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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 that’s 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 you’re 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 there’s 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 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. It’s 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

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, it’s 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.

The battery itself is good for 24 hours of playback between charges, provided you’re 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’ shouldn’t take longer than two hours.

Once the audio information is on board, it’s served to your ears by a couple of drivers that make use of a total of 40W of Class D power. There’s a 20mm tweeter that takes 10 watts, while the other 30 watts goes to a 117 x 58mm ‘racetrack’ mid/bass driver that uses KEF’s ‘P-Flex’ technology. It’s an arrangement, the company suggests, that’s 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, there’s absolutely no arguing with the way the Muo is constructed or finished — and IP67 rating against dust and moisture lets you know it’s tough enough — but the majority of the chassis is made of aluminium and it’s far from difficult to imagine marking or even denting the finish if you’re careless.

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

My review sample arrived in the ‘midnight’ black finish, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it in isolation — in fact, to my eyes it looks quite discreet and sophisticated — there’s 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’, you’ll be in possession of a speaker that looks and feels like the premium item it’s 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 it’s equally true to say that it comes up short where some disciplines are concerned.

Listen to a 1bit/2.8MHz DSF file of Steely Dan’s Peg delivered via Bluetooth and there’s 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 there’s 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 that’s 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 it’s not the last word in treble substance this speaker stops well short of hardness or high-end edginess — and that’s true even if you decide to explore the upper limits of the levels the KEF is capable of. There’s 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, it’s distinct where tonality is concerned — where the lower and upper frequencies are quite neutral and natural, there’s a forcefulness and a hint of glassiness that’s 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 it’s the otherwise-smooth sounds of Steely Dan or a 16bit/44.1kHz file of Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, voices are approaching relentless and don’t require much encouragement, volume-wise, to occupy the front of the soundstage.

Ultimately there’s not as much subtlety to the way the KEF handles the midrange as is ideal. The fact that it’s 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’.

There’s 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. There’s no arguing with the standard of its construction or finish, and its IP67 rating lets you know it’s ready to survive and thrive in any realistic environment.

And where sound is concerned, it’s most of the way there — but where it comes up short, it’s 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?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?

You’re interested in wider connectivity
The Muo can be one half of a stereo pair, or part of an Auracast set-upView Deal

Don’t 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

You’re 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 wasn’t 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

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

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Bambu Lab's latest 3D printer isn't about chasing the fastest prints. It's about making smart choices.

Lifting the X2D out of the box, and first impressions are that this looks and feels like a smaller H2D. In reality, it reflects the design of all Bambu Lab's recent machines with the all-metal frame, matte dark finish, and enclosed glass-fronted chamber. There’s no doubt that this is a premium machine and successor to the X1C.

Weight-wise, this machine isn’t light, and at 16.25kg it feels solid and completely in line with the H2 series, just without the huge footprint, and for once leaving me a little more space in the workshop. This is a far more practical option for most studios where those larger H2 machines really do dominate the space. I positioned the X2D next to an H2D just to give a sense of scale of this smaller but no less impressive-looking machine.

Checking out inside, and the first indication that this isn’t just a small version of the H2D becomes apparent with a good look at the toolhead. The dual-nozzle system on the X2D is completely different from the arrangement on the H2D, with the main left nozzle using direct drive extrusion and the auxiliary right nozzle fed via a Bowden extruder mounted on the rear panel.

Mechanically, this is actually a very clever design as it means that the toolhead remains lightweight and nozzle switching is handled by a purely mechanical gear-and-trigger mechanism with no additional motor. In practice, the switching is quick during a print, with one raising and the other lowering side-by-side, so from that point of view, it’s much like the dual nozzle H2 series.

One of the big features of the Bambu Lab printers since the outset has been the ease of use; essentially, the machine handles pretty much everything for you, and this is certainly the case with this latest machine. Filament in the AMS loads easily, and the 5-inch touchscreen gives you a good idea of what’s going on. Likewise, mounting the aux filament on the exterior spool and feeding it through the mechanism is equally straightforward.

