British audio company KEF recently announced its latest pair of active wireless speakers, the LS Luxe. Loaded with proprietary tech and touted as the company’s “most ambitious creation to date”, the LS Luxe certainly has lofty ideals to live up to.
If you’re familiar with KEF, you might recognise designer Ross Lovegrove’s work. He’s designed a few of the brand’s other products, including the large Muon speaker, the portable Muo, and the Mu7 headphones.
Lovegrove has sculpted a rotund, low-diffraction cabinet made from bulk moulding compound (BMC). Apparently, the shape and material chosen are all in the name of sonic performance. BMC is said to be stiff enough that there’s no need for internal bracing, meaning more space for air in the cabinet.
The KEFest-looking speakers
The LS Luxe are centred around KEF’s 12th-generation 6.5in Uni-Q driver array. It is supported by what KEF calls its ‘Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT)’ — that would be the maze-like disc behind the tweeter that KEF says absorbs 99% of the tweeter’s unwanted rear output.
This is also KEF’s first speaker to feature its Velocity Control Technology (VECO), previously seen in the XIO soundbar. The ‘velocity’ part of that refers to the velocity sensor in the speaker that monitors the Uni-Q drivers in real-time, so the amplifier can correct any inconsistencies, improve bass, and reduce distortion.
The next acronym worth mentioning is KEF’s ‘Music Integrity Engine’ (MIE), which is supposed to deliver more detail, accuracy, and better tonality even at lower volumes.
Each LS Luxe houses a 100W Class A/B and a 280W Class D amplifier to deliver “high output with lower distortion for pure, dynamic sound”.
If you’re curious about connectivity, there isn’t much KEF’s latest won’t connect to. Native support for most popular streaming services exists, as well as Google Cast and AirPlay. Streaming from your local network is also supported. HDMI eArc is also present, so you can hook these up to your home cinema set-up if that’s what you’re rocking.
If all of this sounds like a package you’re keen on, you’ll need to wait a bit. KEF hasn’t said when they’ll be available for purchase. But at least these should turn up in SA eventually. Overseas, they go for $4,000 (~R66,380), so you’d better start saving.
