![\"\"](\"https:\/\/darko.audio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/KEF-Coda-W-review-3.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Say what now? Two amplifiers per loudspeaker? That\u2019s how active loudspeakers work. The incoming digital signal is split by DSP \u2014 a digital crossover divides the frequency range between the tweeter and mid\/bass driver \u2014 and each slice is handed off to its own dedicated amplifier, which then juices the driver. No passive crossover components sitting between the amplifier and the drivers, soaking up power and smearing phase. It\u2019s a cleaner, more direct signal path.<\/p>\n
The primary Coda W loudspeaker handles all the DSP processing and sends the signal to the secondary loudspeaker via a proprietary USB-C interlink cable that carries data at 24-bit\/96kHz. That\u2019s similar to the LSX II LT\u2019s lasso approach. And like its predecessor, only the primary Coda W speaker needs to see mains power.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t get hung up on the 24-bit\/96kHz not being 24-bit\/192kHz because I know the drivers, their amps and the DSP will dominate what I hear. Like seeing an ant next to an elephant.<\/p>\n
Connectivity<\/p>\n Without KEF\u2019s W2 network streaming platform onboard, the Coda W relies on its Bluetooth input or whatever third-party hardware you bring to the party. Hard-wired connectivity lives on the rear of the primary loudspeaker: TOSLINK and a USB-C socket that the more costly LS50 Wireless II doesn\u2019t have. Soundbar replacement enthusiasts should note the HDMI ARC input whilst staying mindful of the cable vomit that inevitably yawns from the primary speaker\u2019s rear.<\/p>\n The Coda W has also inherited the LS50 Wireless II\u2019s on-speaker touch controls \u2014 power on\/off, input selection, mute and volume up\/down \u2014 so you\u2019re not entirely dependent on the supplied plastic infra-red remote or KEF\u2019s Connect app, which communicates with the Coda W over Bluetooth.<\/p>\n On that: the internal Bluetooth audio module supports aptX Adaptive for lossy \u2018hi-res\u2019 audio and aptX Lossless for lossless CD-quality. All iPhone users and most Android users will still need a dongle to make aptX Lossless a reality. I\u2019ve written about the what and the why here<\/a>, but I pushed a Sennheiser BTD700 into an iPhone 17 Pro\u2019s USB-C socket, and it worked as advertised.<\/p>\n I also ran HDMI ARC from my TV for YouTube and Apple Music, knowing full well that my Samsung \u2018The Frame\u2019 TV\u2019s OS resamples everything to 48kHz. I don\u2019t get hung up on that number I know the drivers, amps and DSP will dominate what I hear. Like seeing a mosquito next to a rhino.<\/p>\n Vinyl playback<\/p>\n The Coda W also houses an internal MM phono stage \u2014 again, absent from the LS50 Wireless II and the LSX family. Gain staging happens in the analogue domain, but the RIAA equalisation is handled by DSP.<\/p>\n I hooked a Rega Planar 8 fitted with an Ortofon 2M Black into the Coda W\u2019s phono input, and the result was\u2026 fine. Not thrilling. The Coda W\u2019s phono stage failed to provide the one thing the 2M Black needs: a dose of excitement. Your mileage may vary with livelier cartridges, but I see the Coda W\u2019s phono input as more of a convenience feature better suited to more wallet-friendly turntables. And a convenience feature is exactly what we\u2019d expect at this price point.<\/p>\n Both analogue inputs (MM phono and aux) are digitised to make use of the KEF Connect app\u2019s boundary-compensating EQ settings and subwoofer integration.<\/p>\n Streaming music<\/p>\n Back with streaming, I fed the Coda W via TOSLINK with a FiiO SR11<\/a>. I chose the FiiO over the WiiM Mini because the FiiO is Roon Ready and the WiiM is not. For Roon Ready in WiiM country, we need the WiiM Pro.<\/p>\n Now here\u2019s a neat trick: the SR11 (or the WiiM) can take its power feed from the Coda W\u2019s USB charge-out port, so the outboard streamer fires up when the loudspeakers do. One USB-C cable, one TOSLINK cable, done.<\/p>\n I built a playlist in Tidal and played it back via Roon: Radiohead\u2019s \u201cThere There\u201d, PJ Harvey\u2019s \u201cThis Mess We\u2019re In\u201d, Johnny Cash\u2019s \u201cI See A Darkness\u201d, A House\u2019s \u201cI Wanted Too Much\u201d and Surface Access\u2019s \u201cIsolation Depth\u201d.<\/p>\n Sound<\/p>\n I did most of my listening with the Coda W on Solid Steel stands in my lounge room before moving them upstairs to my office area, where they sat atop ear-level stands.<\/p>\n The Coda W\u2019s overall character is one of dynamic physicality with a hint of warmth, largely attributable to its full-sounding bass. This is not a clinical or analytical loudspeaker. Some people might reach for the M-word (\u2018musical\u2019), but the way I see it, subjective pleasure is not an objective quality. \u2018Musicality\u2019 loses its meaning as soon as its ascriber leaves the frame, and I want to convey what you might hear.<\/p>\n For example, PJ Harvey\u2019s \u201cThis Mess We\u2019re In\u201d is a good litmus test for vocal texture and midrange presence. The Coda W lends Harvey\u2019s voice real body without smothering the breathy edges that make the recording so intimate. There\u2019s a generosity to the midrange here that doesn\u2019t tip into bloat \u2014 it just sounds full.