- Kef Xio Soundbar costs £ 1,999 / $ 2,499 / AU $ 3,600
- Dolby Atmos, DTS: X and Sony 360 Reality Audio
- 5.1.2 Channels with 12 Class D -Amplifiers
Audio legend Kef has been busy: Not only did his team collaborate with nothing on the headphone (1), but it also revealed its first ever Dolby Atmos Soundbar. The team is clearly pretty proud of it and promises a “transcendent” sound experience.
For $ 2,499 / £ 1,999 this is clearly one for high-end home theaters. It is a 5.1.2-channel all-in-one audio bar with 12 class D amplifiers that puts a huge 820W of total current.
Despite this, Xio Soundbar is still low enough to look good on a wall. And how many sound beams are made specifically for movies, Kef says that Xio is also made with music in mind.
KEF XIO SOUNDBAR: Key features
Soundbar has six UNI-Q MX drivers, which are smaller versions of the UNI-Q drivers found in larger KEF speakers. These are special because they are two speaker in one – a smaller driver sits in the middle of the cone on the large speaker, creating a wider audio scene between those that form a clear sound signal.
Three of these drivers are located on top for up-firing sound, and the other three faces. They are collaborated with four P185 base drivers, which are rectangular drivers, as KEF says, has the same radiating area as a standard circular 10 cm driver. The rectangular shape means that the sound beam can accommodate more drivers without adding bulk – similar racing track drivers are used in lots of the best sound beams.
Despite the serious low-end stream, don’t get much in the way of unwanted vibration: KEF says how it has arranged the drivers, with two pairs facing opposite directions, which means each driver cancels the vibration of its opposite.
Xio also has KEF’s patent-blinding speed control technology, which it calls Veco. It is a sensor that monitors the P185 driver cones and adjusts the movement to compensate for any errors it detects to minimize distortion and compression.
Another important acronym is Mie, short for the music integrity engine. This is a package of DSP algorithms made specifically for Xio to handle multi-channel treatment, virtualization and object placement. The result, says Kef, is “Transcendent Sounds”.
Xio works with all the major streamers, including Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz and Deezer, and it has HDMI earpraft, optical and subwoofer output. You can also add any KEF -Subwoofer via the optional kw2 wireless recipient.
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 in certain retailers, including Peter Tyson AV and Sevenoak’s Sound & Vision in the UK, with a wider retail access that starts on August 8, 2025.
