Audio devices are just one of those things where it can’t shrink while maintaining quality, especially for speakers. With a bigger speaker size, comes clearer and stronger sounds that small speakers can’t emulate, and the same goes for your earphones versus headphones.
Why do bigger speakers sound better?
That’s because the bigger the speaker, the more you can fit into it to produce standalone audio components such as subwoofers and amplifiers.
Vice versa, the smaller a speaker, the less you can fit in. While small speakers can still provide a form of quality in some situations, it’ll never be able to reach the strong performance of a larger speaker in many situations such as for the living room or big halls in general.
Since your home is your comfort zone, it makes sense to upgrade it to the fullest. But, building a proper music system will cost a pretty penny.
KEF LSX Wireless System: The only one you’ll need?
Loudspeaker British brand KEF has quite a good history of providing audio goods since 1961. From floor-standing speakers to wall-mounted ones, it’s no surprise that KEF has come up with the LSX Wireless System to embrace and fit into the minimalist, wireless tech era.
This latest LSX Wireless System of theirs is a pair of full-range speakers that are set to give a 3D soundstage in a compact factor without compromising on style and quality. While not the lightest, biggest or cheapest, they do focus on producing a full-bodied music experience for those who don’t have more time to look into certain components for their dream music setup.
Design
A most eye-catching feature of the speakers is their physical design. Small yet sturdy, the speakers are wrapped elegantly in Kvadrat fabric to blend seamlessly into any workspace or bookshelves. Our test units came with basic grey-coloured cones that match their housings perfectly.
Also coming with the speakers is the brand’s Uni-Q driver array, whereby the speaker’s red-coloured tweeter is arranged into the centre of the midrange and bass cone in order to deliver good stereo imaging. This then makes music much clearer with a wider listening range.
Set up
Setting the speakers up through wire connectivity is quite straight forward, and we did it without downloading the KEF app (initially). Of course, when wanting to play music wirelessly, it’s best to use the app for clearer pairing instructions. Do take note that as a power outlet is needed for both of them separately, you’ll need an extension if you don’t have two outlets side by side.
While a physical (and quite responsive) remote control is provided, we went ahead with controlling the speakers fully on the KEF app. In terms of UI experience, the app is quite user-friendly, as it also provides big and clear diagrams on set up directions.
Features
Possibly the biggest reason to get the LSX speakers are its wireless features. By streaming and controlling wirelessly (whether 2.4GHz/5GHz wi-fi or Bluetooth) through its dedicated KEF Stream app, you can expect a rate of 48kHz/24-bit. While that doesn’t sound like a big number, the speakers still produce very clear audio.
You can also stream from most music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple AirPlay, whereby the app has a dedicated option for it.
Of course, in the end, playing via wired will still give you the best sound quality out of the speakers as they can achieve up to 96kHz/24-bit. You have the traditional option of ethernet, aux and optical connectivity.
Performance
As someone who grew up being used to the quality produced by her dad’s hi-fi system setup, I was impressed with the audio delivery. For something that’s half the size of surround speakers in my living room, music seems well balanced and full-bodied.
We find the LSX speakers to perform fantastic in terms of clarity. No matter how great the highs and lows were, these speakers showed no signs of vibrations and music clipping. Separation of different frequencies was executed very well without one overpowering the other.
One thing to note for sure is that despite the speakers not having an actual subwoofer, it delivered bass quite acceptably. Even so, bass-lovers will find it not as deep as they might like. In the end, it is still a preferential matter.
To simply put, we feel that the speakers perform great when it comes to volume and clarity. But for some reason, we are quite aware that all of these are coming from a small speaker.
Conclusion
The LSX Music System speakers are quite an interesting pair to rate. We like how clear and loud the speakers performed in such a small body. Even more impressive were the speakers being able to maintain a good delivery of music wirelessly. Despite lacking a subwoofer, the speakers handled bass quite nicely.
Alas, the speakers aren’t cheap, which can be a point-breaker for regular users. As we’ve mentioned before, the speakers perform quite well but not entirely due to the lack of a subwoofer. For this, we recommend connecting them to a standalone subwoofer if you wish.
All in all, we imagine the speakers to be perfect for beginner audiophiles and even regular users who do not wish to spend too much or have the space to accommodate standalone audio equipment. As long as one is fine with the lack of a subwoofer to add depths to the bass, you might just find yourself a well-loved product.
