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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1154153
KEF has a reputation for cutting edge audio engineering, prosumer appeal, and their overall amazing sound signature. While they dabble in Bluetooth headphones and will sell you their $225,000 Muon speakers, where they are currently making waves accessible, high fidelity speakers. I experienced this first hand with the LS50 Wireless speakers two years ago, and was thrilled to get my hands and ears on the next evolution of KEF's powered speakers, the LSX. The naming convention isn't a coincidence here, the LSX draw a lot of inspiration from the LS50 line. In shape and style, engineering and technology, and certainly in their sound signature, the LSX do their best to mimic or improve upon the more powerful (and more expensive) LS50 Wireless. At the end of the day, the LSX improve the usability and deliver an endearing quality of sound that is making the LS line a beloved family of speakers for novice audiophiles and music lovers. There is certainly an 'experience' to be had when unboxing an $1,100 set of speakers, and the LSX is a confusing one. First of all, the speakers come in a shiny packaged box with a built in handle—something you can find on the shelves of your local big box store, not the corrugated cardboard of a typical HiFi hobby shop. And when you open it up, there is certainly a high-end experience, but the simplicity of these speakers makes it relatively minimal. Two speakers, two small boxes, and some paperwork. That's about it. It's a little, well, underwhelming, in a way that makes the powerful musical experience such a stark contrast to the simplicity of opening the LSX. At least when you unwrap the speakers, you are treated to the KEF signature style and elegance. A smooth and perfectly curved front baffle surrounds the patented Uni-Q driver—the only combination driver need on a KEF speaker, whose sole circumference adds to the elegance. The four sides of the LSX are wrapped in a coarse textile from the Danish company Kvadrat—an industry favorite throughout the tech sector— which matches one of the five bold color options available. It's a testament to the design and materials that all of the colors, from olive to white to red, look phenomenal. It's hard to pick a favorite. At nine-and-a-half inches tall by six inches wide, the LSX sit perfectly in a small bookshelf or on top of a desk, and their unlikely heft (about eight pounds apiece) portend the quality and quantity of components packed into each speaker. The LSX is a standalone stereo solution, and each speaker includes two digital to analog converters (DAC), streamers, pre-amps, power amps, and the Uni-Q driver. Each speaker requires its own power cord for the two class D amps (70 watts for the mid/low range and 30 watts for the tweeter), but that is it. Literally. It's as wireless as you can get without running off