I feel like I’ve been pretty vocal about being a fairly big fan of Sonos speakers for their ease of use, great design and expandability. Even though I’ve known there’s better alternatives on the market from a sound point of view, these facts kept me into that infrastructure, but I thought it was time to venture out and give some other well recommended speakers a ago, which led me to the KEF LSX II speakers and KC62 sub, and boy am I glad that I did.
As mentioned, setting up Sonos speakers couldn’t be easier, so right out of the box for the KEF LSX II units, I had high expectations for ease of use and the LSX II met them. Plugging in both the primary speaker and the secondary (left/right) into power, and downloading the KEF Connect app onto my iPhone, they were instantly recognised, connected to my Wi-Fi and ready to go.
I wasn’t expecting such a wide range of connectivity, but everything from HDMI for my TV connection, optical in, USB-C, AUX as well as a range of wireless connections such as AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify and Amazon music, but that’s exactly what was presented to me an extremely clean app.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE
- KEF LSX II Speakers – $1,827 ($322 off) using code ALWAYSON
- KEF KC62 Subwoofer – $2,550 ($450 off) using code ALWAYSON
The app lets you change between sources, setup a range of EQ options, use a bunch of audio services and also control volume and other settings really easily. The connection between my app and the speakers always maintained the connection and it was super easy to use, even for my partner is a great test for ease of use with tech in my house.
Loading up Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ by Michael Jackson from my iPhone over AirPlay 2 was a really good first test and immediately, the quality setup of these stereo speakers above Sonos was evident. The audio was crisp, even at lower volumes, there was a decent amount of bass from the speakers (before connecting the sub) and even though I was used to a soundbar setup with two Dolby Atmos rears, the two speakers were able to fill my medium living room with sound with ease.
From a design point of view, the speakers that I tested were in carbon black and nicely matched my black entertainment unit. They’re sizeable, but not too big and they have fabric surrounds, which I do have a little bit of concerns about for dust, but as far as a design statement, they look extremely high-end and would fit into any house aesthetics.
There’s a small LED light on the front of the units that tells you which source is connected, but I was a little surprised to see that there’s no on-board controls at all on the speakers. Whilst I can appreciate the simplicity and you can control it via the app and an included remote, I would have liked to see at least a volume dial on the back of the speaker.
I then pulled the KEF KC62 Sub out of the box, and boy was I surprised by the size. It’s a good third of the size of the Sonos Sub, described as being just a little bit bigger than a soccer ball. It’s a hefty little unit with a good amount of weight, but as far as subs go, I feel like it’s probably the nicest that I’ve seen, and won’t take up much space in your living room.
Whilst it’s small in size, it is absolutely not small in bass. With it’s side amps, it can be placed anywhere with five presents ranging from against a wall, to on an entertainment unit to a number of other options that can be easily flicked between.
Instantly, the sub did the heavy lifting of the lows and the bass was beyond anything that I’ve heard from a consumer sub. It was able to keep up with the music perfectly and really give a good amount of rumble to audio to any kind of content that I was listening to or watching.
I will say, this is where the setup was a little bit tougher. If you’re wanting to connect the sub wirelessly, you’ll need to buy a $400 wireless subwoofer adaptor kit which requires a connection to the sub and another transmitter connected to the primary LSX II speaker. It worked instantly once all plugged in, and you actually don’t get the required cables in the box to connect the subs to the speaker with a wire. it’s not the end of the world, but worth mentioning.
After I spent a good afternoon listening to music, it was then time to plug in the HDMI cord and use the speakers and the sub with my TV. It’s worth mentioning that my TV remote was able to control the volume of the speakers, so that was great to see.
I firstly booted up Marvel’s Avengers End Game and was fairly blown away with how clear and crisp the audio was. Voices were easy to understand and very clearly separated from the action going on in the background.
It was in the battle sequences that the entire setup really shined though, with both left and right speakers having a very clear seperation, combining with the sub to really make me feel like I was in the middle of action.
Similarly, switching over to my PS5 and playing some Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I could very clearly hear the distinction between foot steps and gunshots coming through both speakers, with the sub providing an immense amount of base.
Lastly, I booted into Horizon Forbidden West, as I absolutely love the sounds that come from the wilderness in that game, and it did not disappoint with the rumbles of the Thunderjaw coming through the speakers at full pelt.
All-in-all, I was really impressed with the KEF LSX II speakers/KC62 sub combo. Generally when I try anything other than my normal setup, I’m rushing to go back, but this wasn’t the case with these, both because they sound phenomenal, and the ease of use using the KEF Connect app and ability to AirPlay music from my iPhone meet the needs of general day-to-day use when I’m not in front of the TV.
Audio Connection has given us the code ALWAYSON for our readers in which you can say 15% off both the KEF LSX II speakers as well as the KC62 Sub.
