Customer Reviews

KEF Universal Wireless System (Black)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The technical specs on these are already available all over the place, so I won't repeat them here. Instead, I'll give a pro and con review:

Pro:

1) Size - There are three units and each is small enough not to be a big problem to hide.

2) Set up - There is really not much to do. I was up and running in under 10 minutes. The main part attaches to your receiver speaker terminals and an AC plug. The other ends attach to each speaker and to an AC adapter (each needs its own AC plug - three in all).

3) Audio quality - Both a plus and a minus. When it works, the audio is very clear and does not really sound any different than a wired system would. HOWEVER, see my comment under the con section.

Con:

1) Interference - My baby monitor interfears with this system. I know it says it does some fancy type of frequency jumping, but the Garco monitor creates interference if it is too close to the speaker ends of the system.

2) Audio quality - This is a high end (and very expensive) system. It figures that those purchasing it will have equally high end systems. Remember how much you paid for those high end amps? None of that power is used to power the remote speakers. Instead you have an overtaxed 50 watt (I think) amp on the speaker end. For 90% of surround applications this is probably fine, but real audio nerds will not be happy with the result. Of course, would an audio nerd really ever use a wireless system? The lack of amplifier power is even more apparent if you try to use this to power a second set of main speakers. Using a McIntosh amp and mid-range Boston Acoustics speakers (VS240) the clipping was evident.

3) Wires - It should be obvious that a trully wireless system is really impossible. Each unit has a speaker wire hook-up and a dedicated AC adapter (although they aren't the massive brick type.)

4) Auto power? - Just a note that these are always on. It would be nice if they could sense a signal and turn themselves on and off (standby). I have no idea how much power these draw when off, but I imagine it isn't much.

5) Price - At the price point these are placed, I'm just not sure they really are worth it. For the same amount of money (or less) you could probably have an electrician fish some speaker wires for you.

I am sure at this point you have researched a wireless speaker technology and that is what has brought you to this review. For anyone looking at this item you must understand what you are buying before diving into the expense of such a product. Other reviewers have already stated that these are quite expensive and that you can probably run wiring for a lot less. I agree...which is why my review will be 4/5 stars. That being said here is how I tested this item and my experiences there after.

Box Includes: One transmitter, two receivers, power adapters, and documentation.

I am a big fan of Denon receivers and own two of them...one high end (avr-4308) and one mid level for our family room (avr-689). Both of my receivers have Audyssey, which is a sound shaping mechanism that balances your speakers to your room and makes the sound as real as possible. Basically, you attach a microphone to your receiver and start the audyssey software which instructs you to move the mic at regular intervals around your room. In this process the speaker size, levels, and frequencies are all adjusted.

Dolby Digital 5.1 systems all require speakers that run at approximately 100w per channel. Most 5.1 receivers provide this kind of power, which is not a requirement but a recommendation. So how does a wireless device pass this kind of power to your speakers and how does it sound?

I connected the KEF system first to my two rear surround speakers in the family room. I ran Audyssey when the kids and wife were out..since it needs to be quiet time. MUCH to my surprise the speakers were detected properly...the same as they were when hard wired. Audyssey then proceeded to adjust the levels and had to raise them about +1-+2 to get more sound out...but THATS IT. Not bad if you ask me....for wireless. My better half loved the fact that wires were now gone...but hated that there were two receivers behind the speakers that needed power. So yes, its wireless...to a degree.

Second, the ultimate test, I connected the KEF to the front left and right channels and proceeded to connect the receivers to a pair of outdoor speakers in the back yard...there is a window that overlooks the back so wireless interference and range were not too much of a challenge. I did not do any calibration...I simply wanted some music outside from our receiver. VOILA..it worked and it worked VERY VERY well. The speakers sounded as good as they did with a wired connection. Again a SOLID product.

Now then, what about the 2.4ghz frequency and other wireless devices? Simply put we have a lot more wi-fi around our televisions then we used to. Between video game consoles, media streaming devices, etc. They all run at the same frequency and thus there has to be an issue... Answer: NO - no interference what so ever. We were still able to use our Apple TV and or Roku to view content over wi-fi signals. Our laptops worked the same, 5 bars, and there was not even a hint of lag with these things running.

The KEF is a solid product and is a bit on the expensive side. Make sure you need the technology before spending your hard earned dollars. Wiring will generally cost you a lot less but the convenience of having a product like this is priceless. I have rated it at 4 stars, simply due to cost...which will make it prohibitive to certain people that need a simple technology like this.

