KEF Speakers, 50 Years of Innovation

You may have heard the name, but do you know the background of one of the world's leading audio speaker manufacturer? KEF Speakers have a distinction among speaker companies, in that the company was founded in England.

In 1961, Raymond Cooke, an ex-BBC Electrical Engineer started what we know as KED Electronics because he wanted to experiment with new technologies and materials. His goal was superior acoustic quality for reproducing original performances as near to lifelike sounds as possible. He was initially located near the Kent Engineering and Foundry in Kent, England, hence the name KEF.

The reputation of KEF Speakers grew almost instantly as the inventiveness and quality was recognized early on. Audiophiles hold KEF in the highest esteem for its innovative and high-performance loudspeakers. During the 1990s, the home theatre market exploded, and KEF was determined to provide affordable, high performance speakers and subwoofers to meet the demand. One of the innovations was the KHT2005 system, which featured the "egg-shaped" satellite speaker. This high quality speakers, with its cast aluminum enclosure and superior acoustic properties was a standard in the market for a number of years.


Another innovation to meet the needs of the market place was the KIT100, which intergrates the Satellite speakers, the subwoofer, and the DVD and achieves a near surround sound effect with just two front loudpeakers. This is accomplished with unique placement of speaker component parts that convince the listener that they are totally surrounded by sound, even though there are no extra center and rear located speakers.

LEF was also an innovator in the use of modelling in building and testing prototypes. This virtual production lab has led to even very recent changes and enhancements to an already impressive line of audio speakers. The constant aim is to provide better sounds without having to rely on more and more speakers and equipment. For example, in 2005 KEF introduced a unique solution to the problem of bass quality of sound. In the past, to get better bass, the enclosure had to be increased in size. Thanks to KEF, carbon was used to enhance the bass even from a compact cabinet. The result...Less restrictions on the cabinet size of subwoofer speakers. This is called ACE technology, and an ACE loaded box enclosure has to be heard to be believed.

Even though KEF has been in existence for close to 50 years, it is still at the forefront of innovation and hands-on experimentation. It is no wonder that KEF is known as the audiophile’s ultimate loudspeaker manufacturer.