<\/p>\n Side-by-side comparisons<\/p>\n Back with the elephant: the LS50 Wireless II also runs a 12th-gen Uni-Q driver array but puts a metamaterial absorption disc behind the tweeter that\u2019s juiced by 100 Watts of Class A\/B amplification. Into the surrounding mid\/bass driver, the LS50 Wireless II pushes 280 Watts of Class D power. But a pair of LS50 Wireless II goes for \u20ac2499 \u2014 that\u2019s more than double the Coda W\u2019s asking. Given that substantial price gap, I opted not to buy a pair of the latter for a side-by-side comparison here. I thought it more instructive to compare the Coda W to the LSX II LT \u2014 same money, same manufacturer \u2014 and the DALI Kupid powered by an Arcam A5+ integrated<\/a>, which together sell for only slightly more.<\/p>\n The Coda W lends plenty of low-end wallop to Surface Access\u2019s dub techno<\/a>. If you\u2019re a Basic Channel fan from back in the day, you\u2019ll love this two-track single. Bass notes don\u2019t offer the last word in definition, but what the Coda W lacks in texture, it makes up for in physical excitement without collapsing into a one-note thump when asked to play beyond club music.<\/p>\n In all but the smallest of rooms, the LSX II LT, rated by KEF down to 54Hz (-3dB), will need a subwoofer. The Coda W, reaching down to 41Hz, do not. Well, not necessarily. It\u2019s easier to go without, but in moving from the LSX II LT to the Coda W, Johnny Cash tells us we must give up some micro-dynamic agility \u2014 but I think that\u2019s a compromise worth making.<\/p>\n Then again, the LSX II LT are small enough to sit on a desktop and the Coda W are not. I had them upstairs in my office on stands, either side of the desk, and their larger-scale playback of Radiohead\u2019s \u201cThere There\u201d really expands the track\u2019s strong dynamic contrasts and emphasises its moody drama in a way the LSX II LT can\u2019t match.<\/p>\n I also like how the Coda W doesn\u2019t overplay the grit in Johnny Cash\u2019s voice. The LSX II LT can push it too far. The Coda W\u2019s richness with vocals has more in common with the DALI Kupid paired with the Arcam A5+ \u2014 and again, the DALI, rated to just 63Hz (-3dB), ache for a subwoofer\u2019s low-frequency augmentation, and the Coda W do not. Well, not necessarily. And if you want to add a subwoofer to the Coda W, the KEF Connect app makes lighter work of its integration by applying the low- and high-pass filters inside the primary loudspeaker\u2019s DSP. That integration becomes fully bespoke if your subwoofer comes from KEF.<\/p>\n The bass wrinkle<\/p>\n Now comes the biggest wrinkle (and it\u2019s a good one): the Coda W\u2019s 41Hz reach goes deeper than the LS50 Wireless II\u2019s 45Hz. Same 5.25\u2033 mid\/bass driver, roughly the same cabinet size \u2014 so why? According to KEF, the Coda W is the first implementation of its all-new Dynamic Bass Boost (DBB) algorithm, which handles bass behaviour as volume changes. But I also suspect a shift in design philosophy. The Coda W has a larger internal cabinet volume than the LS50 Wireless II (I think) and less amplifier power applied to its mid\/bass driver. That might make the Coda W sound less muscle-cramp-tight in the low end than the LS50 W II \u2014 at least, that\u2019s how I remember \u2019em. But long-term memory cannot underpin a reliable comparison, so pour salt as necessary.<\/p>\n The everyman active<\/p>\n The way I see it, the Coda W are to \u20ac1000 actives what the Wharfedale Linton are to \u20ac1000 passives: a \u201cplease the majority\u201d loudspeaker. A hifi system in a box that anyone stepping up from Sonos could happily embrace. There\u2019s enough scale, drama and physicality to make everything a proper lean-in experience. And there\u2019s enough warmth at the edges to sidestep the wince caused by shriller recordings \u2014 A House\u2019s \u201cI Wanted Too Much\u201d played through more transparent loudspeakers would likely bite harder. (And yes, that A House album<\/a> is still\u00a0 \u2013 err \u2013 the greatest<\/a>).<\/p>\n And the Coda W comes in at the same price as KEF\u2019s more compact LSX II LT and \u2013 this is the big one \u2013 slightly less than Sonos\u2019 flagship ARC Ultra soundbar<\/a>. That should be important to those who value stereo separation when listening to music.<\/p>\n Start your Coda W journey with Bluetooth and HDMI ARC from a TV, then add an outboard streamer as budget allows. Maybe you\u2019ve got an old Raspberry Pi lying around \u2014 you could power it directly from the back of the Coda W\u2019s primary box. Or maybe you\u2019ve already sprung for an Eversolo or a WiiM. Network streamers now come in all shapes and sizes: some people swear by a touchscreen, others think they\u2019re a waste of resources.<\/p>\n The streamer question<\/p>\n And this is why I am beginning to think that active loudspeaker manufacturers would do well to leave streaming out of their loudspeakers, as KEF has done here. Streaming platforms evolve fast. The underpinning hardware much less so. The WiiM Mini didn\u2019t exist three years ago. The FiiO SR11 wasn\u2019t a thing until less than two years ago. Both have damped my enthusiasm for Raspberry Pi-based alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n Baking a streaming module into a loudspeaker sees it age at software speed while the drivers and amplification age at hardware speed \u2014 which is to say, barely at all. By leaving it out, KEF lets the Coda W\u2019s acoustics and electronics do what they do best without chaining them to a streaming platform that might look dated in ten years. KEF\u2019s W2 platform is still going strong after five, but the Coda W shows us that we don\u2019t need it. Well, not necessarily. And without W2 on the build sheet, we get a better-sounding active loudspeaker than the LSX II LT, but for the same money.<\/p>\n I call that a win. And a DAR-KO Award.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n