KEF unveils new subwoofer with a killer compact design

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KEF KC62 uses 'Uni-Core Technology' to squeeze two powerful drivers into a tiny subwoofer

KEF KC62 subwoofer
(Image credit: KEF)

Audio specialist KEF has revealed the compact KC62 subwoofer, which promises all the punchy sub-bass you’d want from a full-size sub without taking as much space in your living room.

FYI: The best wireless speakers are getting a big upgrade for 2022.

The KC62 is a wired subwoofer with an immense 1,000 watts of output power, delivered through two 6.5-inch drivers in a symmetrical “force cancelling” arrangement. It’s how these drivers are conjoined, in what KEF calls Uni-Core Technology, that grants the KC62 such a smaller footprint than other high-power subwoofers, potentially making it a good space-saving addition to the best soundbars.

If you’re not familiar, force-cancelling subwoofers work by pointing two drivers in opposite directions: the forces exerted by the speakers can then cancel each other out, which prevents the rattling noise some subs can produce when the drivers make the enclosure shake.

Uni-Core Technology apparently improves on the conventional force-cancelling design, or at the very least shrinks it, by combing the two drivers into a single motor system with overlapping voice coils — the wires that cause the speaker cones to vibrate and in turn produce sound.

KEF KC62 Uni-Core Technology

(Image credit: KEF)

The result is the KC62, KEF’s first Uni-Core speaker product and presumably not its last. Measuring 9.7 x 10.1 x 9.8 inches it’s certainly smaller than most hi-fi subwoofers, especially those with dual force-cancelling drivers.

It also features KEF’s patent-pending P-Flex driver surrounds, which allow the drivers to travel further from their resting position when they vibrate. This supposedly delivers deeper sub-bass tones with less distortion.

Given all this new tech, it shouldn’t be surprising that the compact KC62 is expensive: it’s on sale now from KEF for a cool $1,500, with white and black finishes available.

James Archer
James Archer

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom’s Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also wrote computing and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.