Are KEF’s Vintage-Inspired Bookshelf Speakers the New Kings of Affordable Hi-Fi?

The British audio manufacturer designed them after its affordable loudspeaker range from the 1970s.

Wooden shelving unit filled with vinyl records, a turntable, two black speakers, and a red lamp on a side table against a wood-paneled wall.

Published 5 hours ago

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KEF is arguably the biggest name in wireless active speaker systems today. Specifically, its LS50 Wireless II ($3,000), as well as its smaller LSX II ($1,500) and LSX II LT ($1,000), rank at the top of most lists.

As a reminder, these are powered stereo speakers with a range of wired connections and wireless streaming capabilities. They’re extremely versatile — you can use them with your desktop, turntable or TV — and, since there’s no external amplification required, they’re designed to make listening to hi-fi easy.

Now, the venerable British hi-fi manufacturer is introducing a new active speaker system that is both relatively affordable (at least compared to the brand’s higher-end options) and pays homage to some of the brand’s most iconic loudspeakers of the past.

KEF Coda W

Brown KEF speaker with black front panel and silver driver on a wooden shelf next to a turntable and vinyl records. — KEF gave the Coda W a built-in phono preamplifier for easy turntable connectivity.

70s inspired

KEF’s Coda W is the brand’s newest wireless active speaker system — and they have a much more old-school vibe than the brand’s various LS options.

The reason is that they are designed after KEF’s original Coda loudspeakers, which were first released in the 1970s as a more affordable alternative to the brand’s higher-end loudspeakers.

Black and dark blue KEF speaker on a beige cabinet next to a vinyl record player and a black device. — The Coda W is a stereo speaker system that packs 200 watts of power.

But aside from the more traditional aesthetic, the Coda W promise to sound quite similar to the brand’s other wireless speakers systems.

KEF has integrated them with its latest 12th-generation Uni-Q driver, which places the tweeter at the center of the woofer to deliver a more accurate, natural sound.

Wooden desk with a silver all-in-one computer, black speakers on each side, and a wooden chair on a round beige rug. — The KEF Coda W can make a pretty badass desktop speaker system.

And KEF has given the Coda W with quite a lot of power.

Both the primary and secondary speakers are equipped with dedicated amplifiers, each of which delivers 70 watts to the woofer and 30 watts to the tweeter. That’s 100 watts per speaker, totaling 200 watts per system.

Essentially, promises to get loud (and sound good).

Modern living room with a wall-mounted flat-screen TV showing a guitarist, black speakers on stands, and a person holding a remote on a black leather couch. — With HDMI eARC, you can use the Coda W as TV speakers. No AVR required.

Turntable, TV and desktop ready

Like its other wireless speaker systems, KEF’s Coda W is extremely versatile thanks to a wide variety of wired connections. The primary speaker houses inputs for HDMI ARC, digital optical, and USB-C.

This allows you to connect the Coda W directly to your TV, desktop, CD or Blu-ray players, as well as game consoles. There’s also a wired subwoofer output for those who want to add more bass to their system.

Front and back views of a black KEF speaker with a central driver on the front and multiple input/output ports on the back. — All the connections are housed in the primary speaker.

Most interestingly, the Coda W is KEF’s first active speaker system to feature a built-in phono preamplifier (compatible with MM cartridges), meaning it’s plug-and-play ready for most of today’s entry-level turntables.

If you’re turntable already has a built-in phono preamplifier, you can use the primary speaker’s RCA input instead of the phono input.

Close-up of the back panels of two speakers connected by a braided audio cable labeled "NIKEF. — Both the primary and secondary speakers are equipped with dedicated amplifiers for the tweeter and woofer.

According to the brand, the Coda W is an all-in-one speaker [system] that delivers high performance, seamless connectivity, and intuitive usability – making high-fidelity sound effortlessly available to today’s listeners.”

Man sitting on a black leather sofa reading a book in a modern living room with dark wood cabinets and plants. — For streaming, the Coda W only supports Bluetooth. There’s no Wi-Fi streaming.

Streaming, but Bluetooth only

If there’s one big caveat of the Coda W, it’s that doesn’t support any kind of streaming over Wi-Fi. That’s right, there’s no support for AirPlay, Spotify Connect or Chromecast.

However, the system does feature built-in Bluetooth with support for aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless codecs, allowing you to stream high-resolution audio — up to CD-quality (16-bit/44.1 kHz) —when not using a wired source.

Furthermore, the Coda W is compatible with KEF’s Connect app, which allows you to tweak various EQ settings and control playback.

Man sitting at wooden desk with two black and dark green speakers, a white keyboard, mouse, and monitor. — The Coda W can play audio up to 24-bit/192kHz when using the USB-C input.

It’s also noteworthy that, unlike many of KEF’s other wireless speaker systems, both Coda W speakers need to be connected via speaker cable at all times — there’s no wireless communication between the two.

KEF includes a roughly 10-foot speaker cable in the box, but for those who want extra flexibility to place the speakers further apart from each other, KEF offers longer options separately.

Five rectangular bookshelf speakers in black, beige, burgundy, green, and navy blue with central circular drivers and KEF logos. — The five different finish options for the Coda W speakers.

The Coda W offers is an interesting addition to KEF’s lineup of wireless speaker system. At $1,000, it’s the same price as the brand’s LSX II LT and promises to deliver a similar sound, both maxing out at 200 watts. They also have many of the same wired connections.

But the Coda W speakers have more traditional (“boxier”) bookshelf design and are more easily paired with entry-level turntables thanks to a built-in phono preamplifier. The lack of Wi-Fi streaming means that the Coda W is a system more suited for listening to wired sources, too.

Beige and black KEF speaker with a large circular driver on a dark wooden surface next to a small electronic device. — The KEF Coda W in a Nickel Grey finish.

Price and availability

As far as colors, KEF is giving you options. The Coda W speaker system comes in five different finishes: Dark Titanium, Nickel Grey, Vintage Burgundy, Moss Green and Midnight Blue.

The KEF Coda W speaker system costs $1,000. It’s available now through KEF or other authorized retailers.

Pair of black KEF bookshelf speakers with circular drivers and dark blue side panels on a white background.

KEF Coda W

$1,000 at KEF

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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