If you are looking for the best KEF speakers of all time, you’re in the right place. In this review, we feature the best KEF speakers that have consistently outperformed the competition in terms of sound quality, detail and HI-Fi sound performance, delivering some of the most accurate and immersive sound we’ve heard from a stereo sound system. These KEF speakers are designed to provide the very best sound performance and are built for high-end listening; listening to these speakers allow you to hear details in the music that you might not have noticed before and hear aspects for your favorite soundtracks that you never noticed were there. If you are an audiophile looking for the best KEF speakers of all time, be sure to check out our top picks below.
View the best KEF speakers below
#1 Best Overall: KEF LS50 Wireless II
When it comes to sound performance, nothing really comes close to the KEF LS50 wireless II speakers. These speakers are designed for high-end listening and each speaker comes with a 280 watt amplifier for the midrange and 100W amplifier for the tweeter, delivering some of the most well-balanced sound you will hear in a stereo sound system. The LS50 Wireless II also supports wireless streaming from Apple AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast and Bluetooth 4.2 with super high resolution of up to 384kHz/24bit depending on your connection. They support all high-fidelity sound formats including FLAC, AAC and WMA sound formats, and have an extremely wide frequency range of 40 Hz to 47 kHz. The LS50 is also equipped with KEF’s music integrity engine with digital signal processing optimized for the Uni-Q driver to deliver extremely clear sound with better stereo imaging. You can also personalize the sound settings on the KEF LS50 speakers using the KEF connect app and tune the sound according to your personal preferences. You’ll be hard pressed to find any other KEF speaker that can deliver high-fidelity sound on par with the KEF LS50 wireless II.
Our first impressions of the KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers was that the sound was incredibly detailed and spacious – it feels like you are getting Hi-Fi headphone sound through a speaker version. You can hear details and sounds in the music that other Hi-Fi speakers cannot produce due to the noise and sensitivity – the LS50 allows you to hear all the details in the original recording. The sound quality is crystal clear and warm; there is a certain sense of depth and substance that you get with the midrange and lower-end bass that really sets this system apart. These speakers are great for listening to music and watching movies – it gives you much deeper and heavy sound performance with crystal clear highs and you can hear the distinction between the highs and mids clearly. There is no bleed or muddiness between the highs and the midrange frequencies, and the bass stays where it should be as bass without muddying into the midrange frequencies.
The imaging and soundstage of the KEF LS50 is on another level – they sound like really huge speakers with large soundstage, and the stereo presentation is superb. You can hear details in the music between the right and left channels that sound crystal clear and vibrant; movies also sounded very clear with nice dialogues and sound effects. You can really hear the spatial imaging between both speakers and get a sense of where each sound is coming from such as the vocals, instruments, piano, and drums. We also liked the built-in low pass in the app which works nicely for any additional subwoofer and you also get instantaneous sliders for gain settings.
Design wise, the KEF LS50 Wireless II speakers look incredibly sleek and modern, and they can blend in nicely into any modern contemporary living room space. You can either place these speakers on a stereo monitor stand or on the TV console to enjoy the sound performance. The build quality is fantastic, and you can feel how heavy this speaker is when you try to move it around – which is a indication of good quality components.
#2 Most Compact: KEF LSX II Wireless Hi-Fi System
The KEF LSX II wireless Hi-Fi speaker system is an ultra-compact stereo speaker system designed to deliver high-fidelity sound in a small setup. These KEF speakers are great if you need a sound system for smaller spaces and they fit in nicely with bedrooms or study rooms. The LSX II supports high-quality music streaming up to 24bit/384kHz, allowing you to stream high-fidelity sound without any dips in sound quality or performance. We also liked that the LSX II supports HDMI ARC and USB-C inputs, making them compatible with TVs or computer laptops to play music. You can also use AirPlay 2 or Chromecast to fill the entire house with the same musc and the LSX II speakers are compatible with them. It also comes with built-in streaming services which support Spotify, Tidal and more for convenient music playback.
One of the things that we liked about the KEF LSX II speakers is how compact and portable the speakers actually are – they are compact enough to fit on a bookshelf, desktop or even mounted on the wall. You can also use the KEF connect app which allows for simple firmware updates and allows you to tailor the sound performance according to your listening preferences. Both speakers are completely wireless and you do not need any cables to connect the two speakers – the speakers also come with built-in amplification so you don’t have to get an extra amp for the stereo speakers.
