SONOS Play:1's vs KEF LSX II
Discussion
I've been a happy SONOS user for the last few years now for all the usual SONOS loving reasons.
I had a pair of Play:1's in the living room, a 5 in the dining room and a One in the office.
Over Xmas I finally tried the Play:1's in the office and I really wish I'd done it sooner but hey ho.
So now I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma, purchase a new pair of One's, likely for the office so I can use AirPlay or....
go all out and purchase a pair of KEF LSX II's which appear to get pretty much faultless reviews save for comments about the app.
I really enjoy the SONOS sound and it's more than acceptable.
However, the occasional audiophile in me does look elsewhere.
Currently using Apple Music as a source but I've just started a trial with TIDAL Hi-Fi which is something else to think about?
Has anyone else had a similar journey?
I had a pair of Play:1's in the living room, a 5 in the dining room and a One in the office.
Over Xmas I finally tried the Play:1's in the office and I really wish I'd done it sooner but hey ho.
So now I'm faced with a bit of a dilemma, purchase a new pair of One's, likely for the office so I can use AirPlay or....
go all out and purchase a pair of KEF LSX II's which appear to get pretty much faultless reviews save for comments about the app.
I really enjoy the SONOS sound and it's more than acceptable.
However, the occasional audiophile in me does look elsewhere.
Currently using Apple Music as a source but I've just started a trial with TIDAL Hi-Fi which is something else to think about?
Has anyone else had a similar journey?
Not much of a bite on this but I'll provide an update anyway.
I went to my local Hi-Fi shop today to audition the KEF's; armed with my favourite credit card I stepped into the shop and was instantly transported back to a world of debating the best cable type and playing the same song over & over in the hope of hearing that minuscule detail.
I introduced myself by saying how much I enjoy my Play:1s but that I'm now ready to seek an upgrade.
Anyway, I decided Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire was my initial demo track of choice. It's a fun song that I know and love and has plenty of texture and competing sounds to test a speaker.
Most speakers I've tried over the years leave me with a grin and goosebumps on first impression. Not these.
They were such a let down, flat and just not very engaging over multiple tracks of my choosing. The salesman and I both concluded they had a 'brittle' sound.
I've gone back over all the reviews I've read and they simply do not match up to the description - most disappointing.
Not really sure where to go next, I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole and it's certainly not my intention to go down the amp and speaker route.
I went to my local Hi-Fi shop today to audition the KEF's; armed with my favourite credit card I stepped into the shop and was instantly transported back to a world of debating the best cable type and playing the same song over & over in the hope of hearing that minuscule detail.
I introduced myself by saying how much I enjoy my Play:1s but that I'm now ready to seek an upgrade.
Anyway, I decided Rebellion (Lies) by Arcade Fire was my initial demo track of choice. It's a fun song that I know and love and has plenty of texture and competing sounds to test a speaker.
Most speakers I've tried over the years leave me with a grin and goosebumps on first impression. Not these.
They were such a let down, flat and just not very engaging over multiple tracks of my choosing. The salesman and I both concluded they had a 'brittle' sound.
I've gone back over all the reviews I've read and they simply do not match up to the description - most disappointing.
Not really sure where to go next, I don't really want to go down the rabbit hole and it's certainly not my intention to go down the amp and speaker route.
If you want an option that stays with Sonos, and you have a bit of space, look at a Sonos Port, a good amp and some speakers. I know you’ve said you don’t want to but if you enjoy listening to music, it’s the best choice.
I find the Play 1, 3 and 5 fine for what they are, which are speakers to produce some reasonably good background music. I wouldn’t sit down in front of them in the stereo centre and expect great things, because I think that’s an unfair expectation.
If you use a Port as your source then the sky’s the limit so far as other components go. Your limitation is what the sport can do with your lossless source. The previous generation Ports (Connects) had some third party DACs available - never tried those. For my pure listening environment I have a Port, a Yamaha Avantage receiver running on Pure Direct, a pair of Gallo Strada 2s and a pair of Velodyne subs. Nowhere near as extravagant as one could go, and certainly overkill for a home office. But the souls is pretty jaw dropping nonetheless.
I find the Play 1, 3 and 5 fine for what they are, which are speakers to produce some reasonably good background music. I wouldn’t sit down in front of them in the stereo centre and expect great things, because I think that’s an unfair expectation.
If you use a Port as your source then the sky’s the limit so far as other components go. Your limitation is what the sport can do with your lossless source. The previous generation Ports (Connects) had some third party DACs available - never tried those. For my pure listening environment I have a Port, a Yamaha Avantage receiver running on Pure Direct, a pair of Gallo Strada 2s and a pair of Velodyne subs. Nowhere near as extravagant as one could go, and certainly overkill for a home office. But the souls is pretty jaw dropping nonetheless.
I have a pair of series 1 LSX
They are great little speakers and I'd suggest need to be paired with a sub. I use a KC62
Set up properly I'd argue the sound is superior to the Sonus. If you can afford the LS50IIs they are very definitely a step up.
Dynaudio have recently released their Focus 10 standmount which are worth a listen albeit more expensive. They run Dirac as well.
They are great little speakers and I'd suggest need to be paired with a sub. I use a KC62
Set up properly I'd argue the sound is superior to the Sonus. If you can afford the LS50IIs they are very definitely a step up.
Dynaudio have recently released their Focus 10 standmount which are worth a listen albeit more expensive. They run Dirac as well.
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