A generation apart: KEF LS50 Wireless II is the newer design, against a 2013 model. Newer is not automatically better, but the older one is more likely to be discounted or near run-out.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Bass | A | Genelec G Five digs deeper - 34Hz against 45Hz. |
| Built-in power | B | KEF LS50 Wireless II has the bigger amplifier (380W vs 270W RMS). |
| Connections | B | KEF LS50 Wireless II adds Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, streaming, HDMI and digital inputs. |
| Size | depends | KEF LS50 Wireless II is easier to place; Genelec G Five is bigger, which usually goes with fuller bass. Your room decides. |
| Expandability | B | KEF LS50 Wireless II: a sub output. KEF LS50 Wireless II sits in a wider range (10 models), so a matched surround system is easier later. |
| Price | B | KEF LS50 Wireless II is cheaper - $2,999 against $3,590, about 16% less. |
A Genelec G Five B KEF LS50 Wireless II
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both speakers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
KEF LS50 Wireless II is the easier recommendation: it leads on most of the measured areas and costs less. Take Genelec G Five if its size, looks or fit in your room suit you better. If a subwoofer is in your plans, the bass gap largely stops mattering - you would be crossing over above 45Hz anyway, which makes the cheaper KEF LS50 Wireless II much easier to justify. In a large or open-plan room, Genelec G Five has the cabinet volume to fill it more easily; in a small room, near a wall or at desk distance, KEF LS50 Wireless II is the easier speaker to get right.
And remember what a spec sheet cannot show: how each looks in your room and whether the finish suits it, what dealer support and warranty are like where you live, and how they actually sound to you. If you can hear them first - ideally with your own music - that will tell you more than any number above.