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The millennium ushered in a new era of

groundbreaking audio innovation. 

Among the most important was the launch of a

new Reference Series - the forerunner of today’s

design - in 2002. This redefined the benchmark

for high-end loudspeakers by incorporating

signature KEF technologies such as Uni-Q and

the ‘pod’ concept.

The decade had begun with the introduction of a

product destined to become a design icon in its

own right: the KHT (KEF Home Theatre) 2005

system. With satellite loudspeakers nicknamed

‘KEF eggs’ because of their distinctive

elliptical shape, KHT2005 represented a real

breakthrough not only in terms of the build

quality and sonic performance that it offered

but at a price that many found “very reasonable

indeed”. 

With the rising demand for home entertainment

systems, the KHT series steadily grew to

encompass both smaller and larger variants.

The concept proved a worldwide success,

with all models earning enthusiastic reviews and

a plethora of awards, and the expanded range

remains popular today. 

Another patented KEF innovation of the 21st

century was Acoustic Compliance Enhancement,

or ACE. This technology was developed in the

constant quest to resolve a fundamental dilemma

of loudspeaker design: how to optimise the

trade-off between the large cabinet size required

for maximum bass extension and popular

demand for smaller, less obtrusive loudspeakers

in modern living rooms. 

ACE largely succeeded in overcoming these

conflicting constraints by adding granules of

activated carbon inside the driver enclosures.

By a molecular process known as adsorption,

the presence of the granules makes each

enclosure sound twice as big as it actually is.

Yet more KEF innovations soon followed.

The KIT (KEF Instant Theatre) concept, for

example, proved an immediate hit - an integrated

multimedia home entertainment system for

consumers who want a complete, user-friendly

package that offers quality sound without being

complicated to set up. 

One of the most revolutionary aspects of the

design is that it delivers the apparently

impossible: a three-dimensional surround sound

image from only two loudspeakers. This was

achieved by adding two flat panel drivers behind

each front loudspeaker driver to act as rear

loudspeakers by radiating the sound behind

the listening area. This radical concept has

since been applied to other KEF home

entertainment products.

The launch of the new Q Series in 2005

further strengthened KEF’s position as an

acknowledged market leader in mid-priced

audiophile quality loudspeakers. With its high

performance Uni-Q driver array, distinctive

curved cabinets and outstanding build quality and

finish, the new range was soon being referred

to as “the baby Reference”. 

Since then though, the Reference has evolved

further still. True to our vision and roots as

high-end audio designers, KEF engineers have

been concentrating on raising the bar in terms of

ultimate sonic performance. And the result,

it has to be said, is outstanding. When the latest

KEF Reference technologies were showcased at

the prestigious High End 2006 audio show in

Munich, prototypes for our new ‘Austin’

(pictured opposite) concept loudspeakers were

voted by some the best sound of the show in

independent comparative tests. 

Now as in ‘61, it’s all about greatness by design.

The 2000’s

Summary of Contents for REFERENCE 201/2

Page 1: ...ray if however this is compromised and the dome itself is dented it will permanently impair performance 1 Avoid temperature extremes 2 Avoid damp 3 Avoid direct sunlight 4 Clean with the KEF cloth pro...

Page 2: ...es 10 Loudspeaker Placement and Room Acoustics 11 Loudspeaker Positioning 12 Amplifier to Loudspeaker Connections 14 Amplifier Requirements and Power Handling 14 Uni Balance Adjustment Models 201 2 20...

Page 3: ...st possible focus With properly recorded material and as part of a good quality system well set up loudspeakers with KEF Uni Q can reveal the location of each musical voice in the stereo image with pi...

Page 4: ...has the advantage of maintaining a slim profile for the cabinet and subsequently wide and even sound dispersion Internally however a tall slim enclosure suffers from strong top to bottom acoustic stan...

Page 5: ...c is timbre matched to the other Reference Series loudspeakers thereby allowing a seamlessly integrated 3D soundstage to be set up in the listening room The size has been chosen to allow it to be moun...

Page 6: ...site to the direction of lean should be made Adjusting the Feet and or Spikes Only supplied with Model 207 2 The listening room is one of the most variable elements in the hi fi chain and its effect c...

Page 7: ...13 12 2m 6 8 2m 6 8 Loudspeaker Positioning...

Page 8: ...ition tweeter level setting Three gold plated screw caps are supplied with each loudspeaker one for the LF and two for the HF adjustment LF Adjustment With the supplied cap screwed into the LF Adjust...

Page 9: ...adjusts the bass level depending on whether the loudspeaker is mounted freestanding or close to a TV or wall boundary In the Model 202 2c the television setting corrects the bass response for when th...

Page 10: ...n from one amplifier known as tri wiring or to separate power amplifiers driven from the same pre amplifier tri amping Further adjustment of this cable will allow connection of just two pairs of adjac...

Page 11: ...gle wire connections Centre loudspeaker bi wire connections Centre loudspeaker tri wire connections x8 x4 Loudspeaker bi amplification connections Loudspeaker tri amplification connections Loudspeaker...

Page 12: ...re guaranteed against manufacturing defects in both materials and workmanship For further details of how this guarantee affects you please read the enclosed Warranty leaflet It should be noted however...

Page 13: ...433 mm 43 5 x 11 2 x 17 in Finishes Piano Black High Gloss Cherry High Gloss American Walnut Satin Sycamore MODEL 205 2 Design Bass reflex three way floorstanding loudspeaker magnetically shielded Dri...

Page 14: ...esponse 15 horizontally off axis 3dB 53Hz 60kHz Crossover frequencies 400Hz 2 3kHz Amplifier Requirements 50 300W Sensitivity 2 83V 1m 90dB Maximum Output 115dB Impedance 8 3 2 min Bass Extension 40Hz...

Page 15: ...und quality in the mid band by using it as the surround to the loudspeaker diaphragm while using new materials for the diaphragm itself Cooke was always looking for new materials and settled on Bextre...

Page 16: ...ity an evolution of the 105 2 but with KEF s coupled cavity bass loading a system which positions the drivers internal to the enclosure each separately loaded and firing into a third common chamber wh...

Page 17: ...ed during 1996 but with the knowledge that all of his original and noble principles remained intact and would always do so Recognition that year for the Reference Series Model Four had reached a peak...

Page 18: ...ecular process known as adsorption the presence of the granules makes each enclosure sound twice as big as it actually is Yet more KEF innovations soon followed The KIT KEF Instant Theatre concept for...

Page 19: ...ber Lane Marlboro New Jersey 07746 U S A Telephone 1 732 683 2356 Fax 1 732 683 2358 GP Acoustics GmbH Heinrichstra e 51 D 44536 L nen Deutschland Telephone 49 0 231 9860 320 Fax 49 0 231 9860 330 GP...

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