Checking out the back of the machine, and this is where you start to get an inclination that things are a little different with this machine, there’s a fan, an additional extruder and a filament switcher. While it all looks simple, a read through the info sheets that arrived with the machine highlights the level of sophistication that Bambu Lab now incorporate into this machine.

As I’m increasingly seeing the calibration process once all filaments are fed into place takes as long as some prints, but through the test from the first calibration sequence through to the last print I ran before writing up the review, I only had a couple of occasions where the printer stopped due to an issue.

On all occasions, this was due to small bits of filament debris being detected on the print area, usually from a piece of support material that I’d broken off when removing a print or failed to notice when wiping the print base clean.

On this fault detection, as I saw with the P2S, the machine will stop at the first sign of anything untoward. Initially, if you have the usual print anything approach, often to see if a print will succeed without supports, this will cause issues, as any trailing filament will be seen as an issue, and the machine will stop. However, once you start to properly support structures, then the number of stops quickly reduces to an occasional occurrence.

The X2D is an engineering machine at heart, and there are two major features that back this. The first is the three-stage air filtration consisting of a G3 pre-filter, H12 HEPA, and coconut shell activated carbon filter that enables safer use within the confines of an enclosed workshop or office. Even running ABS during the test period, the smell from the machine was minimal, and the noise throughout 250 hours of testing was impressively quiet for the most part, although the extractor fan is audible.

The other point for engineers and product design studios is the mixed extruder approach; the direct drive offers a lightweight head on a machine of this size. The left direct drive nozzle is suitable for specialist materials such as TPU, and the right, which is fed through a Bowden extruder mounted on the exterior of the machine, enables more standard materials, although limited to 200mm/s compared with 1000mm/s the combination of the two only slows print speeds down compared with the H2D by a relative margin.

When testing the first dual-material print, a 3D scan in PLA with PETG supports highlighted how well this system worked, essentially as well as the larger H2 counterparts, with a clean, highly detailed print. The PETG supports were easy to remove and provided a far cleaner result than any single-nozzle approach that utilises the same materials for the model as the supports.

One point to make is that if you're just starting out, getting the hang of Bambu Studio is far less intuitive, especially the filament assignment and workflow across two nozzles and the AMS - once you do work it all out, it does make sense, but there's still always something in the software that will catch you out.

Bambu Lab X2D: Price and availability

The Bambu Lab X2D is available now direct from Bambu Lab.

The non-combo version is priced at $649 USD (excluding tax) in the US, €629 EUR (including tax) in Europe, and $699 USD globally.

The combo version, which includes the AMS 2 Pro, is priced at $899 USD in the US, €849 EUR in Europe, and $949 USD globally. UK pricing was not confirmed at the time of this review. The X2D Combo is also $899.99 at Best Buy.

The machine ships with two hardened steel 0.4mm nozzles, a textured PEI build plate, a power cable, and accessories. The optional Vision Encoder for 50-micron motion accuracy is sold separately.

Bambu Lab X2D: Design

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Bambu Lab X2D specifications

Print Technology: FDM
Build Area: 256x256x260mm
Minimum Layer Resolution: n/a
Maximum Layer Resolution: n/a
Dimensions: 392x406x478mm
Weight: 16.25kg
Bed: Heated (120°C max)
Print Surface: Flexible Steel Plate (Textured PEI)
Software: Bambu Studio / Bambu Handy
Materials: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA, TPU, PA, PC, PVA, PLA-CF, PETG-CF and more
Print Speed: 1000mm/s (toolhead) / 200mm/s (auxiliary Bowden hotend)

The X2D follows Bambu Lab's established design style that I’ve recently seen with the H2 and P2 series machines and uses a very similar all-metal frame, dark matte finish, and enclosed glass-fronted chamber, just in a more compact and manageable size.

In my workshop while I have several H2's running the size and weight make it impractical to move them around, the X2D while offering a direct comparision to the H2D as a smaller scale version offers a very decent alternative that takes up far less space and deosn’t hold back on the 3D print features, although the multi took and functionality is not available with this machine. Like the X1D, this is a premium-level machine designed for business.

