In this review, we will be comparing LS50 Wireless and Uni-Fi UB5, two Bookshelf speakers from KEF and ELAC. The main difference between these two speakers is that the KEF LS50 Wireless is a Powered speaker which means that it has a built-in amplifier inside the speaker body so you don't need an external power amp or an integrated amp whereas the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 is a Passive speaker so has to be matched with an amplifier to get any sound from it. Let's have a brief look at the main features
of KEF LS50 Wireless and ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
In the following sections, we will get into more detail in order to better understand how the KEF LS50 Wireless and ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 compare and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one of these loudspeakers is the better choice for you.
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Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that LS50 Wireless is a 2-way design whereas the Uni-Fi UB5 is a 3-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Driver |
KEF LS50 Wireless |
ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 |
Driver Setup
|
2-way
|
3-way
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
Midrange
|
- |
1 x 4-inch |
Woofer
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
1 x 5.25-inch
|
LS50 Wireless features a 1" Aluminum Hard-Dome Tweeter and 1 x 5.25" Magnesium/aluminum alloy Woofer . On the other hand, the Uni-Fi UB5 features a 1" Soft-dome Tweeter , a 4" Midrange and 1 x 5.25" Aluminum Woofer with a Crossover frequency at 270Hz and 2700Hz.
Frequency Response
LS50 Wireless has a frequency range of 79-28k Hz whereas Uni-Fi UB5 has a frequency range of 46-25k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 46Hz, the Uni-Fi UB5 can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the LS50 Wireless's min frequency of 79Hz.
Below graphs depict how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average values of the Min and Max Frequencies of other speakers in the Bookshelf class in our database.
Low Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
High Frequency
Bookshelf Speakers
None of these speakers achieves full range experience which is commonly agreed as 20Hz-20kHz. In order to achieve lower lows / deeper bass, we recommend you pair these with a subwoofer. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both LS50 Wireless and Uni-Fi UB5 have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
Size of a speaker can sometimes become an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare KEF LS50 Wireless's and ELAC Uni-Fi UB5's external dimensions. KEF LS50 Wireless has external dimensions of 301.6 x 200.0 x 336.5mm ( 11.875 x 7.875 x 13.25inch) whereas ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 has external dimensions of 324.0 x 200.0 x 273.0mm ( 12.7 x 7.8 x 10.7inch) .
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the KEF LS50 Wireless is approximately 673.0cm2 / 104.3inch2 and base area of the ELAC Uni-Fi UB5 is approximately 546.0cm2 / 84.6inch2. The LS50 Wireless requires 23% more surface area than the Uni-Fi UB5 which gives it a small disadvantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of KEF LS50 Wireless?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of LS50 Wireless:
Wireless powered speaker (Right)Wireless powered speaker (Left)Two 6.5-feet AC power cords10-feet Cat-6 interconnect speaker cable6.5-feet USB-B to USB-A cable42
What's in the Box of ELAC Uni-Fi UB5?
Here are the items that come with the Uni-Fi UB5:
2 Bookshelf loudspeakers 2 Grilles Operating Instructions