When we first tested out the KEF LSX II speakers, we were surprised at how good the sound quality from these speakers sounded. They sound like a medium Hi-Fi stereo system with crystal clear highs, detailed midranges, and superb vocals. These speakers have clear and articulate sound that can allow you to hear every single detail in the music with pristine clarity; instrumental notes and separation sounded very accurate and detailed. When you sit in front of the LSX II speakers and listen to instrumental music, the KEF LSX II speakers deliver some of the widest soundstage that you will hear with spaciousness that rivals that of a true Hi-Fi sound system. For deeper bass response, we also recommend pairing the LSX II speakers with a subwoofer such as the KEF Kube 8b to deliver a solid low-end bass.
As far as movies go, the KEF LXS II speakers are definitely impressive and deliver very crisp dialogues and sparkle in the high-end frequency ranges. The midrange is solid and pristine, and you can all the treble ranges with great detail. While these are not Dolby Atmos speakers, they can also reproduce the sound effects with great clarity and spaciousness – the kind that you would get when listening to a Hi-Fi sound system.
Finally, the KEF LXS II speakers look incredibly sleek and modern with a nice aluminium finish. They look super high-end and are the kind of speakers that you would want to display in the living room to show your guests. These are compact speakers that deliver clear bass, balanced midranges and really loud distortion-free sound and we highly recommend them.
#3 Best Stereo Sound: KEF LS50 Meta Speakers
The KEF LS50 are easily some of the best KEF speakers of all time that deliver true stereo sound with great attention to detail. These speakers features KEF’s metamaterial absorption technology which reduces unwanted sound from the rear of the driver by 99%, allowing them to deliver distortion-free sound at any volume level. The LS50 speakers also feature KEF’s 12th generation Uni-Q driver which provides a 40% increase in smoothness and treble ranges, allowing them to deliver crystal clear vocals and instrumental notes. In fact, these speakers have a total harmonic distortion of just 0.07% and the driver is optimised to deliver crystal clear audio with reduced coloration even at the loudest volume level. The LS50 speakers also have a wide frequency range of 47 Hz to 45 kHz, and allow you to pick up the details in the music which you might not have noticed before.
When we tested out of the KEF LS50, we were impressed by how clean and clear the stereo sound felt. The KEF speakers provide a great soundstage with crystal clear sound that feels spacious and vibrant – the highs and midranges feel present without any muddiness, and the treble ranges sound silky smooth without any harshness. These speakers particularly shine when you are using them to listen to instrumental or classical music – the level of timbre and sparkle in the high-end is exceptional and really adds a subtle kick to your music.
One exceptional feature of the KEF LS50 is that they do have a very full, wide and smooth natural soundstage. They pump out sound that sounds much larger than you would expect from a speaker of this size. Having said that, we do recommend using an amp with at least 150-200 watts RMS to get the best sound performance out of the LS50 speakers. These speaker also deliver surprising amount of bass for their size; we would recommend getting a dedicated subwoofer if you want to add a true low-end punch to the entire speaker system.
KEF’s engineers really put in a lot of effort into designing the LS50 speakers. The LS50 Meta’s baffle is engineered using an injection moulded dough moulding compound, while the inside of the cabinet has cross bracing and constrained layer damping which drastically reduces internal vibrations. The LS50’s port comes with flexible port walls which prevents resonances from coloring the midrange, allowing the speaker to deliver loud sound quality with minimal distortion. The exterior of this speaker is made from polished aluminium and the blend in nicely with modern interior décor with their sleek and compact design.
Overall, the KEF LS50 Meta delivers incredibly detailed soundstage and Hi-Fi stereo sound, and can reproduce music with pristine clarity and loudness. They are true audiophile speakers designed for high-end music listening.
#4 Best for Hi-Fi: KEF R3 Standmound Speakers
If you are looking for a high-end KEF speaker for a Hi-Fi setup, the KEF R3 Standmound speakers are definitely the ones you should get. The KEF R3 is a true 3-way speaker system that comes with a 6.5” bass driver and 5” midrange driver with 1” aluminium dome tweeters for full-range sound reproduction. This speaker shares the same Uni-Q driver array as the high-end KEF R11 sound system and is designed for crystal clear Hi-Fi sound reproduction. The R3 speaker also has a wide frequency range of 52 Hz to 28 kHz and comes with matching magnetic microfiber grilles to protect the speaker enclosure.
