KEF LSX II Powered Speakers Review: Ultimate Small Lifestyle Speakers?

The KEF LSX II powered bookshelf/desktop speakers are designed for the lifestyle market. All you need is a wall socket, phone, and a wifi router and you're set.
Listening/Review time after break-in: 37 hours.
Overall: The KEF LSX II are a true lifestyle speaker meant for the simplicity desired by plug -in & play owner. The KEF Connect app deserves an award for its powerful, user-friendly capability. The LSX II's are pure magic with Tito Puente and other percussion-friendly artists. KEF has taken the mini powered speakers to a whole new level of capability and enjoyment.
Pros: KEF's signature musicality, very good imaging, fantastic app for setup/streaming, plenty of power, multitude of input controls, can be used with a separate DAC.
Cons: Needs a subwoofer for true full impact, sounds smeared with music tainted by loudness wars.
Placement: For music- 24 inch Celestion si stands approximately 15 inches out from the front wall. Movies- On either side of the TV credenza.
Price: $999pr (MusicDirect.com)
Power Output: 70wpc woofer, 30wpc tweeter each speaker
Frequency Response: 54hz-20khz
Driver: KEF UniQ with tweeter mounted in center.
Wireless: AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Google Chromecast, Roon Ready, UPnP compatible,
Resolution by source: Network 384kHz/24bit; optical up to 96kHz/24bit; USB Type C up to 192kHz/24bit; HDMI up to 1.411Mbps PCM
Supported formats: AAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD, FLAC, MP3, M4A, MQA, WAV, WMA
Dimensions: 9.5″ × 6.1″ × 7.1″
Weight: 15.6 lbs pair
#audiophiles #wirelessaudio #homeaudio

[@sheerkhanful]

These sound spectacular, especially with a small sub. I had a pair briefly, but had to return them due to defects, twice. If you can get a pair in good shape, they do have a bit of an achilles heel though, and that's that they won't function without being connected to a network. The KEF software doesn't make it easy to get it on some networks either. I tried to use mine at work but getting it on the network there was impossible.

[@stereofanoregon6481]

Thanks for responding!
Actually the LSX can play without being connected as they have an ANALOG input. I ran the output from my Denefrips Ares II into the LSX II and enjoyed several hours of music.
I'm not surprised that you had difficulty at work as IT software is designed to be suspicious about non-traditional connections.
Thanks for watching!!

[@mothertoad560]

I own a pair of ls50 wireless 2 and a rel t7x subwoofer.. a little bit of an upgrade on these but lsx2 can be just as satisfying I'm sure

[@newyork1716]

Will these speakers work for a 77 Inch TV wall mounted setup in a Living room as a Center Left Right channels? I need something small and powerful for movies and dialogue when watching TV. Sound-bars are too big. They look big enough

[@stereofanoregon6481]

How big is your room?

[@newyork1716]

@@stereofanoregon6481 I ordered a pair, room is about 11x15 going to try

[@JBOsurf]

No arc on the HDMI?????
Does that mean I can't control the volume of the speakers with my TV remote?
Does that also mean the speakers won't auto switch to HDMI when I turn on my TV?

[@stereofanoregon6481]

Unfortunately, yes. Disappointing absolutely, but I bet down the line this will be solved.

[@davidgodal98]

It is an Arc port with cec support

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

😉