Active vs traditional speaker set up for music

[Anands123]

I am moving home and have a chance to do a separate stereo Set up in my living room. Room is 200 sqft and listening area is about half of that. I am debating about moving my existing bowers Wilkins CM series towers, from its 5.1 fronts duty and pair it with my musical fidelity A5 amp and a digital streaming source like Apple TV with optical out to my Musical fidelity M1 Dac. This would mean I will need to get two new speakers to replace the fronts in my 5.1 set up in a different room for movies which is now all CM series.

As an alternate was thinking of active stereo speakers like the KEF LSX for my living room or others and leave my 5.1 as is. Any thoughts on which would sound better for stereo music listening? Pros and Cons…I read a lot about how active speaker design is better integration to having separates.

Also any recommendations for active stereo speakers. I am looking for real audiophile quality sound for music listening. Thank you

 

[vineetrad]

Budget? Atc actives and Genelecs. Both much better than the KEF.

 

[jenson]

Active seems to be smart move.. Cons would be each speaker requiring power connection.

Pros, no clutter of amps, etc. Down the line can add preamp to extract different flavors.

 

[OM_2K19]

Also any recommendations for active stereo speakers. I am looking for real audiophile quality sound for music listening. Thank you

You can't go wrong with the new LS50 Wireless II, probably the easiest way to get into audiophile territory.

 

[Anands123]

Budget? Atc actives and Genelecs. Both much better than the KEF.

around 1 lakh

 

[Anands123]

You can't go wrong with the new LS50 Wireless II, probably the easiest way to get into audiophile territory.

sounds Good.. will check them out

 

[raghupb]

KEF LW50 W-II will not be in 1L budget. But definitely worth a listen, if you can afford it.
I had these home for a few days for an evaluation.
The level of integration is good, easy to setup and performs quite well.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Anands123]

KEF LW50 W-II will not be in 1L budget. But definitely worth a listen, if you can afford it.
I had these home for a few days for an evaluation.
The level of integration is good, easy to setup and performs quite well.

Cheers,
Raghu

thanks. How about LSX which is around 1L.

 

[raghupb]

thanks. How about LSX which is around 1L.

Can't comment on it as I have not heard them.
FM @fLUX is a better person to opine on their performance and ownership.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[fLUX]

thanks. How about LSX which is around 1L.

Can't comment on it as I have not heard them.
FM @fLUX is a better person to opine on their performance and ownership.

Cheers,
Raghu

I think the KEF LSX do a very good job at being an all in one package albeit the app experience which IMO is little sluggish. I had this for about a year until I sold them a month back , was using it as my stereo rig for TV content and also occasional streaming. I would rate it the below

Design - Top marks in design , its a very compact unit for a bookshelf and probably the smallest I have owned (my next favorite is the Concept 20 in terms of design). This was the only set my wife approved off in the room as only wiring needed was for power cables plus looked very premium and nice

Connectivity - I would say it lacks a few desired options in terms of connectivity. I would have loved to bypass the internal dac entirely via RCA inputs and also have more digital inputs to support multiple sources ( in my case TV/Streamer/CDP) , but I guess its asking too much in such a small unit. The sub out is a big boon and via their EQ settings you can easily integrate a Sub with the setup if need be

Sound - The most striking aspect for me was the bass. I did not expect such a tiny unit to pump out so much bass and its tight and impactful. They dont dig very deep but till whatever they do are a gem of an unit and it is likely to surprise anyone who is hearing it for the first time.
The vocals are slightly laidback and this is a desirable aspect for me as I often used these nearfield and this aided in the same. But even if you use it for critical listening it wont be much of a challenge
These image really well and treble is smooth with good energy , slightly contrasting from the Q series I heard which could be termed as lively and for some bright.
I would say they lack a little bit on the refinement side if I compare against bookshelves like Concept 20 / Dynaudio Emit M20 but then again these will need you to spend on a source/passive IA with DAC.

Usability - On Wifi you may experience sluggishness quiet often depending on the distance and wifi signal. Functions quiet smoothly on LAN without much challenges. Considering its one a kind offering from KEF i think the app can be improved upon.

 

[Anands123]

I think the KEF LSX do a very good job at being an all in one package albeit the app experience which IMO is little sluggish. I had this for about a year until I sold them a month back , was using it as my stereo rig for TV content and also occasional streaming. I would rate it the below

Design - Top marks in design , its a very compact unit for a bookshelf and probably the smallest I have owned (my next favorite is the Concept 20 in terms of design). This was the only set my wife approved off in the room as only wiring needed was for power cables plus looked very premium and nice

Connectivity - I would say it lacks a few desired options in terms of connectivity. I would have loved to bypass the internal dac entirely via RCA inputs and also have more digital inputs to support multiple sources ( in my case TV/Streamer/CDP) , but I guess its asking too much in such a small unit. The sub out is a big boon and via their EQ settings you can easily integrate a Sub with the setup if need be

Sound - The most striking aspect for me was the bass. I did not expect such a tiny unit to pump out so much bass and its tight and impactful. They dont dig very deep but till whatever they do are a gem of an unit and it is likely to surprise anyone who is hearing it for the first time.
The vocals are slightly laidback and this is a desirable aspect for me as I often used these nearfield and this aided in the same. But even if you use it for critical listening it wont be much of a challenge
These image really well and treble is smooth with good energy , slightly contrasting from the Q series I heard which could be termed as lively and for some bright.
I would say they lack a little bit on the refinement side if I compare against bookshelves like Concept 20 / Dynaudio Emit M20 but then again these will need you to spend on a source/passive IA with DAC.

Usability - On Wifi you may experience sluggishness quiet often depending on the distance and wifi signal. Functions quiet smoothly on LAN without much challenges. Considering its one a kind offering from KEF i think the app can be improved upon.

Thanks for the detailed response. Will check these out soon.