Forget soundbars, KEF’s cheaper LSX II LT stereo speakers come with HDMI ARC and look incredible

KEF streamlines its brilliant bookshelf speakers to be even more desirable

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KEF makes serious speakers for serious sound. Whenwe reviewed the KEF LSX bookshelf speakersback in 2020, we loved their interesting looks as well as their “fantastic audio quality” and “powerful bass”. We also liked theLSX II’s extensive connectivity options, and now there’s another version of the model. Unusually for high-end audio, better doesn’t mean more expensive. In fact, they’re a lot more affordable.

The new KEF LSX II LT bookshelf speakers come in at a recommended retail price of $999 / £899, down from the $1,400 / £1,199 sticker price of the LSX II. And while the price is lower, corners are not being cut here: the LSX II LT are eminently connectable, very flexible and very powerful too, rivalling thebest stereo speakers.

KEF LXS II LT speakers: key specifications

Like their stablemates, the KEF LSX II LT are powered speakers putting out 100 watts per channel and featuring 11th-generation Uni-Q 4.5-inch drivers. There’s room tuning via the speakers' digital signal processor and support for multi-room too. The speakers connect to one another wirelessly (via KEF’s proprietary low latency connection) or with a new USB-C PD cable that replaces the current generation’s ethernet cable connection. And because that cable has power delivery the speakers only need one power cord, not the two of their predecessors.

The new speakers also support KEF’s W2 wireless streaming system, which enables you to stream from wireless audio sources (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, Chromecast and AirPlay 2), directly from thebest music streaming servicesincluding Spotify, TIDAL,AppleMusic, Qobuz, Deezer andAmazon, from a network storage device and via Roon Ready too.

You can connect directly to your router over Ethernet for the fastest possible music transfer and it supports PCM up to 24-bit/384kHz, inputs at up to 24-bit/92kHz and both DSD and MQA decoding. On the wired front, you’ve got an excellent collection of inputs including HDMI ARC, USB-C and optical, and there’s an RCA out if you want to add a subwoofer for even more low-end thump. There is one key omission here, though, and that’s the aux port for connecting analog sources: unlike the LSX IIs, the LSX II LTs don’t have it.

The speakers come in a choice of graphite gray, stone white and sage green, and are available on early access for KEF.com members now. Approved retailers will be selling them from January 25.

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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

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