I am a geek of the highest order. Well, other geeks might challenge me to a death cage battle on that claim - but suffice to say, I'm sufficiently geek-worthy. I've got an 802.11n WiFi network at home that is hidden (non-broadcasting) and only allows specific MAC addresses in. I've got an iPhone and I'm using Airport Express Base Stations through the house for AirTunes. I then use AirFoil to utilize them for Pandora and other non iTunes audio through the house... and every time I pop something in the Microwave for 30 seconds, I lose audio for 10 minutes while the WiFi network recovers from the interference. I've had to change channels a few times (not that there's a lot of wiggle room w/ the broad spectrum overlap on only 11 channels/bands) due to WiFi interference from my neighbors' 802.11g and 802.11n networks and 5.8GHz wireless phones. The only thing I'm fairly certain I'm not dealing with nearby is a Tesla Coil!

That being said, this KEF Wireless Speaker System does what it claims to do - you can set this up to your TV (or stereo, XBOX, whatever you've got that has audio) and even with the microwave going, your bluetooth headset in your ear, your iPhone going off and your WiFi network going at it, no audio is dropped when piped through this system. Using a revolutionary technology they call High Fidelity Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (HFADPCM), they bypass interference on these fairly unregulated radio bands by looking for specific signals, comparing the difference and ignoring the signals not coming from the KEF system.

While the Microwave still messes w/ my WiFi system, the KEF system did not interfere w/ my WiFi and nothing I threw at it seemed to make the KEF system blink, even for a second.

Old-timey wireless speaker systems simply will not stand up to the demands of today's technology that permeates not only our own homes, but our neighbors' homes as well. There is an ever-increasing build up of radio transmissions in every modern home - from cell phones, WiFi, the coming WiMax, Bluetooth, and even a simple 1000 Watt shielded (supposedly) Microwave Oven... KEF lives up to the hype and lets you listen to audio all around you without having to drape wires along the baseboards or climb in the attic and drop lines between the walls. That alone makes it worth the price.

I had this system unboxed and installed in close to fifteen minutes. The instructions that accompany the device is minimal and I kept looking through the empty cardboard shell for something more. I wanted to know the real specs and the what it was actually promising. My judgment resting on a few snippets printed on the box just wasn't good enough for me, but that's where it left me:

CD Quality Sound.

Hmmm ... that sounds a lot like 192 kbps if you ask me ... which ain't much. I've stated in reviews before that my wife is intense audiophile and she drools, pavlovian, over stuff like this and while I installed the remote speakers she quickly and deftly installed the transmitter portion behind the stereo cabinet.

"Uh ... it's pretty simple, Steffan. Now stop touching stuff!"

So that's how it went. She proceeded to run some audio diagnostic tests and made the following comments.

"I can usually set the distance in the receiver of each speaker, now the option to do that on the back two channels have disappeared. That's a problem."

"Hmmm. Pink noise on the back two sound weak."

and other gems like: "CD quality? That's it? Please."

The lack of amplification is pretty obvious as the rear does begin to sound low, especially if you do not have a sixth or seventh channel.

The other moment of clarity came when I realized that you're not going to get 'wireless' from this as they have to plug into the wall. For some this may prove a problem depending on your room as you may not have enough power outlets or even have them near without having to run a cord, which defeats the purpose of them being wireless. but that's not really a knock on KEF as it's just a limitation of current technology.

I did notice some strange behavior with my Wii remote and also some clicking with our Baby-Monitor as well, but it was minimal. No "ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch" every time the cell phones rang or anything like that.

The price is what it is and anyone researching wireless systems know that they're going to have to pay money, so knowing this -- I'm not going to make an issue out of it.


... ...

I purchased the KEF wireless system in Dec 2009, installed it following the easy instructions, and it has worked flawlessly since Day One. No interference whatsoever. No humming. Just good clean sound. Great product!

So by now you've narrowed down your search for wireless receivers for your rear speakers. I can assure you that this KEF set is very good, but with some caveats. But let's focus on the good!

The Good:

1.) VERY easy to set up. Picture guide is very succinct and simple to follow.
2.) No computer needed to set up the wireless signal from the KEF modules to your speakers.
3.) Sound quality is excellent.
4.) Minimal interference...

The bad:

1.) Very expensive. For those of us with 7.1 speaker systems, you'll need to buy TWO sets of these KEF devices (one set per two rear speakers), and I can only hope they wouldn't interfere with each other...

2.) KEF's blurb states, "Free yourself from speaker wires." Well yes, and no... You're still going to need some short speaker cable to connect your speakers to the wireless receivers! And KEF don't provide you with any. Considering how much this pack costs, you'd think it wouldn't be too much of a bother to include 2x 10ft 14 gauge speaker wire, right?

3.) A few sporadic reports of interference from baby monitors etc. I can report I had no such interference yet, but apparently it's an issue to some degree.

My biggest peeve:

1.) KEF advertises the pack as being capable of CD audio quality. Well, according to Wikipedia, that would mean this:

[...]

"The standard audio CD is said to have a data rate of 44.1 kHz/16, implying the audio data was sampled 44,100 times per second, with a bit depth of 16. CD tracks are usually stereo, using a left and right track, so the amount of audio data per second is double that of mono, where only a single track is used. The bit rate is then 44100 samples/second x 16 bits/sample x 2 = 1,411,200 bit/s or 1.4 Mbit/s."

