My favorite audiophile wireless speakers just got a whole lot more affordable
The best audiophile music systems are a great way to achieve a Hi-Fi audio setup without wires, and few have been more popular or more stylish than KEF's LS wireless speaker series. With a three-strong lineup of systems, the legendary British company's wireless speakers come with extensive streaming smarts in traditional-looking stereo speaker designs running from full-on LS60 high-end towers to the LX II compact desktop models. But with prices ranging from $1,299 to $4,999 they can often feel out of reach.
Luckily, the legendary speaker maker has just unveiled a new 'Lite' version of its popular LSX II wireless speakers, making one of the best-sounding bookshelf wireless speaker systems a whole lot more affordable.
While KEF's wireless speaker series saw some big updates in 2022, this is the first new model since the original LSX arrived in 2018. The lower price of the LT version ditches the wireless link between the stereo speakers as well as a line input and Roon-ready integration. There's just three color options to choose from (sage green, graphite grey, and stone white) instead of the 6 options available for the older LSX II.
KEF LSX II wireless speakers was $1,399 now $1,299 @ Amazon
Right now, the original KEF LSX II have $100 off at selected retailers. They come with wireless streaming smarts and a slew of physical connections on the back. The LSX II support AirPlay 2 and Chromecast and use KEF's legendary Uni-Q speaker driver to deliver a spectacular 3D soundstage and room filling sound. There's an HDMI port, meaning they can upgrade TV sound too.
Price check: $1,299 @ Crutchfield View Deal
There's no cloth speaker grille on the 'lite' version, but the acoustic cabinet design is identical to the LSX II with a distinctive curved front baffle. You get the same high-level sound with KEF's Uni-Q driver array that's integrated with a 0.75-inch vented aluminum dome tweeter at the center of 4.5-inch aluminum cone woofer. Frequency range covers 54Hz to 28kHz (±3 dB) and total power output is 100W per speaker from the primary active speaker's built-in amplification.
There's support for DSD and PCM music streams up to 24-bit/384kHz, and the LSX II LT has the same tech as its siblings to seamlessly connect to your devices so you can instantly stream from the best music streaming platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal. Users also have wired connectivity options available to them, including HDMI ARC, USB-C and optical cable plug-in for TVs, laptops, desktop computers and consoles. The LT also supports AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, as well as Bluetooth 5.0, and devices can be controlled wirelessly through the KEF Connect app.
KEF says that the new version comes with a 3m cable to link the speakers together. If you need more then a new C-Link interspeaker cable ($59 / £50 / AU$99) can reach up to the 8m to give listeners more freedom on speaker placement in their surroundings.
The KEF LSX II LT officially goes on sale on January 25 and is available to pre-order now priced at $999 / £899 / AU$1,695 from the KEF website. Additionally, there are P1 Desk Pad ($199 / £140 / AU$300 per pair) and S1 Floor Stand ($349 / £320 / AU$650) mounting options available for secure placement.
