KEF's nouveau Muo is a solid little Bluetooth speaker, but the game's changed since 2016 and it's no longer top of the pile

Date:
Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Description:
After too long a break, KEF is back in the Bluetooth speaker game. Its aiming for the upper end of the market though so does the Muo hit the mark?

FULL STORY ======================================================================KEF Muo 2025: Two-minute review At a glance, the new KEF Muo Bluetooth speaker is pretty much the same as the old one you remember, the one that launched back in 2016 (hard to believe, but that is 10 whole years ago). Naturally enough though, KEF has brought the specification up to date in an effort to justify that asking price.

So $249 / 249 / AU$449 buys you 40W of Class D power serving a 20mm and 58 x 117mm racetrack mid/bass driver. It also buys Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX
Adaptive compatibility, 24 hours or so of playback from a single charge, 43Hz - 20kHz frequency response and ability with Auracast and the option to form a stereo pair, plus the facility to make a hard-wired USB-C connection to get content on board that way too. Additionally, it buys some quite svelte good looks available in quite a few different colors, and a high standard of build and finish from a device thats mostly constructed from aluminium. Portability is guaranteed thanks to a 740g weight and hardiness comes in the shape of an IP67 rating. Just be careful not to dent or scratch that lovely metal finish while youre out and about

One of the very best Bluetooth speakers at the price? Well, where performance is concerned, the KEF has a lot more going for it than it has issues but theres only so far rhythmic positivity, an expansive and organised
soundstage, and great powers of detail retrieval will carry a speaker. The
Muo is undermined by its slightly bolshy and over-assertive approach to midrange reproduction, and consequently leaves the door open to a few alternative models that would otherwise be quite firmly shut. KEF Muo 2025 at Sevenoaks Sound and Vision for 249 KEF Muo 2025 review: Price and release
date Released on September 30, 2025 Officially priced $249 / 249 / AU$449 The KEF Muo is on sale now (having arrived at the very end of September 2025) and in the United Kingdom it sells for 249. Its available in the United States
for $249, while in Australia it goes for AU$449. The market for Bluetooth speakers is enormous, of course - but it seems, given both the asking price, the design aspect and the use of materials, that KEF has Bang & Olufsen's A1 3rd Gen firmly in its sights (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo
2025 review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Weight:

740g

Dimensions:

216 x 82 x 59mm

Battery life (quoted):

Up to 24 hours

Connectivity:

Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive

Drivers:

One 20mm dome tweeter and one 58 x 117mm racetrack mid/bass driver

Aux-in:

No (USB-C audio passthrough)

Charger port:

USB-C

Microphone:

Yes

Waterproof rating:

IP67 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo 2025 review: Features Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive USB-C for charging and for data transfer 40W of Class D power With one or two very rare exceptions, a Bluetooth speaker is a purely functional device and is specified accordingly. The KEF Muo, its
fair to say, adheres to the rules rather than being an exception to them.

It uses Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, and is compatible with the SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive codecs. The USB-C slot on the rear of the cabinet can be used for data transfer as well as for charging the battery, and if you hard-wire the speaker to a source of music then digital audio files of up to 16bit/48kHz are supported. And there are further connectivity options: the
Muo is Auracast-compatible, and if you own a couple of these speakers they
can be configured as a stereo pair. Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair are both available, too. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The battery itself is good for 24 hours of playback between charges, provided youre not going to town where volume levels are concerned. And when the time comes, you can score an additional three hours of playback from a 15-minute visit to the mains. To go from flat to full shouldnt take longer than two hours.

Once the audio information is on board, its served to your ears by a couple
of drivers that make use of a total of 40W of Class D power. Theres a 20mm tweeter that takes 10 watts, while the other 30 watts goes to a 117 x 58mm racetrack mid/bass driver that uses KEFs P-Flex technology. Its an arrangement, the company suggests, thats good for a frequency response of
43Hz - 20kHz.

If the speaker is standing upright in a portrait orientation, the tweeter is above the mid/bass driver; lie the speaker down on its little rubber feet in
a landscape style and obviously the drivers are now side by side. The Muo automatically detects its orientation and adjusts its sonic output accordingly. Features score: 5 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo review: Design 216 x 82 x 59mm (HxWxD) IP67 rating Choice of seven
winsome finishes First things first: this is not one of those bouncy, hardy, go-anywhere Bluetooth speaker designs that will emerge unscathed from a careless journey in the depths of a backpack. Oh, theres absolutely no
arguing with the way the Muo is constructed or finished and IP67 rating against dust and moisture lets you know its tough enough but the majority of the chassis is made of aluminium and its far from difficult to imagine
marking or even denting the finish if youre careless.

So while the 740g weight, 216 x 82 x 59mm (HxWxD) dimensions, integrated carry-strap and rubberised end-caps mean its fully portable, its important to have a degree of respect for the design choices here if youre taking it out and about.

My review sample arrived in the midnight black finish, and while theres absolutely nothing wrong with it in isolation in fact, to my eyes it looks quite discreet and sophisticated theres no getting away from the fact that the other half-a-dozen finishes are a bit more interesting. No matter if you select silver dusk, moss green, blue aura, cocoa brown or orange moon, youll be in possession of a speaker that looks and feels like the premium item its priced as. Design score: 5 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo 2025 review: Sound quality Great control and variation at the bottom of the frequency range Impressive scale from a relatively compact cabinet Midrange reproduction is not the last word in subtlety In some ways in many ways, in fact the KEF Muo is a match for the best $250-ish Bluetooth speakers out there. It has plenty of positives where the sound it makes is concerned, but its equally true to say that it comes up short where some disciplines are concerned.

