My subwoofer's so ugly that I keep it well out of sight – but as Sonos has long demonstrated with the Sonos Sub, adding boom to your living room doesn't necessarily mean investing in ugly audio kit that you don't want anyone to see. And now audio legends KEF have their own take on the stylish subwoofer with not one but two new models that you'll want to show off rather than hide behind the sofa.
The new models are the KC92 Force-Cancelling Subwoofer and the Kube Subwoofers, which come in four driver sizes: 15-, 12-, 10- and 8-inches, and both offer clever tech to give an impressive boost to the bottom end of the best surround sound systems or home theater systems.
KEF KC92 and KEF Kube: key features and specs
The KEF KC92 is the flagship here. It has a 9-inch dual driver subwoofer that's placed in a force-cancelling configuration, which uses pleated origami-style folds to resist sonic pressure without sacrificing sound quality: the folds absorb the air pressure, enabling the driver to move more accurately.
Force cancellation is when a speaker system uses two woofers firing in opposite directions. This creates an equal, opposing force that reduces, and almost entirely removes, vibration that would normally move from the drivers into the cabinet and add unwanted resonance. It's increasingly common in 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 space, but despite its power it's neither big nor bulky. The white gloss version in particular is a good-looking thing, and there's also a black gloss option.
The Kube, on the other hand, comes with a choice of four driver sizes – 8-inches, 10-inches, 12-inches and 15-inches – and the long throw, front-firing drivers deliver what KEF says is a "potent bass experience". There's 300W of Class D amplification, and thanks to extensive connectivity options, each Kube is compatible with pretty much any existing amp via line level and speaker level inputs.
KEF's SmartConnect feature optimises gain levels by sensing whether a mono or stereo output is being used, and you can also go wireless via the KEF's KW1 wireless subwoofer adapter, which is sold separately.
As is often the case with KEF products, KEF members get to order first. The KC92 is currently accepting pre-orders for mid-April delivery and the Kubes are scheduled for an early March release. The Kube range starts at £599 for the 8-inch, rising to £1,149 for the 15-inch, while the KC92 is £2,499. You can find out more at KEF.com.
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