KEF LS50 Wireless Internal vs External DAC ??

Hi-Fi News apparently found the same to be true, using the Chord 2QuteHD as an external DAC. It seems there is now consensus on this issue.

My system is in a small room, but it’s overkill: Ryan S610, Ayre Ex-8 fully loaded (with streaming amd a ton of digital inputs), Music Fidelity Nu-Vista Vinyl, Amg Giro/9W2, Hana SL.

If I wanted a great system that dominated the LS50W in a small room and wanted to retain Roon and streaming, I’d go:

Silverline Minuet Grand
Pro-Ject StreamBox S2 Ultra
Pro-Ject PreBox S2 Digital
Exposure 2010S2 Power Amp

To keep it simpler you could replace ALL the electronics with the NAD C368. You could also do a PrimaLuna Prologue power amp if you want to include tubes in the system (you'd want something a touch warm to offset the prebox digital's extreme resolution). Either way, the Silverlines are sensitive enough to make that a very tempting proposition. 

p.s. I run a very carefully considered system of separates now, but the LS50W remain in my eyes a screaming bargain :)

Returning to this post after originating it, I remain convinced that the USB input of the LS50W is not as pleasing a source as their RCA inputs fed by a listener's preferred mid-range or higher DAC.
I also feel that the absence of a passive crossover (and the presence of driver-tuned bi-amplification) greatly exceeds any deleterious effects of digital resampling in the speakers when run this way, as compared to the passive LS50s run with same DAC (and no ADC>DAC conversion) and even a high-end amplifier.
To recap: streamer to DAC to LS50W exceeds streamer to LS50. Streamer to DAC to LS50W also wins hands down against streamer to DAC to pre/amp to LS50. I have made these comparisons with numerous units in the system, and these results are consistent for me. YMMV.

Hi Julius, happy to help. What are your digital sources? That’ll really help me answer your question. Are you streaming from a computer and/or TV, or will your stereo be more self-contained? Once I know, I can make a more informed suggestion.

Agreed! Apologies for the poor web etiquette. I think we have established consensus earlier, though, that the rca inputs on the ls50w are often preferable to the usb, even with digital sources. As such, why not just use a passive speaker, provided it has a well designed crossover and other strong performance metrics?

Also, will you need full Roon compatibility?

The Navis is a great option when it comes out. For now, given your sources, I'd recommend two items on audiogon: the project prebox2 dac and the exposure 2010s2 integreated with the silverlines. That would be a noticeable step up from the kefs and about the same price as an nadc368 and added mdc bluos module while even better performing.

Elac is great though: the Navis is a great choice as is the upcoming elac ddp2 to drive it, the ddp2/dpa2/ppa2 with any great monitor speaker (studio electric m4, dynaudionspecial 40, silverline minuet grand) is also a smart and flexible system!

Any of these choices would get you into a leagye if sonic reproduction above the ls50s and open up paths beyond redundant digital conversions. 

Retail: $1000; Audiogon: probably about $500
Killer value.