KEF Takes Uni-Q Outdoors: Landscape Satellites, Bollards and GaN-Based KASA Amplifiers, Shipping December

KEF has announced its first dedicated Outdoor Collection, taking the Uni-Q coaxial driver that defines the brand's indoor speakers out into the garden for the first time in a purpose-built outdoor range. Announced on 1 September 2026, the collection spans landscape satellites, bollard speakers, bollard subwoofers and three-way bollards, and arrives alongside a second, arguably equally significant launch: KASA, a four-model family of network DSP amplifiers built on GaN-based Class D.

It is a notable move for a company whose reputation rests on bookshelf and floorstanding designs. Landscape and bollard audio has historically been the territory of custom-install specialists, and KEF is entering it not with a single weatherproof box but with a system-level proposition: speakers, subwoofers, amplification and configuration software designed to be specified together.

The speakers

The Outdoor Collection breaks down into four families, and both StereoNET and CE Pro agree on the model list:

• SR4Q and SR6Q Landscape Satellites — the SR4Q uses a 4.5-inch Uni-Q driver, the SR6Q a 6.5-inch Uni-Q.
• BH6Q and BH8Q Bollard Speakers — 6.5-inch Uni-Q in the BH6Q, 8-inch Uni-Q in the BH8Q.
• BL8b and BL12b Bollard Subwoofers.
• BQ9 and BQ11 three-way Bollard Speakers.

Uni-Q, KEF's point-source arrangement that mounts the tweeter in the acoustic centre of the midrange cone, is the throughline here. In a garden context the argument for a coaxial driver is straightforward enough — listeners rarely sit in a fixed sweet spot outdoors, so a wide and consistent dispersion pattern matters more than it does in a treated listening room. Neither source has heard the speakers, and no measurements or listening impressions have been published.

Built for weather

Both sources report the same durability specification. Depending on model, the speakers carry IP66 or IPX5 protection, with UV-resistant construction and more than 500 hours of salt-spray testing — the last of those being the figure that matters most for coastal installations, where corrosion rather than rain tends to end a speaker's life. The stated operating range runs from -25°C to +70°C (-13°F to 158°F).

CE Pro states that the Outdoor Collection is finished in black. A separate range badged Ventura is offered in black and white; the sources give no further detail on it.

KASA: the amplifier platform

The KASA amplifiers are where this launch stops looking like a speaker line extension and starts looking like an install platform. There are four models. Three are agreed across both sources: the two-channel KASA 2-250M at 250 watts per channel, the four-channel KASA 4-250M at 250 watts, and the eight-channel KASA 8-150M at 150 watts. The fourth is an eight-channel, 250-watt model, per CE Pro's listing. Neither source specifies the load into which those power figures are rated.

According to CE Pro, the amplifiers use Class D output stages built on GaN technology, with AKM Velvet Sound DAC and ADC converters and KEF's Music Integrity Engine DSP handling processing. StereoNET corroborates the Class D and GaN description. Configuration is browser-based — no proprietary dealer software to install — and the amplifiers ship with built-in KEF speaker profiles, along with multi-zone and multi-source support.

Gallium nitride switching devices have been appearing across amplifier design lately; we covered the technology recently in the context of a Porsche and Burmester subwoofer amplifier. Neither source here establishes any sonic benefit from GaN specifically — it is stated as the amplifier technology, and that is as far as the reporting goes.

On control integration, KEF states IP control compatibility with major home automation platforms including Control4, Crestron and Savant, with drivers planned. The two sources differ in tense on this point, so integrators should treat driver availability as forthcoming rather than shipping.

Pricing

Pricing needs a careful read, because the two outlets are quoting different things in different currencies.

CE Pro's US MSRPs cover packaged landscape systems, not individual speakers:

• Landscape P4F — four-inch full-range satellites in a 4.1 configuration: $2,000
• Landscape P4Q — 4.5-inch Uni-Q satellites with amplification: $5,000
• Landscape P6Q — 6.5-inch Uni-Q satellites: $8,000

US amplifier pricing, also from CE Pro: KASA 2-250M $1,600; KASA 4-250M $3,200; KASA 8-150M $3,300; and the eight-channel 250-watt model $4,000.

StereoNET quotes Australian pricing by speaker family rather than by system: SR Landscape Satellites from A$2,840 for a set of four; BH Bollard Speakers from A$2,360; BL Bollard Subwoofers from A$3,140; BQ three-way Bollards from A$5,140. Australian KASA pricing starts at A$2,500. Neither source publishes individual US prices for the SR, BH, BL or BQ models.

Availability

StereoNET gives December 2026 for availability. CE Pro does not quote a date.

What it signals

The interesting part of this announcement is not that KEF made a weatherproof speaker — plenty of brands do — but that it built the amplification and configuration layer to go with it. Landscape audio is sold as a designed system: buried cable runs, distributed satellites, a subwoofer or two in the planting, tuned by zone. A speaker line without a matching amplifier platform and DSP profiles asks the integrator to solve that problem elsewhere. KASA is KEF answering it in-house, with browser configuration that lowers the barrier to setup and speaker profiles that presume KEF cabinets on the other end of the wire.

Whether the outdoor market rewards a hi-fi brand for arriving with a full stack rather than a component is the open question. December, per StereoNET, is when the first answers start to arrive.

Frequently asked questions

What is in KEF's new Outdoor Collection?

KEF's Outdoor Collection comprises the SR4Q and SR6Q landscape satellites, with 4.5-inch and 6.5-inch Uni-Q drivers respectively; the BH6Q and BH8Q bollard speakers, with 6.5-inch and 8-inch Uni-Q drivers; the BL8b and BL12b bollard subwoofers; and the BQ9 and BQ11 three-way bollard speakers. CE Pro states the collection is finished in black.

How much do the KEF KASA amplifiers cost?

CE Pro lists US MSRPs for the KEF KASA network DSP amplifiers as $1,600 for the two-channel KASA 2-250M, $3,200 for the four-channel KASA 4-250M, $3,300 for the eight-channel KASA 8-150M, and $4,000 for the eight-channel 250-watt model. StereoNET quotes Australian pricing starting at A$2,500.

What weatherproofing do KEF's outdoor speakers have?

KEF's Outdoor Collection speakers carry IP66 or IPX5 protection depending on model, alongside UV-resistant construction and more than 500 hours of salt-spray testing. The stated operating temperature range runs from -25°C to +70°C, equivalent to -13°F to 158°F. Both StereoNET and CE Pro report the same durability specification.

What amplifier technology does the KEF KASA range use?

The KEF KASA amplifiers use Class D amplification built on GaN technology, paired with AKM Velvet Sound DAC and ADC converters and KEF's Music Integrity Engine DSP. Configuration is browser-based, with multi-zone and multi-source support plus built-in KEF speaker profiles. Neither source establishes a sonic benefit attributable to GaN specifically.

When does the KEF Outdoor Collection go on sale?

StereoNET states December 2026 availability for the KEF Outdoor Collection and KASA amplifiers, both announced on 1 September 2026. CE Pro's coverage of the launch does not quote an availability date. The date reported here is attributed to StereoNET alone.

This article was written by an AI system from Into The HiFi AI Desk, generated from the following sources, with no human editing pass before publication: StereoNET — "KEF Takes Uni-Q Outdoors With New Speakers and KASA Amps", 1 September 2026, CE Pro — "KEF Expands Into Outdoor Audio with New Speakers, Subwoofers and KASA Amplifiers", 1 September 2026.