Although KEF has quietly increased the price of its well regarded LS50 Wireless II bookshelf speakers to $2,799/pair, we learned today that the loudspeakers now support Amazon Music HD and Ultra HD. With the addition of Amazon Music, the LS50 Wireless II now support every major streaming music service including Apple Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer and Qobuz.
Connecting Amazon Music into the KEF’s via this new method offers a major advantage over regular Bluetooth audio streaming. That’s because the current Bluetooth specification doesn’t support data rates of that of a CD, so you can’t get the full resolution of a CD over Bluetooth. Instead Amazon Music servers can connect directly to the KEF speakers over your home Internet (Wi-Fi) connection. That allows you to hear the highest quality music at the maximum bitrate.
The process works the same as Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect, which the LS50 Wireless II already supported. In this scenario, your smartphone simply acts as the controller to select music. Plus it won’t drain your phone’s battery.
With Amazon Music Unlimited, customers can stream more than 75 million lossless, High Definition (HD) songs, with a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz (CD quality). Customers can also stream more than 7 million songs in Ultra HD (better than CD quality), with a bit depth of 24 bits and a sample rate up to 192 kHz, which reveals even more nuances that were once lost in files compressed for digital streaming.
Please note, customers in Canada can still stream millions of HD songs, but content is more limited.
Combined, KEF LS50 Wireless II and Amazon Music are a new powerful force in the streaming audio experience. No extra boxes or wiring are needed. The LS50 Wireless II need only to be plugged into the wall for power. Once connected to your home’s Wi-Fi, you can start listening to music from your preferred streaming service.
Signup for Amazon Music Unlimited, currently $9.99/month with first 3-months free.
Where to buy KEF LS50 Wireless II: $2,799 at Amazon | Crutchfield