The toolhead is once again the biggest point of interest, although there are differences between this and those seen on the H2 and P2 series, obviously. This difference becomes apparent as you start to look behind the machine and at the cable routing, and with the filament switcher, external extruder and filter box, it’s instantly apparent that the machine is designed for everyday professional use and with the smaller size, it’s better suited with appropriate safety features to be used within working environments.

Unlike the dual system on the H2D, while there are similarities with the X2D, placing both nozzles on a single shared toolhead, there's a direct drive main extruder on the left, and then a Bowden auxiliary on the right, with the auxiliary extruder motor mounted separately on the rear panel.

This design helps to keep the toolhead weight low, which matters at high print speeds where a heavier head would introduce more vibration and ringing. The design for swapping between the two nozzles is purely mechanical with no motor, just gears and a trigger. It all seems to work well and reliably through the test, so while on the surface the tool head looks similar, it is actually very different.

Taking a look at the print bed, this measures in at 256 x 256 mm, and using a single nozzle has a height of 260mm. However, if printing with both nozzles, this print area size reduces to 235.5 c 256 x 256mm.

The 4mm height reduction when using the auxiliary hotend is worth noting in the review — when the right nozzle lowers, the flow blocker moves below the left hotend, which physically reduces the available print height. For most prints, this is not a practical issue, but for tall models printed in dual-material mode, it is worth being aware of.

As with previous Bambu Lab machines, there’s a large 5-inch 1280 x 720 touchscreen, which is essentially similar to the one seen on the H Series printers, making it easy to navigate and update settings.

Bambu Lab has worked to simplify the UI and succeeded in giving quick and direct access to everything that you need. When I did want to move the axis or lower the print bed, those settings have now been set back a little into the menu system, but are still easy enough to find and navigate.

Another buidl feaute that Bambu Lab highlighted is the chamber lighting, however, I work in a well-lit workshop so only noted the improvement when I walked into the room to check a print late at night, in smaller studios and workshops this will inevitably be a good step forward alough for the most part the streaming live camera with the 1920 x 1080 resolution gives a good idea about the condition adn progress of anything on the print bed.

One last comment on the build, and that ‘s to do with the nozzle replacement, which is once again straightforward; unload the filament, cool the nozzle, remove the silicone cover, unclip and replace. With both nozzles, the full swap takes under five minutes. The tool-free design is great to see over earlier Bambu Lab machines, but has been a consistent feature for a few years.

Bambu Lab X2D: Features

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The dual-nozzle extrusion system is the X2D's rather unique feature and has been primarily implemented to reduce the weight and bulk of the print head. This, as far as I can see, is the main benefit, and as that second nozzle with the engineering intended market for the X2D makes sense, it is inevitable that this will be used for support materials.

This means that the main left nozzle handles the model material while the auxiliary right nozzle deposits support in a different material , for example, PETG against PLA, or PVA for fully dissolvable supports, resulting in a clean interface between the support and model that should require minimal clean-up.

The second and more recognised use of the dual nozzle set-up is multi-material and multi-colour printing, where the instant mechanical nozzle switching cuts down on purge cycles that are usually required when an AMS-only single-nozzle printer is in action.

The main left hotend uses Bambu Lab's PMSM servo extruder, which samples the torque and position 20,000 times per second and can detect filament jams before they become print failures. Both nozzles feature hardened steel nozzles, making it an ideal solution for Bambu PLA-CF, PETG-CF, and PAHT-CF filament, and there's no need to swap out the nozzle for specialist hardened versions, as they’re already in place. The matte surface quality and structural properties of PLA-CF in particular benefit from the precision of the PMSM system, and the results through the test were consistently excellent.

Taking a look at the auxiliary right hotend, this uses a separate Bowden extruder mounted on the rear panel, which is then connected to the toolhead via a PTFE tube. This design keeps the toolhead lightweight but also means that there is a reduction in speed compared with the direct drive extruder; 200mm/s print speed, and compared with 1,000mm/s due to needing to maintain feeding stability.

