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Paul A
Paul AAnswer
Retired Sonos Staff
September 16, 2020

Hi @tansoonlee.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us.

Can the SONOS Amp power the non-active KEF LS50 speakers sufficiently? Anyone has experience? https://international.kef.com/products/ls50 Yes, based on the device’s specification requiring 25 - 100 W @ 8 Ohms impedance. The Sonos Amp’s power capability is 125 watts per channel @ 8 ohms. 
 

I hope this helps.

Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

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23 replies

Paul A
Paul AAnswer
Retired Sonos Staff
September 16, 2020

Hi @tansoonlee.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us.

Can the SONOS Amp power the non-active KEF LS50 speakers sufficiently? Anyone has experience? https://international.kef.com/products/ls50 Yes, based on the device’s specification requiring 25 - 100 W @ 8 Ohms impedance. The Sonos Amp’s power capability is 125 watts per channel @ 8 ohms. 
 

I hope this helps.

Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question
Jprice455
Trending Lyricist I
September 18, 2020

I’m driving my KEF 301’s with the SonosAmp and am Thrilled with the sound. Sonos sub and 2 Sonos 1’s for surround for my home theater. GREAT choice on the KEF’s!!!

    Paul A
    Paul A
    Retired Sonos Staff
    September 19, 2020

    Hi @Jprice455.

    Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for sharing your comments.

    @tansoonlee we have one member of the community who shared his thoughts about the speaker’s relative functionality in relation to the Sonos Amp.

    Please feel free to reach out if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help out.

    Thanks,

    Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question
    wrbluepearl
    Lyricist II
    September 30, 2020

    I’m currently using a Sonos AMP with the KEF LS50 (passive).  My experience has been that, for the most part, the AMP does well with the LS50, though it seems like it has trouble making loud sections of songs louder-enough...in other words, it seems to suffer a little dynamically.  Others have complained that the LS50s sound harsh with the AMP, though that has not been my experience - you do have to break the LS50s in, however, which may make a difference.  I also have disabled the loudness contour in the AMP, which was enabled by default.

    h3m
    Avid Contributor I
    October 8, 2020

    I’m currently using a Sonos AMP with the KEF LS50 (passive).  My experience has been that, for the most part, the AMP does well with the LS50, though it seems like it has trouble making loud sections of songs louder-enough...in other words, it seems to suffer a little dynamically.  Others have complained that the LS50s sound harsh with the AMP, though that has not been my experience - you do have to break the LS50s in, however, which may make a difference.  I also have disabled the loudness contour in the AMP, which was enabled by default.

    Would you recommend this combination?

     

    I’m looking to get the LS50 metas with the amp.  Hoping to get a demo this weekend.

      canary
      Contributor I
      October 8, 2020

      I’ve been using KEF LS50s with an Arc, Sub and CONNECT:AMP (Gen 2) for some time on S2.

       

      They work perfectly as LS+RS and produce a well-balanced, full sound.

        Kumar
        October 9, 2020

        The bigger problem I see with these speakers in a main speaker role - as with most KEF - is that at 85dB they are not very efficient and will need more amp power than others to go loud enough. The Sonos Amp should be adequate though - just an adequate as any other 100 wpc amp.

        The other issue is that for full range sound they are not enough and will need a Sub. Which is fine, for those with the budget for it.

        I have used my KEF Q100s for many years with a Connect Amp, and they work fine in a smaller room. They have a similar drive unit, go down lower to 50 Hz, are/were a lot cheaper, and serve fine if one does not need the LS50 aesthetic. They are just as inefficient at 86Db, but that is not a problem in the smaller room.

          wrbluepearl
          Lyricist II
          October 9, 2020

          Would you recommend this combination?

           

          I’m looking to get the LS50 metas with the amp.  Hoping to get a demo this weekend.

          I can give the AMP/LS50 combination a qualified recommendation, depending on how/when/where you want to use them.  In my case, I’m using my system for casual music listening and front-channel audio for casual home theater (with Play:1s as my rear channels).  In this arrangement, the AMP+LS50 works pretty well.  The LS50s’ low sensitivity really works the Sonos AMP hard, so if you’re using these for serious 2-channel music listening, you’re probably better off with a Port and a beefier amplifier...or the LS50 Wireless.  If you’re looking to go for a more serious home theater setup, you might be happier with an Arc instead, as there’s no true center channel option with the AMP, and the music listening experience on the Sonos sound bars is still quite good (we have a Beam in the bedroom).  The LS50s with the AMP represent a series of compromises that might fall right into your sweet spot (as they did for me)...or create a system that constantly grates on you.

          In my case, I actually started with the speakers.  I wanted the LS50s as a long-term purchase; my previous speakers were a set of KEF Reference 104/2s I’d had for 25 years.   Changes in life circumstances had me downsizing, and the LS50s were (to my KEF-friendly ears) the best-sounding speakers I could afford in the size class I wanted.  I chose the AMP over offerings from Denon, Yamaha, and NAD because the Sonos offered the most reliable (check the customer reviews of the NAD D3045!) and convenient (Yamaha receivers, for example, sound great, but aren’t designed to be left on 24/7, and don’t turn themselves on when you start AirPlaying to them) solution to the problem.  The ability to use it for casual home theater was an added bonus.

            h3m
            Avid Contributor I
            October 9, 2020

            Would you recommend this combination?

             

            I’m looking to get the LS50 metas with the amp.  Hoping to get a demo this weekend.

            I can give the AMP/LS50 combination a qualified recommendation, depending on how/when/where you want to use them.  In my case, I’m using my system for casual music listening and front-channel audio for casual home theater (with Play:1s as my rear channels).  In this arrangement, the AMP+LS50 works pretty well.  The LS50s’ low sensitivity really works the Sonos AMP hard, so if you’re using these for serious 2-channel music listening, you’re probably better off with a Port and a beefier amplifier...or the LS50 Wireless.  If you’re looking to go for a more serious home theater setup, you might be happier with an Arc instead, as there’s no true center channel option with the AMP, and the music listening experience on the Sonos sound bars is still quite good (we have a Beam in the bedroom).  The LS50s with the AMP represent a series of compromises that might fall right into your sweet spot (as they did for me)...or create a system that constantly grates on you.

            In my case, I actually started with the speakers.  I wanted the LS50s as a long-term purchase; my previous speakers were a set of KEF Reference 104/2s I’d had for 25 years.   Changes in life circumstances had me downsizing, and the LS50s were (to my KEF-friendly ears) the best-sounding speakers I could afford in the size class I wanted.  I chose the AMP over offerings from Denon, Yamaha, and NAD because the Sonos offered the most reliable (check the customer reviews of the NAD D3045!) and convenient (Yamaha receivers, for example, sound great, but aren’t designed to be left on 24/7, and don’t turn themselves on when you start AirPlaying to them) solution to the problem.  The ability to use it for casual home theater was an added bonus.

             

            What other amps would you consider with the addition of a Port?  I wasn’t keen on the wireless edition because I’m concerned about KEFs ability to make updates to their software e.g if there was ever a newer version of AirPlay for instance.

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