KEF is set to use this year’s CEDIA show in the USA to launch a new range of entry-level in-ceiling speakers despite the fact that many consumers are giving custom installation a miss in favour of new wireless speakers.
The new Kef offering come with thin bezels and are its thinnest-ever square architectural speaker, there is also a shallow-mount in-wall/in-ceiling subwoofer, and its first THX Select 2-certified architectural speaker.
The entry-level series is the E series, which replaces the entry-level Classis series models but adds thin bezels with magnetic grilles in line with the rest of KEF’s architectural speakers. The series also brings KEF’s Uni-Q driver technology to a lower price point. All are round models due next year in Australia.
Uni-Q driver design mounts a tweeter within a woofer to act as a single point source that widens off-axis response so listeners can sit anywhere in the room without a loss of sound quality, the company said.
The E-series withstands salt-spray and humid environments for use in bathrooms, yachts and other environments that other speakers in its price-range simply cannot be considered for,” the company said.
The two speakers are also “the shallowest that we know of in the industry,” a spokesperson said. They can be mounted in areas where ductwork, electrical conduits or plumbing would prevent other speakers from being used.
KEF will also show a new shallow-mount Ci200TRb in-wall / in-ceiling subwoofer using a new 8-inch driver requiring less than 1.97 inches of mounting depth. Additional details were unavailable.
Two years ago, the company launched its first two THX Ultra2 in-wall LCRs and an Ultra2 round in-ceiling speaker for use in larger rooms.
All KEF architectural speakers, including the E-series models, are manufactured to marine-grade construction standards, so grilles are plated and powder-coated, and moisture-resistant terminations and finish materials are used. Plastics are UV-protected.
