Latest KEF Uni-Q speaker review

[Johnson]

Worth a read for those that haven’t heard of KEF:

https://www.wired.com/review/review-kef-ls60-wireless/

 

[digilotus]

They look really cool!

The (front) Uni-Q driver design in copper/gold within the Royal Blue set are likely the same colour design used in the Eletre show car. I would be a bit worried about having those drivers exposed without a mesh grille inside a car like the Eletre has. One accidental bump and the driver or tweeter waveguide is destroyed with likely a big replacement bill!

 

[NicolasB]

I have Devialet Phantom 1 speakers (equivalent to gold model from before). I recently bought Kef LS50 wireless ii speakers to try & compare because everyone claims they are amazing. I even ordered the $1,500 wireless sub. Playing back to back with my pair of Phantoms was not even close. The Phantoms made the Kef sound weak & tinny. Hope the car stereo is better.

 

[kenniGT]

They look really cool!

The (front) Uni-Q driver design in copper/gold within the Royal Blue set are likely the same colour design used in the Eletre show car. I would be a bit worried about having those drivers exposed without a mesh grille inside a car like the Eletre has. One accidental bump and the driver or tweeter waveguide is destroyed with likely a big replacement bill!

We do not know which twitter/mid combination we are going to get. They all look similar. For car they should be redesigned as drivers conditions are different - vibrations and door volume with gaps. This is complete different environment and requirements for the driver. That is the reason why there is separation between car and home audio producers. R&d cost monies and only few companies do both (ie focal) ,and it is easier to build good sounding home speaker from caraudio driver than other way round. Look at speaker brands like brax, helix, microprecision and many others. This is what you want to have in the car. Not home audio products from kef, meridian or burmester. It is one off, a marketing tool for them.

And another problem is amplification. Class D sound much better than in the past but it is still cheapest solution. And that is reflected in sound quality.

My experience with ls50/blade is thin sounding mid range. Mid driver is too small and obstructed by twitter. But stereo image is exceptional, due to concentric drivers position. Top end can be also harsh if not used with good quality amplifier, kefs twitters do show a lot at the top, but this means other elements of the system need to be good quality, otherwise it might be harsh. I listen to new class d wireless ls50 and much prefer older ls50 with class ab amplifier

 

[Leonard]

We do not know which twitter/mid combination we are going to get. They all look similar. For car they should be redesigned as drivers conditions are different - vibrations and door volume with gaps. This is complete different environment and requirements for the driver. That is the reason why there is separation between car and home audio producers. R&d cost monies and only few companies do both (ie focal) ,and it is easier to build good sounding home speaker from caraudio driver than other way round. Look at speaker brands like brax, helix, microprecision and many others. This is what you want to have in the car. Not home audio products from kef, meridian or burmester. It is one off, a marketing tool for them.

And another problem is amplification. Class D sound much better than in the past but it is still cheapest solution. And that is reflected in sound quality.

My experience with ls50/blade is thin sounding mid range. Mid driver is too small and obstructed by twitter. But stereo image is exceptional, due to concentric drivers position. Top end can be also harsh if not used with good quality amplifier, kefs twitters do show a lot at the top, but this means other elements of the system need to be good quality, otherwise it might be harsh. I listen to new class d wireless ls50 and much prefer older ls50 with class ab amplifier

How and why Lotus/KEF haven't done a Social Media piece yet on this colab and the tech behind it goodness knows.
I was expecting as a FE deposit holder to get some lovely snippets of engagement 6 months ago.
It worries me that they don't consider it worth shouting about...

 

[JimH]

How and why Lotus/KEF haven't done a Social Media piece yet on this colab and the tech behind it goodness knows.
I was expecting as a FE deposit holder to get some lovely snippets of engagement 6 months ago.
It worries me that they don't consider it worth shouting about...

KEF x Lotus Partnership

View KEF's wireless HiFi audio system speakers. Drawing on decades of acoustic expertise, each provides outstanding clarity with several connectivity options.

uk.kef.com

KEF delivers high-end audio system for the new Lotus Eletre Hyper-SUV

The ongoing partnership between KEF and Lotus has reached another significant milestone with KEF bringing high-end audio into the all-new and all-electric Lotus Eletre Hyper-SUV.

uk.kef.com

 

[TomE]

How and why Lotus/KEF haven't done a Social Media piece yet on this colab and the tech behind it goodness knows.
I was expecting as a FE deposit holder to get some lovely snippets of engagement 6 months ago.
It worries me that they don't consider it worth shouting about...

To be fair, you could say the same about most aspects of the car. I’ve written more on here about suspension options and dynamic performance management than Lotus has ever published.

