KEF is turning 60 this year, and in celebration of its anniversary, the company is taking a stroll down memory lane with one of its more iconic offerings: the Coda series. Updated for more modern use cases, the Coda W is an active speaker that looks to borrow from the series’ design language while offering some additional conveniences for modern audiences
Quoting Grace Lo, President and Head of Global Marketing at KEF: “We designed the Coda W for those who love the ritual of vinyl — the magic of dropping a needle on a record — but also want to stream their favourite tracks instantly.”
Specs and Features of the KEF Coda W
Digging into the Coda W’s hardware, speaker sports KEF’s 12th-generation Uni-Q point-source driver with a 0.98-inch aluminium-dome tweeter positioned at the centre of a 5.25-inch magnesium/aluminium alloy woofer, creating a single source point for sound generation meant to translate to more uniform distribution throughout space.
Two Class D amplifiers power both the woofer and tweeter elements (70W for the woofer and 30W for the tweeter) for a combined output of 100W per speaker.
KEF’s data puts the frequency range at 38 Hz–20 kHz (–6 dB) with a ±3 dB response of 41 Hz–20 kHz. Additionally, the speaker comes equipped with KEF’s proprietary Music Integrity Engine DSP suite to optimize timing, phase and tonal balance.
Vinyl in Mind, but Not Exclusive
Photo courtesy of KEF
Owing to the speaker’s retro origins, the Coda W also comes equipped with a dedicated phono pre-amplifier that can connect into almost any turntable without needing to buy any additional equipment. However, for turntables that have a built-in phono preamp of their own, the Coda W also supports RCA (LINE) inputs.
Other input options include USB-C, HDMI ARC and optical cables, and this is where the speakers start to branch out into being more “all-in-one” solutions of sorts. The added input options give the speakers flexibility in simpler home theater setups, especially when stacked on top of the speaker’s built-in signal processing. The speakers can also be hooked up directly to a TV to serve as external audio in a 2.1 channel setup.
Additionally, despite having their own built-in subs, KEF has left in an option for sub-bass extension with a dedicated subwoofer output and direct compatibility with the company’s KW1 wireless subwoofer kit, meaning the speakers can be scaled upwards if needs be.
Streaming Options Speak to Modern Preferences
The wireless connectivity options is where the Coda W fully crosses over into the modern era. Bluetooth 5.4 with Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive audio codec supports CD-quality resolution for audio streaming.
One important nuance, however, is that although the speakers can stream wirelessly via Bluetooth, KEF confirms that they still require a wired inter-speaker connection (and mains power to each cabinet), so this is not a fully wire-free left/right system.
KEF does include a 9.8-foot inter-speaker cable, though and offers an optional 26-foot C-Link cable for more flexible placement. The company also provides stand options to transform these bookshelf speakers into floorstanding ones.
A Shift in Lifestyles from Earlier Generations
Photo courtesy of KEF
Flexibility broadly seems to be the name of the game with the Coda W. While sporting careful attention to the audio performance, KEF has left the door open for plenty of configurations, and the actual size of the speakers themselves (11.2″ × 6.6″ × 10.6″) puts them on the more compact size to accommodate a wider range of room layouts. Funnily enough, despite having more electronics and hardware crammed into them, the speakers have actually shrunk a little compared to the series debut in the 70s (though not by much).
There’s no official nomenclature for it yet from what I’ve seen, but the word “lifestyle” gets thrown around a lot when it comes to these more space-conscious, flex-focused audio products. And while calling it “lifestyle” over “audiophile” might seem like a slight at first, the reality there is that the listening environments of today have grown to be incredibly wide and varied, not exclusively because of listener preference, but limitations.
Convenience is a big factor for a lot of listeners, but in the modern age where living space comes at a hefty premium nowadays, those low-profiles and flexible setups don’t just help these types of speakers maintain a more design-forward aesthetic, they help systems come to be where they otherwise wouldn’t.
Coda W Pricing and Availability
The Coda W is available now at a price point for $999 MSRP on KEF’s official website, with the optional floor stand and C-Link cable being offered for $399.99 and $59.99 respectively.
