In a word: WOW! Yes, let me just say WOW to start this review, because these speakers are simply wonderful, at least when you consider them in the right context. Some of that context is that they cost $999 per pair. And they aren’t just speakers but include amplifiers and a music streamer. So, in plain English, all you need to use these is a Qobuz or Tidal or Spotify or Amazon Music or Deezer subscription. And a Wi-Fi or wired network connection. There is an HDMI ARC connection, so you can use these with your TV if you like. There is also a USB-C port so you can connect your computer if that’s where you stream or have your files or for other PC audio uses.

In my case I plugged the speakers into AC power, connected the right speaker to the left via a supplied USB-C cable, linked the speakers to my WiFi, opened up the KEF Connect app and found Qobuz and started playing from my library.  

One more bit of context: I chose to use the LSX IIs initially as desktop speakers. I’ll cover the sound in full room mode in a bit.  

Sound Quality 

By desktop mode, I mean of course, placement on a desktop. I put the LSX II LTs right and left of my computer monitor. In the KEF Connect app there are adjustable EQ and phase settings specifically for desktop usage and I tuned them in Expert Mode very slightly.  

With this basic setup, the LSX II rather quickly earned a full WOW rating. Since this rating system is new, maybe I’ll have to dish out two WOWs and three WOWs in the future, but for now, you get the idea. I was impressed.  

Why? 

Well, the big thing that leads to a WOW is the way the LSXs place an image in desktop mode. The sound is mostly spread between and above and behind the speakers. The sense of the music just being there as with live music, is palpable and impressive.  

But that’s not all. Next, we come to dynamics. The LSX in desktop mode is a punchy and lively speaker. This wouldn’t be so valuable if the LSX couldn’t deliver excellent instrumental separation so that the dynamics don’t get blurry or fuzzy or mushy as with many budget systems. But with the LSX, dynamics are cleanly defined on both the leading and trailing edge and each musician stands clearly in the mix.  

Related to this, the LSX in desktop mode will play plenty loud if you have any sense about you. They’re rated at 102db max output at 1 meter and you’ll be one meter or less away from them in desktop mode. I use 78 db average as a reference level that I think is ample, realistic and sane. So, these speakers have plenty of headroom for most applications. Having 100 watts per channel doesn’t hurt here either.  

The LSX on the desktop is quite well-balanced too. Octave to octave balance, which has a big impact on whether instruments sound right and whether there seems to be a veil or not over some frequency bands, is very good. Also, the bass is punchy and goes deep enough to work on a lot of music (I’d say 60 hz is where things fall off, though you can adjust this a bit in the app). Those who focus on EDM or hip-hop might want a sub but, given how hard it is to make subs work well, I was pleased with the LSX-only approach on the desktop (which also saves money, obviously). In my book, no sub is better than a bad sub implementation. You are welcome to disagree. And I note that KEF makes several subwoofers that can be integrated wirelessly. But you should try the LSX alone before opting for a sub because they may surprise you. 

Upper midrange is full and clear, though lovers of warmth and softness, or those who are background music users, might and probably will want to look elsewhere. Treble is extended, but perhaps very slightly rough in the upper midrange to treble transition region. This is more noticeable when there are recording or digital data rate issues. I listened mainly with Qobuz streaming at the highest res available. But if you use red book CD or, heaven forbid, Bluetooth or other compressed formats, you may not appreciate the treble balance. Now we should remember that when sitting on a desk your ear is perhaps 20 degrees off axis vertically, which might roll off the treble and might also create some unevenness. This is perhaps why KEF offers the P2 stands which angle the speakers up by 10 degrees. I’ve used these stands before when reviewing the original LSX and I thought they helped.  

It is wise to mention at this point that with a desktop setup, you are listening in the near field. That means more of what you hear is direct sound from the speakers and less of what you hear are reflections from the room. You also have to consider that desktop listening, using a video monitor as I set the LSX II LTs up, creates some early reflections. I don’t think that is as big a thing as you might expect because the likely geometry means the monitor reflections are from perhaps 120 degrees off axis, where output in the mid-high frequencies is reduced. KEF is famous for their work on making off-axis response smooth, which probably helps.  

