the same. I think the KEF's can benefit from a better internal DAC. The sound lacks details, music separation, and sweetness compared to the Harbeth's. It sounds compressed. I have done a lot of A/B by having both on equal height speaker stands and connected to Roon - its a night and day difference. I am trying really hard to have the KEF play at par with the Harbeth set up so I can simplify my audio system and also be able to play music on demand with the KEF being on all the time in stand by mode. If I had not listened to my Croft and Harbeth set up first I would have bought the KEF in a heartbeat. But I feel I will be sacrificing quality listening session over quantity. 

 

Not sure if I am missing some configuration that would wake up these speakers or should be looking at alternatives like the Buchardt a500 that would sound better then my current set up. I like the convenience of active speakers but....

 

128x128ghulamr

Spend more time tweaking the LS50 wireless II. First, hard wired them so they can accept the Roon upsampling and Muse EQ setting that I configured for KEF endpoint. Huge difference. Must say the sound came really close to Harbeth/Croft combo. Hard wiring and Roon EQ setting is a game changer though heavy on PC Processing. 

BUT - as soon as I changed source to TIDAL Connect or Spotify Connect the 'house' sound of KEF kicked in which again is more compressed and muddled compared to the Harbeth/Croft combo. 

I will be returning the KEF LS50 wirelessII back to my dealer and keeping my beloved Croft/Harbeth system. I will be borrowing a pair of Buchardt a500 from a friend next week, as he swears on its performance. Will chime in with my thoughts - but for now will enjoy my Harbeths. 

Hey ghulamr, try swapping the power cables and optionally adding a conditioner. I have a pair of LS50 W2’s and just for s*its and giggles had them hooked up to a Shunyata Denali 6000sV2 and some original Valhalla power cables and they really sounded amazing. Even the Valhallas plugged right into the wall with no Shunyata was a massive improvement over the stock power cables. Granted that conditioner and those cables were way beyond the value of the speakers but I’m thinking if you dropped a couple hundred bucks on 2 power cables and maybe a basic IsoTek or Furutech filter bar, you’d get a solid upgrade and good bang for the buck. I *AM* keeping my LS50 Wireless II’s.

listening to music is a dream for hours long

I would keep the Harbeths and ditch the Kefs. NO need to change speakers from what you stated.

Just take a break from listening. Or, listen to a table radio for a while.

If you want to change anything, I suggest another hybrid integrated from Rogue or Unison. These brands may have "standby" switches to prolong tube life. Also, check out Linear Tube Audio, as well.

Currenty listening to Buchardt a500. So far they are phenomenal speakers. Have not had a chance to do A/B testing (will be out for a week) but will be sure to let you all know what I find.

@rhmmmm  thanks for the input. Agree with your suggestion. But I am still deciding and have not committed yet. Once I settle on the sound signature and have done enough A/B tests will decide which one I am keeping. From there I will certainly start investing in power cables and conditioner.