For dual-material prints where the auxiliary nozzle is printing support structures, when combined with the main nozzle for the main construction, there is a slowdown in print speeds compared with the H series. On a typical two-hour print, the real-world time difference between the H2D and the X2D was around ten minutes for the 3D Benchy model.

Another feature that actually makes a dramatic difference to print quality when using specialist materials is the dual-mode thermal system. This enables a cool Mode that draws fresh air through the chamber for PLA, PETG, and similar materials, so you don’t need to open vents or leave the door ajar, and it helps to ensure clean bridges and overhangs.

Heat Mode actively heats the chamber to 65°C with the nozzle reaching 300°C, enabling ABS, ASA, and Nylon to print with minimal warping and decent layer adhesion. What I really like about this model is the three-stage air filtration; it just helps to prevent fumes from escaping into the workplace when using more advanced materials, although I still keep the machine with the others in a well-ventilated space.

Once again, prior to every print, the machine runs through a series of checks and tests, and these can take some time. These checks continue through the print process with features such as Dynamic Flow Calibration, which monitors the extrusion motor, hotend, nozzles, and filament in real time, compensating for wear and moisture automatically. This is something that obviously comes into play more as the machine starts to wear, but for busy print farms, this means that there will be less monitoring and fine-tuning for the machines if they’re running 24/7.

Once again, as I’ve seen with all recent releases, there’s the AI monitoring system that scans the build plate before each print and watches for spaghetti and purge chute jams, and again, as I found with the P2S, the sensitivity of this system is far greater than . Any debris on the print bed stops the printer immediately — a safety and quality measure that proved its worth across 250 hours of varied material testing. The 28-sensor array covering the feeding path, thermal environment, and safety status underpins all of this monitoring continuously.

Alongside the printer is Bambu Studio, which handles the model slicing, filament and nozzle allocation. For single-material prints, the one-click profile approach works well, and it’s easy to assign filaments, especially RFID-equipped options, with a click or two.

However, when it comes to dual-material printing, the whole experience is more involved, and it takes a while to get your head around how to assign filaments to nozzles and then apply those assignments to specific parts of a model. The process involves several menus, and with multiple similar-coloured filaments in an AMS, the process can become genuinely confusing, particularly if you’re new to the platform.

The underlying logic works once you run through a multitude of prints, and the RFID filament sync helps with parameter loading, but the interface for multi-nozzle filament allocation I still find confusing at times.

Bambu Lab X2D: Performance

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Through this test, I clocked up over 250 hours of print time and produced a mixture of single filament prints using PLA, PETG, PLA-CF, PETG-CF, TPU, and a range of dual and multi-material models, as this is really what this printer is all about.

By the end of the test, I can happily state that the X2D's print quality is absolutely what I’ve come to expect from the latest premium printers, models with smooth surfaces with minimal layer lines, and a consistency that held throughout the test period without any form of manual adjustment other than the initial build and loading filament.

Single-nozzle PLA prints in particular can be exceptionally fast and are as good as anything at this price point, or for that matter above, with the kind of surface finish that requires no or minimal post-processing for display or functional parts. This printer is essentially able to print at the same quality as the H2D.

The quality of the parts is in no doubt due to the advancements in the technology and build design, but also features such as the Dynamic Flow Calibration and PMSM servo system, which all work quietly in the background, and what impressed me most was the absolute print reliability across a range of materials, even TPU.

The dual-material workflow is where the X2D impressed me the most, and for the engineering and product parts I make, I only usually have a need for support and structural materials and print at between 200-500mm/s. The configuration of the nozzles and the different extruders I initially thought was going to be an issue, especially for speed. However, after multiple prints, while there was a difference in print times between this and the H2D, it was manageable.

As I started to increase the filament count then the effect was more marked, however, a major factor that did pull back time was the fact this machine is far better equipped to take two AMS 2 Pro’s than any previous Bambu Lab machine and the filament switcher actually seemed to pull back time.

