For the longest time, bookshelf speakers have been pretty uninspiring boxes. Rightly so. I mean, they are kind of, well, bookshelf speakers. However, KEF has decided it is time to step away from the status quo and make bookshelf speakers look more like sculptural art. And that is exactly what the KEF LS LUXE is: a pair of sculptural wireless Hi-Fi speakers that may prompt visitors to ask what they are before realizing music is coming out of them.
The new KEF LS LUXE, created with industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, wears a fluid, sculptural cabinet that looks like a futuristic artifact smoothed by several million years in an audiophile river. “Bookshelf” may be technically correct, but each pair weighs 20 kg (44.1 pounds), so perhaps reinforce that IKEA shelf first, or perhaps drop even more money for a pair of S-LUXE Floor Stands.
Inside each speaker is KEF’s 12th-generation 165 mm (6.5-inch) Uni-Q driver array, powered by 280 W for the low and mid frequencies and 100 W for the highs. Metamaterial Absorption Technology claims to eliminate 99 percent of unwanted rear sound, while the new VECO motion-sensing feedback system actively corrects distortion and power compression. In other words, the speakers listen to themselves so you do not have to complain.
Network playback reaches 384 kHz/24-bit, with AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Bluetooth 5.3, and more. Roon Ready support is scheduled for 2027. Physical connections include HDMI eARC, optical, coaxial, 3.5 mm auxiliary, Ethernet, and dual subwoofer outputs.
Available in Dusk Titanium, Eclipse Black, and Mineral White, the KEF LS LUXE has launched in Asia-Pacific. In Singapore, it costs a cool S$6,299 per pair (about US$4,910). KEF’s U.S. page is live with early access offered to myKEF members, though pricing has not been posted.
Images: KEF (AP).
