KEF LSX SYSTEMS 26 www.whathifi.com S caling something down proportionally to create a smaller replica may work for model villages and food recipes, but in speaker design the rules aren’t quite as simple. Despite that, KEF shrunk its multi- Award-winning LS50 Wireless streaming system (see p30) down to make this miniature, half-price version. The LSX shares its successful sibling’s blueprint as an all-in-one hi-fi system: a network streamer, Bluetooth receiver and amplification within a pair of compact stereo speakers. But creating the LSX isn’t just a case of simply miniaturising everything in the LS50 Wireless’s anatomy and cutting the price in half. In addition to the smaller cabinets, smaller Uni-Q driver arrays and smaller, 200W amplification, some changes were made to cater for the price and size reduction. Rather than combining a Class A/B circuit (to feed the tweeter) with a Class D module (to power the mid/bass unit) as the LS50 Wireless does, the LSX’s amplification is purely Class D. Such a design is compact as well as being more power efficient. This reduces the need for large, bulky heatsinks and means KEF KEF has been involved in many design collaborations over the years – including the ‘Nocturne by Marcel Wanders’ edition of the LS50 Wireless, the multi-coloured KEF Muos by Ross Lovegrave, and KEF’s Porsche Design Space One headphones. For the LSX, KEF had a helping hand from British designer Michael Young, whose signature is subtly printed on the olive green (with gold cone and red tweeter) version. You can also opt for red with red cone and silver tweeter, blue with blue cone and silver tweeter or black with silver cone and red tweeter variants. There’s also a fabric-less glossy white version with a silver cone and red tweeter. The LSX has many sources you’ll want to make use of. Over ethernet or 2.4GHz/5GHz wi-fi, users can stream networked music via DLNA or from Tidal – all from within the KEF Stream app. Spotify Connect, Roon compatibility, aptX Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay 2 are also part of the package. While the LSX’s master speaker overlooks its sibling’s legacy RCA and USB type-B connections, its optical and 3.5mm aux inputs provide the means to connect TVs and portable devices, while a subwoofer output offers the opportunity to add more bass. You can always add a bit more bass by tweaking the balance in the system's EQ settings, which can be found in KEF’s Control app. The app is also used to get the LSX on your network, apply room settings, perform firmware updates and switch sources. The last can also be performed via the supplied remote – as can volume adjustment. Two instead of one We’ve mentioned two KEF apps (Stream and Control); one is for set-up and control and the other for navigating network streaming. It feels unnecessary given how some rivals manage to integrate everything in one app, but at least you can easily switch between the two without having to open and close them. Our biggest grumble is that the Stream app has a tendency to trip up during playback from Tidal. It’s not the end of the world, but the occasional dropout stops it being a completely satisfactory user experience. Thankfully no such problems occur when we stream from our media server, although the interface does have a simplistic list view, rather than a grid view for browsing music libraries. can keep the plastic cabinets as small as possible. The LSX system loses a couple of its bigger sibling’s connections: USB Type B (for computer and laptop hook-ups) and RCAs for connecting legacy hi-fi kit. But KEF has also evolved its stereo speaker system concept on the LSX; this system doesn’t require an ethernet cable to connect the two speakers. The LSX can play hi-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz, but will downsample to either 24-bit/48kHz if the speakers are connected to each other wirelessly or 24-bit/96kHz if you do decide to run the supplied ethernet cable The LSX’s ‘miniature’ description isn’t just relative to its larger sibling. Each speaker is smaller than any passive stereo speaker we can recall testing, bookshelf-friendly and easily transported to another room. The smaller proportions may make them less of an eyeful than their sibling, but they’re no less bold. The LSX speakers use KEF’s distinct-looking Uni-Q driver array, in which a 19mm aluminium dome tweeter sits in the centre of a 10cm magnesium/aluminium mid/bass cone. And this time the cabinets are, bar the curved baffles, wrapped in an attractive woven fabric. £999