- The Kef XIO soundbar costs £ 1,999 $ 2,499 / $ 3,600 at
- Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and Sony 360 Reality Audio
- 5.1.2 Channels with 12 class D amplifiers
The legend of the Kef audio was occupied: not only has his team collaborated with nothing on the helmet (1), but it also unveiled its very first bar of Dolby Atmos. The team is clearly quite proud of this and promises an “transcendent” audio experience.
At $ 2,499 / £ 1,999, it is clearly one for high -end reception rooms. It is an all-in-one sound bar of 5.1.2 channels with 12 class D amplifiers emitting 820 W of total power.
Despite this, the XIO soundbar is still not very much to appear well on a wall. And where many sound bars are specially designed for films, Kef says that the XIO was also made with music.
KEF XIO sound barbar: key features
The sound bar has six UNIQ MX pilots, which are smaller versions of the uni-q pilots that you will find in larger kef speakers. These are special because these are two speakers in one-a smaller pilot is in the center of the cone of the large speaker, creating a wider sound scene between them which forms a clear audio signal.
Three of these pilots are placed on the top for an upward audio, and the other three face the front. They are associated with four low p185 pilots, which are rectangular pilots which, according to Kef, have the same radiant zone as a standard circular pilot of 10 cm. The rectangular shape means that the soundbar can accommodate more drivers without adding in bulk – similar racetrack drivers are used in many sound bars.
Despite this serious low -end power, you should not get many unwanted vibrations: Kef says that the way he arranged the pilots, with two pairs in front of opposite directions, which means that each driver cancels the vibration of his opposite.
The XIO also includes speed control technology with kef patent, which he calls VECO. It is a sensor that monitors the pilot cones P185, adjusting the movement to compensate for any error which it detects in order to minimize the distortion and compression.
Another key acronym is mie, abbreviation of the music integrity engine. It is a series of DSP algorithms specially designed for the XIO to manage the treatment, virtualization and placement of multichannel objects. The result, says Kef, is “transcendent sound landscapes”.
The XIO works with all the main streamers, including Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz and Deezer, and it has HDMI EARC, Optics and Subwoofer outings. You can also add any KEF subwoofer via the optional KW2 wireless receiver.
KEF XIO is available via early access to MyKEF members from today, July 8, and it will be sold on July 18. It will also be available from today from some retailers, including Peter Tyson AV and Sevenoaks Sound & Vision in the United Kingdom, with greater retail availability from August 8, 2025.