When I started with the first dual-material print, a 3D scan in PLA with PETG supports, the printer instantly started to show the strengths of the design, with the support material that was used in far less volume coming through the Aux nozzle, with the main build material of PLA being used for the body.

While the print speed was slower than the H2D, there wasn’t a huge difference in it, and the quality of the prints was nearly identical. What was also apparent was that, compared with a single filament machine, support removal was cleaner, simply pulling away with a slight bit of force and minimal surface marking where the support meets the model surface.

There is, of course, some clean-up required, but the reduction in time spent finishing off the model compared to standard support removal is a major benefit. If I can avoid support, then generally I will.

PLA-CF and PETG-CF through the main direct drive hotend again performed well, with the PLA-CF used for parts that are used indoors and out of direct sunlight, while the PETG is better suited to outdoor use. The hardened steel nozzle handled the abrasive carbon fibre-reinforced filaments without feed issues across the test period, and the matt surface finish and structural quality of the resulting parts were excellent even when I tried to snap them in half.

This machine can produce engineering parts directly from the box, and the combination of the main hotend's material range with the HEPA-filtered enclosure enables you to use it for both professional and creative applications, and unlike previous printers that must be used in well vented areas that filter system does help to cut down on the fumes, I still use them in a well vented workshop.

Before starting the first print, I left the machine to run through the usual calibration process, which takes something in the region of 30-40 minutes, enough time to check out the software Bambu Studio. This is essentially the same as the previous version, just with the new X2D profile and based on Prusa Slicer.

As a whole, this is an excellent slicer that has become the industry standard; however, the implementation of the AMS configuration and nozzles can be a little confusing, especially if you’re just starting out. The questions around the software and how it works are the most common questions that I get, and even now, after years of using Bambu Lab printers, the software can and does still catch me out.

Assigning the AMS file to the nozzle is made simpler by the RFID chip, and updating details for third-party filaments is, to be honest, not difficult. However, once you’re in the preparation area, the filament selection and then assignment to the model is the area that, at some point, really does need a little more time developing for new and intermediate users. There is however some advancement with the filament swapper at the back that now enables you to channel filament from either filament input, be that two individual reels, an AMS and reel, or two AMS and this should make things more simple, but there are still situations, where finding a way to channel the filament to the left and right nozzles seems near on impossible.

One of the combinations that I often use is TPU paired with PLA, as it's just a good mix to produce some great accessories for a range of uses, primarily at the moment, boxes to keep memory cards and other gear safe. The size of this and the latest printers now means that you can print some sizable cases in a range of ultra-tough materials.

The one thing that I will point out is that all the TPUs that I ran through the system were Bambu's own branded TPUs for AMS, and this is run through the auxiliary Bowden hotend alongside PLA on the main nozzle. Again, the results are superb.

One slight issue with the system is that in order to gain that lighter print head weight, the second nozzle is fed from a Bowden auxiliary system, and this means that the hotend's motion speed is limited to 200mm/s due to the mechanics.

Dual-material prints, therefore, switch between the ultra-fast direct drive and slower Bowden, but in reality, for support structure prints, this actually works well; however, that speed reduction is notable compared with the H2D for multi-material prints.

In practice, on a typical two-hour print, the real-world slowdown amounted to around ten minutes, and as the complexity of the print and the amount of filaments involved in the process expand. that speed difference between the X2D and H2D increases.

For users whose primary use case is clean support removal or TPU-PLA combined parts, the trade-off is entirely worthwhile. For anyone wanting the fastest possible dual-material speeds, the H2D's system is definitely the better option despite being three times the price.

Multi-colour PLA prints with the AMS 2 Pro showed minimal purge waste when using two filaments; however, as ever, adding more colours from the AMS increases purge waste again, as I saw with the H2D. Colour transitions between the two nozzles are extremely clean, well-defined and unlike single nozzle options, there was no cross-contamination of colours.

