Un-usable
I have $2200 of speakers and a $2k sub that can't play music thanks to this app. Streaming from tidal drops constantly. Even playing from my library won't work: the app just scrolls through songs on an album at warp speed without playing them. So now I have $4200 plus tax of audio equipment sitting in my very quiet living room. Thanks kef.
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Unreliable connection, closed ecosystem
The sound of the speakers is great, if one can connect a source to them. Initially I thought the WiFI was the issue, but I connected the speaker to my hard wired network. Speakers are pingable all day long. It's the app which seems to be unreliable. It fails to reconnect / find the speakers, even though the IP address is fixed. Anyways, how hard is it to cache the IP address and try that first?
The app is required to stream music to the speakers over the local network. To utilize the higher bit rate sources, you have to use WiFi/ Ethernet interface. Bluetooth streaming seems to work well enough and it's compatible with iTunes (Note: only over Bluetooth). I'm guessing there is some sort of DRM restrictions that prevent that.
In any case they have integrated with Tidal Music service which provides high data rate encoded music, but at this point, I'm hesitant to sign up for a $16/ month subscription until I can connect reliably. I'm sure I'm not the only one with some buyers remorse and mixed feelings over this experience.
The most reliable connection is direct USB from a computer with a streaming source. So, wait for several speaker firmware and app versions, and maybe they will figure out how to fix the connectivity problems.
The app is required to stream music to the speakers over the local network. To utilize the higher bit rate sources, you have to use WiFi/ Ethernet interface. Bluetooth streaming seems to work well enough and it's compatible with iTunes (Note: only over Bluetooth). I'm guessing there is some sort of DRM restrictions that prevent that.
In any case they have integrated with Tidal Music service which provides high data rate encoded music, but at this point, I'm hesitant to sign up for a $16/ month subscription until I can connect reliably. I'm sure I'm not the only one with some buyers remorse and mixed feelings over this experience.
The most reliable connection is direct USB from a computer with a streaming source. So, wait for several speaker firmware and app versions, and maybe they will figure out how to fix the connectivity problems.
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Keeps saying wifi not found
App is ok in theory albeit a bit clunky with the layers you need to go through to access various functions. My iPhone keeps saying "wifi not found" even though we're close to the router, which is frustrating and makes it useless.
Poor
On the iPad I have only managed to get it to work once. Poor implementation from KEF
App Experience
As other reviewers have stated, the speakers themselves are outstanding. I would purchase these speakers even with the poorly executed app - they are that good. I primarily use the USB connection for the best sound quality. This active system saves space and takes the guesswork out of selecting an amp and a preamp. It's perfectly tuned.
Yes, the app needs serious work to be on par with Sonos as an example. KEF, please focus on reengineering this app to include features that are commonplace in wireless active speaker marketplace. Just doing that will significantly elevate the entire user experience around this system. Failure to do so will limit the market potential if this system. Hire some better mobile app developers and designers!
Yes, the app needs serious work to be on par with Sonos as an example. KEF, please focus on reengineering this app to include features that are commonplace in wireless active speaker marketplace. Just doing that will significantly elevate the entire user experience around this system. Failure to do so will limit the market potential if this system. Hire some better mobile app developers and designers!
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Great product, poor app
App does nothing good besides setup the network and lets you adjust the EQ setting. Wifi streaming capabilities are limited and loads slowly.
Crashes
Crashes when you try to open .. every time .
4/1 - April fools Day . Kef should be ashamed of themselves for putting out a horrific app .
4/1 - April fools Day . Kef should be ashamed of themselves for putting out a horrific app .
Pretty bad.
This app is pretty much only good for changing the speaker settings, which in itself is a challenge. You have to go out of your way just to connect then switch back to whatever source your using.
No volume control, no selecting sources, no status - nothing useful.
It's actually hard to believe how bad it it is considering how good the speakers are.
It actually makes you think twice about keeping the speakers.
No volume control, no selecting sources, no status - nothing useful.
It's actually hard to believe how bad it it is considering how good the speakers are.
It actually makes you think twice about keeping the speakers.
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App missing features
The app isn't 100% reliable and drops connection. Also, and most importantly, the app lacks sign in for streaming services such as Apple Music. Sonos has this feature, why not the KEFs?
Nothing works
$2300 on speakers and nothing on the app works right. The speakers constantly lose connection and I can't get any music to play back. Get it together KEF. Now I have to decide if I should return the speakers
