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September 22, 2009 8:02 AM PDT

At last: A high-end wireless subwoofer

by Steve Guttenberg
  • 4 comments

KEF's HTB2SE-W wireless subwoofer can be vertically or horizontally oriented.

(Credit: KEF)

KEF's HTB2SE-W wireless subwoofer is first and foremost, a great subwoofer. The fact that it's a wireless design is icing on the cake.

The HTB2SE-W is a marriage of two existing KEF products--the HTB2 subwoofer and the Universal Wireless Kit--and I have reviewed both of them for CNET.

The subwoofer is a round design, a mere 7.7 inches thick, and yet it still manages to go deep into the bass. When it's vertically oriented, it stands 15.4 inches tall, or if you prefer, it can be horizontally oriented.

The subwoofer sports front- and rear-mounted 10-inch woofers. However, only the front woofer is powered by the 250-watt onboard digital amplifier; the rear woofer produces bass passively, motivated by the internal air pressure created by the movement of the front woofer. I think it's one of the coolest-looking subwoofers around.

Thanks to HTB2SE-W's wireless design it can be placed anywhere in the room, but it does have to be plugged into an AC power outlet. Yes, the wireless sub has wires, but you don't have to run a cable back to your receiver or surround processor.

The KEF HTB2SE-W has a suggested retail price of $1,200. It will be shipping next month.

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About The Audiophiliac

Ex movie theater projectionist Steve Guttenberg has more or less successfully hitched his future to home theater, but he still pines for the clickity-clack of 35 MM projectors and all the stale popcorn he could eat. Between projectionist gigs he worked as a high-end audio salesman for sixteen years, and produced records for an audiophile label. Oh, and one more thing, nothing annoys Steve more than being confused with the other Steve Guttenberg, the washed-up Police Academy actor. The wordsmith Guttenberg is a frequent contributor to a number of magazines and websites including Home Entertainment, Playback, and Ultimate AV. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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