KEF Audio Loudspeaker User Manual

FULL LINE CATALOGUE

People who know sound,know KEF.
It’s a name that commands such respect because we’ve never
been a ‘me too’ manufacturer. Ever since the early days of hi-fi,
our approach has been driven by a passionate belief in the power
of new materials, new technologies and design ingenuity to
heighten the enjoyment of recorded sound.
This is as true today as it was back in ’61,when KEF was founded
by Raymond Cooke, which is why KEF speakers have ranked
among the finest in the world in every decade since.
In that time, KEF has pioneered many landmark innovations.
New diaphragm materials. Neoprene damping. The use of
computer modelling in research and quality control.
Digital testing to unprecedented tolerances. Total system design
methods. Conjugate load network techniques. And arguably
the greatest breakthrough of all: the UNI-Q

®

array,

based on technology originally developed for the NASA space
programme and protected by world wide patents. No other
manufacturer has done more to advance the principles of
loudspeaker engineering,and none is better placed to exploit the
potential of the latest digital formats.

Separating out the mid-range and high frequency drivers
into their own pods has long been a KEF tradition dating
all the way back to 1977 with the worlds first speaker

to do this, the Model 105. This technology lives on today in the
Model 207 flagship.

KEF - THE FACTS AND THE FEELING

‘Fresh ideas are what we breathe - but only obsession with detail can make them work’

Raymond Cooke MBE 1925 - 1996

Founder of KEF

KEF Production Facility at Maidstone

Model 105 1977-79 Model 105/4 1980-82 Model 105/2 1982-87 Model 107 1986-89 Model 107/2 1990-96 Model 207 2001

POD TECHNOLOGY

The continuing evolution of KEF’s legendary Reference Series has
always been based on the concept of benchmark precision.
Every time a new generation of models is developed to
incorporate more sophisticated technologies,w e build pr ototypes
that are as close to perfection as possible.These then become the
‘Reference’ to which every single production version must
conform,each set assembled by a skilled craftsman who matches
their performance to a tolerance of just 0.5dB.
As the latest incarnation of this approach, the Reference Series
is a quantum leap forward in audiophile quality sound.
In fact, its performance envelope extends well beyond the range
of human hearing.
This is not as futile as it may at first sound - whereas con ventional
CDs carry no audio information beyond 20kHz, extended
bandwidth formats such as SACD and DVD Audio contain signals
up to 40kHz and more. Consider the analogy that even though
no-one drives at 200 mph, cars that are engineered to do so are
inherently better performers at lower speeds.

That’s why all new Reference series models come

with a state of the art 19mm (

3

/4”) titanium

dome Hypertweeter

TM

for massively
extended HF performance. Mounted in low
diffraction, chrome-plated steel enclosures

time aligned with the main array,they deliv er

flat response to 55kHz and useful energy up to

80kHz.What you hear is a sweeter,more natural sound.

Radical new UNI-Q

®

driver arrays - the ultimate r efinement
of KEF’s trademark technology - where the tweeter is
mounted at the acoustic centre of the midrange cone ­provide an immaculate single point source, the Holy Grail
of loudspeaker design. With the midrange cone and
surround integrated into a single Uni-Form moulding,
there are no discontinuities to distort the HF energy from
the 25mm (1”) elliptical profile titanium dome tweeter.
With only midrange frequencies to handle, movement of
the UNI-Q cone is so modest that virtually no distortion is
caused by intermodulation with the tweeter. Like the bass
drivers, an open chassis design - minimises acoustic
reflection behind the cone.

The result is an even more spacious, better defined sound stage
over a very large area,with exceptional off-axis r esponse and none
of the ‘sweet spot’ limitations of conventional speakers.
Bass extension is equally stunning, thanks to ultra-low distortion
motor systems and high tech reinforced diaphragms. And with
each bass driver radiating directly from its own separate internal
enclosure to avoid the distorting effects of vertical standing wa v es
that tall cabinets usually suffer from, you experience noticeably
clearer,more open bass.
As you would expect from a handmade KEF product,

build quality is as outstanding as the

specification of each individual component.

Carefully graded and soldered by hand,

KEF’s own oxygen-free copper cable

ensures the best possible signal

transmission, with terminals machined

from solid brass and plated in gold.
High order crossovers with advanced air-cored
inductors and polypropylene capacitors ensure
faultlessly smooth integration.
For optimum performance in real rooms, all models
accommodate tri-wiring and are fitted with a
boundary control device to adjust bass response
according to speaker positioning and the acoustics of the
listening area. Magnetic shielding ensures trouble-free
positioning in home theatre applications.

Engineered from laminated birch ply using KEF’s own
internal bracing system, the new curved section cabinets
are elegantly profiled to minimise coloration and finished in
a choice of hand-matched hardwood veneers.
More than ever before, these are very special
speakers indeed.

