Advise on Speakers and Amp for PC?

I decided to take the plunge and try some Steelseries Arctis Pro wireless. They have taken me by surprise I can't compare them side by side to the Bose Q35 or HD 660s. But I'm very happy with the sound for music and for games. They have a lovely neutral sound, feel well built, and are comfortable.
 
Okay so a few weeks have past now and I've branched out to enhance the Kef's.

As you all know, my PC is connected to the Kef's via TOSLINK/Optical.
Got hold of a Chromecast Audio and got it plugged in to the AUX port to stream YT Music and what not as the quality will be betetr than BT.
Spotify is via Wifi

So that should cover all bases.

I do not that sometimes the Kef's do not appear in the Kef Control app and i need to restart phone to get them to show. Not sure if that is a phone issue or what. Even when they do not show up in teh app i can see them connected to my Google Wifi and can stream to them via wifi or BT.

Got them both hooked up via the ethernet cable as ive read it improves quality.

They do not play nice when i plug them into my network switch for some reason. I think they prefer to be connected directly to the router which is out the question for me as router is in a different room.
 
I've been looking at the Audioengine A2+ too, but got a Cambridge Audio Magic DAC unit that can plug in via USB, so been thinking of a small amp + speakers.

I did have an Audiolab 8000A plugged in, but that's going off for a recondition and will end up back in the lounge / elsewhere.
 
Mikey said:
I've been looking at the Audioengine A2+ too, but got a Cambridge Audio Magic DAC unit that can plug in via USB, so been thinking of a small amp + speakers.

I did have an Audiolab 8000A plugged in, but that's going off for a recondition and will end up back in the lounge / elsewhere.
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I looked at those as well but discarded them due to the quality which is expected at they price point.
Amp + Speakers would be a good bet if you have the desk space but i was trying to reduce the number of itenms on my desk so opted for the KEF's.
 
photoshop said:
I looked at those as well but discarded them due to the quality which is expected at they price point.
Amp + Speakers would be a good bet if you have the desk space but i was trying to reduce the number of itenms on my desk so opted for the KEF's.
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Interesting as they get decent reviews. The reason why I was looking is that looking at desk space etc. Not that you can find them as everywhere out of stock like most items.

Sonos Arc I'm after via the retailer I use has been on order for about a month.
 
Mikey said:
Interesting as they get decent reviews. The reason why I was looking is that looking at desk space etc. Not that you can find them as everywhere out of stock like most items.

Sonos Arc I'm after via the retailer I use has been on order for about a month.
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They are okay speakers. If all you want to use them for is desktop listening then they are perfect. You got to remember that they are a full package so integrated amp and speakers all for circa £240 so they not going to sound as good as higher priced speakers especially at their compact size.

If you want audio quality, which I think you do seeing as you have a descent Audiolab 8000 amp, then either look for a descent set of bookshelf speakers with a dedicated amp or get a pair of descent speakers with integrated amp. The cheapest solution will be speakers + amp but like you say, that eats up desktop space.

I'm happy with the KEF LSX although they are expensive but you get what you paid for I guess. I'm already eyeing up some KEF LS50 for the living room now so hopefully when they go on sale will look to pick up a pair of even another pair of LSXs
 
Agreed there is a balance between audio and desk space. The lounge has some old Kef Reference speakers and they sound fantastic. I'm getting a chap to recondition the Audiolab 8000A and it'll be going back downstairs I think to wire into the Kef speakers. Meridian CD player and Sonos Port.

So essentially a audio setup with Sonos Beam/Arc doing the TV duties.

I'll check out the Kef LSX again, volume control only via PC control I assume (or app if on the network).

*** Just seen the picture of the remote on the Kef website. Will be looking at dimensions.

Desk space will get a further review to potentially swap the Dell monitor mounts for a better system.

Gutted I'm not working from home, working onsite still.
 
Mikey said:
Agreed there is a balance between audio and desk space. The lounge has some old Kef Reference speakers and they sound fantastic. I'm getting a chap to recondition the Audiolab 8000A and it'll be going back downstairs I think to wire into the Kef speakers. Meridian CD player and Sonos Port.

So essentially a audio setup with Sonos Beam/Arc doing the TV duties.

