Transcend Sound with KEF XIO’s New Wireless Surround Update
Transcend Sound with KEF XIO’s New Wireless Surround Update
Known for capturing KEF’s audio mastery, XIO delivers pristine, high-fidelity audio. By combining decades of acoustic knowledge with advanced technologies and driver expertise, listeners can enjoy a room-filling, immersive experience via their soundbars, without the need for a complex speaker setup.
Now, listeners can take their experience further with KEF’s latest firmware update, allowing XIO to expand into a wireless surround sound system by connecting to dedicated rear speakers, delivering a more precise and impactful surround experience.
Read on to discover how the update allows listeners to expand beyond the core XIO experience, the benefits of using a rear speaker, and which speaker you should choose to pair with your XIO.
Now, listeners can take their experience further with KEF’s latest firmware update, allowing XIO to expand into a wireless surround sound system by connecting to dedicated rear speakers, delivering a more precise and impactful surround experience.
Read on to discover how the update allows listeners to expand beyond the core XIO experience, the benefits of using a rear speaker, and which speaker you should choose to pair with your XIO.
Surround Sound, Without the Wires
On its own, XIO can create a surround sound experience through its advanced processing technologies and reflections from the room’s boundaries. But with KEF’s latest firmware update, XIO’s built-in wireless transmitters can now send audio to selected KEF wireless speakers to reproduce the surround channels directly behind the listener, creating a multidimensional experience.
How to pair XIO with a wireless rear speaker
By connecting XIO to a wireless speaker placed behind the listening position, listeners can add spatial depth to any audio experience and transform their space into a discrete, multi-channel media room.
A KW2 RX Receiver, sold separately, allows you to connect your soundbar to your rear speaker without cables. The setup is guided entirely through the KEF Connect app, which helps you pair compatible speakers and configure them as dedicated rear channels.
This firmware update lets XIO owners progress from a virtual surround experience, thanks to advanced audio processing in the XIO soundbar, to a physical one by adding rear speakers. Every moment feels more immersive, more atmospheric, and more complete, while the room itself remains exactly as designed.
A KW2 RX Receiver, sold separately, allows you to connect your soundbar to your rear speaker without cables. The setup is guided entirely through the KEF Connect app, which helps you pair compatible speakers and configure them as dedicated rear channels.
This firmware update lets XIO owners progress from a virtual surround experience, thanks to advanced audio processing in the XIO soundbar, to a physical one by adding rear speakers. Every moment feels more immersive, more atmospheric, and more complete, while the room itself remains exactly as designed.
How to Choose Your Rear Speaker
Built for total immersion, XIO can now integrate with a selection of KEF’s wireless speakers to magnify the details of a movie, game, or track.
To choose the right rear speaker for your surround sound setup, match it to your existing layout, room size, and content use. If you’re unsure which KEF speaker to pair XIO with, the following speakers are currently compatible with the update:
To choose the right rear speaker for your surround sound setup, match it to your existing layout, room size, and content use. If you’re unsure which KEF speaker to pair XIO with, the following speakers are currently compatible with the update:
- Coda W is a versatile speaker, engineered for listeners who demand exceptional sound across Vinyl, TV, and music, built on the foundation of our core acoustic technologies. Its traditional look, feel, and subtle detailing complement a wide range of decor styles and are available in a number of curated finishes.
- LSX II is a compact wireless HiFi speaker that delivers rich sound powered by our cutting-edge audio technologies. In addition to serving as a rear speaker, the LSX II offers multiroom capabilities via AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and Roon. LSX II features a premium fabric covering and can be wall-mounted with the B1 bracket.
- LSX II LT is an affordable alternative to the LSX II, maintaining a sleek design, immersive high-fidelity sound, and effortless multiroom capabilities. It relies on a cable link between the two speakers, which limits space between speakers to 3m. While it trades the LSX II’s premium fabric finish for a cleaner aesthetic, it offers the same reliable Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity as the LSX II.
The Benefits of Using Rear Speakers With a Soundbar
While using XIO alone delivers an exceptional music and home cinema experience, audiophiles can expand beyond the core XIO experience by adding rear speakers. We talk through the benefits of using rear speakers with your soundbar below, whether it's creating a captivating home cinema, adding spatial audio to a gaming room, or designing a wide soundstage for listening to music.
Design a room-filling audio setup for your home theatre
XIO delivers 3D cinematic sound, enabled by spatial audio technologies like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, which use object-based audio to add height channels, creating immersive sound that moves around you.
