KEF

KEF was founded in 1961 by an electrical engineer named Raymond Cooke in a Nissen Hut on the premises of a metal working operation called Kent Engineering & Foundry (hence KEF), on the banks of the River Medway, near Maidstone in Kent.

During the 1960s KEF flourished. Loudspeakers such as the Concord, Concerto and Cresta and then, in 1969, the Chorale began to shape the company’s growing reputation as the loudspeaker engineers, a fact justly recognized in 1970 when KEF received the first of two Queen’s Awards for Export Achievement.

1973 then saw the introduction of the first KEF Reference Series Model, the 104 which swept reviewers, distributors, retailers and customers off their feet. The archetypal ‘domestic monitor’ 104 provided the standards of a broadcast monitor loudspeaker in a domestic package, probably for the first time.

But 1977 saw the most radical KEF design yet in the Model 105 which apart from setting new standards for flat frequency response introduced a design by which the mid and treble were split from the bass box and placed within a contoured moulded enclosure above the bass enclosure. The added ability to angle the separate unique head unit provided the opportunity for the user to tailor the 105 to his or her own environment. The loudspeaker was of such general importance and consumer interest that a leading quality UK Newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, featured the Model 105 on the front cover of its magazine supplement.

In 1988, came Uni-Q®. A design process, painstakingly evolved by KEF over several years, by which a single point source at last became a reality. The HF units made use of a rare-earth magnet material.

In 1994 and 1995 the company brought out the versatile and appealing Q Series, offering all the benefits of a third generation Uni-Q® driver but in a shielded format for AV use, together with the multi-award winning Model 100 Centre Speaker, the Model 90, the new Model 200C and the Reference Series Models One, Two, Three and Four. KEF also introduced the new entry level Home Theatre System for true audiophile home theatre sound at a price to fit most pockets.

The four cornerstones of KEF’s success over 35 years are Quality, Honesty, Dedication and Innovation. The company is professional from top to bottom. Still occupying the same river-bank site in Kent (although sadly, the Nissen Hut no longer stands), they service export markets throughout the world. The company firmly and passionately remains true to its proven innovations and philosophies; Uni-Q® Drivers, Ferrofluid Cooled Tweeters, Rubber Isolated Decoupled Driver Mountings, Long Throw Bass Drivers, Oxygen Free Internal Wiring, Gold Plated Bi-Wire Terminals, Computer Matching (using the most sophisticated and advanced of computer techniques) and the importance of quality audiophile-standard Home Theatre Systems.

To learn more about KEF feel free to visit their website at KEF.