HIGH END
HEROKEF THE REFERENCE 7.2 ➜ £38,000 approx

REVIEWSPremiumtowers

IN 1961, RAYMOND Cooke

took over the Nissen hut usedby wartime company Kent
Engineering & Foundry inMaidstone and started toproduce loudspeakers thatwere branded KEF. And therest, as they say, is history– the company has become
an industry stalwart and thevisionary speaker designer’s
awesome body of work has
been imitated by others.
The latest of its doctorate designers withlots of letters after his name is responsible
for the eleventh – yes, eleventh – iterationof KEF’s famous Uni-Q coaxial transducer.
That Dr Jack Oclee-Brown, PhD, MEng, looks
like he still does not need to shave muchmerely makes me feel old – I first enjoyed
KEF's Reference speakers back in 2008.
Since then, the line has been revamped,
further developed and taken to anotherlevel of potency.
The new range actually launched in 2014,
but at first was a hi-fi proposition only.
Production of the all-important centre channel
speakers didn't begin in earnest until after KEF
had satisfied the demands of those who had
pre-ordered its floorstanders and standmounts.
This is why I found myself in Maidstone
yet again. Last time I visited I literally raised
the roof and frightened KEF's receptionist,as the demo room is close by the entrance.
This time I was relieved to find that thereceptionist wasn't there.
And I had to head to Maidstone because
KEF's Reference speakers – especially those
auditioned here – are sizable enclosures,
and a review just wouldn't have been feasible
in my abode. I've made similar trips to listen
to Focal's Utopia range and a JBL Synthesis
system. As always, I must stress that mylistening took place in a professionally treatedroom – a room, in fact, that now houses fourof the best-selling KEF Ci200RR-THX

AV Info
PRODUCT:
High-end 7.2 floorstanding array

Adam Rayner falls in love with KEF's
high-end 7.2 loudspeaker system
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POSITIONING:
The Reference is – unsurprisingly – KEF's
flagship home cinema product line
PEERS:
Monitor Audio Platinum; Bowers & Wilkins 800
Series Diamond; JBL Synthesis

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HIGH END
HEROREVIEWS

in-ceiling speakers. This is like a shop ceilingspeaker, in the way that a moped is to aMaserati. At ‘only’ £450 each, these nineinchers (with a Uni-Q driver in a shallow box,
using the ceiling itself as the ‘enclosure') did
an astonishing job of putting the lid on theAtmos system I was to experience. But moreon that later.

Loudspeaker luxury
What I had to listen to was a sumptuous
statement of loudspeaker luxury. The
revamped KEF Reference speakers are objectsof profound craftsmanship taken to artistry,and with a timelessly classic look that belies
the intensively-developed and human-ear
tested research under each shiny exterior.
They come in choices of finish so pretty
it’ll be a struggle for buyers to pick one. Firstis, of course, an ultra high-gloss Piano Back(with silver fronts), which is photographed
here. Then there are pair-matched veneersof Satin American Walnut or Luxury Gloss
Rosewood, both wearing multiple-layered
lacquer. And then there are two special Kent
Engineering & Foundry Editions – Blue Ice
White and Copper Black Aluminium – whichnot only redress the sides but the front face,too. That last is so gorgeous it hurts.
The array here is probably the mostpremium that KEF can assemble and anyone
would ever install. It comprises a pair ofthe £10,500-per-pair Reference Model 5
floorstanders on front left/right duties, withthe sideways behemoth that is the Reference
Model 4c as the centre channel enclosure.
The Reference Model 3 towers are used assurround and rear channels.
As befits a high-end setup, there are
two subwoofers (the Reference 8b); bipolar
designs employing dual 500W amplifiers
and twin 9in bass drivers arranged in a bipolar
configuration. As far as premium subs go, they
appear almost petit, yet weigh in at 35kg each.
A fantasy system, then, yet the goodnews is that KEF's Reference range certainly
allows for scaled-down setups for thosewith smaller rooms and budgets. Use
the Model 3s up front, opt for the smaller
2c centre, a pair of Model 1 bookshelf
speakers for the surrounds anda single 8b woofer and you'darrive at a 5.1 system still ofserious potential.
This setup was £38,000worth of loudspeakers(£39,800 including thosefour in-ceiling models).
And that is not to countthe Chord speaker
cables andinterconnects,
Arcam processing andheavyweight Arcam
two- and three-channel
component amplifiers
used to offer
monstrous headroom.

