These KEF speakers are the best computer speakers

Besttechie · December 17, 2016

If you are in the market for an amazing pair of computer speakers look no further than the KEF X300A speakers. There are actually two models of the X300A’s — one is a strictly wired version (X300A) and the other model (X300AW or X300A Wireless) has wireless capabilities.

I bought the X300AW (wireless version) which have built-in AIrPlay and DLNA, but I actually have them connected to my computer via USB because that was the only way I could figure out how to take full advantage of the incredible DAC built into the speakers which allows you to pump audio through the speakers at 24bit / 96kHz high fidelity.

Setup & Specs

A small note on that, if you use macOS, before you play anything make sure you follow these steps:

Go into Audio MIDI Setup, click on KEF X300A Speaker, and make sure that under Output, Format is set to 2ch-24bit Integer 96.0kHz, this makes a big difference when listening.

The KEF X300A’s have a total of four Class A/B amplifiers: each speaker has separate amps for the woofer and tweeter and each speaker has its own DAC. The connection between the two speakers is digital. And trust me, this makes all the difference when compared to competing speakers. The speakers have a few ways to connect them to your computer, but the absolute best way is to use USB out from your computer to the KEF USB in using the included cable.

The KEF X300AW speakers on my desk.

Usage & Thoughts

In my use, after about 4-5 hours of burn-in the speakers will start to sound good, and you’ll really start to hear their true potential. After approximately 20 hours or so, you’ll be experiencing audio nirvana. Of course, the more you can run them in the first week or so, the faster you will reach that audio bliss. In other words, plan to listen to a lot music.

If you are placing them directly on your desk (like I have done), instead of on stands, make sure to check behind the left speaker and ensure the toggle is set to “desk,” however, feel free to toggle it over to “stand” to see if it changes the sound for you at all (for the better). Additionally, you will want to keep these bad boys at least 2-3 inches from the back wall.

The KEF X300A (wireless) speakers are currently retailing on Amazon for $636 in “Linear White” color. This is the exact model I bought and I love them. I find myself listening to music so much more through my speakers now than I ever did before, and prior to these I had a pair of Bowers & Wilkins MM-1’s and I thought those were the best things since sliced bread when I bought them in 2010. The KEF’s have a deeper soundstage and the bass is a lot fuller and frankly they sound incredible at any volume (high, medium, or low).

I also should mention I had a lot of trouble getting these to work properly while connected to a USB hub (which was connected to my MacBook Pro). They would constantly “restart” and it was very annoying, to solve the issue I ended up connecting the speakers directly into the MacBook Pro and all was well. And one last thing of note, you cannot plug headphones into these speakers. You either need to plug your headphones directly into your computer or buy an external USB DAC such as the Audioengine D3.

So, should you buy them?

Yes, these computers speakers are expensive, but if you’re into amazing sound audio — you need to view the purchase as actually a budget pair of audiophile speakers.

(Buy via Amazon).

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