From my listening, another important phenomenon is that near field listening enhances your sense of instrumental articulation if the speakers are good. And it reduces the sense of the sound space that you are listening in, which can be helpful in untreated rooms. What is perhaps surprising or perplexing is that near field listening doesn’t ruin the sense of imaging or sound staging (where the musicians were in terms of their left/right and forward/back positioning). It may actually be beneficial. That’s because the data about sound staging is on the recording, it isn’t created by reflections in the room. Think about that for a minute. And remember that the imaging of the LSX II LT is its signature quality. 

Let’s talk about some music so I am clear on what I heard with the LSX II LT. On Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department, the sound stage extends well behind the speakers and well above them. Now with the LSXs on the desktop, I’m 2.5 ft from the speakers and the speakers are 3’ apart. That’s about 1/3 of the distance from listener to speakers that we have when we test traditional systems in our small room, and the speakers are proportionally farther apart by a bit on the desktop. But basically, this is a similar geometry to what we use with much bigger, fancier systems that image quite well. The phantom image, which again is created by data on the recording, is somewhat closer to the listener with the LSXs, but it sounds surprisingly like a smaller, but not small, version of what we are used to with our reference system. The big thing is how much the image is detached from the speakers. It is rather like a desktop concert.  

Getting back to Taylor Swift, the bass is punchy and weighty, which when combined with the clarity of the different musicians helps you really get into the songs. I heard similar delivery on Eivor’s Slor. There I found solid mid-bass with good definition and the instruments each were well spotlit. Also, the image was just so much bigger than these tiny speakers you almost can’t help but wonder what is going on.  

Santana’s Abraxas, a much earlier recording from 1970, is lively and punchy too. The image is excellent, though smaller than on the modern recordings just mentioned. Switching to Bach’s The Art of the Fugue, played by the Cuarteto Casals, I noted that the imaging spread and depth was impressive and each quartet member was superbly delineated. The strong upper mid balance might not be to everyone’s taste of course. In concert terms, it is much more Row D than Row M.  

I was so enthralled by the imaging that I tried the LSX II LTs on desktop stands that raised the tweeters to about ear height. This made the image height a bit higher, but also made the speaker positions somewhat more noticeable and made the image seem a little smaller. Also the bass punchiness was slightly reduced. Overall, I wouldn’t rate this as a net improvement or a step backward. Still, if you can make it work with the clutter on your desk, I think no stand is fine and the KEF P2 stand appears to be the sweet spot, perhaps unsurprisingly.  

Off the Desktop and Into the Room 

Now, let’s get to how the LSX II LTs sound when you are at a listening distance of perhaps 6 feet from the speakers as you might be in a small room. Most of the qualities above hold true in this application. Surprisingly, the nice mid-bass balance seems to be preserved. Of course, your room shape and speaker positioning will affect this, but I was almost amazed at the balance I achieved with minimal setup effort.  

The imaging is less stunning than on the desktop, but it is still pretty good. The main thing is that the soundstage still stretches between the speakers but it seems smaller than what you might achieve with larger speakers. That is an unfair comparison in some ways of course. 

The octave-to-octave balance and transparency in full room mode are good but will not challenge the better $5k to $10k speakers. No kidding you might say. And I would concur, and add that these speakers lack so much time smear (which is a good thing to lack) and are so well balanced that you naturally start to think about them as if they were 3X their price.  

I had no problem achieving satisfyingly loud levels in a small room, but a 4.5” woofer isn’t going to deliver big bass at 90 db in a living room. If loudness is a key criterion for you, look elsewhere, or plan on a sub.  

Movies 

This might be an issue for some movie lovers (remember the HDMI ARC input) if high volume is part of movie watching for you. I assume for this application you’d want a sub, which will place less strain on the main LSX driver, so you might find these do the trick. I used the LSX with no sub on soundtracks and found that their clarity and balance were refreshing for dialog-driven films and for movies that feature carefully selected music from the relevant time periods or places.  

Summary 

My reference reviewing system cost about $100,000. I listen to over 100 different systems a year, ranging in price from $300 to $3 million. Generally speaking, as you go up in price, you pick up some qualities that you simply don’t find at lower price levels. Bass is hard, dynamics are hard, low noise is hard, spatial reproduction is hard. Some of these systems are impressive and engaging. What KEF shows with the LSX II LT is that if you drop some requirements about 30hz bass and 110 db output capability and extreme linearity and low noise, things that are wonderful but maybe not essential, you can build an extremely musical audio system for under $1000. WOW!