We have been head-over-heels in love with KEF ever since we opened our doors. Longer, in fact! They are the kind of brand you don’t – and can’t forget. Everything about what KEF have produced since day one has screamed of quality, of innovation and of style… three very memorable qualities. And when you have a company history (not to mention product range) as long and as illustrious as KEF’s, there are some seriously impressive things to remember.
You have probably heard of KEF. Heck, if you’re reading this there’s a very good chance you have literally heard KEF. Maybe you’re one of the many incredibly lucky KEF owners! But do you know much about KEF? Their background? The innovations that made them great? Their ranges through the years?
No?
Well, by the end of this blog, you shall. Sit back, relax and enjoy as we take you through the 55 years of KEF Loudspeakers.
The Background
It all began, as it so often does, with one man who was somewhat detail-obsessed. And in the world of hi-fi (or indeed, anything grounded in innovation, technology and perfection. That man, was Raymond Cooke.
British born Raymond was a WWII veteran who spent a year as a sound engineer for the BBC. He moved on from this to work as a Technical Director for Wharfedale – who I’m sure you have heard of. Taking what he learnt as a member of the Wharfedale team, Cooke left in order to pursue his dream and put his own designs into action. In 1961 he set up shop in a ‘nissen hut‘ on the grounds of Kent Engineering & Foundry, a metalworks company. Which explains nicely where the name KEF came from. They have moved on from the old nissen huts, but KEF’s headquarters still stand on the very same ground in Tovil, Maidstone.
Cooke left Wharfedale in order to have the freedom to experiment with new materials and technologies. He intended to produce speakers which were capable of producing a sound that was as close to natural recording as possible. His year spent with the BBC paid off, and his relationship with them continued as he manufactured several BBC designed loudspeakers while he improved his own designs. A fruitful endeavour for both parties! KEF – led by Cooke – went on to be considered pioneers and great innovators, winning award after award and creating technology which continues to inspire other leading manufacturers decades down the line.
Their tendency to sell raw drivers to their competitors – rather than keep them for themselves – solidified them as true leaders in this field. In 1979, Cooke received an OBE for ‘Export Achievement’. In later years, KEF sadly fell into receivership. But this was far from the end. They were picked up by GP Acoustics who allowed them to continue with their research and innovation on their site in Kent.
1960s
To understand a little bit more about KEF, you first have to understand the LS3/5A… and their revolutionary relationship with the BBC. in the 50s Cooke worked at the BBC as an engineer – something which proved influential for his future pursuits! But his contacts back at the beeb resulted in an agreement for KEF to manufacture the BBC designed LS5/1A monitor, under a licence to the corporation. It proved successful, with production continuing into the mid 1970s. The LS5/1A provided KEF with useful experience in working to tight acoustic tolerances.
The 60’s, however, weren’t just all about the BBC! During this relationship, KEF had the financial freedom to experiment with their own designs, and what would eventually become their revolutionary drive units. They went on to produce the K1 Series but with the 1962 introduction of the now world famous B139 bass driver, the Celeste was born. It proved to be a best seller! The B110 and T27 drivers followed in 1967 and were successfully utilised in the Cresta and Concerto and later selected by the BBC for use in the LS3/5A monitor, which we’ll go into shortly.
By the end of the decade KEF was established as a leading company in the audio industry with commercial and critical success not only for the KEF loudspeaker systems but for the drive units which were adopted by numerous companies around the world into their own systems. The Celeste proved to be their stabilising unit, helping KEF develop and prosper.
But it wasn’t until the 1970s that their real breakthrough occurred.
1970s
In the early 1970s, various developments occurred which lead to the LS3/5A being released. Aside from KEF’s Reference lines (which were also born in this particular decade – it was a good decade).A fter a series of very successful commercial loudspeaker designs (with several million units being produced in the Nissan Hut in Maidstone and numerous factories around the world producing the same designs) 1975 saw a development which placed KEF on the hifi map. Indefinitely.
The 70s also saw the first implementation of computers in the design and measurement of their loudspeakers. This lead to the world famous Reference designs emerging for the first time, from the 101 all the way through to the 105.2. The first of many lines of References, each dominating its market. At the lower end of the scale, the Celeste III proved extremely popular, and a best-seller in the market.
1980s
In the 1980s, KEF went into design and production overdrive. This was the decade of the budget speaker, and a time when hi-fi started to gain more mainstream attention. KEF produced a new decades worth of References, which featured the now famous (and still very much in use) Uni-Q driver technology. The birth of Uni-Q was perhaps an even more ground breaking occurrence than the release of their first round of References!
“In 1988, incorporating a new neodymium/iron/boron magnetic material, developed by NASA, with ten times the power of standard speaker magnets, the revolutionary KEF Uni-Q was born. This major innovation allowed KEF engineers to make a tweeter small enough to be mounted at the acoustic heart of the bass unit coil, providing for the first time a single point source of sound. In layman’s terms, this considerably enlarged the optimum listening area in any room. Searching for that elusive acoustic ‘sweet spot’ was now a thing of the past and Uni-Q remains a key KEF differentiator today.” ~ KEF
1990s
Following on from something like the Uni-Q wasn’t going to be easy, but KEF gave it a try regardless producing multiple class leading, innovative products throughout the decade, from the budget Coda 7 to the another series of References. They also strengthened their grip on the critical mid-range speaker market with the Q Series.
But the times they were a’changing: with the rise of home theatre and multi-channel music (i.e. AV) with the emergence of subwoofer/satellite format, and 5.1 sneaking up behind the traditional stereo. Immersive sound was the key to a viewing experience, and KEF were at the heart of this development with the likes of the Model 100 centre speaker. They ended up being one of the first companies to release a THX approved home theatre system – a high-end subwoofer/satellite concept with vertically directional front speakers and dipole surrounds. It was a big deal then, and it’s a big deal now.
2000s
This is the decade that saw KEF as we know (and love) them today slowly start to take shape. At the turn of the century, modern-day KEf began to emerge with further developments from the ever-evolving Q Series, a stylish new XQ Series and massive success with the KHT2005 and the, the now iconic, ‘Egg’. At the high end the Reference Series Model 207/2 established itself as one of the world’s finest loudspeakers (it still takes some beating) and the strength of KEF’s research and development capability was evidenced in all sectors from the affordable KHT3005 to the even grander statements of Muon and Blade a little later down the line.
KEF today continues to evolve, and continues to impress. Aside from a few of the statement pieces, everything that KEF currently produce can be found here.
A long history (over 50 years of innovation) has brought us into a time where KEF are regarded as one of the finest loudspeaker purveyors in the world. But they haven’t stopped yet – and their ever curious obsession with innovation will carry them for many decades to come.
‘Of all art, music is the most indefinable and the most expressive, the most insubstantial and the most immediate, the most transitory and the most imperishable. Transformed to a dance of electrons along a wire, its ghost lives on. When KEF returns music to its rightful habituation, your ears and mind, they aim to do so in the most natural way they can … without drama, without exaggeration, without artifice’. ~ Raymond Cooke
If you would like to experience KEF loudspeakers for yourself, or have any questions at all, then don’t hesitate to get in touch. We have plenty available for demo, and know the ranges (and what they work with) very well.