Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: which streaming system is better?

Anyone accusing hi-fi of being stuck in the past clearly hasn't been paying attention. While there are still plenty of classic turntable and speaker combos around – and so there should be – there's also a fresh breed of hi-fi that encompasses digital and analogue connections, streaming, amplification and speakers in just a couple of boxes. Hardly old fashioned.

The KEF LS50 Wireless II is the current king of this product type, picking up a What Hi-Fi? Award for a phenomenal five years on the trot. But here comes Technics, yapping at its heels. The just-add-speakers Technics SA-C600 has fared very well indeed, winning Product of the Year three years in a row, and now the Japanese brand has launched the speaker-enabled SC-CX700 as a direct rival to KEF's all-conquering system. So which one is better?

Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: price

Both systems launched at around the same price, but being by far the older of the two, the KEF has seen its price come down. It launched at £2250 / $2499 / AU$4295, but can now be picked up for around £2000.

The Technics launched at £2399 / $2999 / AU$4699, which is where it's stayed. The price is sure to come down, but when is anyone's guess.

** Winner: KEF LS50 Wireless II **

Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: design & build

To the uninitiated, both the Technics and the KEF look like regular stereo speakers. But look closer and you'll start to see their potential...

The Technics SC-CX700 have a two-way coaxial driver in each cabinet, comprising a lightweight 1.9cm ring tweeter placed inside the throat of a 15cm woofer. Each speaker's front-firing bass reflex port helps with positioning, while the Dinamica™ microfibre material adds a suede-like texture (not to mention a pop of colour).

Unfortunately, the rest of the unit isn't nearly as luxurious, made of what feels like cheap plastic and dotted with bolts.

The inputs and controls are housed in the primary speaker, while the secondary takes care of amplification. Over ethernet, it supports native files up to 24-bit/192kHz, but wirelessly it's limited to 24-bit/96kHz.

Technics' Acoustic Solitude Construction separates each electronic module from the speaker's internals to reduce interference from vibrations, and the JENO Engine amplifier is on hand to minimise jitter or errors with digital timing.

The LS50 Wireless II are KEF through and through. Not only do they have the familiar chassis with its premium build quality, but inside is the brand's Uni-Q driver arrangement and Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) (a method of absorbing sound waves from the rear of the tweeter dome so they don't interfere with what you're hearing).

KEF also reworked the motor system, with a new 100W class A/B amplifier powering the tweeter and 280W of power for the mid/bass driver. The LS50 Wireless II matches Technics' wireless file support of up to 24-bit/96kHz, and wired up to 24-bit/384kHz.

** Winner: KEF LS50 Wireless II **

Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: features

In terms of features and connectivity, the Technics SC-CX700 have most bases covered. You get an HDMI input (including ARC support) for connecting a TV, optical digital input, USB-C and ethernet. There's also a moving magnet phono stage for turntable owners.

AirPlay, GoogleCast and Bluetooth wireless technologies are onboard, and while there's no aptX support, you can enhance the quality of low-res audio files using the Bluetooth Re-master feature.

Streaming-wise, there's Spotify Connect, Deezer, Amazon Music HD, Tidal Connect and Qobuz, but no Apple Music. The speakers are also Roon Ready.

The Technics Audio Centre app is a little plain, and notably laggier than the KEF Connect app. As well as set-up and control, you can use the app for calibrating the speakers depending on your room layout – choose from some presets, custom, or let them calibrate using the mic on your smartphone.

The KEF LS50 Wireless II support the same wireless technologies as the Technics, and the same music streaming services. Again, there's no native Apple Music support. They also play nice with DSD256, and MQA decoding for the playback of compatible downloaded files (though sadly no longer hi-res Tidal Masters, as Tidal stopped supporting MQA in July 2024).

KEF's app is clean and logically laid out, and works reliably every time. In terms of physical connections, the LS50 Wireless II have an HDMI eARC socket for hooking up a TV, coaxial (24-bit/192kHz), optical (24-bit/96kHz) and 3.5mm aux inputs and a subwoofer output, but no phono stage for a turntable.

** Winner: KEF LS50 Wireless II **

Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: sound

You may have already seen that the Technics only scored three out of five in our review. Not great. But there's plenty to like about their sound performance.

Their delivery has definite purpose, and the bass has plenty of power and weight. The bottom end isn't vague and squelchy like some systems either – rather it attacks with a laser-guided precision. It hits harder than the KEF LS50 Wireless II's, and "low frequencies are also wonderfully textured and controlled", we noted in our review.

The stereo image is large and expansive (more so than the KEF's), and presents a good level of detail. But it's around the upper midrange and lower treble that things start to go wrong.

There's a coarseness here, and it's a problem. The lack of refinement really jars with the rest of its performance, and it's present on multiple tracks during our testing.

The tonal quality is inferior to the KEF's, and it doesn't have the same level of dynamic dexterity. The Technics might have more low-end grunt than the KEF, but they sound more one-dimensional.

"Playing End Credits from the Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides soundtrack, the swashbuckling delivery and the sharp rise and fall of the strings lack impact when played through the Technics," we noted. "The combination of that troublesome coarseness, mixed with a lack of dynamic thrust and finesse means they don’t really encourage you to hang around and wait for the next track to play."

The LS50 Wireless II are sublime performers. The MAT makes the treble clean and clear, and compared to their predecessors (the MAT-less LS50 Wireless) mids are cleaner cut and the bass more defined. The presentation is altogether more open, with greater instrument separation.

Listening to Mac Miller's What's The Use? as a test track, we note that the LS50 Wireless II's "clarity and cleanliness enlivens the tuneful bassline and unequivocally cutting rap, complementing the track’s clinical production." A clear winner.

** Winner: KEF LS50 Wireless II **

Technics SC-CX700 vs KEF LS50 Wireless II: verdict

The Technics showed such promise. We love their design (or elements of it, anyway), and really love their bass, but they just don't hang together as a complete package like the LS50 Wireless II. Their app needs work, and their sound is marred by a lack of refinement in certain sections of the frequency range. And at this price? We would buy the KEFs every time.

** Winner: KEF LS50 Wireless II **

MORE:

Wireless speaker vs all-in-one system vs hi-fi separates: which beginner audiophile path is right for you?

Separates vs systems: the pros and cons of each path to hi-fi nirvana

Best hi-fi systems: CD, vinyl and streaming music players for the home