 

[Leonard]

To be fair, you could say the same about most aspects of the car. I’ve written more on here about suspension options and dynamic performance management than Lotus has ever published.

I know. Some things are just less accessible than others.
It's terrible all around though. Zero excuses for not sharing this info with deposit holders early and then future customers

 

[kenniGT]

How and why Lotus/KEF haven't done a Social Media piece yet on this colab and the tech behind it goodness knows.
I was expecting as a FE deposit holder to get some lovely snippets of engagement 6 months ago.
It worries me that they don't consider it worth shouting about...

Kef is one of those companies who share a lot of technical information about theirs design. White paper they call it. Yes, it is surprising there is only general note about collaboration with lotus on kef's website.

 

[kenniGT]

KEF x Lotus Partnership

View KEF's wireless HiFi audio system speakers. Drawing on decades of acoustic expertise, each provides outstanding clarity with several connectivity options.

uk.kef.com

KEF delivers high-end audio system for the new Lotus Eletre Hyper-SUV

The ongoing partnership between KEF and Lotus has reached another significant milestone with KEF bringing high-end audio into the all-new and all-electric Lotus Eletre Hyper-SUV.

uk.kef.com

Compare it to theirs home audio speaker design technical information. Quite amazing how many details they provide:
White paper

 

[Evotion]

How and why Lotus/KEF haven't done a Social Media piece yet on this colab and the tech behind it goodness knows.

Agreed. Apsrt from an article or two it has gone all quiet.
My fear is that KEF realise it is not up to standard and the good intentions of using a UK company has backfired a bit. We will see. I am not asking for amazing audio, just very good

 

[Eagle7]

Remember, when you get your cars, give the sound system at least 25+ hours of use before you judge the sound quality. Initially, the bass in particular will sound a bit flat and wooden, and the system overall will seem lacking in richness. The detail and clarity will be there though. As the materials stretch and break in through usage, the sound quality will gain warmth and richness.

 

[RENDERMAN]

Remember, when you get your cars, give the sound system at least 25+ hours of use before you judge the sound quality. Initially, the bass in particular will sound a bit flat and wooden, and the system overall will seem lacking in richness. The detail and clarity will be there though. As the materials stretch and break in through usage, the sound quality will gain warmth and richness.

WWWHHHHTTTT???? since when do you break in the sound system on a car, Lotus told that? just think, you buy a Bugatti Veyron...... " Sir follow these instructions before you listen to the radio"

 

[Eagle7]

WWWHHHHTTTT???? since when do you break in the sound system on a car, Lotus told that? just think, you buy a Bugatti Veyron...... " Sir follow these instructions before you listen to the radio"

Lol sometimes you're so eager to post you don't pay attention to what you've posted against. I didn't say "... before you listen to the radio", I said to LISTEN to the system for at least 25+ hours for the sound quality to warm up to what it's supposed to be. KEF is a high-end audio company, and high-end audio systems have a break-in period; that's standard procedure for any high-end speaker system. Some of the reviewers have said it sounded flat and the bass wasn't very good; that's the symptom of a new high-end speaker system. They need to break-in before you get the full sound they're capable of.

 

[RENDERMAN]

Lol sometimes you're so eager to post you don't pay attention to what you've posted against. I didn't say "... before you listen to the radio", I said to LISTEN to the system for at least 25+ hours for the sound quality to warm up to what it's supposed to be. KEF is a high-end audio company, and high-end audio systems have a break-in period; that's standard procedure for any high-end speaker system. Some of the reviewers have said it sounded flat and the bass wasn't very good; that's the symptom of a new high-end speaker system. They need to break-in before you get the full sound they're capable of.

Not going through all that, I'll just get in my friend's Elise for 5 minutes and the Emira is going to sound emazing!!

 

[Eagle7]

You don't have to 'go through' anything. Just use the system and listen to it. The sound quality you hear when you first use it is going to improve after about 25 hours of use.

 

[RENDERMAN]

You don't have to 'go through' anything. Just use the system and listen to it. The sound quality you hear when you first use it is going to improve after about 25 hours of use.

cool, some of you are going to break in the sound system in on the first drive from Spain to Belgium lol

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

cool, some of you are going to break in the sound system in on the first drive from Spain to Belgium lol

LOL, it's the other way around. Emira is in Belgium, not in Spain, not even the Demo!

 

[695 to Emira]

I bought a new amp, speakers and mc cartridge for use at home. 50 hours apparently. So 25 “sounds” good to me.

 

[Eagle7]

I bought a new amp, speakers and mc cartridge for use at home. 50 hours apparently. So 25 “sounds” good to me.

25 hours is the point where I can begin to tell a difference. Beyond that I'm sure the system continues to improve, but the difference between 25 and 50 is probably less noticeable, especially in a car.