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Wireless Speaker

KEF LS50W vs Sonos Five

KEF LS50W

66 reviews

View Product Details

Sonos Five

73 reviews

View Product Details

#28 most mentioned

Reddit · r/audiophile

Multiroom Musicality

Consumer Reports · Best Wireless Speakers for Great Sound

#61 most mentioned

Reddit · r/turntables

Best Multi-Speaker System Centerpiece

TechGearLab · Best Wireless Speaker of 2022

Great sound quality

Top-notch build quality

Simple and intuitive setup process

Excellent command of lower frequencies

Can be paired with a subwoofer for optimal performance

Great sound quality

Line-in port for vinyl enthusiasts

Can be used as rear surround speakers

Easy setup

Portable with wireless

Not all reviewers have had a positive experience with the KEF control app and wireless capabilities

Some reviewers have reported technical difficulties and issues with customer service

Not all reviewers have found the speakers to be neutral in sound, with some finding them too forward or harsh for their taste.

Not compatible with older Sonos devices

Connectivity issues reported by some users

Sonos app lacks certain features, such as the ability to like or dislike songs

Verdict

Overall, the KEF LS50W speakers have received positive reviews for their stunning sound quality and top-notch build quality. Some reviewers have noted difficulties with the KEF control app and the wireless capabilities, but others have found the setup process to be simple and intuitive. Many recommend pairing the speakers with a subwoofer for optimal performance. While some reviewers have switched to passive speakers for a more neutral sound, others consider the LS50W to be some of the best speakers they've ever heard. However, there have been a few reports of technical difficulties and issues with customer service.

Verdict

Overall, the Sonos Five receives mixed reviews. Many users praise its sound quality and recommend it as a baseline for streaming loudspeakers. However, some users have experienced compatibility issues with older Sonos devices and have had difficulty with connectivity and the Sonos app. Some users also express concerns about Sonos' privacy policies. The Sonos Five's line-in port makes it a good choice for vinyl enthusiasts, and it can be used as rear surround speakers. While some users prefer the stereo separation of two Sonos Ones, others find the single Sonos Five to be sufficient.

Reviews by Topic

Our analysis shows how reviewers feel about different topics. Please note these are not full reviews.

Sound Quality

youtube

KEF LS50 Wireless Speakers Unboxing and Review!

Why do they call us their active music system? Well, it's quite simple: it's because each speaker houses, two amplifiers, so one for the mid-range dri...

Positive

youtube

SONOS Five or KEF LSX?

Well, that's the point is that i'm not i'm not snobbish enough to dismiss things out of hand without first trying them. So if you, if you dig that att...

Positive

Connectivity

Setup was easy. I had no problems with the app

Also, at one time I got an error code saying the left speaker wasn't connected. I checked the cables and all was good so I simply restarted the speakers and the error cleared. I haven't seen the error again so maybe it was a fluke. Or maybe it's waiting until I'm out of warranty to present itself in a more permanent way

Over-hyped for sound, setup, ease of access.

I suppose were I to buy a third, they would. Connectivity next. You need a NAS drive to play your own music, if it's on a remote, networked, but normal drive. Mine is, so I am reduced to playing what's in the laptop, or youtube

Wireless Connectivity

Sounds great but not good at being internet enabled

The bluetooth works well but as INTERNET ENABLED these fall short. The App is really terrible, It DOES NOT SUPPORT SPOTIFY OR PANDORA so really you are left with streaming your mp3s or setting up another device that does the streaming that the app should be doing over the internet. For the price, I would expect these speakers to have done a better job working directly with the web, but I can't bring myself to return them because they sound so good. Enjoy them, just know that you will not get the networking ability of a Sonos or a Bose, but much better sound

Google: why isn’t my sonos getting sound B4 you buy

Does not rival the fullness of an added base component. UPDATE: Three weeks - 4 hours on the phone, 8emails, so many nights, 3 Saturday’s lost in reading up on routers, channel setting, password resets, countless unplugs, sonos app uninstalls, etc- and the beam is still a log and the Sonos 5 is now less reliable after changing up channels and router settings per sonos request. Long winded experience - What I started with: Apple TV 4th gen. Added Sonos Beam with the intentions of wireless connection being the primary use - sound for the TV on one wall and the drop down movie screen on a different wall (small apartment)

Wireless

Killer performance in a small format for a fair price! SERIOUS issues w/app, though...