We were simply blown away by the sound performance of the KEF R3 speakers. The sound from these speakers is clear and well-balanced, with a good emphasis on the highs and bass. The bass on these speakers sound amazing – they are not the kind of bass that you would hear from a typical subwoofer – the bass is very clear and accurate and adds a low-end sonic punch without muddying into the midrange. There is a certain sense of depth and substance of the low-end frequencies, and the level of soundstage and sonic presence that these speakers have is incredible – you feel like you are listening to a high-end Hi-Fi speaker system that sounds much larger than the R3 speakers.
One of the key aspects of the KEF R3 is that they have huge soundstage on well-recorded music. When listening to live performances, you can hear the ambience of the room or hall where the recording is made, and even hear subtle echoes and spatial sounds. You can use the R3 speakers in a two channel system with speaker stands in a large living room and they can fill up the room with immersive sound at half the volume level. You can also connect a dedicated subwoofer such as the KEF Cube 8b to this system if you want to get more bass. In terms of volume output, the KEF R3 speakers have the same level of clarity of the LS-50 speakers but pump out much more volume in a large room.
The KEF R3 comes with a lot of improved features that make it a premium Hi-Fi sound system. It features improved cabinet bracing which is highly effective at disappating unwanted vibrations that would change the sound and coloration of the music. It also features flexible port technology which has flexible walls to prevent resonances from coloring the midrange, and also comes with low-frequency drivers with a two-part structure to improve linearity for deeper impactful bass with virtually zero distortion. You can see that the overall build quality of the KEF R3 is impressive and they have a good weight to them that makes the bass feel well-rounded and deep. The R3 speakers have premium look and a sleek cabinet structure that looks solid and well-designed.
The only thing you will need to get the KEF R3 speakers up and running is a good amp or receiver – we recommend using the Emotiva UPA-7 amp for much cleaner sound reproduction with these speakers.
#5 Best Bookshelf: KEF Q350 Bookshelf Speakers
The KEF Q350 are hands down the best KEF bookshelf speakers of all time, delivering some of the most impressive sound performance we’ve heard from a KEF bookshelf speaker system. The Q350 is the newest iteration of the KEF Q-Series speakers, and comes with a new cabinet, sleek new finishes and an improved 6.5” Uni-Q driver array for much cleaner and larger sound. We liked that the Q350 has an enhanced Uni-Q driver array that is designed to smoothen out the treble frequencies and reduce harshness, and comes with a new crossover to provide cleaner and more accurate bass response even for complex soundtracks with a lot of details going on. The front port of the Q350 speakers have been moved to the back of the QQ350 and the internal architecture has been re-designed to reduce internal resonances to improve audio clarity. The Q350 also features a 6.5” driver which delivers deep powerful bass response and a lower-frequency punch.
Compared with the KEF Q150 speakers, the KEF Q350 delivers a bigger and warmer sound performance with better midrange and more bass. While the Q150s have cleaner treble ranges, the KEF Q350 delivers more balanced sound and better bass. The Q350 delivers a lot of detail in the music with really crisp vocals; treble ranges have plenty of sparkle and they feel much more warm than the Q150s. Having said that, we felt that the Q350 speakers perform better at louder volumes – the sound becomes more engaging at higher volume levels and brings out the details more clearly. Vocal performances have a level of sparkle that you rarely hear from bookshelf speakers, and the highs and treble ranges sound smooth with sparkling details. The fine details and imaging seem more carefully crafted with the Q350s and they do not get lost in the mid-bass.
One of the things we liked about the Q350 over the Q150s is that these speakers have more bass. The bass and lower-midrange extensions are comparable but they sound cleaner and more detailed on the Q350s at higher volume levels. The Q350s also provide really good soundstage which feels wide and spacious; you get the sense that you are listening to a high-end Hi-Fi speaker system with the Q350s. In terms of volume handling, the Q350 performs much better than the Q150s – they do not suffer from low power as much as the Q150 due to their warmer sound signature and deeper bass response. Having said that, the Q350s still require a dedicated subwoofer if you want to add dedicated low-end bass beats to your music as the bass starts to tamper off at lower volume levels.