One of the cleverest things about KEF's
Reference line – and this multi-speakersystem – is that the same two (well, three)transducers are used all around, which brings
with it benefits in tonal cohesion.
The 11th-generation Uni-Q has a 1inaluminium tweeter at its centre with a 5inmidrange transducer in perfect synergisticharmony; the high-frequency unit using therest of the driver assembly to disperse its
sound coming from the tangerine wave guide.
And this acoustic science is at the heart ofeach Reference speaker – literally, when
you consider where the Uni-Q's are sitedon the front baffles.
The loudspeakers then wear one,
two or four of KEF's new 6.5in bassdrivers. Again, these use aluminium
for its rigid and light properties,
and the shallow discs attach
to their large diametervoice coils via a vented
coupler, and innovation
trickled down from KEF'sBlade speaker.
And the cabinets
themselves have been
For much of this audition, KEF's
Reference system was topped
off by a quartet of in-ceiling
Ci200RR-THX speakers. Theseare not part of the Reference
stable, but they employ Uni-Q
drivers for a close tonal match

The 8b subwoofer
uses twin 9in bass
drivers individually
powered by 500W
onboard amplifiers

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HIGH ENDHEROREVIEWS

REVIEWS

thoughtfully designed, braced and damped toeradicate colouration or other sonic nasties.

off the comfy sofa, lifting one knee off the floor
in case I got shot.
A comparison of the full Atmos systemversus 5.1 was insightful – the 'flat', semiskimmed system still impressed with a levelof performance that any owner would be
happy with. KEF's Reference models dig
out detail so epic that you'll hear things insoundmixes you hadn't been aware of before.
Back at 7.2.4, and Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity(Blu-ray) further proved the system's
high-end merits. This film frightens me, over
and over, and from its very beginning in Atmos

Performing like paragons
So what’s it like? How can a speaker systemcost forty-thousand pounds? By using objects
crafted with exquisite attention to detail;by having huge man-hour counts under theirphenolic resin composite baffles; by having
every single part listened to as well as
electronically modelled before construction;
and, most of all, for performing like paragons.
I sat down to listen feeling deliciously guilty
at the fact that this was my job. First, KEF
insisted on running through a few demo
Blu-ray tracks from Dolby to demonstrate thesystem's capabilities, including an audio-only
one of a helicopter moving around that wasso bad it was funny, from a pure sound design
point of view.
Not to worry: I called up the opening
sequence from Angelina Jolie's Dolby
Atmos-flavoured war-tinged drama Unbroken,
where the American bomber planes
encounter 'ack-ack' fire and a swarm ofJapanese Zero fighters. The experience was ofsurround sound power and impact the like ofwhich I have never experienced before. I havefelt louder, even though this setup was able
to go to extreme levels, yet the sheer insanityof the dynamics was linked to a beauty andpoise. With Unbroken, the anti-aircraft fire
was terrifying, the Zeros' bullets whizzing
through the air were divorced from any
cabinet locational cue and I ducked a few
times involuntarily. I was more ‘there’ in theaction than I'd ever imagined. The soundfield
just wasn’t coming from the Reference
speakers – it was literally all around me.
I got goosebumps.
It's the kind of performance that reallyimmerses. For instance, when the Zero fliesat and underneath you, past the broken bomb
doors and strafing as it comes, I all but leaped‘While the sheer scaleof the system seems
without limit, sonicallyeverything is utterly
clear and clean'
it's literally breathtaking. Most of you willknow the sequence. It starts in orbit, witha text crawl about how sound doesn’t travelin a vacuum, accompanied by a crescendoic
swelling tone that gets bigger and bigger andstops abruptly, leaving just radio chatter fromthe astronauts that we're drawing closer to.
That overall 'whoosh' of lossless audio gets
far louder than you think it will and there's
always the danger of the soundstage seeming
congested, and the speakers making a generalrow. But the Reference resolved this tricksy
audio without the harshness that hard domes
Even the binding posts
are drool-worthy...