Listen to a 1bit/2.8MHz DSF file of Steely Dans Peg delivered via Bluetooth and theres plenty to enjoy. The Muo is a notably expansive listen, able to easily escape the confines of its fairly little cabinet and create a genuine sense of scale in the recording. It does great work at the bottom of the frequency range that claim for response down to 43Hz might seem optimistic but theres no getting away from the fact the KEF digs deep and hits hard.

It exhibits great control and variation at the low end, too. Some speakers just thump along, but the Muo has some light and shade to its bass, and a degree of insight into texture and timbre thats by no means a given. The straight edges at the attack of low-frequency sounds it creates allow for confident and positive rhythmic expression, too.

The top of the frequency range is equally detailed, and while its not the
last word in treble substance this speaker stops well short of hardness or high-end edginess and thats true even if you decide to explore the upper limits of the levels the KEF is capable of. Theres a fair amount of scope where dynamics are concerned, and the Muo is able to switch from quiet to
loud without any apparent stress and without altering its sonic character in any meaningful way.

Frequency response is nice and even, and the transition from the very bottom of the frequency range to the very top is smooth. Problems, such as they are, concern the way the KEF reproduces the midrange. The midrange is distinct
from everything happening above and below it. In particular, its distinct where tonality is concerned where the lower and upper frequencies are quite neutral and natural, theres a forcefulness and a hint of glassiness thats bordering on stridency to the way the speaker delivers midrange information.

Despite being just as detailed here as in every other part of the frequency range, the KEF hits the midrange hard and, especially when it comes to
dealing with voices, is not beyond becoming a little shouty. No matter if its the otherwise-smooth sounds of Steely Dan or a 16bit/44.1kHz file of Doechiis Alligator Bites Never Heal, voices are approaching relentless and dont
require much encouragement, volume-wise, to occupy the front of the soundstage.

Ultimately theres not as much subtlety to the way the KEF handles the
midrange as is ideal. The fact that its so deft and nuanced in every other respect only throws this trait into sharper relief. Sound quality: 4 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo 2025 review: Usability and setup KEF Connect control app Some physical controls Speakerphone ability Controlling the Muo can be done in a couple of ways. You can use an extremely brief version of the KEF Connect control app that allows control of volume
and input selection, as well as giving access to five EQ presets and an indication of battery life.

And there are physical controls that run to a button to initiate Bluetooth pairing (on the rear of the frame), and buttons on the top covering power on/off and volume up down.

Theres also a multifunction button here that can handle play/pause and skip forwards/backwards and answer/end/reject call. Using the Muo as a
speakerphone is simple (and becoming a rarity), and the built-in mic features noise- and echo-cancellation technology.

The day a Bluetooth speaker is difficult to set up and operate will be a sad one and thankfully the Muo is as straightforward as you would hope. Open the Bluetooth settings page of your source player, and press the Bluetooth
pairing button on the speaker connection is swift and stable, and the next time you power the Muo on it will automatically seek to pair with its most recent partner. Usability and setup: 5 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo 2025 review: Value The KEF Muo looks and feels like a premium speaker, and in this respect it goes quite some distance towards justifying the asking price. Theres no arguing with the standard of its construction or finish, and its IP67 rating lets you know its ready to survive and thrive in any realistic environment.

And where sound is concerned, its mos t of the way there but where it comes up short, its so noticeably lacking that it undermines the whole value for money proposition more than somewhat. Value score: 4 / 5 (Image credit:
Future / Simon Lucas) Should I buy the KEF Muo 2025? Swipe to scroll horizontally JBL Flip 7

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

A Bluetooth 5.4 speaker with aptX Adaptive, USB-C data transfer and even speakerphone duties lovely

5/5

Design

Comes in seven finishes, just don't throw its aluminum casework around too much

5/5

Sound quality

Mostly deft and nuanced but let down by a harsh and rather shouty midrange

4/5

Usability and setup

The app is functional, and setup is aided by perks such as Google Fast Pair

5/5

Value

The build quality is worthy of the price tag; the sound quality is just a shade off

5/5 Buy it if Look and feel is as important as sound No two ways about it,
the Muo presents like a premium item You want to choose from a wide range of finishes How does a choice of seven sound? Youre interested in wider connectivity The Muo can be one half of a stereo pair, or part of an Auracast set-up Dont buy it if You judge strictly on a sound-per-pound basis The way the Muo treats the midrange of a recording is rather at odds with the work it does everywhere else Youre a bit careless The IP67 rating is one thing, the vulnerable nature of all that aluminium is quite another (Image credit:
Future / Simon Lucas) KEF Muo 2025 review: Also consider As I said at the top of this review, it seems pretty obvious to me that KEF has the A1 3rd Gen
from Bang & Olufsen firmly in its sights with the Muo. They are both quite self-consciously upmarket propositions, both make liberal use of tactile aluminium, and both are designed to please the eyes almost as much as the ears. And in some ways, the KEF is perfectly capable of holding its own in
the company of the B&O but when it comes to the way each speaker handles the midrange, it ceases to be quite so much of a contest. How I tested the KEF
Muo 2025 I used the Muo on my desk, in the kitchen, and in the garden (for
the brief moments when it wasnt blowing a gale). I connected it wirelessly to an Apple iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S (the latter of which allows connectivity via the aptX codec). I also hard-wired it to an Apple MacBook
Pro (loaded with Colibro software) using the USB-C socket.

Read more about how we test First reviewed: April 2026 KEF Muo 2025: Price Comparison 249 View 249 View 249 View Low Stock 249 View No price information Check Amazon Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-bluetooth-speakers/kef-muo-2025-revie w


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