So what does the manual say the KEF is capable of doing? Only 1.1Mbit/s. So, no, technically the KEFs are not capable of CD audio. This will vary to some degree from CD to CD, and perhaps only audiophiles would be able to tell the difference, but I do think it's a bit of false advertising here...

2.) Some Blu-ray movies using LPCM HD audio might be problematic. For example, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Blu-ray are 5.1 6.9Mbit audio, which means 1.1Mbit spread over two channels MAY not carry the full uncompressed signal from the Blu-ray movies. I'm not entirely sure how this audio is split among channels, but it might potentially be an issue. .. I'm not as audiophile-y as others, so I couldn't really tell the difference, but again, some might...

3.) Some people may be averse to yet ANOTHER few wireless devices bouncing potentially harmful signals around their place. I know wireless is so common that we're surrounded by it 24/7. But I did just add another THREE 2.4Ghz devices to my apartment by using this setup...

Overall:

A really good effort by KEF. Definitely one of the cleanest wireless setups. Just bear in mind you will need some speaker cable and outlets nearby to plug the receivers in, and audiophiles may want to check out these in person before splurging, especially if you need to buy two sets for 7.1.

4/5.

My 5.1 Surround Sound system is wonderful, but I had exposed wires. There was no way I could run wires through the walls as I had doors, windows and a sliding glass door to deal with. I also could not tear up the carpet to run wires underneath. There sat my system with wires running across the living room rug with only oriental rugs to occasionally cover them. Still I would trip on the wires, sometimes toppling my expensive speakers. Forget about vacuuming with those wires. It was all a huge headache.

The KEF Wireless Remote speaker system solves all those problems. The three boxes are approximately 3" wide by 6" high and are a glossy black finish. The installation took me less than 30 minutes. The main transmitter plugs into the back of your receiver for the positive and negative (left and right) rear speakers (I invested in nice Denon Speakers). The unit is plugged into the wall. The two rear receiver units can sit on, below or near your speakers (mine are on the base stand). The positive and negative wires run from the receiver unit to the speaker and the receiver unit plugs into the closest wall socket. The furthest I had was five feet, but it was in an area no one walks. Push the button on your transmitter unit and voila! The sound is just as good as the wired system. It will even transit through furniture - you don't need a direct line of sight for great transmission. The system detects other transmitters that are using the same 2.4GHz frequency, (cordless phones, Wi-Fi routers, microwave ovens). This "Advanced Adaptive Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (AAFHSS) technology" constantly monitors several channels at a time and continually switches to the strongest available frequency. The signal is never interrupted.

I do want to point out that on my initial sound set-up, one speaker had a slight buzzing, so I rechecked the wiring, turned it off and then on again. Now they sound just as good as if they were running through wires. I tested them with Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon". I live in a condo on a concrete base in a valley of sorts, so I do not get a lot of interfering signals. However, I do have a microwave, an internet, an OOMA for phone use, a cell phone and a neighbor upstairs and next to me. I've had no trouble with the sound. In layman's terms, the receivers (at the base of the rear speakers) sound fantastic. If I were in a high rise, I would imagine it might be different, but KEF transmittors constantly change frequencies to adjust for this interference. I think that most people would find this product very noise-free.

The units all have a faint blue light to let you know if they are on and working. These unit stands have a strong base and will not move, jiggle or bounce around. But, what about the price? Seems fairly expensive, until you realize that tripping on a wire and knocking over and ruining just one speaker is expensive. Wires running along the carpet are a serious hazard in any way. Besides. The look is so sleek, people who know anything about wireless speaker systems will be amazed. Also, if you don't have 5.1 Surround or rear speakers, you can still use the units to reproduce the main (left and right) speakers in another nearby room, deck or porch. It's well worth the cost and easy to set up.

The KEF Universal Wireless System was very expensive, It has alot of unwanted noise, and alot of wire to go with it. But if your just looking to run some surround sound it's great if you turn the volume up loud enough to eliminate the noise (hiss) it makes.

I know what I was getting into by reading the previous reviews. Considering the price of electronics components today, this item is just very expensive and think the company is getting over 90% profit margin on this one. Otherwise, the product is very easy to install. In terms of sound qauality, I can not comment as I have not compared it with the output of hardwiring the speakers instead of the wireless.

The really nice thing about this system for me is the ability to move speakers around when I want to (outdoors for example). As long as you have an electrical outlet to plug into, you're good to go.

Set-up is as simple as it could be.

I'm no audiophile, but the sound quality is excellent. I noticed no interference, and I have several cordless phones and a wireless router. I guess the filtering / band-hopping worked well for me.

The price is high - so I can't imagine this system for a casual user. For higher-end systems, where hiding wires would be difficult - this thing is a charm. I can also see this being used as part of a wireless PA system for conferences or presentations - something to think about.