Hi-Fi SpeakerOverreview

KEF LSX II

A tiny, gorgeous, genuinely hi-fi streaming pair that reviewers adore on stands — argued over on desks, over hiss at close range, over its wireless link and basic EQ, and over paying $1,500 when the same-sounding LT costs $1,000.

73/ 100
Review score
17 sourcesUpdated
$1,500 / pairTypical US price per pair

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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KEF LSX II

The short version

What to know.

The LSX II is a compact powered pair with KEF's coaxial Uni-Q driver, sold as a complete system at $1,500 a pair. Reviewers agree on the core: a clear, detailed and well-integrated sound with natural vocals, precise imaging, a refined build and a very complete set of inputs and streaming options. Bass is full for the size but ends around 50 Hz in anechoic data for its identical-driver LT sibling, output is modest, and the treble can harden when it is pushed, so most sources recommend a subwoofer for large rooms or loud listening. The disagreements are mostly about use rather than sound quality. On stands a metre or more from the listener, reviewers hear an accurate-to-warm balance; on desks a minority of owners hear it as muffled and small. Placement splits between 'flexible, with the app's desk and wall modes' and 'sensitive to aim and toe-in'. Some owners hear hiss at desk distance and others hear none. Reviewers found the app easy, while long-term owners report wireless-link dropouts, failed firmware updates and account friction. The EQ is too basic for anyone who wants a parametric EQ, and value splits over the $1,000 LT and monitor-plus-streamer alternatives.

About this product

The 2022 second-generation LSX II: a powered primary/secondary pair that links wirelessly or by the supplied Ethernet cable, with HDMI ARC, optical, USB-C, 3.5 mm and Ethernet inputs on the primary. Not the cheaper LSX II LT (cable-linked, no analogue input) and not the original LSX.

The KEF LSX II is the second generation of KEF's smallest wireless stereo system: two cantaloupe-sized powered speakers, each with a Uni-Q coaxial driver and its own 70 W + 30 W of Class D amplification, with streaming, HDMI ARC, USB-C, optical and an analogue input built into the primary box. It launched in June 2022 at about $1,400 a pair and now sells for $1,500 a pair; outwardly it is nearly identical to the original LSX, with the changes in its DSP, streaming platform and inputs.

It collected awards and five-star reviews as a complete hi-fi for small rooms, desks and TVs. Owners are more divided: some find it muffled or small on a desk, some hear hiss up close, some fight the wireless link or the app, and many ask why it costs $500 more than the cable-linked LSX II LT, which KEF says shares its drivers, power and sound.

A good fit for

  • A complete, compact hi-fi for a small room, bedroom, office or TV, where HDMI ARC and built-in streaming replace a stack of boxes
  • Listeners who want a clear, detailed and natural sound at moderate levels, especially on stands a metre or more away
  • Buyers who value the finishes and the wireless link, or who plan to add a KEF or other subwoofer through the sub output

Think twice if

  • You want loud playback or deep bass in a large room without adding a subwoofer
  • You'll sit very close on a desk and are sensitive to hiss; audition it, or buy where returns are easy
  • You want parametric EQ or room correction inside the speaker
  • You don't need the wireless link or analogue input; the cable-linked LSX II LT is reported to sound the same for about $500 less
  • Your Wi-Fi is congested and you can't run the Ethernet cable between the speakers

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

6 / 14topics divide opinion
midsdetailbasstreblesoundstageimagingdynamicsbuildtonalityplacementnoisefeaturesergonomicsvalue
2 Strong agreement6 Mostly agree6 Divided opinions

Common ground6

  • Clear, detailed, well-integrated sound with natural vocals, well above what the cabinet size suggests.
  • Precise, stable imaging.
  • Bass is full and tight for a 115 mm driver but ends around 50 Hz (anechoic data for the identical-driver LT); a subwoofer transforms it.

Points of contention6

  • Tonality: accurate-to-warm for reviewers on stands, and for What Hi-Fi? on a desk, but muffled and small for a minority of desk owners (one fixed it by moving to stands).
  • Placement: flexible with the app's desk and wall modes for some; sensitive to aim, toe-in and desk position for others.
  • Noise: hiss or static audible at desk distance for some owners (including an ASR member through two pairs); silent for most owners in the one thread that asked.

A closer listen.

14 topics · 6 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Tonality

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment11 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split, though unevenly. Reviewers on stands (Sound & Vision at 9 ft, StereoNET at 2.6 m) and What Hi-Fi? on both stands and a desk hear an accurate or gently warm, refined balance, and the anechoic data for the identical-driver LT reads as neutral. A minority of owners, all listening on desks and one on up-tilted desk stands, hear it as muffled, small or forward in the mids. One of them fixed it by moving the speakers onto stands in front of the desk, and another with EQ in his player.

Measured

Klippel NFS (Erin's Audio Corner) of the LSX II LT, which shares the same Uni-Q driver, amplifiers and cabinet dimensions: spinorama.org rates it 4.81 on its Harman-style preference score, or 7.03 with an ideal subwoofer. The gap between the two scores is mostly the limited bass extension.

vs. listeners — The anechoic sibling data show a neutral-leaning speaker, and the muffled reports all come from desks, one with the speakers tilted up on desk stands. The owner who moved his pair onto stands in front of the desk says they now sound great, so the desk rather than the voicing is the likely cause.

Where it splits
Accurate to gently warm and refined, whether on stands at a distance or up close on a desk.83%

“Tonally, the LSX II's mapped almost perfectly to my longstanding reference speakers”

Sound & Vision
Muffled and small on a desk: the balance never comes together close up, whatever the app settings.17%

“cannot get a sounds that doesn't sound like a combo of muffled and 'small' in one”

r/KEF owner (desk, slight upward tilt and toe-in)
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
Active bookshelf / standmountamplifiers built in
Enclosure
Ported, rear port

Drivers

Drivers
1 × 4.5″ (115 mm) coaxial cone woofer (magnesium/aluminium alloy cone, Uni-Q) + 1 × 0.75″ (19 mm) coaxial dome tweeter (aluminium dome, Uni-Q)4.5″ (115 mm) coaxial woofer + 0.75″ (19 mm) coaxial tweeter

Acoustic

Frequency response
54 Hz – 28 kHz (±3 dB)49 Hz – 47 kHz (−6 dB)
Maximum output
102 dB SPL (@ 1 m)

Amplification & connections

Amplification
70 W + 30 W per speaker · Class Dactive crossover
Inputs
HDMI ARC, Optical, USB-C, 3.5 mm, Ethernet
Bluetooth
Yes
Streaming
AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, UPnP/DLNA
Subwoofer output
Yes
Speaker link
Wireless or Cableprimary / secondary pair
Power
Mains (internal PSU)

Features

Adjustments
Placement EQ, Tone controls
App control
Yes
Remote
Yes
Auto standby
Yes

Physical

Dimensions
155 × 180 × 240 mm
Released
2022-06

KEF says its frequency-response figures depend on the app's EQ settings. Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from international.kef.com, assets.kef.com, us.kef.com, international.kef.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 17

1–6 of 17 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 6

  1. A read of where the reviews land as of September 2026. The price has moved ($1,400 at launch, $1,300 in 2024, $1,500 a pair now), so value judgements date quickly.

  2. No lab has published full anechoic measurements of the LSX II itself. The measured figures here come from the LSX II LT, which KEF and reviewers say uses the same drivers, amplifiers and cabinet size.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

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