KEF LS50 wireless speakers connectivity

[gassor]

Got a new pair yesterday and am liking the sound and the appearance. The big pain in the derriere has been connectivity. The speakers are 20 cm from the router and it took 50+ attempts to get the bloody things on-line so my phone would recognise them. I plan to only use Tidal. Phoned the shop and after waiting for hours got a reply to say that rather than provide a fix (the resident guy who sets them up had no idea) I would have to return them.

Proving that sometimes doing the same thing over and over can produce a different outcome, they suddenly allowed me to connect them, but they don't play consecutive tracks unless I manually choose. So still not acceptable. But they sound pretty good so far. Anyone else got a pair?

 

[Strictly Stereo]

Are you connecting them to your router via Ethernet or WiFi?

 

[daytona600]

They also make a great soundbar for TV & Movies

 

[echann]

I have the KEF LSX and found the connectivity and app to not be the best. Once setup they sound great.

 

[gassor]

Are you connecting them to your router via Ethernet or WiFi?

Wi-fi, but used Ethernet as well. Have them playing now (using wi-fi), but at the end of every song or two, I have to connect to the speakers again. It appears from above and others on the 'net there is a real issue with the app which should have been sorted out by now.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

Wi-fi, but used Ethernet as well. Have them playing now (using wi-fi), but at the end of every song or two, I have to connect to the speakers again. It appears from above and others on the 'net there is a real issue with the app which should have been sorted out by now.

I did wonder if the proximity of the router was overloading the radio in the speakers, but if you are having the same problems with wired Ethernet then the problem is elsewhere. Have you checked that their firmware is up to date? I understand that there were various issues with older firmware but that these have largely been ironed out.

https://uk.kef.com/pages/product-support

 

[35451]

....do you use DHCP reservations on your router? Always helps for app drop outs etc. ditto your phone or ithingy?

 

[gassor]

I did wonder if the proximity of the router was overloading the radio in the speakers, but if you are having the same problems with wired Ethernet then the problem is elsewhere. Have you checked that their firmware is up to date? I understand that there were various issues with older firmware but that these have largely been ironed out.

https://uk.kef.com/pages/product-support

Will check out the firmware, thanks for the help. I re-downloaded the control app yesterday so assume the firmware is up to date.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

Will check out the firmware, thanks for the help. I re-downloaded the control app yesterday so assume the firmware is up to date.

I am not a KEF retailer, but I believe the firmware is updated via Mac or PC and not via the app. You will most likely want to install the latest version of each for the best experience.

 

[gassor]

....do you use DHCP reservations on your router? Always helps for app drop outs etc. ditto your phone or ithingy?

I'll try to check this as well, but as it stands I haven't got a clue what DHCP reservations are. The router is a Virgin (the latest) effort and not the most sophisticated from what I gather.

 

[mikechadwick]

I had a pair of these when they first came out and the software was pretty awful - constantly needed to reconnect. The most recent updates sorted all that out and last time I used them they were pretty stable. I suggest starting again from scratch - follow the instructions to the letter and make sure you have the latest firmware installed. Use a wired connection - it's more stable.

 

[35451]

I'll try to check this as well, but as it stands I haven't got a clue what DHCP reservations are. The router is a Virgin (the latest) effort and not the most sophisticated from what I gather.

Nope Virgin netgear boxes do this. Effectively you reserve an IP address for selected network devices. Avoids conflict s with different devices coming on and off the network. This often happens when another device is assigned an address that say your IPhone has, so when you log back on to network, you then get a new address. So what? Well particular devices and apps may rely on previous IP address that is now assigned to another device. This can create conflicts and drop offs. So it sensible to do for 'constant' devices.

What this means in effect is that your router assigns an address that say your Kef boxes and you controller iPhone get every time they log on. Means commas are established quickly without having to log on off/restart etc.

It's good practice.

Do a quick youtube on Virgin router DCHP reservations. It's not techy if you follow steps.

Might help.

 

[gassor]

Nope Virgin netgear boxes do this. Effectively you reserve an IP address for selected network devices. Avoids conflict s with different devices coming on and off the network. This often happens when another device is assigned an address that say your IPhone has, so when you log back on to network, you then get a new address. So what? Well particular devices and apps may rely on previous IP address that is now assigned to another device. This can create conflicts and drop offs. So it sensible to do for 'constant' devices.

What this means in effect is that your router assigns an address that say your Kef boxes and you controller iPhone get every time they log on. Means commas are established quickly without having to log on off/restart etc.

It's good practice.

Do a quick youtube on Virgin router DCHP reservations. It's not techy if you follow steps.

Might help.

Cheers, was just looking at that. Hopefully not as tricky as it looks to the untrained eye. The drop-offs occur only at the end of tracks, does this still indicate conflicts with other devices or some other issue?

 

[35451]

Cheers, was just looking at that. Hopefully not as tricky as it looks to the untrained eye. The drop-offs occur only at the end of tracks, does this still indicate conflicts with other devices or some other issue?

Hard to say from here! Just good practice and worth eliminating anyway.

A quick glance at the specs and reviews suggests that the two bundled Kef apps are not that good and buggy. Esp with Tidal. However you do have AirPlay 2 so can skip the Kef apps altogether and play direct from Spotify and Qobuz own iOS apps. Ditto Tidal, although theirs is laggy.

You play from Spotty or Qobuz by hitting the Bluetooth and AirPlay devices button once streaming a track. Your Kefs should show up there, bypassing th eKef app. Try it.

AirPlay is a one off set up by the looks.

As an aside I really like the look of these speakers and the smaller lsx boxes.
Do give us a review and update.

 

[Strictly Stereo]

...does this still indicate conflicts with other devices or some other issue?

Some other issue. Nevertheless what @guest suggests won't do any harm.