KEF XIO Soundbar - Slate Black

Award-winning acting, extraordinary special effects or just the latest reality show - some scenes deserve to be properly heard. The XIO Soundbar transforms the home entertainment experience with the transcendent, high-fidelity spatial audio. Powered by a 5.1.2 configuration with spatial audio support and 12 class D amplifiers, the XIO may look like a soundbar, but it delivers sound quality and performance that rival KEF's renowned HiFi systems for your space. Equipped with a suite of KEF innovations including Uni-Q® MX, P185 LF driver with P-Flex, patent-pending Velocity Control technology (VECO) and the Music Integrity Engine® (MIE) for Cinema, and supporting Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Reality Audio, XIO turns flat screen moments into dynamic, rich, three-dimensional soundscapes and brings your entertainment thrillingly to life. Whatever you might be watching.

Delivering hyper-realistic, high-resolution sound, XIO creates a truly cinematic audio experience through a 5.1.2 configuration. Three Uni-Q MX drivers and two full range drivers ensure an expansive soundstage across the main channels, while four P185 LF drivers produce deep, controlled bass. Two Uni-Q MX drivers dedicated to the overhead channels complete the immersive experience. With KEF’s Music Integrity Engine (MIE) for Cinema, XIO supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Sony 360 Reality Audio, and its advanced up-mixing technology intelligently expands the soundstage, converting mono and stereo sources into a rich, spatialised audio environment.

To optimise performance still further, Intelligent Placement Technology ensures that XIO delivers the best possible sound in any placement. This built-in calibration tool automatically adapts the audio output based on the objects around the soundbar. XIO also features adaptive shelf and wall modes for enhanced audio experience. The result is an uncompromising home theatre experience, tailored to its environment.

Midrange clarity is key to an exceptional home entertainment experience, and XIO ensures that every word is heard with remarkable detail. A dedicated Dialogue Mode within the EQ presets enhances vocal frequencies while reducing background noise, making speech effortlessly clear. Exceptional sound imaging delivers audio performance that rivals KEF’s renowned HiFi speaker systems, so that whether it’s a whispered conversation or a soaring musical score, every nuance is faithfully reproduced.

XIO’s P185 LF driver, enhanced with KEF’s P-Flex technology, ensures deep and detailed bass performance, offering a level of clarity and power rarely found in a soundbar. The high aspect-ratio racetrack design (18cm/7”x5cm/2”) enables an ultra-slim profile while delivering performance equivalent to a 4” LF driver. The ample cabinet space allows for twin P185 drivers to be positioned back-to-back in a force-cancelling configuration that significantly reduces mechanical vibrations. This results in a pure and resonant low-frequency response, free from unwanted distortions. Adapted from KEF’s award-winning KC62 and KC92 subwoofers, P-Flex technology resists acoustic pressure within the cabinet, enabling the driver to move with greater precision and achieving deeper bass extension with remarkable clarity.

The XIO features six Uni-Q MX drivers, the miniature version of KEF’s iconic Uni-Q technology. These drivers ensure a balanced soundstage, delivering crisp, accurate audio across the entire room. The decoupler, engineered as a precise crossover, separates the LF cone and HF tweeter dome, a design that allows the diaphragm to move freely at low frequencies while isolating the dome for high-frequency precision. As a result, the XIO delivers full-bodied, high-fidelity sound for everyone to enjoy no matter where they are in the room.

KEF’s patent-pending Velocity Control Technology (VECO) is the game-changing built-in sensor at the heart of the P185 LF driver. VECO monitors cone motion in real-time and employs a negative feedback loop to minimise distortion and compression. This ensures that the signal reaching the driver’s voice coil includes the intended musical signal alongside a correction for any deviations in the driver’s motion, maintaining system stability. As a result, distortion is significantly reduced, delivering pristine, undistorted clarity.

The mastermind behind KEF's signature sound, Music Integrity Engine (MIE) for Cinema is our in-house written suite of DSP algorithms specially tuned for XIO that offers multi-channel processing, virtualisation and adaptive placement capability. Users benefit from immersive soundscapes that enhance movie watching and the ability to enjoy consistent audio quality regardless of the soundbar's placement.

The W2 Wireless Platform, adapted from the LS Wireless Collection, offers seamless access to a variety of music services, including Tidal, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and Deezer. You can also stream directly from native apps like Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and QPlay, ensuring full fidelity in your listening experience. Enhanced with Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, the XIO creates immersive 3D soundscapes from your music, allowing you to fully enjoy every detail.

Designed for flexibility, the XIO offers HDMI eARC, optical, and the option of RCA subwoofer output. While the soundbar itself has sufficient bass for majority of use cases, for those looking for that bit extra, any KEF subwoofer can be paired wirelessly with the KW2 RX receiver, an accessory specifically designed to ensure effortless and reliable connectivity.

Navigate settings, adjust audio preferences and manage playback easily through the XIO top panel, via the remote or through the KEF Connect app. Tune your listening experience to suit your taste and your space, and make your preferred adjustments easily, via the normal and expert modes on the EQ settings. Presets include Dialogue mode, which focuses on enhancing speech clarity and intelligibility, ideal for TV shows, documentaries, and news; and Night mode, which is tailored for late-night viewing or situations where lower volume levels are necessary.

With a sleek aluminium top plate and splash-proof fabric, the XIO soundbar combines style and durability seamlessly. Its beautiful, minimal design is crafted to complement any living room, regardless of your interior design style. Available in Silver Grey and Slate Black, the soundbar includes a wall-mount kit as a default feature, offering versatile placement options to suit your space and preference

Dimensions (HWD) 70 × 1210 × 165 mm 

Weight 10.5 kg

Drive units:

HF/MF: 6 x 50 mm (2 in.) Uni-Q MX driver

HF/MF: 2 x 50 mm (2 in.) full range driver

LF: 4 pcs of 50 x 152 mm (2 x 6 in.) P185 driver supported by VECO

Amplifiers: HF/MF: 8 x Class D, LF: 4 x Class D

Max SPL measured at 1m: 102 dB

Frequency response (±3dB) measured at 85dB/1m: 34Hz - 20kHz

Input:

HDMI 2.1 eARC

TOSLINK Optical

USB Type C (service)

RJ45 Ethernet (network)

Outputs:

Wireless Subwoofer output

RCA Subwoofer output

Wireless connectivity:

KEF Connect

AirPlay

Google Cast

UPnP Compatible

Bluetooth 5.3

Streaming services

Spotify via Spotify Connect

Tidal via Tidal Connect

QQ Music via Qplay

Amazon Music

Qobuz

Deezer

HIGHRESAUDIO

Internet Radio

Podcast…and more

 *Depends on services availability in different countries

Supported formats:

Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, 360 Reality Audio, MPEG-H, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, AAC, WMA,  MP3, M4A, LPCM and Ogg Vorbis. *Depends on support of the source device

Supported resolution:

HDMI eARC up to 192 kHZ/24 bit

Network up to 384 kHz/24 bit

Optical up to 96 kHz/24 bit

*Depends on source resolution

Multi-channels output

Up to 5.1.2

Wi-Fi Network Frequency Band

2.4 GHz / 5 GHz/ 6 GHz

Wi-Fi network standard

IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax

IPv4, IPv6

Power:

Amplifier output power: 820 W (Instantaneous total power rating)

Power input: 100 – 240VAC 50/60Hz

Power consumption: 400 W (Maximum operating power), <2.0W (ECO mode standby power), <0.5W (Non WiFi mode)