With the addition of rear speakers, the 3D soundscape will be dramatically enhanced. XIO will act as the heart of your home cinema audio setup, delivering advanced signal processing and acoustic control tailored to your space without the need for wires.
So you can experience true surround sound, as if you were sitting in a cinema, we’ve put together a list of our favourite Dolby Atmos movie scenes to watch, along with tips on how to fine-tune your soundbar and speakers for Atmos accuracy.
With the addition of rear speakers, the 3D soundscape will be dramatically enhanced. XIO will act as the heart of your home cinema audio setup, delivering advanced signal processing and acoustic control tailored to your space without the need for wires.
So you can experience true surround sound, as if you were sitting in a cinema, we’ve put together a list of our favourite Dolby Atmos movie scenes to watch, along with tips on how to fine-tune your soundbar and speakers for Atmos accuracy.
Cast directional audio for gaming
Most modern games support spatial audio, so you can hear the direction and distance that a sound is coming from, rather than a flat left and right stereo sound.
For games with especially rich soundscapes, gamers can enhance their experience by connecting to rear speakers to deliver an all-encompassing, true positional surround sound. This will let the listener hear footsteps coming from behind their character, provide better channel separation, and deepen immersion, turning sound into a tactical tool.
Whether you’re sitting in front of the speakers, to the side, or gaming with friends, sound remains consistent throughout the space for a truly transcendent gaming experience.
For games with especially rich soundscapes, gamers can enhance their experience by connecting to rear speakers to deliver an all-encompassing, true positional surround sound. This will let the listener hear footsteps coming from behind their character, provide better channel separation, and deepen immersion, turning sound into a tactical tool.
Whether you’re sitting in front of the speakers, to the side, or gaming with friends, sound remains consistent throughout the space for a truly transcendent gaming experience.
Delivering a layered, high-fidelity audio experience
XIO is designed to be just as compelling for music as it is for movies, and by converting mono or stereo sources into a multi-channel experience, songs become richer and much more engaging.
Built on KEF’s W2 wireless platform, adapted from the LS Wireless collection, XIO supports Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Google Cast, and Bluetooth 5.3, with streaming from services including Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music.
Connecting XIO to additional speakers allows listeners to hear every detail of a track, just as the artist intended. Rear speakers for music listening can enhance audio clarity, spatial depth, and ambient immersion, creating an enveloping wall of sound.
Built on KEF’s W2 wireless platform, adapted from the LS Wireless collection, XIO supports Wi-Fi, AirPlay, Google Cast, and Bluetooth 5.3, with streaming from services including Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music.
Connecting XIO to additional speakers allows listeners to hear every detail of a track, just as the artist intended. Rear speakers for music listening can enhance audio clarity, spatial depth, and ambient immersion, creating an enveloping wall of sound.
Powered by a 5.1.2 surround system
The XIO soundbar delivers a high-resolution spatial audio experience powered by a 5.1.2 speaker configuration, including:
This type of speaker configuration provides a three-dimensional, object-based audio experience, while maintaining a compact, space-saving design, without requiring a complex multi-speaker setup.
By adding rear speakers to this configuration, the surround channels will be redirected from the XIO to the rear speakers.
- Five main channels, including three Uni-Q MX drivers and two full-range drivers.
- One subwoofer channel that's boosted by four P185 LF drivers.
- Two overhead channels, amplified by two Uni-Q MX drivers.
This type of speaker configuration provides a three-dimensional, object-based audio experience, while maintaining a compact, space-saving design, without requiring a complex multi-speaker setup.
By adding rear speakers to this configuration, the surround channels will be redirected from the XIO to the rear speakers.
Powered by KEF’s Acoustic Technologies
XIO creates an exceptional virtual surround experience, powered by KEF’s acoustic technologies. Uni-Q MX helps create accurate, room-filling sound, the Music Integrity Engine® (MIE) keeps the audio as close to the original as possible, and our Velocity Control Technology (VECO) allows XIO to listen to itself and adjust in real time to minimise distortion and compression.
Our guide to KEF technologies talks through our cutting-edge advancements, their benefits, and how we continue to push the boundaries of acoustic engineering.
Our guide to KEF technologies talks through our cutting-edge advancements, their benefits, and how we continue to push the boundaries of acoustic engineering.
Ready to Transcend Sound?
Whether you’re sitting down to watch a film, setting up to play a game, or streaming music, XIO delivers cutting-edge technology and surrounds you with rich, detailed soundscapes. Book a demo today to discover how you can transcend your listening experience.
For more expert advice, audio tips, and ways to enhance your listening experience, visit the KEF blog.
For more expert advice, audio tips, and ways to enhance your listening experience, visit the KEF blog.
