The KEF XIO is the best premium Dolby Atmos soundbar – regardless of Black Friday price shenanigans

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Netflix, Our Planet II)

As an enthusiast publication for cinephiles and audiophiles, we know some people just want the best of the best, regardless of how much it costs.

And while we factor performance-per-pound into our buying advice, if you fall into that camp and want a new soundbar right now, I have some tailored words of wisdom.

Trust me, if the best audio possible from a single box soundbar solution is top of your priority list, after months of testing, the What Hi-Fi? team and I are 100 per cent sure it’s the one to get, right now. Hence why we gave it a five-star rating, prime position in our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide and a What Hi-Fi? Award.

And yes, that advice carries even if some rivals, including the Senheisser Ambeo Max, it dethroned earlier this year, have been discounted by £500, retailing for £1499 at Richer Sounds right now.

Why? Because the XIO is the best option from a pure performance perspective, making it the better option for its intended market (people like me) even right now, at full price. It’s the current benchmark for premium Atmos soundbars because it offers the best audio we’ve experienced.

Featuring innovative tech you won’t find anywhere else, it offers a tight, agile low-end performance and holistically detailed and precise sound that will get even the most discerning of cinephiles fully immersed in what’s playing out on screen. As we said in our review:

“KEF says that it wants the soundbar to effectively act as a hi-fi package wrapped up in one product, and it has achieved that. Put simply, it is one of the best soundbars we have heard.”

So if you want the best experience possible, just go for that. Or, if that’s a little over budget, but you insist on having the best, save your money and wait until you can afford it. That’s my advice, pure and simple, for serious enthusiasts.

My only word of warning is that this advice is for “enthusiasts”, not regular people. If you don’t fall into that camp, and still want a good, but not quite that good/expensive soundbar, don’t fret – there are other options.

As I said earlier, for newbies or cash-strapped buyers, the Hisense AX5125H is a game-changer, being the first affordable soundbar system that’s capable of delivering good audio. And it’s currently discounted to £189 on Amazon.

Or if you want something between the two, there’s the Sonos Arc Ultra. This is a great option and the 'bar one we recommend to most people as it offers solid, albeit not XIO-level, performance and costs a lot less – especially at its current discounted price of £799 on Amazon (save £200).

TOPICS

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Black Friday quick links