The Q350 comes with numerous improvements over the previous generation KEF Q series speakers. The Uni-Q driver is re-positioned in the center of the cabinet which reduces standing waves and resonances within the driver, delivering a more detailed and accurate sound performance. The low-frequency port is also faced at the rear to reduce midrange leakage for a cleaner sound performance. These optimizations allow the KEF Q350 to provide a much cleaner sound and virtually distortion-free sound at max volume levels.
Overall, the KEF Q350 does provide some design upgrades and sound performance enhancements over the Q150s, but both are relatively similar in terms of sound quality. The Q350s sound much warmer and are more suited for bass-leaning music genres, and they provide a wide soundstage with spacious stereo sound imaging.
#6 Best KEF Subwoofer: KEF Kube 10b Subwoofer
The KEF Kube 10b is hands down the best KEF subwoofer that you can find that delivers the deepest possible bass for any KEF system. We tested out the Kube 8b and 10b and found that the 10b subwoofer delivers significantly deeper lows and more powerful volume, making them great for pairing with the KEF R3 or Q350 speakers. The Kube subwoofer is equipped with a 300 watt Class D amplifier with IBX technology which dynamically extends the bass depth and low-end punch. The Kube 10b also comes with 3 pre-programmed custom EQ settings to optimize the bass depending on whether you are placing the subwoofer in a corner or free standing. We also liked that the Kube 10b allows you to customize the gain, phase, low-pass filter and crossovers according to your listening preferences, which is really good if you need to optimize the sound to suit your listening environment. Furthermore, the Kube 10b features KEF smart compression limiting which allows the subwoofer to play louder and deliver dynamic bass without any distortion. They also pair with any KEF Q-Series or R3 speakers which makes setting up the subwoofer intuitive and simple.
The bass from the KEF Kube 10b is extremely deep and powerful. We paired this subwoofer with the KEF R3 Hi-Fi speakers and they really enhance the overall listening experience with crystal clear sound and deep punchy beats. You can watch movies on this system and the subwoofer with fill the bottom end with extremely deep bass with a lot of depth – it feels as though you are sitting in a real life cinema watching movies. We recommend setting the crossover at 80Hz and the bass volume around 50% to experience the low-end bass without the bass sounding too overpowering. The bass stays where it should be as bass and does not bleed on the crossover – the bass hits where it needs to and does not saturate the room. This is a subwoofer that delivers impressive bass performance and we also liked the ability to program the custom EQ settings depending on your subwoofer placement.
We also compared the KEF Kube 10b with the Sonos Subwoofer (3rd generation) and found that the Kube 10b delivers more accurate bass. The bass hits where it should be and is not all over the place like the Sonos Subwoofer – you get bass that feels high-fidelity and adds depth the overall music or cinematic sound. The Kube 10b also provides more clarity and depth when it comes to music soundtracks, while the Sonos subwoofer feels more optimised for watching movies with a Dolby Digital setup. If you are an audiophile that wants to add a solid low-end punch, you can’t go wrong with the KEF Kube 10b.
If you are looking to add bass to your KEF speaker sound system, we highly recommend the KEF Kube 10b subwoofer for its deep bass response and compact design.
#7 Best Treble Range: KEF Q150 Bookshelf Speakers
The KEF Q150 bookshelf speakers are designed to provide crystal clear transparent sound with superb treble ranges. This speaker comes with a new cabinet design with sleek new finishes and comes with an improved 5.25” Uni-Q driver array that delivers crystal clear highs and pristine treble ranges. The Q150 comes with the exact same Uni-Q driver array found in the KEF Q350 speakers which delivers more detailed and accurate three-dimensional sound image with accurate bass performance. The Uni-Q drivers are positioned at the center of the cabinet to reduce standing waves and resonance within the enclosure, providing a much cleaner sound. We really liked the wide-dispersion that the Uni-Q drivers offer, providing a much wider soundstage and spacious sound that feels larger and more engaging. Compared with the KEF Q350 speakers, we found that the Q150 speakers deliver much better highs and treble ranges, while the Q350 has a warmer sound signature for bass-leaning music genres.
