A British Hi-Fi Great Just Reimagined One of Its Standout Speakers

The speaker draws inspiration from the brand’s $225,000 loudspeakers.

Close-up of a brown surface with a pattern of evenly spaced circular holes, likely a speaker grille or ventilation panel.

Published 2 hours ago

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Today, KEF is probably best known for its best-in-class active speakers (specifically the LS50 II and LSX II) and various ranges of passive loudspeakers.

However, the renowned British hi-fi manufacturer makes pretty much every type of speaker you can imagine, including $225,000 floorstanding models and Dolby Atmos soundbars.

For a brief time, KEF was in the business of portable Bluetooth speakers, too. It released the Muo back in 2015, but stopped selling it years ago and hasn’t produced any portable Bluetooth speakers since.

Well, that’s now changing.

KEF Muo (2nd-Gen)

Orange portable speaker hanging from a tree branch outdoors, with a textured grille design and a matching orange strap. The background shows a blurred natural forest setting. — The KEF Muo is a new and improved version of the brand’s 2015-released portable Bluetooth speaker.

A Bluetooth speaker revival

That’s right, KEF just announced the second-generation Muo.

The new portable Bluetooth speaker has a similar sculptural design as the original Muo — which, fun fact, was designed by the same person who designed KEF’s $225,000 Muon floorstanding loudspeakers — but is now crafted out of premium aluminum and recycled plastic.

Just like the original, the new Muo is a straight-up Bluetooth speaker — there’s no Wi-Fi streaming capabilities, a la a Sonos Roam.

A close-up of a gray, triangular-shaped speaker covered in water droplets, highlighting its perforated grille and smooth top surface. — The new Muo features an IP67 rating, making it resistant to most elements and environments.

Internally, the second-gen Muo has been overhauled with updated drivers and new-age tech.

The speaker features a dedicated tweeter and a large racetrack mid/bass driver. According to the brand, the combo delivers “sharp
high tones and a full-bodied mid-range, ensuring clarity with every detail.”

The speaker can be oriented vertically or horizontally, and features advanced tech to adjust its sound accordingly.

A wooden sideboard with a rich, dark finish featuring three drawers in the center and cabinets on either side. On top of the sideboard are two black cylindrical speakers placed on stacks of books, a vintage camera on a book stack, and a decorative stone bowl. The background wall is painted in a warm beige tone, and part of a black chair and a lamp with a round white shade are visible. — Two Muo speakers can be configured in a stereo pair.

New-age technologies

The new Muo has also been integrated with KEF’s proprietary technologies. It features P-Flex Surround Technology (which was adapted from its KC62 and KC92 subwoofers) and a “suite of DSP algorithms” (including Dynamic Bass Boost from its flagship LS60 Wireless active loudspeakers).

Ultimately, these should help the little speaker deliver a surprising amount of bass.

The new Muo works with the KEF Connect app, just like its higher-end wireless speakers, which allows you to further adjust EQ settings.

A woman with long brown hair is sitting at a white desk, writing in a notebook. On the desk, there is a laptop showing a video conference with six participants, a white speaker connected to the laptop, and a cup of tea. In the background, there is a white shelving unit with books and decorative items. The setting appears to be a clean, modern home office. — The Muo also supports wired playback over a USB-C connection.

The new Muo has a couple of neat tricks. It supports wired audio playback via its included USB-C cable, meaning you hook it up to your smartphone or computer and forgo th Bluetooth connection.

If you have two Muo speakers, you can configure them in a stereo pair — dedicating each as left and right channels — and create a portable stereo hi-fi system.

The speaker supports Auracast, which is a new technology that allows you to group the Muo with other Auracast-supporting speakers over Bluetooth in a kind of multi-room sound system.

Tall, slim, dark green portable speaker with a perforated front grille, standing upright on a light wooden surface. In the background, there are blurred green plants in white and orange pots. — The Muo in Moss Green.

KEF’s new Muo is an extremely tough portable Bluetooth speaker. It has an IP67 rating, meaning it is durable enough to handle water, dust and other extreme environments.

As for battery life, KEF claims that the Muo offers up to 24 hours of playback time. It fully charges in two hours, but it also supports fast charging — 15 minutes of charging provides roughly three hours of playtime.

The Muo in Amber Haze.

KEF

Price and availability

The second-generation Muo comes in seven different finishes: Silver Dusk, Amber Haze, Orange Moon, Blue Aura, Moss Green, Cocoa Brown and Midnight Black. Each finish comes with a matching lanyard (or carrying strap).

The speaker costs $250 — which is actually $100 less than the 2015-released original — and will be available starting September 30th.

However, if you’re a myKEF member — which is free to join and grants you access to exclusive offers (like this one) and other news/events — you can purchase the speakers starting today.

Portable cylindrical Bluetooth speaker in matte blue with a perforated grille, control buttons on one end, and a matching blue carrying strap.

KEF Muo (2nd-Gen)

$250 at KEF

About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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