1

2

Model 207

A true five-way design, the 207 is instantly recognisable
by the cast aluminium pod, which is shaped to damp the
internal sound field of KEF’s new generation UNI-Q

®

upper
midrange driver.
Beneath the state-of-the-art elliptical profile titanium
HypertweeterTM,a bonded Uni-Form cone/surround provides
the optimum waveguide for the 25mm (1”) titanium dome HF
unit leading to exceptional vocal clarity.
The lower midrange driver is derived from the LF unit,
KEF’s lightweight neodymium magnet assembly allowing it to

be effectively decoupled from the cabinet to improve imaging
and integration while minimising coloration.
Both long-throw 250mm (10”) bass drivers have their own
dedicated enclosures, tuned to different frequencies for
better performance in real rooms. With a combined cone
area equivalent to a single 375mm (15”) cone, they deliver
staggering bass extension of exceptional purity.
Incredibly lucid over an expansive sound stage, with no
discernible distortion - whatever sounds you’re into,this is a
supremely musical performer.

Model 205

In all the other Reference Series models, the wide
dispersion UNI-Q/Hypertweeter pod is faired into
the cabinet itself.
For the smoothest possible response, much
attention has been paid to evening out flux profiles.
Both MF and HF coils in the UNI-Q array share a
compound twin neodymium magnet assembly,
and the two ultra-low distortion 200mm (8”) bass
drivers have balanced Faraday loops above and
below the coil to ensure perfect symmetry.

The listening experience is spine-tingling, off-axis as
well as on. Wherever you sit in the room, there’s a near perfect illusion of
presence - exactly what you want for auditorium quality home theatre or to
recapture that elusive live concert ‘feel’.

Model 203

The 203 shares all this technical virtuosity, only on a
slightly smaller scale.
Computer matched high order four-way crossovers
assure fluid transitions between the five drivers.
The Hypertweeter and the new UNI-Q coincident
source array together provide seamless mids
and highs while the two165mm (61/2

”) LF drivers
with KEF’s high-tech motor systems and stiff,
lightweight reinforced diaphragms, deliver deliciously
open bass with incredibly low distortion even at
high volume.
Stereo imaging is superb,the detailing immaculate and the response so fluid you
could almost drink it.

Model 201

All the latest Reference Series technology packed into
a neat bookshelf package. There’s certainly no
compromise on build quality either. Graded and hand
soldered OFC wiring. Audiophile crossovers with
air-cored inductors and polypropylene capacitors.
Gold plated terminals. Like all Reference Series models,
the 201 can be tri-wired and comes with a boundary
control device to fine tune response to the acoustics of
the room. And with full magnetic shielding and the
inherently wide dispersion characteristics of KEF UNI-Q,
you can place them more or less wherever you like.
Smooth. Sweet sounding. Startlingly clear. The 201 is big
in everything but size.

Model 206DS

Designed to partner the new Reference Series,the Model 206DS is a
dedicated dipole rear surround for no nonsense KEF Reference
multi-channel systems.
Incorporating two of the radical new UNI-Q point source arrays as
used in the Reference Series,partnered with two 19mm (

3

/4

”) titanium

dome Hypertweeters and twin 165mm (6

1

/2

”) low distortion bass
drivers, the Model 206DS is perfectly timbre matched to the other Reference
Series speakers.
The four-way Model 206DS contains the technologies developed for the
Reference Series; a Boundary Compensation Device, Reference matched drive
units. The technologies combine to produce an incredibly lucid sound
reproduction,to ensure your enjoyment is complete.

Model 204c

With around two-thirds of the average movie soundtrack playing through the
centre channel, KEF’s extended bandwidth technology has been applied with
particular care to the new Reference series centre speakers.
Adding the Hypertweeter to the new UNI-Q driver array provides the extra
bandwidth required to reproduce all the audio inf ormation encoded in the latest
digital formats.
The array is completed by audiophile quality 165mm (61/2

”) bass drivers on
either side, with ultra-low distortion motor systems and reinforced lightweight
diaphragms to recreate the full weight of frontal effects without sacrificing
subtlety at lower volumes.

Model 202c

The recommended centre speaker to partner
models 203 and 201, the 202c delivers all the
listening benefits of the latest Reference
Series technology.
With the same Hypertweeter and an identical UNI-Q array incorporating KEF’s
latest elliptical dome titanium tweeter and seamless Uni-Form cone/surround,
the all-important vocals are reproduced with the same stunning realism.
When flanked by a pair of KEF’s 165mm (61/2

”) ultra low distortion bass drivers,
the combined effect is to immerse the viewer in a detailed soundscape that’s as
lucid as it is involving.Irresistible.