In terms of sound quality, the KEF Q150 has a rather neutral sound signature with great emphasis on the highs and treble ranges. The concentric woofer and tweeter delivers a really good stereo image with really nice emphasis on the upper frequency ranges – they provide very good separation and you can hear details in the music which you may not have noticed before. The speakers require virtually no toe-in and all you have to do is the line them up straight and parallel to get a clean stereo image. KEF recommends 10 to 100 watts per channel for the Q150 and these speakers will do just fine with a 15W RMS class A power amplifier. We also recommend using a dedicated subwoofer such as the Kube 10b to get dedicated bass response and deliver a nice low-end frequency range.
The KEF Q150 delivers virtually unbeatable soundstage. They cast a very wide soundstage and you can really hear the separation between the left and right speaker channels with pristine clarity. Vocal and instrumental performances sounded spectacular on these speakers and the treble ranges are well-defined and crystal clear. One thing that sets the Q150s apart from the Q350s is the level of sparkle that these speakers have in the upper frequency ranges which makes music sound more realistic and lifelike. Female vocals sounded especially good and you can hear the depth in the vocal performance with the Q150 speakers. The bass on the Q150 sounds clean and well-defined and similar to the Q350s.
Overall, the KEF Q150 are superb bookshelf speakers that excel in terms of treble ranges and upper midrange clarity. They sound much brighter with more sparkle than the Q350s, and provide really nice clarity for vocals and instrumental performances with comparable soundstage. If you are looking for set of bookshelf speakers to listen to audiophile grade sound, the KEF Q150s are definitely a great choice.
#8 Best Center-Channel Speaker: KEF Q250c Center Channel Speaker
The KEF Q250c is a center channel speaker designed to deliver crystal clear dialogues and midrange performance for home theater setups. It comes with an improved Uni-Q driver array designed to smoothen out treble frequencies and deliver really clean dialogues and vocals while watching movies. The Q250c also feature a new closed box midrange cabinet which helps to improve clarity and deliver cleaner bass performance. We really like the new Uni-Q driver array which delivers really detailed highs and crisp treble ranges; the soundstage is very wide and the Q250c speakers are able to disperse sound in a large room with good imaging for you to hear all the details in the music. The Q250c also comes with a new cone structure for improved midrange clarity, and comes with auxiliary bass radiators which give dialogues and vocals more depth and substance. You can also use the KEF Q250c speaker together with the Q150s to get full surround sound performance and crisp dialogues while listening to music or watching movies.
When we tested out the KEF Q250c speakers in our Hi-Fi setup together with the KEF Q150 speakers, the Q250c speaker delivers superb sound performance that can get very loud without any hint of distortion. The highs and treble ranges on the Q250c speakers are crisp and have plenty of sparkle to them, allowing them to deliver crystal clear dialogues and vocals. The Uni-Q driver array delivers impressive midrange performance and the woofers are powerful enough to deliver good bass response which adds depth to music performances. You can sit right in front of the KEF Q250c speaker and it feels like you are listening to a high-end Hi-Fi system with really good soundstage and spatial imaging.
Instrumental and vocal performances were realistic and very lifelike; you get a real sense that you are sitting live in a concert room and you can pick up minute details such as the echoes within the halls and minor reverbs. We also recommend pairing the KEF Q250c speakers with the KEF Kube 10b for much more powerful bass response – this will give you high-fidelity sound that feels lifelike and very realistic. The midranges on the Q250c are rich and full of depth and warmth, and vocals sound incredibly rich and true. You really do feel like you are sitting in a live concert hall when listening to the Q250c speakers.
Overall, the KEF Q250c speakers are a great companion to the KEF Q150 and Q350 speakers, and is a center channel speaker that is suitable for home theater setups or for Hi-Fi listening. We recommend pairing the Q250c speakers to a dedicated subwoofer like the KEF Kube 10b so that you can enjoy the full audio spectrum with sparkling highs and extremely deep and powerful lows.
