KEF recently introduced their new LSX wireless speaker system. It offers some unique features, a more compact form factor and arguably better aesthetics over its bigger LS50 brother.
The LSX does include a subwoofer output, allowing the user to add both deeper bass and more potent dynamics, should the need arise. The subwoofer connection is configured via the KEF Control app for iOS and Android, which also allows the user to tailor the sound of the LSX to match its acoustical surroundings. For example, the app will ask whether the speakers are situated on a desk or on stands, if they’re near the rear wall or out in the open, and even whether the room is acoustically damped or lively. This information is filtered through KEF’s Music Integrity Engine, which the company defines as “a cutting-edge collection of bespoke Digital Signal Processing algorithms that ensure accurate time alignment and phase coherence.”
It’s a lot of tech to pack into speakers that measure just 9.5 by 6.1 by 7.1 inches. The compact cabinets, designed with extensive Finite Element Analysis, employ constrained layer damping to help dissipate unwanted vibrations. Centered on the front baffle is a smaller version of KEF’s signature Uni-Q driver array. In the LSX, a 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeter sits inside a 4.5-inch magnesium/aluminum alloy mid-woofer (downsized from 5.25 inches in the LS50 Wireless). In each speaker, the mid-woofer is powered by its own 70-watt class D amp, while the tweeter gets 30 watts of class D power. The larger LS50 Wireless uses class AB amps for the tweeters, and high-power 200-watt class D amps for the low end, but those amps take up more space and create more heat, necessitating the addition of bulky heatsinks. KEF has made inevitable compromises to reduce costs and the size of the LSX’s cabinets, which are made of plastic rather than the MDF used in the LS50 Wireless.
But the LSX also has some new tricks up its sleeve — features you won’t find on the larger and more expensive LS50 Wireless.
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KEF LSX (left) vs LS50 (right)
Read: KEF LSX Wireless Speaker Preview to find out more.