Despite successfully dabbling in both hi-fi and home cinema for many years, you might be surprised to learn that the KEF XIO is the British brand’s first soundbar. What should be less surprising is that it’s shaping up to be equally adept at handling both movie soundtracks and music.
Inside is a real ensemble cast of speakers: a pair of standard full-range drivers, four P185 bass drivers, and six Uni-Q MX drivers, two of which are pointed upwards to fire Dolby Atmos sounds at your ceiling.
That 5.1.2 setup is supported by 12 Class D amplifiers, with a combined 820 watts of power, so your neighbours should be in no doubt what’s happening next door when you crank it up to watch a movie.
That means the KEF XIO is a bit of a whopper. It’s over 1.2m wide and weighs 10.5kg, so you’ll need a big stand and even bigger TV to do it justice; anything under 55in might look a bit silly.
With KEF aiming for the XIO to deliver a best-of-both-worlds performance, you also get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth onboard, with support for AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect and more, so it should be simple to switch from Straight Outta Compton (the film) to Straight Outta Compton (the album) and both will sound equally awesome.
If you want even more bass you can plug in a subwoofer, but there’s also a KW2 RX receiver available for £149 that allows you to connect one of KEF’s subs wirelessly.
It’s available in either black or grey, which is pretty standard for a soundbar, but the svelte design and finish looks a cut above a lot of cheaper options. The KEF XIO will set you back £1999/$2500 and is available to buy now.
