KEF is named after its original site - Kent Engineering and Foundry in Maidstone - where it continues to develop its products today. Established in 1961 by Raymond Cooke OBE, the BBC engineer was propelled by a love of music and refusal to compromise. Since its inception, KEF has existed to fill rooms with music as it was made to be heard and to move souls with truly authentic soundscapes. Over the years it has never lost sight of its British roots, uncompromising quality, or boundary-pushing innovations.
For three decades, KEF manufactured BBC-designed monitor loudspeakers such as the LS5/1A, and earlier on the company introduced improved drivers using new materials that were successfully used in the BBC-designed LS3/5A broadcast monitor, of which over 50,000 pairs were sold worldwide. The close co-operation between KEF and the BBC Research department was fruitful for both, allowing KEF to pioneer the use of polymers and computerized quality control. And a substantial part of KEF's activity was as an OEM supplier of loudspeaker systems, baffles and drivers to other British brands and even manufacturers outside the UK, including Sonus Faber and Wilson Audio.
With a team of talented engineers and in-house designers who work together to maintain the brand’s audio integrity, KEF has also partnered with the likes of Ross Lovegrove, Michael Young, Sir Terence Conran, Eric Chan and Marcel Wanders to bring their unique perspectives to KEF’s product design.
“Entering this next era, KEF wants to ensure that the future of high-fidelity is personal, giving more people access to an exceptional listening experience. In this anniversary year, KEF will launch “the most advanced products it has ever created – to be announced in the coming months – which will again push the boundaries of the listening experience, both at home and on the move,” the company announces.
For this special year, KEF has also curated six playlists, selecting iconic British tracks that best represent each decade, which will be available to download and stream on Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music. During October 2021, KEF is also giving away prizes. See the company’s website for more information.
1960s
• The first KEF speaker, the three-way K1, incorporated the innovative use of synthetic materials which are thin but strong and enabled later speakers (such as Celeste) to be very compact in size
• Celeste was created as the first ultra-compact two-way speaker system designed to give true high-fidelity performance
• KEF took on the manufacture of monitor loudspeakers for the BBC
• By the end of the decade, KEF had established itself as a leading company in the audio industry with commercial and critical success for their loudspeaker systems and their drive units, which were adopted by numerous companies around the world into their own systems
1970s
• KEF received the first prestigious Queen’s Award for export achievement as the company becomes known beyond the UK
• In 1973 KEF became the first loudspeaker manufacturer in the world to implement the use of computers in loudspeaker design and measurement in order to achieve the highest audio accuracy – its renowned Reference Series was born
• As this new approach to loudspeaker development was refined, it led to the launch of one of the most radical and sophisticated loudspeakers ever made; the Reference Model 105 was created in 1977
1980s
• KEF maintained its reputation for excellence with the highly-respected Reference Series through a series of unprecedented technical enhancements
• In 1988 KEF designed and patented the world’s first speaker driver that enlarged the optimum listening area, allowing everyone sitting at different spots in the room to experience the same natural, detailed sound – called Uni-Q
• Uni-Q became the building block of KEF signature sound and sits at the heart of almost all its speakers today
1990s
• In 1994, KEF was one of the first companies to release a THX approved home theatre system – a revolutionary subwoofer/ satellite concept
• Founder Raymond Cooke OBE sadly passed away in 1995. However, he left the company with firm guiding principles encapsulated in his core values of ‘Quality, Honesty, Dedication and Innovation’
• KEF steadily developed the use of advanced acoustical, magnetic and mechanical modeling techniques in speaker designs, allowing a huge leap in acoustic accuracy not previously achieved by other methods
• The most remarkable loudspeaker to date, Muon, was launched in 2007. A collaboration with leading industrial designer Ross Lovegrove, Muon was a triumph of form marrying function, containing acoustic breakthroughs from the KEF engineering team
• The patented Tangerine Waveguide – which remains an iconic design of Uni-Q driver – was created to deliver an even cleaner, smoother sound
2010s
• Given free reign to create the ultimate loudspeaker without design or cost limitations, the BLADE was launched in 2011 – its precision is unprecedented
• To celebrate KEF’s 50th anniversary, a new classic LS50 was born with numerous technological breakthroughs, bringing the original studio monitor concept to the living room, enabling everyone to experience great sound at home
• In 2017, KEF introduced the first generation of LS50 Wireless – a complete, fully active music system, making high-fidelity sound digital
• A decade of unprecedented innovation, KEF introduced a number of wireless products including the EGG wireless speakers, MUO portable speakers, M Series headphones, and a collaboration with Porsche Design including Gravity One portable speakers, Motion One earphones and Space One wireless headphones
2020s
• Committed to ‘sound before all else’, KEF introduced the ground-breaking use of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) in speaker design
• MAT has allowed KEF to design a new range of revolutionary products, including the LS50 Meta and LS50 Wireless II
• The introduction of Uni-Core technology on the KC62 subwoofer in 2021 has created a new take on subwoofer design by reducing speaker cabinet size by over a third
Celebrating 60 years this year, KEF has firmly established itself at the forefront of audio excellence. From the early adoption of synthetic materials to the pioneering Reference Series that now determines industry standard, a foundation of technological innovation, design, and craftsmanship has led the brand to produce bar-setting products in speaker design.
Committed to bringing a superior listening experience to audiophiles, the brand’s revolutionary collection of speakers and subwoofers has evolved to include wireless speakers, portable speakers, and headphones.
www.kef.com
