KEF LS60: Difference between revisions
Created page with "I acquired a pair of [https://us.kef.com/products/ls60-wireless KEF LS60] active wireless speakers in January 2024. The speakers are awesome, but getting them working well with Linux was not completely trivial, and is not quite complete. At the time, I had the following versions of crap: * Linux 6.7 * Pipewire 1.0.1 * Pulseaudio 16.1 * KEF firmware 2.0 ==Requirements== I was using MPD 0.23.14 for my music, but I needed a solution at the audio device level, so that..." |
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* Pulseaudio 16.1 | * Pulseaudio 16.1 | ||
* KEF firmware 2.0 | * KEF firmware 2.0 | ||
As a first observation, setting up an EQ profile for my small office seemed to <i>substantially</i> improve listening experience. I used Normal Mode (as opposed to expert). | |||
==Requirements== | ==Requirements== | ||
I was using [[MPD]] 0.23.14 for my music, but I needed a solution at the audio device level, so that video, system sounds, and everything else would use the speakers. So I was looking at pulseaudio or pipewire. I wanted to create a virtual device into which I could dump digital data (probably PWM). The speakers have a line in, but I <i>did not</i> want to do the digital-to-analog conversion on my machine, but rather to use the DAC of the $7,000 speakers. They also have an HDMI input, which could happily accept stereo PCM at up to 24 bits at 192 kHz, but I wanted wireless. | I was using [[Mpd|MPD]] 0.23.14 for my music, but I needed a solution at the audio device level, so that video, system sounds, and everything else would use the speakers. So I was looking at pulseaudio or pipewire. I wanted to create a virtual device into which I could dump digital data (probably PWM). The speakers have a line in, but I <i>did not</i> want to do the digital-to-analog conversion on my machine, but rather to use the DAC of the $7,000 speakers. They also have an HDMI input, which could happily accept stereo PCM at up to 24 bits at 192 kHz, but I wanted wireless. | ||
I might end up using the HDMI if I can't eliminate the latency of my wireless solution. | I might end up using the HDMI if I can't eliminate the latency of my wireless solution. | ||
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* DAC at speakers | * DAC at speakers | ||
* minimal latency | * minimal latency | ||
* output automatically waking the speakers from standby mode | |||
==Wireless== | ==Wireless== | ||
Using the app, set the input to "Wi-Fi". | |||
The specs list the following "wireless streaming features": | The specs list the following "wireless streaming features": | ||
* AirPlay 2 | * AirPlay 2 | ||
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* UPnP Compatible | * UPnP Compatible | ||
* Bluetooth 4.2 | * Bluetooth 4.2 | ||
As far as I'm aware, [[Bluetooth]] audio is always going to involve a lossy compression. | As far as I'm aware, [[Bluetooth]] audio is always going to involve a lossy compression, so I won't be using it. I did set up Bluetooth just to see that it worked, which it did. You'll have to pair the devices, and connect them. | ||
Running <tt>avahi-browse -a -t</tt> showed numerous zeroconf services: | |||
* ax200 IPv6 ls60w-eb17fe57-5688-4f03-b2a9-4ef78be95abf _spotify-connect._tcp local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 8417151A1273@lilypad speaker AirTunes Remote Audio local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 lilypad speaker AirPlay Remote Video local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 ls60w-eb17fe57-5688-4f03-b2a9-4ef78be95abf _suegrouping._tcp local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 LS60 Wireless-490b3a50ff76a5f16a56b25fa9ca18fe _tidalconnect._tcp local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 8417151A1273@LS60W _kef-info._tcp local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 ls60w-eb17fe57-5688-4f03-b2a9-4ef78be95abf _sues800device._tcp local | |||
* ax200 IPv6 lilypad speaker Web Site local | |||
adding <tt>-r</tt> for resolution generated more details: | |||
<pre> | |||
= ax200 IPv6 ls60w-xxx _spotify-connect._tcp local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [80] | |||
txt = ["VERSION=2.9.0" "CPath=/api/stream/spotify:zeroconf"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 8417151A1273@lilypad speaker AirTunes Remote Audio local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [7000] | |||
txt = ["pk=xxx" "vs=366.0" "vn=65537" "tp=UDP" "sf=0x4" "am=LS60 Wireless" "md=0,1,2" "fv=p20.2.0.66.0x187653b" "ft=0x445F8A00,0x1C340" "et=0,4" "da=true" "cn=0,1"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 lilypad speaker AirPlay Remote Video local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [7000] | |||
txt = ["pk=xxx" "gcgl=0" "gid=xxx" "pi=xxx" "srcvers=366.0" "protovers=1.1" "serialNumber=xxx" "manufacturer=KEF" "model=LS60 Wireless" "flags=0x4" "fv=p20.2.0.66.0x187653b" "rsf=0x0" "features=0x445F8A00,0x1C340" "deviceid=xxx" "acl=0"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 ls60w-xxx _suegrouping._tcp local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [80] | |||
txt = ["ip=192.168.88.77" "groupTimestamp=0" "groupName=" "groupMembers=0" "spotify=true" "transcoder=true" "manufacturer=KEF" "uuid=ls60w-xxx" "name=lilypad speaker"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 LS60 Wireless-xxx _tidalconnect._tcp local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [2019] | |||
txt = ["fn=lilypad speaker" "ve=1" "id=xxx" "ca=2" "mn=LS60 Wireless"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 xxx@LS60W _kef-info._tcp local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [80] | |||
txt = ["groupRole=N/A" "groupName=N/A" "groupId=N/A" "kefId=xxx" "version=2.0.66.0x187653b" "serialNumberSlave=" "serialNumber=xxx" "manufacturer=KEF" "modelName=LS60 Wireless" "model=SP4017" "mac=xxx" "name=lilypad speaker"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 ls60w-xxx _sues800device._tcp local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [80] | |||
txt = ["ip=192.168.88.77" "manufacturer=KEF" "uuid=ls60w-xxx" "serial=xxx" "name=lilypad speaker"] | |||
= ax200 IPv6 lilypad speaker Web Site local | |||
hostname = [ls60w-xxx.local] | |||
address = [192.168.88.77] | |||
port = [80] | |||
txt = [] | |||
</pre> | |||
I first tried pipewire+AirPlay using the [https://docs.pipewire.org/page_module_raop_discover.html raop-discover] module. This was able to find the speakers, and created a device visible in <tt>pavucontrol</tt>, but I was unable to produce any audible output using it. The monitor showed signal going to the sink, but I heard nothing. | |||
I disabled pipewire and pipewire-pulse, and brought up true pulseaudio. Using <tt>pulseaudio-dlna</tt>, I got a working sink that generated sound: | |||
<pre> | |||
Sink #2 | |||
State: RUNNING | |||
Name: lilypadspeaker_dlna | |||
Description: lilypad speaker (DLNA) | |||
Driver: module-null-sink.c | |||
Sample Specification: s16le 2ch 44100Hz | |||
Channel Map: front-left,front-right | |||
Owner Module: 25 | |||
Mute: no | |||
Volume: front-left: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB, front-right: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB | |||
balance 0.00 | |||
Base Volume: 65536 / 100% / 0.00 dB | |||
Monitor Source: lilypadspeaker_dlna.monitor | |||
Latency: 26367 usec, configured 40000 usec | |||
Flags: DECIBEL_VOLUME LATENCY SET_FORMATS | |||
Properties: | |||
device.description = "lilypad speaker (DLNA)" | |||
device.class = "abstract" | |||
device.icon_name = "audio-card" | |||
Formats: | |||
pcm | |||
</pre> | |||
The first number reported for <b>Latency:</b> changed with each run. | |||