uni-q
Latest
KEF's Concept Blade speakers -- no, you can't buy them
KEF has taken the wraps off its engineering-only Concept Blade speakers, and while the company has no intent on making these beauties available for sale (or at least none it's talking about), they are promising to roll the technology down the rest of their lineup. Working from KEF's calling-card Uni-Q tweeter/midrange, the design goal of Concept Blade is to make a full range, point source. The 10th generation of its Uni-Q driver can cover seven octaves without breakup before handing things over to the four 10-inch woofers arranged in "force cancelling" transverse pairs (one above the Uni-Q and one below). Throw in a carbon fiber/balsa wood composite enclosure, and you've got the makings of an exotic that surely has a market beyond one-off engineering showpieces. Trickle-down aside, we'd hate to see these go the way of other project concepts we've seen.
KEF's C-Series speakers move downmarket, lose Uni-Q driver
The point source Uni-Q driver that positions the midrange concentric with the tweeter has been a hallmark of KEF speakers for a long time. But times and budgets being what they are, the company's new entry-level C-Series of speakers have ditched the Uni-Q setup, but kept some high-profile features like 0.75-inch aluminum tweeters and gold-plated terminal strips bridging the dual binding posts. There's something for everyone in the line: the C1 and C3 (pictured) are monitors at $240 and $300 per pair, respectively; the C5 and C7 ($325 and $400 each) are for floorstander fans; if you've just got to have the exact same speaker all across the front the C6LCR ($250 each) is for you; and the C4 subwoofer will fill out the bass for $400. All available in any color, as long as it's black.
KEF hatches KHT2005.3 HTIB speakers
Given that HTIB systems are typically intended for a convenience- and style-minded crowd, you'd think that better naming schemes would be in order. We're afraid that lots of potential customers might see KHT2005.3 and think it's been around since year 2005. Not the case -- it's the third revision of KEF's Home Theater 2005 series. As such, we're pressed to find lots of changes in the refresh -- the egg-shaped satellites look to be the same 4-inch mid and 0.75-inch tweeter in KEF's Uni-Q arrangement. The subwoofer, however, looks like it's changed to a KUBE-2 unit that features a 10-inch driver coupled with a 10-inch radiator, all backed by a 200-Watt class-D amp. The previous model KHT2005.2 is a well-regarded setup (especially for HTIB), so if you're not into "rolling your own" then give these a listen -- we bet you could do a lot worse for $1299 MSRP.
KEF unveils new Instant Theater systems
Like most companies rooted in hi-fi, KEF still has its high end speakers. But it's aiming for more mass market appeal with the Instant Theater series. There are eight HTIB systems in the lineup, so something in there is sure to cover your needs. All of the models use KEF's Uni-Q coaxial drivers, a powered subwoofer and a (naturally) matching HDMI-equipped DVD/CD player. HTIB doesn't always mean cheap, though; these setups range from £1,200 - £2,500 ($2,500 - $5,000). On the low end, you've got the NXT-equipped, 2.1 channel "virtual surround" kit120 (pictured), and there's a continuous rollout of features moving up the range to the 5.1-speaker kit550. And if speaker cable isn't your thing, look for the upcoming kit 570w and kit580w, featuring wireless rear channels (prices unannounced). [Thanks, sk]
