Phantom and LS50 Wireless

[HenryK9]

Has anyone compared Phantom with LS50 wireless and B&W PV1D subwoofer ?
The LS50  has builtin crossover for subwoofer, and the PV1D has a Phantomesque look about it.

Havn't heard any of the above, just considering a simpler but good system down the road.
I only have hearing in one ear, so one Phantom would be particularly good value for me.

[dogbait]

Just bought the LS50W and had it for a few weeks. I've also owned the Phantom Silver and Gold. The new LS50W is very good. Easily better than the LS50 and has noticeably better bass.

The Phantom Gold obviously surpasses the LS50W in treble, midrange and especially bass. Whether it's worth the 2.5x cost that's up to you but the difference in sound quality is not minor.

As far as the Silvers go, it's close in treble/midrange, I personally prefer the Silver. In bass however (as with the Gold) the Silver surpasses the LS50W by a large factor.

One thing I much prefer about the Phantom is that it turns itself on as soon as it detects sound via any of its inputs. It also has pretty good iOS apps so I don't have to hunt around for a remote, just use my phone which is always with me to change volume or switch sources.

The LS50W turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity and requires using the accompanying cheap, plastic remote to turn it back on - it takes about 5-10 seconds before it appears on the network. This makes integration with my Echo Dot and Airplay devices far less usable. The smart phone app doesn't allow you to turn it on either. The app is also very buggy (similar to the quality of Devialet's Spark app when it first came out).

If you're willing to treat the LS50W like a dumb, all in one speaker setup it really is an excellent product. It does however need some polishing on the networking/app side though.

[Johnnydev]

Just bought the LS50W and had it for a few weeks. I've also owned the Phantom Silver and Gold. The new LS50W is very good. Easily better than the LS50 and has noticeably better bass.

The Phantom Gold obviously surpasses the LS50W in treble, midrange and especially bass. Whether it's worth the 2.5x cost that's up to you but the difference in sound quality is not minor.

As far as the Silvers go, it's close in treble/midrange, I personally prefer the Silver. In bass however (as with the Gold) the Silver surpasses the LS50W by a large factor.

One thing I much prefer about the Phantom is that it turns itself on as soon as it detects sound via any of its inputs. It also has pretty good iOS apps so I don't have to hunt around for a remote, just use my phone which is always with me to change volume or switch sources.

The LS50W turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity and requires using the accompanying cheap, plastic remote to turn it back on - it takes about 5-10 seconds before it appears on the network. This  makes integration with my Echo Dot and Airplay devices far less usable. The smart phone app doesn't allow you to turn it on either. The app is also very buggy (similar to the quality of Devialet's Spark app when it first came out).

If you're willing to treat the LS50W like a dumb, all in one speaker setup it really is an excellent product. It does however need some polishing on the networking/app side though.

Thank you, great review!

I also like the silvers the most, especially with movies, but also with music

[MountainGuy]

Just bought the LS50W and had it for a few weeks. I've also owned the Phantom Silver and Gold. The new LS50W is very good. Easily better than the LS50 and has noticeably better bass.

The Phantom Gold obviously surpasses the LS50W in treble, midrange and especially bass. Whether it's worth the 2.5x cost that's up to you but the difference in sound quality is not minor.

As far as the Silvers go, it's close in treble/midrange, I personally prefer the Silver. In bass however (as with the Gold) the Silver surpasses the LS50W by a large factor.

One thing I much prefer about the Phantom is that it turns itself on as soon as it detects sound via any of its inputs. It also has pretty good iOS apps so I don't have to hunt around for a remote, just use my phone which is always with me to change volume or switch sources.

The LS50W turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity and requires using the accompanying cheap, plastic remote to turn it back on - it takes about 5-10 seconds before it appears on the network. This  makes integration with my Echo Dot and Airplay devices far less usable. The smart phone app doesn't allow you to turn it on either. The app is also very buggy (similar to the quality of Devialet's Spark app when it first came out).

If you're willing to treat the LS50W like a dumb, all in one speaker setup it really is an excellent product. It does however need some polishing on the networking/app side though.

Fantastic review.  I find this very helpful because I have been wondering how the LS50 compares to the Silvers.  I do find the Golds a huge step above the Silvers and I have both as pairs. 

Quick question: 
1. May I ask what sourse you use for the LS50 and the Phantoms? 

2. And are you evaluating them in the exact same environment and if different, what environments. 

3. Finally, did you evaluate them side by side or are you going by memory?


Thanks again for a very helpful review.

[dogbait]

1. Roon > Rasberry Pi w/ Hifi Berry Digi endpoint running Roon Bridge. Using optical out for all listening.
2. Yep (for Phantom Golds, Silvers and KEFs)
3. Memory - use 3 tracks I know inside out, know what cues to look for and keep a small written note after listening (I'm pretty particular about this hobby

Very welcome, let us know what you go for.

[MountainGuy]

1. Roon > Rasberry Pi w/ Hifi Berry Digi endpoint running Roon Bridge. Using optical out for all listening.
2. Yep (for Phantom Golds, Silvers and KEFs)
3. Memory - use 3 tracks I know inside out, know what cues to look for and keep a small written note after listening (I'm pretty particular about this hobby

Very welcome, let us know what you go for.

Thank you!  Most helpful.  This gives me a baseline to make recommendations to friends.  Of course, for myself, the golds are really quite the amazing setup.

[Mr_Bill]

Steve Huff has a brand new review up on the Kef LS50 wireless. I saw that he sold his Golds on Audiogon a few weeks ago - figured these might be next.

[MountainGuy]

Steve Huff has a brand new review up on the Kef LS50 wireless.  I saw that he sold his Golds on Audiogon a few weeks ago - figured these might be next.

Interesting read. I've been wondering about the LS50 wireless, though I really do doubt that it can outperform a full range Phantom gold.  But it will be interesting to test side by side.

[fabien44]

Hello,

LS50W may be interesting regarding its sound vs price but that makes me disappointed is "The LS50W turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity and requires using the accompanying cheap, plastic remote to turn it back on - it takes about 5-10 seconds before it appears on the network"

I cannot afford waiting 10s to start music and only can be turn on with the stock remote.

On the other way, a good pros: less power consumption to compare with the 36W of the dialog

[Foffio]

You can turn it on also on the top of the right speaker.
I own pair of LS50W with a 12.17 XTZ sub and in my opinion having listened to a pair of Gold i don't miss anything, but i get DSP room customisation and no lag with sat tv box.