KEF’s new subwoofers are a stylish Sonos Sub-style addition to your home cinema
My subwoofer is so ugly that I keep it well out of sight – but as Sonos has long shown with the Sonos Sub, adding a boost to your living room doesn’t necessarily mean investing in an ugly audio kit that you wouldn’t want anyone to see. sees him. And now audio legends KEF have their own take on the stylish subwoofer with not one but two new models you’ll want to show off instead of hiding behind the sofa.
The new models are the KC92 Force-Cancelling Subwoofer and the Kube Subwoofers, which are available in four driver sizes: 15, 12, 10 and 8 inches, and both offer smart technology to give an impressive boost to the bottom end of the best surround sound systems or home theater systems.
KEF KC92 and KEF Kube: main features and specifications
The KEF KC92 is the flagship here. It has a 9-inch dual-driver subwoofer placed in a force-cancelling configuration, which uses pleated origami-like folds to withstand sonic pressure without sacrificing sound quality: the folds absorb the air pressure, which allows the driver to move more precisely.
Force cancellation is when a speaker system uses two woofers firing in opposite directions. This creates an equal, opposite force that reduces and almost completely removes vibrations that would normally travel from the drivers to the cabinet and add unwanted resonance. It’s becoming increasingly common with high-end subs: both the Sonos Sub and Sonos Mini also use force cancellation.
The KC92 has 500W of Class D amplification per driver – a kilowatt in total – to fill even the largest room, but despite its power it’s not big or bulky. The white glossy version especially looks nice, and there is also a black glossy option.
The Kube, on the other hand, comes with a choice of four driver sizes – 8-inch, 10-inch, 12-inch and 15-inch – and the front-firing, long-throw drivers deliver what KEF says is a “powerful driver”. bass experience”. There’s 300W of Class D amplification, and thanks to extensive connectivity options, every Kube is compatible with virtually any existing amplifier via line-level and speaker-level inputs.
KEF’s SmartConnect feature optimizes gain levels by detecting whether a mono or stereo output is being used, and you can also go wireless via KEF’s KW1 Wireless Subwoofer Adapter, sold separately.
As is often the case with KEF products, KEF members get to order first. The KC92 is currently accepting pre-orders for delivery in mid-April and the Kubes are scheduled for release in early March. The Kube range starts at £599 for the 8-inch, rising to £1,149 for the 15-inch, while the KC92 costs £2,499. More information can be found at KEF.com.