I'll check out the Kef LSX again, volume control only via PC control I assume (or app if on the network).
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You get a remote with the LSX so can use that for volume, turning on and off and changing input.
You can use the KEF app also.

When using the PC I turn the KEFs up to the highest volume I want and then just use the PC to turn up or down the as what suits me.

You can use Bluetooth and then use the phone also for volume control. I tend to avoid Bluetooth as I'm too much of a purist so I either use Spotify Connect or the Chromecast Audio (hooked up via AUX and USB charging) and then use my phone to control the volume. I like that when I use Spotify Connect I can use the KEF remote to change tracks and what not.
 
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photoshop said:
I'm happy with the KEF LSX although they are expensive but you get what you paid for I guess. I'm already eyeing up some KEF LS50 for the living room now so hopefully when they go on sale will look to pick up a pair of even another pair of LSXs
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You've definitely got the KEF bug :D. I'd like to listen to the LS50W IIs against my LS50Ws, but it might be an expensive experiment. It looks like the LS50Ws are reduced now the IIs are out, so if you can put up with the iffy app and inbuilt streamer...
 
wonko said:
You've definitely got the KEF bug :D. I'd like to listen to the LS50W IIs against my LS50Ws, but it might be an expensive experiment. It looks like the LS50Ws are reduced now the IIs are out, so if you can put up with the iffy app and inbuilt streamer...
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Your right, it's a bug!!!
But the audio quality is so damn good!!

Where are they reduced?
 
photoshop said:
You get a remote with the LSX so can use that for volume, turning on and off and changing input.
You can use the KEF app also.

When using the PC I turn the KEFs up to the highest volume I want and then just use the PC to turn up or down the as what suits me.

You can use Bluetooth and then use the phone also for volume control. I tend to avoid Bluetooth as I'm too much of a purist so I either use Spotify Connect or the Chromecast Audio (hooked up via AUX and USB charging) and then use my phone to control the volume. I like that when I use Spotify Connect I can use the KEF remote to change tracks and what not.
Click to expand...

Cheers, will measure and check layout of desk etc.

Maybe I'll just get a pair when I get my 12 month contract renewal lol - hopefully paperwork v soon
 
photoshop said:
Your right, it's a bug!!!
But the audio quality is so damn good!!

Where are they reduced?
Click to expand...

Hmm, I'm sure I'd seen them reduced in various places including Richer Sounds. Just had a quick look and most I can see now are ex demo/open box/manufacturer refurbs. The search showed Home AV Direct have some new titanium ones for £1299 as an example.
 
maximus123 said:
I also own the KEF LS50 Wireless v1's, and am tempted to progress to the KEF LS50 Wireless II's.

I have found the v1's to be excellent for my needs. (Admittedly, I simply use these as computer speakers. I do not use the KEF app at all, which has a poor repuation on the v1's, and which has been completely upgraded and fixed on the II's).

As you note, there has been quite a remarkable price drop for the v1's across all vendors, so it may be a good time to buy a set of v1's for those not willing to spend the higher amount for the newer version.
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I love the sound the LS50Ws make, but my experience is that the inbuilt streamer isn't robust, and the speakers can go into a sulk especially when stepping between tracks with any streaming app (KEF, Roon or other). It doesn't happen often, but often enough to be really annoying, and I've used both an RPi and a Yamaha WXC-50, both of which work reliably. KEF has kindly swapped the speakers, but the replacements behave the same - if you ping them you can see the response time go up before they go properly into sulk mode (when they stop responding to pings altogether for a minute or so).

So if anyone is thinking of getting a pair, then just be aware that the inbuilt streamer isn't great and you may end up getting something like an RPi running Ropiee. The other useful add-on is a small prism to put on the top of the master speaker so that you can see the display while sitting down.
 
Been eyeing the Kef LSX myself, but mindful of size, also looking at the Audioengine HD3 option. The A2+ was my original choice, but there aren't any instock anywhere. This is turning into the same scenario as my hardtail I've just bought, not stock of stuff. Slap £1k on the budget and prob solved! :eek:

The speaker requirement is purely for the PC and I'd wire in via toslink etc. Got a CA Dacmagic 100 spare at mo too
 
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