Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

I agree, you can have an incredible system creating synergy with amps and speakers. You just can’t do it for the same budget.

A pair of these for $600? (on sale currently 50% off) This isn’t a just a pair of speakers, it is an entire system, all you need is to plug them in, download a free app and you are streaming. If you got a sub, a CDP, a turntable, just plug it into the speaker:

Soundstage Review:

Configured as a stereo pair, the PW 600s sounded outstanding, easily rivaling separate speakers and electronics costing many times their $1198/pair price.

Spending $7000 on these speakers (that are really an entire system) you are getting 1400 watts of bespoke class A/B and D amps, the preamp that can connect anything, even a turntable or HDMI, plus high resolution dac (and saving money on speaker cables) is a good investment. I doubt you could better with separates on the same budget:

What HiFi-

"If you're thinking the driver set-up looks a little familiar, it’s because KEF’s flagship Blade Meta loudspeakers use something very similar. Given those speakers cost a cool £30,000 ($35,000), it’s a signal of intent that KEF’s decided to trickle this technology down to the LS60 Wireless."

The big advantage of powered speakers is when they are active, when there are separate amps for each driver. The crossover is before the amp and uses way smaller parts. But most importantly the load on each amp is way easier partly since each amp covers a smaller bandwidth but mainly because the load on each amp is way less reactive(just a voice coil instead of a hard to drive crossover) which allows the amp to work more like it was designed(mainly with easier resistive loads).

kota1

I've worked with wireless mics in film for many years, the cost of a single transmitter and receiver is about $4000 for the best units (Zaxcom). Knowing this price range means that there is no way KEF can put a state of the art wireless system in 2x $7000 speakers. Wireless speakers have a long way to go, it's the FCC fault really they don't allow enough frequency bandwidth to support high fidelity consumer wireless products yet and probably never will.

You don't have to use the wireless feature. You can connect the speakers with the included 8 meter inter-speaker cable (manual pg 18) and then connect your front end components and a sub like you would a preamp using the inputs on the back of the speaker (pg 21-22 manual):