As ever, the build plate adhesion was excellent throughout using the textured PEI plate. From experience, I now always use an IPA wipe before each print to remove any finger grease. Print ABS. I didn’t note any warping issues, and using PLA or PLA-CF, everything was essentially very straightforward, avoiding many of the traditional print problems from a few years ago.

While through the test period, PETG stuck to the platform well, this is probably due to the new print sheet and cleaning between each print. Over time, I’ll inevitably resort to a thin spread of glue stick, both to keep the material stuck to the base and to enable easier release.

Bambu Lab X2D: Print quality

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Dimensional accuracy - score of 4/ 5

Target 25 = X: 24.88mm / 0.12mm Error | Y: 24.91mm / 0.09mm Error
Target 20 = X: 19.79mm / 0.21mm Error | Y: 19.73mm / 0.27mm Error
Target 15 = X: 14.90mm / 0.10mm Error | Y: 14.75mm / 0.25mm Error
Target 10 = X: 9.80mm / 0.20mm Error | Y: 9.72mm / 0.28mm Error
Target 5 = X: 4.94mm / 0.16mm Error | Y: 4.80mm / 0.20mm Error

X Error Average = 0.158
Y Error Average = 0.218
X&Y Error Average = 0.188

Fine Flow Control - score of 5
Fine Negative Features - score of 5
Overhangs - score of 5
Bridging - score of 5
XY resonance - score of 2.5
Z-axis alignment - score of 2.5

Adding up the totals gives a final score of 29 out of 30.

BambuLab X2D: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The Bambu Lab X2D is, without doubt, the most versatile mid-range FDM printer on the market, at least when it comes to out-of-the-box functionality. For the majority of professional users, the $649 price tag offers exceptional value for money, able to produce industry-leading quality prints at a price that a year or two ago would have only got you something in the upper entry-level range.

The dual-nozzle system does work and enables you to produce complex prints with clean support removal, minimal purge waste and a TPU-PLA other combo so that you can produce functional parts with rigidity and flexibility without any fiddling about.

This machine is a replacement for the X1C and is aimed at engineering, which is reflected in the multi-material support out of the box due to the hardened steel nozzles, PMSM servo extrusion, 65°C active chamber heating, and three-stage HEPA filtration, which are all standard features.

There are, of course, some limitations, and while this is close to being a smaller H2D, it isn’t quite. There’s the Bowden auxiliary hotend's speed, which, while slower, I found in real-world usage. While it did cause a slight slowdown, it wasn’t as dramatic as I thought, although this will be a major consideration.

More of an issue is Bambu Studio's multi-nozzle filament assignment workflow, which can still be confusing, and anyone buying this printer, or for that matter, any Bambu Printer, should really take time to learn how the allocation works before getting started - writing a small guide has certainly helped me, especially with the new filament switcher.

At the end of the test, there’s no doubt that the X2D is an exceptional and long-awaited replacement for the X1C, and while not perfect, it is well-priced for a machine that securely positions itself between the P2S and the H2D.

If you're an X1C owner looking to upgrade, the X2D is the natural next step. For anyone approaching this as their first enclosed FDM printer, the dual-nozzle capability and support for engineering materials make it an interesting choice at a price, although if you just want to print PLA and PETG, then take a look at the P2P, if you need a larger scale and faster print speeds for volume, then the H2D.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)Should I buy the Bambu Lab X2D?Buy it if...

You want easy support removal

The dual-nozzle system eliminates some of the difficulty of support post-processing, and the results are impressive.

You use engineering materials 

PLA-CF, PETG-CF, ABS, ASA, Nylon, and TPU are all supported with hardened steel nozzles and active chamber heating, so you can get started with no need for upgrades.

Don't buy it if...

You need the fastest possible print speeds

The Bowden auxiliary hotend is limited to 200mm/s, and for maximum dual-nozzle print speeds, the H2D's dual head system is significantly faster.

You are new to Bambu Studio

If you want a completely plug-and-play multi-material experience,  the filament assignment workflow for dual-nozzle printing has a learning curve that requires patience

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