Are the KEF LS50 Wireless Speakers cheap? Absolutely not. However, when you consider how much money it would take to build a high-quality system around "regular" KEF LS50s, the Wireless version really starts to shine. It offers exceptional quality at a very reasonable price, is easy to setup and use, and it works with a variety of sources. If KEF gets the app to work as it should, I think this speaker deserves and extra star

Between glitchy streaming and advertising on the stations.... not in love

I replaced the Apple HomePod with this, and I wanted to like it but it is not compatible with my network, so sometimes it glitches streaming from my phone. Additionally, the “radio station” it provides has commercials. No Thank You!

Price

I listened to good speakers for the first time, and now everything else sounds so bad that it's literally depressing me. Is this a common experience?

Using built in dac and a chromecast. Got a great deal on the speakers second hand 2 weeks old. You don’t have to blow the bank to compete with your car stereo. In a small room people love the KEF LS50W

Positive

reddit.com/r/audiophile

And it costs the same $499

The best example of this is Amazon’s $200 Echo Studio. It might not be quite at the level of the Play:5 if you did a listening test, but Amazon is coming closer and closer at a significantly cheaper price.

Positive

Bass

Amazing speakers; horrendous software

You may want a larger sub for a larger room, but I'd very much recommend staying with a sealed box design and tuning the levels and placement carefully, as it's going to be pretty easy to ruin the careful tuning of these speakers with an overpowering, boomy bass line. (Unless that's your thing, in which case, go for it!) The only problem, which is proving to be increasingly serious, is the software support. Right now I'm dealing with an issue where, after being powered on, the LS50 system outputs much to strong of a signal to the subwoofer. This is fixed the moment I adjust the volume on the LS50s or the computer connected to them, but I frequently forget and am startled the moment a strong bass line kicks in (quickly jumping up to tap the volume controls before I start figuratively rattling my neighbors' windows)

youtube

Review: Sonos Five Wireless Speaker (2020 Sonos Speaker)

, So everything sounded great to me.. Again, the bass response was awesome. And if you do, the Trueplay tuning do what I did to really hear the differ...

Positive

Size

Fantastic sound, until one broke. Long wait for replacements.

At this point I would recommend buying the cheaper / smaller LS-X and a subwoofer instead. But save your shipping box for returns and consider an extended warranty.

Fantastic speaker

Excellent for the size- great bass, midrange, high. Easy to set up & operate. Just bought my second speaker for stereo experience.

Mids

Accuracy beyond belief

The purpose of these small but powerful KEF LS 50W’s is to reproduce, without coloration the lower mid’s to upper frequency responses of the audio spectrum with enough accuracy to recreate the most realistic representation of natural sound possible.

Easy way to excellent sound

Excellent balanced sound but I don’t do rap or heavy bass. I listen to classical and jazz. Easy to use. No cords to get in the way

Design

youtube

HIFI SPEAKER REVIEW: KEF LS50 WIRELESS!

Looking speakers they're hefty they're made to a high standard and they look great. So if you're looking for a two-channel stereo for a listening room...

Positive

FRUSTRATING BUGS DRIVE ME INSANE EVERY DAY! Full of bugs. Overpriced. SPYWARE!

See enclosed photo, using an iPad, Samsung S21 phone, Samsung tablet , and a Windows 10 PC I am UNABLE TO CONNECT TO ANY SONOS DEVICES! EVERY DAY!!! I HAVE TO MESS AROUND TRYING TO MAKE THIS OVERPRICED RUBBISH CONNECT!!! ITS LIKE TWO VERY EXPENSIVE BRICKS MOST OF THE TIME!!! PROS: * They were instant to setup on my existing Sonos network, * Sound is great for speaker size and you can max volume with little to no audible distortion over many genre of music (tested with YoYoMa, Rage Against the Machine, Burning Spear) CONS: * Frequent dropouts or just cant connect from some devices, need to mess around with sonos app * Sonos app is garbage, go back to interface design school! * If you are serious about your audio you still need to add a Sonos woofer to these as they just don't have anywhere near the punch of a woofer (though the bass is impressive for speaker size). * I paid $750 a piece for these; I'm pretty sure that's expensive for something that has lots of bugs. * Drops out all the time. Frequently can't connect

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