From the moment they first surfaced, the stunning KEF Foundry editions (of the KEF Reference 3s and 5s) have got us rather hot and bothered. We wrote about them when they first surfaced, and they’ve been one of our most inquired about sets of speakers since. I mean… look at them.
Yeah. He knows.
Blue Ice White and Copper Black Aluminum. That’s what the finishes are called – and that’s what we’ve been raving about since earlier this year. Two of the prettiest looking – and indeed sounding – things to pop out of the hi-fi universe in some time.
But up until this point the two finishes have proven a little mysterious. They’ve sneaked up in a few showrooms here and there, and a couple of shows across the globe too of course. But until now actually seeing a pair in the flesh has proven to be a little tricky.
Well… we might have some good news for you…
Blue Ice White and Copper Black Aluminum… are coming to our showroom very soon. I can’t disclose exactly when (just yet!) but trust me when I say that they’re coming. And soon you will be able to see them (and hear them) in all of their glory, in the comfort (and style, if we do say so ourselves!) of the Audio Affair showroom in Birmingham.
Just in case you missed our little run down the first time around, these lovely speakers are a lot more than just pretty faces. Every item within the KEF the Reference series (including the 3 and the 5) benefit from the following:
– Uni-Q Driver Array – a state-of-the-art 25mm (1in.) vented aluminium dome tweeter at the exact acoustic centre of a highly sophisticated 125mm (5in.) midrange driver, which act as a single source that fills the listening space evenly. Deep, powerful and room-filling
– Bass Drivers – a new 165mm (6.5 inch) LF driver with a massive vented magnet assembly and a large aluminium wire voice coil. Together, they drive an exceptionally light, stiff and strong alloy cone with allows for controlled, tight and immersive bass at any volume
– Composite Front Baffle – constructed from a remarkably strong laminated aluminium and resin composite and secured via high-loss pads and high tensile bolts, the drivers sit within this precision engineered baffle adding tremendous stiffness to the cabinet
– Flexible Ports – Pioneered for the multi-award winning LS50 innovative, this technology features adjustable ports for fine-tuning bass output
– Crossover Design – every high grade component is auditioned in order to find the combination with the lowest distortion and smoothest response
– Cabinet Design – the shape and bracing is are computer-optimised to minimise secondary radiation from the cabinet walls, and then they are finished by hand. They are precision engineered to eliminate panel resonance, stray reflections or box colouration
– Stands & Plinths – as with everything else Reference (and indeed, KEF), the tiniest details are painstakingly explored and perfected to achieve absolute optimisation, right down to a spirit level built into the plinth and spike sets easily adjusted by neatly concealed screws.
If you’re keen to be among the first of our loyal customers and readers to see and hear these marvels for yourselves, give us a shout. We will tell you where, how and – most importantly – when this will happen.
I will be on hand to share some rather enticing images too, once they land. Until then, we’ll be making some pretty hasty space in the showroom…