Sound shmound. Faced with reviewing KEF Audio’s KHT5005.2 surround sound speaker system, I was prepared to compromise my audio expectations. This 5.1 speaker system would have to sound pretty awful to fail my evaluation, because KEF included the Wireless 5000 option with the speakers it sent me. That meant I could set up the surround speakers without running any audio wires. When you consider the speaker placement possibilities this opens up—and the fact that it eliminates the aggravation of running wires through walls, under a carpet, or through a floor—I could be happy to give up a little bit of sound quality in return.

I wondered, though, if I’d have to give up anything by going wireless. After all, I’d seen KEF demo its wireless rig with the wireless receiver placed adjacent to an operating microwave oven, a cordless telephone, and a wireless Internet router—all with no discernible interference or loss of sound quality. In the less-demanding environs of my living room, the system performs the same, never squawking even though one of the wireless satellites was located just inches from a 2.4-gigahertz cordless telephone. Nor can I perceive any improvement in sound quality when I temporarily hard-wire the speaker.

Wait a minute—I’m telling you all about how this thing performs without telling you much about what it is in the first place. The package consists of KEF’s distinctive, 250-watt HTB2 subwoofer; four HTS5001.2 speakers for front left, front right, and surround channels; one HTC5001.2 center speaker; and tabletop and swivel mounts for all of the satellites.

The Wireless 5000 kit is an option. It’s a three-piece system, with a receiver/amplifier module for each surround speaker plus a single transmitter for the entire system. The receiver/amp modules attach directly to the surround speakers. A second wireless kit and two more speakers could be added to create 7.1 system. Telescoping tabletop and fixed-height floor stands are optional, and the speakers are offered in gloss black or matt silver finish.

The satellite speakers and the center speaker are mechanically identical. A cast-metal cabinet houses a pair of 3-inch polypropylene woofers that flank an array consisting of a 3-inch aluminum midrange cone with a concentrically mounted 0.6-inch metal dome tweeter. KEF is known for this concentric driver arrangement, which it calls Uni-Q. The Uni-Q array is designed to ensure that highs and midrange frequencies reach the listener simultaneously and over a much broader sweet spot than conventional midrange/tweeter designs. The subwoofer has a 10-inch driver, a 10-inch passive radiator to reinforce the bass response, and an internal 250-watt digital amplifier. It can sit flat like a flying saucer, or upright like a wheel.
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