Britain’s KEF was on-site to reveal the brand new KEF XIO Dolby Atmos soundbar at Audio Recommendation Reside 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina, on August 1-3, and at first hear, the corporate’s first soundbar turned out to be every part I’d anticipated from the well-regarded speaker producer.
Like different examples of the best soundbars, the KEF XIO is a Dolby Atmos mannequin that additionally helps DTS: X. It makes use of 12 whole drivers in a 5.1.2-channel configuration powered by 820 watts. KEF can also be engaged on a encompass sound characteristic to assist KEF wi-fi audio system, an improve that may make XIO methods 5.1.4-channel suitable when it arrives in fall 2025.
At $2,499 / $1,999 / AU$3,600, the XIO is priced on the excessive finish of the spectrum in comparison with different prime standalone soundbars such because the Sonos Arc Ultra. However KEF provides some design thrives to the XIO to assist justify the added price, with a key one being an inside gyroscope that detects if the soundbar is put in in a wall-mount (vertical) or shelf (horizontal) configuration and configures the sound output accordingly. An identical characteristic could be discovered on the brand new Samsung HW-QS700F.
The XIO has a premium design with an aluminum prime plate and cloth mesh grilles in black or silver finishes. Connections embrace HDMI eARC and optical digital inputs in addition to an RCA output for a wired subwoofer connection. Wi-fi connection to a suitable KEF subwoofer, such because the KC92 mannequin used within the firm’s Audio Recommendation Reside demo, can also be supported.
Together with Bluetooth, each AirPlay and Google Solid are supported for wi-fi music streaming, together with Spotify Join and Tidal Join. Amazon Music, Qobuz, Deezer, and extra companies may also be streamed over Wi-Fi by way of the KEF Join app – out there for Android and iOS – which is moreover used for setup and sound changes.
Music first
To assist its claims for the XIO as a ‘high-performance audio system that occurs to be within the type of a soundbar,’ KEF began its demo with a music monitor, Hey Laura, from Gregory Porter Reside in Berlin. This vocal-led jazz monitor had a crisp, but heat sound, and Porter’s vocals had been pure and full-bodied. Additionally, devices like guitar, standup bass, and drums all lower by way of clearly within the combine in a means that typical soundbars are hardly ever capable of handle.
The We Will Rock You scene from the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody turned out to be one of many extra widespread demo tracks at Audio Recommendation Reside 25, and it sounded nice on the XIO, with the super-compact KC92 subwoofer including an additional layer of low-frequency depth to the followers stomping their toes on the stadium floorboards. KEF specs the XIO’s low frequency extension at 34Hz (+/-3dB), which ought to be loads sufficient for most people – factor, contemplating including a single KC92 ($2,499 ) will double the entire system worth.
KEF wrapped issues up with the bike race/King Kong scene from Prepared Participant One, one other widespread demo on the present, and the system’s readability, dynamics, and sound results positioning all exceeded my expectations for an all-in-one soundbar plus subwoofer-based system.
The KEF XIO is on the market now, and TechRadar’s full assessment of it is going to put up shortly. It is nonetheless early to say, however from what I heard at Audio Recommendation Reside 25, the KEF XIO might very nicely find yourself dominating the high-end all-in-one soundbar area.
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