Floorstanding loudspeakers — KEF LS60 Wireless

The LS60 Wireless is an active floorstanding streaming speaker system from KEF, sold as a pair with the electronics, streaming and amplification built into the cabinets. KEF describes it as a slim, plug and play design, and the styling came from a collaboration between designer Michael Young and the company's in-house product design team. The US price on the KEF site is USD 5,999.99 per pair, with a 5-year warranty listed in the specification.

Key specs that matter

Inside every cabinet, three dedicated amplifiers drive a three-way layout - 500 W class D for the bass section, 100 W class D for the midrange and 100 W class AB for the tweeter, 1,400 W in total across the pair. Response is 31 Hz to 24 kHz within 3 dB and 26 Hz to 36 kHz at minus 6 dB, both measured at 85 dB and 1 m. Peak SPL reaches 111 dB at 1 m with pink noise, and the crossover points are 340 Hz and 3.1 kHz. Each cabinet stands 1090 mm tall including the plinth, 212 mm wide and 394 mm deep. Power draw is 450 W in operation and under 2 W on standby.

Engineering and use context

A 12th-generation Uni-Q array places a 19 mm vented aluminium dome at the centre of a 100 mm aluminium cone. Behind the dome sits Metamaterial Absorption Technology, a maze-like structure that KEF says absorbs 99 percent of the rear wave from the tweeter. Bass comes from four 135 mm Uni-Core drivers mounted back to back in pairs, a force-cancelling layout that stops the cabinet from being shaken by their motion, with P-Flex surrounds and Smart Distortion Control. KEF calls the arrangement Single Apparent Source, adapted from its Blade loudspeaker, whose aim is for bass, midrange and treble to leave the speaker from a single point. A DSP stage named Music Integrity Engine ties the drivers together and applies low-frequency phase correction. The back panel and plinth are shaped to move cooling air. Four matte finishes are offered - carbon black, mineral white, royal blue and titanium grey - with driver colours matched to each.

Pairing

The primary speaker carries HDMI eARC, optical and coaxial digital, analogue RCA, Ethernet and a service USB port. Network playback runs up to 24-bit/384 kHz and includes MQA and DSD, while coaxial and HDMI accept 24-bit/192 kHz and optical 24-bit/96 kHz. AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Bluetooth 5.0, Roon Ready and UPnP are supported, along with Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz, Deezer, Amazon Music and internet radio. The two speakers link wirelessly at 24-bit/96 kHz or by cable at 24-bit/192 kHz. Each speaker has an RCA output for adding a KEF subwoofer, and a TV can be connected directly through the eARC socket.

Alternatives

The KEF R7 Meta is a three-way floorstander with two 165 mm bass drivers below a 12th-generation Uni-Q array.