KEF has been celebrating its 50th birthday all year long. However, they seem to have gotten a lot of work done in between all of the whooping it up. The company didn't just announce a few speakers, but an entire new line called the R Series.
Designed to make audiophile standards more affordable, the new speaker line will have a total of nine models. That will include three floor-standing speakers, two bookshelf speakers, two center-channel speakers, a dipole surround and a twin-driver, 500-watt subwoofer.
All of the new products feature new Uni-Q driver arrays, new bass drivers, and KEF Blade technologies. The end result boasts a rich, spacious sound.
That new Uni-Q MF/HF driver array uses a braced magnesium/aluminum alloy cone, KEF's Z-flex surround, and a sturdy, decoupled, die-cast aluminum chassis. At the acoustic center of the midrange cone is the same vented tweeter that endows the KEF Blade. Other features include a large neodymium magnet and a computer-optimized dome structure, as well as KEF's own "tangerine" waveguide. The bass driver uses a massive vented magnet assembly and a large, lightweight aluminum voice coil driving a light, stiff and strong hybrid cone. Other features include computer-designed crossovers, constrained layer damping panels and computational fluid dynamics to optimize acoustic integrity through the reflex ports.
All three of the three-way floor-standing speakers will be sold separately (not in pairs). The R500 features a Uni-Q driver array with a 1-inch HF unit, a 5-inch MF driver and two 5.25-inch LF drivers, for $1299.99. The R700 bumps the Uni-Q driver array up to a 1-inch HF unit, a 5-inch MF driver and two 6.5-inch LF drivers. This one is priced at $1799.99. At $2499.99 each, the R900 has a Uni-Q driver array with a 1-inch HF unit, a 5-inch MF driver and two 8-inch LF drivers.
For something a little smaller, there are two bookshelf models, which will be sold as pairs. The R100 features a Uni-Q driver array with a 1-inch HF unit and a 5.25-inch MF driver for $1199.99 per pair. A slight step up is the R300, which has a Uni-Q driver array with a 1-inch HF unit, a 5-inch MF driver and one 6.5-inch LF driver. This is priced at $1799.99 per pair.
To complete your setup, there are two three-way center-channel speakers. The R200c is priced at $999.99, with a Uni-Q driver array with a 1-inch HF unit, a 5-inch MF driver and two 5.25-inch LF drivers. The R600c has similar specs, but bumps the LF drivers up to 6.5 inches. That's priced at $1499.99. There's also one three-way dipole speaker, the R800ds. Priced at $1799.99 per pair, this speaker has two Uni-Q driver arrays, consisting of two 1-inch HFs and two 5.25-inch MF drivers.
Last, but not least, KEF has the R400b to put some boom into your R Series setup. This 500-watt powered subwoofer features a 9-inch LF driver and is priced at $1699.99.
"The new R Series strikes the perfect balance between superb sound quality and affordability," said Alec Chanin, president of KEF America. "The series incorporates many of the same technologies developed in our ground-breaking KEF Blade to offer those who appreciate great audio excellence a loudspeaker range that comes close to the performance of our Reference Series."
Available in piano black and satin real wood veneer finishes in rosewood or walnut, all of the R Series speakers will shipping in October 2011.
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