What are your experiences with upgrading power cords on KEF LS50 wireless?


Hello ,
I’ll soon be investing in a pair of the new KEF LS50 wireless II speakers and I’m curious what experiences people have had regarding upgrading the power cables on the original wireless model or the new ones.  I haven’t had much luck finding info on this topic looking through past posts (maybe one thread three years ago) so I’m curious what owners may be able to share on this subject now.  I appreciate any information you care to share. Thanks.
indyvw
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First off Chuck, stopping stealing my original riff on you by saying things like “you go girl” or “have at it girls.”  Secondly, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t respond to any of my threads going forward?  What happened?  Is there really no one else to insult or degrade right now?  No one here cares about your opinion on anything Chuck, least of all me.  I do find it amusing that you of all people, a person that has consumed the audiophile kool-aid down to the last drop and bought into almost every tweak imaginable, would claim that a particular cable (of any sort) that you find appealing in one system will work in any system that could possibly be assembled. So a cable that may offer a bit more top end revelation and is a perfect fit for a pair of speakers with characteristics like warmth and body will match equally well with a pair of speakers that sound characteristically bright and detailed?  Even for someone that has not ventured down the cable upgrade rabbit hole that far that thinking seems fundamentally flawed. Kenjit early on in the discussion brought up a point on the inherent character of different wire materials as something that needs to be considered and that is exactly why I’m pointing this out. It sounds as though you don’t think the sound characteristics of a cable relate at all to the equipment they are used with. Kenjit again proving much more useful than Chuck. Do me a favor and stick to your promise this time that you’ll avoid responding to me ever again. We’ll both be happier I’m sure.


rodman99999, I very much appreciate the gesture and I am indeed in Indy. I will reach out if I decide to take you up on your offer my friend. 


b_limo, yes the new one model doesn’t need to be tethered unless you desire the maximum 24/192 resolution rather than the untethered max of 24/96.  So I guess I’ll decide on how important that is with experimentation. Totally agree with your thoughts on the speakers potential overall.  It seems like a truly great option within its price category.  I’m honestly interested in this option because of how easily it would fit my particular lifestyle. I have moved six times in the past four years for various reasons, tend to live in smaller apartments, I gravitate towards minimalism in general, I occasionally have my girlfriend’s very small child running around the apartment, and so forth. I enjoy my current set up with the passive LS50s, a Yamaha A-S2100, and a Marantz HD-DAC1 but yeah the wireless LS50s are probably a better lifestyle fit. Especially if I don’t have to sacrifice sound quality. 

Some design features of a power cord like effective shielding provides the same potential benefit in all cases, but the actual results can still vary case by case depending on the specific setup and whether that shielding is needed or how bad the problem is.

BTW, I have found that effective shielding in power cables specifically designed for line level gear can make a difference in DACs and pre-amps. They (Pangea) did in my case.

Others may be more designed for more power amp applications with a focus on current delivery. How effective that is case by case also will vary depending. Some amps may benefit, some not.

I do not have experience with the ls50 actives specifically, but were it me I would most consider trying power cords that feature highly effective shielding with active speakers in general.

I do have passive ls50s and I use the Pangea power cords designed for line level applications with both my pre-amp and DAC. The results are spectatular with ls50s specifically. Have never tried stock cords there so can’t say how much difference there might be but I did hear a clear improvement in detail soundstage and imaging when I first applied the Pangea cords with other speakers I run concurrently off the same system (Ohm Walsh).   Also at the time with Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkII, which the ls50s (plus sub) replaced.

THe down side of the Pangea cords is their weight and bulk....it is not easy to get them to stay plugged into the gear initially.

My DAC is mhdt Constantine and pre-amp is Audio Research sp16.

@indyvw
I have replaced the power cables on my KEF LS50 wireless speakers and evaluated the change. I have to run off to several Zooms for work, but will report back tonight or tomorrow night.

As far as I can tell, I am the only one on this thread to have actually performed the experiment. Everyone else here is speculating.

-docknow