The 6.5in bass drivers are a new KEF design

Specifications
REFERENCE MODEL 5
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x Uni-Q driver array comprising‘tangerine’ wave-guided 1in aluminium dome
tweeter and 5in aluminium midrange; 4 x 6.5inaluminium bass drivers
ENCLOSURE: Three-way, bass reflex.
Twin rear-ported
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 40Hz-35kHzSENSITIVITY: 90dB
POWER HANDLING: 50W-400WDIMENSIONS: 1,397(h) x 349(w) x 470(d)mm
WEIGHT: 60.2kg
REFERENCE MODEL 4C
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x Uni-Q driver array;4 x 6.5in aluminium bass drivers
ENCLOSURE: Three-way, bass reflex.
Twin rear-ported
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 48Hz-35kHzSENSITIVITY: 90dB
POWER HANDLING: 50W-400W
DIMENSIONS: 1,090(w) x 205(h) x 470(d)mm
WEIGHT: 45.2kg
REFERENCE MODEL 3
DRIVE UNITS: 1 x Uni-Q driver array;2 x 6.5in aluminium bass drivers
ENCLOSURE: Three-way, bass reflex.
Twin rear-ported
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 43Hz-35kHzSENSITIVITY: 87.5dB
POWER HANDLING: 50W-300W
DIMENSIONS: 1,202(h) x 349(w) x 470(d)mm
WEIGHT: 51.3kg
REFERENCE MODEL 8B (SUBWOOFER)DRIVE UNITS: 2 x 9in pressed aluminium
long-throw bass drivers in bipolar configuration
ENCLOSURE: Sealed
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 24Hz-160Hz (+/3dB; -6dB 18Hz)
ON BOARD POWER: 2 x 500W Class D amps
REMOTE CONTROL: No
DIMENSIONS: 365(w) x 398(h) x 429(d)mm
WEIGHT: 35kg
CONNECTIONS: Phono input; phono output;
XLR input; speaker-level inputs

A new highInside the Uni-Q driver

So should you invest in The Reference? I'm
not your bank manager so I can't make thatdecision for you. All I can say is that if you wanttrue top-end performance and to enjoy owning
loudspeakers, then these are a new high thatcan compete for output with rather moreindustrial-looking products, yet exude suchdesign presence that they will make astatement. As objects, they are lush to behold,and incidental details, such as the rotatableterminals that easily allow single- or bi-wired
hookup and the heavy steel bases withspikable outriggers, add even more prideof ownership. You will need to want to use
the system a lot to justify the cost, but you
can spend way more and get merely brutal.
This system is British surround high-fidelity
at the utter state-of-the-art. And it's easily
worthy of its Reference name n

KEF's long-running 'point source' Uni-Q
driver array places the acoustic centre ofits vented aluminium tweeter and midrange
units in the same place. The idea is that thisallows for time alignment and premium
integration between the two in all directions.

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can do, and with the snap and dynamic
attack that seemingly only massively-gripped
aluminium cones can manage. These drivers
can stop hard, and the very instantaneousnessof that halt leaves you gasping.
And then there was the wittering of
Houston and George Clooney and Sandra
Bullock. Crystal-clear but slickly locatedbehind me and to the right, before the POV
moves in a manner to emulate how nauseating
free-fall actually is and the sounds of the radio
operators swirly around seamlessly. The
soundfield, with those floorstanders attending
behind me, was seemingly gapless.
So while the sheer scale of the systemseems without limit, sonically everything isutterly clear and clean, and capable of brilliant
intimacy. Moving to a gunplay-heavy sequence
from Jupiter Ascending also bore that out.
Copious detailing and massive impact werein evidence at the same time.
Gravity’s drop from loud to soft is, I think,the biggest dynamic gap test in our world rightnow. And the bottom end is also abused by thesound designers, with use of huge bassy tones
to add fear (the film also feature some nasty
high-pitched whines to put you on edge).
The 8b subwoofers come into there own here.
Rated to reach comfortably down to 18Hz, they
exude depth, scale and slam.
Yet perhaps the best test of the system's
overall low-end output was not the huge andfear-inducing LFE wobbles that Hollywood is
so in love with, but rather the control, leadingedge accuracy and speed required to deliver
the performance of an acoustic jazz bass.
Legends of Jazz on Blu-ray is a great platterfor these occasions, specifically Jane Monheit
performing They Can’t Take that Away from
Me. The recording was simply beautiful tolisten to. The musicality of these speakers
and their almost invisible nature will delight
any audiophile, and that bass was cohesive,rich and taut.

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Verdict
KEF The Reference 7.2➜ £38,000 approx ➜ www.kef.com➜ Tel: 01622 672 261

HIGHS: Limitless scale; awesome fidelity andmusicality; delicious sonic imagery; truly
beautiful to behold
LOWS: Centre channel speaker is huge; system
is kinda expensive...
Performance
DesignFeatures

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