KEF LSX £849
A smaller, cheaper version of the LS50 Wireless streaming system it may be, but with the LSX, KEF has retained the rare sonic qualities that made the original so special. The LSX shares its sibling’s blueprint as an all-in-one hi-fi system: a network streamer, Bluetooth receiver and amplification within a pair of compact stereo speakers.
Those speakers offer 200W of class D amplification and see the return of KEF’S Uni-q driver array, in which a 19mm tweeter sits in a 10cm magnesium/ aluminium mid/bass cone. As yet, the Metamaterial technology used in the LS50 Wireless IIS isn’t available here.
The LSX plays hi-res files up to 24-bit/192khz, though it will downsample to either 48khz or 96khz, depending on whether you pair the speakers to each other wirelessly or via an ethernet cable. Connected to your router either through wire or wi-fi, the LSX can stream networked music via DLNA or from Tidal – all from within the KEF Stream app. Spotify Connect, Roon compatibility, aptx
Bluetooth and Apple Airplay 2 are also supported. Optical and 3.5mm aux inputs mean you can connect TVS and portable devices, while a subwoofer output offers the chance to add more bass to the system.
We play Nick Cave’s Jubilee Street and get the sense we’re hearing something special. From the delivery of his first stanza, the LSXS are clearly descendants of the expressive and rhythmically astute original LS50 Wireless.
The varied emphasis given to the guitar notes here is credit to the LSX’S transparency with detail and its dynamic discretion. The placement of the crystal clear vocal is equally well considered. It also shares its sibling’s relative talent for bass performance.
Here, KEF has produced a scaleddown, carefully crafted copycat of the excellent first LS50 Wirelesses, and it proves to be a worthy Award-winner.