#9 Best Floorstanding Speaker: KEF Q950 Floorstanding Speaker
If you are looking for a floor standing speaker for your Hi-Fi sound system, the KEF Q950 is hands down the best KEF speaker to get for your setup. This floor standing speaker is capable of delivering high-fidelity sound performance, and features a redesigned cabinet with sleek new features and a Uni-Q driver array. This speaker comes with an improved crossover network to deliver more accurate and cleaner bass response, and also features KEF’s signature Uni-Q driver array to smooth out the treble ranges and vocals. The Q950 also comes with internal upgrades for its low-frequency drivers including a new surround and rear suspension for more powerful bass response. We also liked the closed box nature of these floorstanding speakers which provides tighter and more precise sound reproduction. The Q950s speaker features an 8” uni-Q driver array, one 8” bass driver and two 8” auxiliary bass radiators for full-range sound reproduction and deeper bass for home theater.
In terms of sound quality, the KEF Q950 floorstanding speakers hit the sweet spot between value and sound performance. The 950s do not require a lot of power but they sound much better when connected to an external amp. Once you get the speaker placement right, the KEF Q950s will deliver some of the most spacious and immersive soundstage you will ever hear – these speakers deliver amazing highs and crisp treble ranges, and the midranges sound very smooth and present. They work very well with the KEF Q250c center channel speakers for dialogues and music, and they sound warm and well-defined after a period of break in. The bass response on the KEF Q950 speakers is solid and deep; the bass has plenty of depth and substance, and is the kind of bass that you would expect from a high-end speaker system.
We tried angling the KEF Q950 at a couple of positions in the living room before finding the sweet spot where you can get a crystal clear image of the sound. We played a couple of instrumental and classical music through these speakers and they sounded absolutely incredible with plenty of detail and soundstage. The music sounds transparent and you can hear all the details in the music even for complex soundtracks – the drums, violin, cello and trumpets can be heard simultaneously with good separation. This speaker system really allows you to pick up the minute details with pristine clarity and deliver a lifelike and realistic quality to your audio.
Overall, the KEF Q950 is an excellent Hi-Fi floorstanding speaker and can really bring out the best in your music – it will expose all the details and flaws in your audio recordings, allowing you to relisten to your music as originally recorded without any coloration.
#10 Best Soundbar: KEF HTF7003 Soundbar
The KEF HTF7003 is a really powerful soundbar from KEF that is designed for surround sound system setups. This soundbar connects to any flat panel television and features a very thin profile to match the depth of a flat panel TV and delivers crystal clear sound with crisp dialogues and vocals. The soundbar has an aluminium enclosure which contains dual 2-inch woofers and a 19mm HF driver for full-range frequency response for each channel; the soundbar has three sets of three drivers to create an independent left, center and right channel system. This allows you to get a fully immersive soundstage and hear all the details in the TV show with superb clarity and separation. The three channel driver structure allows the sound to accurately pan to the action happening on screen, creating a realistic and lifelike viewing experience. You can watch movies on the HTF7003 and get really nice surround sound performance with a lot of realism and clarity in the dialogues.
The KEF HTF7003 sounds spectacular with really good separation and wide soundstage. You can really hear the distinction between the left, center and right speaker channels and get nice 3D sound effects while watching movies. When watching action movies, you can literally hear the sound pan across the left, center and right speaker channels with booming effects. The sound from this KEF soundbar is exceptionally clear and detailed, and we were very impressed by how clear dialogues and vocals sounded. The soundbar is also capable of producing pretty good lows and midrange due to the dual 2” woofers – the bass feels solid and powerful, and stays where it should be as bass without muddying into the midrange frequencies. You can really push up the volume on the HTF7003 and enjoy surround sound without any hint of distortion; the sound quality feels high-fidelity and you can pick up subtle details in the sound while watching movies.
We recommend pairing the KEF HTF7003 soundbar to a dedicated subwoofer like the KEF Kube 10b to add dynamic bass response to the overall sound performance. We found that the soundbar is excellent for action packed movies where you can hear the sound coming from all directions with clarity and separation. The highs and treble ranges have plenty of sparkle, and movie dialogues sound lifelike and really engaging. You’ll be hard pressed to find any other soundbar that can reproduce the level of detail and transparency that the HTF7003 can deliver.
We liked that the KEF HTF7003 soundbar comes with gold plated terminals for a secure and easy connection to any TV input. It also comes with a wall mount bracket and table stand which allows for quick and simple setup. This soundbar has a really sleek and slim profile and can complement flat TV panels that are 32” or larger such as the Samsung Frame.