KEF R&D

R Series 2018
 Contents

Introduction  5
Philosophy5
Objectives5
The cabinet 6
Visual design 6
Minimising panel sound radiation 6
Directivity and diffraction 8
Ports9
Resonance inside the cabinet 10
Organ pipe resonances 10
Turbulence10
Drive units (Drivers) 10
Bass drivers 10
Diaphragm11
Magnet system 11
Spider (Damper) 12
Uni-Q array 12
Filling in the gaps 13
Midrange13
Cone and surround 13
Magnet system 14
Tweeter  14
Diaphragm assembly 14
Tangerine waveguide 15
Rear loading 15
Crossovers16
Model Range 18
R318
R519
R720
R1121
R2c22
R8a23
Summary24
Acknowledgements24
References24

2 3
 Introduction Objectives
It is 7 years since the first R Series products were introduced. Loudspeakers have a difficult job, not always fully appreciated.
In that time, KEF’s Research and Development work has They must take a 1-dimensional signal and turn it into a
continued and its best technology has improved. The fruits of 3-dimensional experience.
this work can be seen in the 2014 Reference Series and the
Blade 2. Behind the R series 2018 are a wealth of technical Stereo – the simplest common configuration – uses just
updates and improvements – some trickle-down from the two loudspeakers to create a complete sound stage for the
Reference and Blade projects and some specific to the new listener. Imagine throwing a handful of gravel into a pond and
series. The result is a significant step up in performance and trying to recreate the same ripple pattern by dropping just
a purity of sound that’s clear from the first listen. two pebbles into the pond spaced by about 2 metres. It can’t
be done and we haven’t even considered height! Stereo is

Philosophy an illusion that, fortunately, seems to work remarkably well.

Nevertheless, there are some clearly defined attributes that

“Of all art, music is the most indefinable and the most
separate good loudspeakers from mediocre ones:
expressive, the most insubstantial and the most immediate,
the most transitory and the most imperishable. Transformed
The sound must come from the drivers and no other part of
to a dance of electrons along a wire, its ghost lives on. When
the structure. The most common form of unwanted added
KEF returns music to its rightful habituation, your ears and
sound is radiation from the cabinet. The panels are relatively
mind, they aim to do so in the most natural way they can…
large in area and don’t have to move much to colour the
without drama, without exaggeration, without artifice.”
true sound.
Raymond Cooke, KEF founder

A loudspeaker should have controlled dispersion. If the

These words were penned shortly after KEF’s founding in
character of sound varies too much with angle, the
1961. Cooke was an avid music aficionado and his mission
3-dimensional sound stage cannot be accurately formed
from the outset was to enable a wide audience to derive
and an acceptable listening position is very restricted. But
the same pleasure from music as he did. He sought to
omni-directionality is not desirable either. The acoustics of
deliver to his customers the immersive experience of the live
the listening room become more intrusive and can swamp
performance through recordings.
any attempt to recreate the acoustic environment of the
original performance.
Cooke realised that this could only be achieved by a scientific
understanding of sound and its reproduction, concentrating
The sound quality should be the same at all levels. The
his efforts on loudspeakers – the last link in the recording
dynamic range of music (the quietest to the loudest sounds) is
chain and probably the most difficult in that they have to
high and, in order to reproduce it accurately, the loudspeaker
work in an unknown 3-dimensional environment. Never
must not compress the sound nor to come to life only at
afraid to employ the most capable engineers and provide
relatively high levels.
them with the latest and most effective tools, Cooke
established a philosophy that still exists today.
There should be no harmonic or intermodulation distortion
– the creation of sounds at frequencies that are not present
KEF engineers continue to pursue this scientific endeavour,
in the original.
today using tools and technology that were unavailable to
Cooke in those early days, never forgetting that all the science
There should be no time or temporal distortion. This can
in the world is useless unless it brings better performances
come from resonances, where the sound hangs on at
and greater pleasure to the user. The listening experience is
discrete frequencies, or diffraction, the re-radiation of sound
still the final arbiter in deciding whether or not the science
at discontinuities in the structure that is delayed relative to
R11 in Black Gloss finish is effective, but without it progress cannot be measured and
the direct sound from the drivers.
the way forward cannot be understood.

4 5
Now, it’s all very well to say that there must be none of Visual design occur if the panel thickness were to be increased. This
anything, but we don’t live in a perfect world. The job of might be of some benefit if the loudspeaker system has
the engineer is to minimise all these undesirables, ideally to separate enclosures for different drivers, like in R Series.
All R Series cabinets are designed to look good. They have
a level below which they are audible. However, sometimes The resonances in any one enclosure may be pushed out
clean lines, there is a choice of finishes – black gloss, white
there are conflicting issues and, in this case, the engineer of the working frequency range of the driver housed in
gloss, walnut – and the frontal aspect is slim (more of that
has to gauge the lesser of two evils. For example, low bass it. However, there is a drawback to this method. The bass
later when we discuss temporal accuracy). The quality of
at high volumes is extremely difficult for smaller cabinets to resonances may be pushed into the midrange, where the ear
fit and finish is high and, for those who prefer not to see
achieve. However, smaller cabinets may be preferred for is more sensitive.
drivers, there is the option of magnetically attached grilles.
their visual quality.
The addition of damping pads to the panels does work and
The loudspeakers are optimised for when the grilles are
This brings us to the subject of visual design. Loudspeakers was used on the R Series 2011. The pads are usually made
not fitted and they are ideally removed for serious listening,
must be considered a legitimate piece of furniture in the of some bituminous material that converts deformation into Figure 1
even if they are fitted when the loudspeakers are not in use.
living environment. They should, in short, look good. heat and thus reduces the vibrational movement of the base Driver in free air
However, the grilles are designed to have the minimum effect
panel. Unfortunately, most commercially available pads are
on sound quality.
designed to damp resonances in the thin metal panels used
The cabinet on cars. Their efficacy depends on matching the mechanical
Minimising panel sound radiation impedances of panel and damping pad and the match
We have seen that the objectives of the cabinet are: between the pads and wood is not ideal.
• To look good. The panels of the cabinet may be excited by two mechanisms:
• To emanate a minimum amount of sound. KEF Engineers developed a technique, originally for the
• To maintain temporal accuracy. • Reaction forces from the drivers – as the driver LS50 loudspeaker system but applied to all R Series 2018
• To help control directivity. diaphragm moves back and forth there is a reaction systems, that combines the two approaches and is more
force on the chassis (basket) that is them transmitted to effective than both. The technique, called damped bracing,
There is a fifth attribute that the cabinet should also have and
the cabinet. consists of strategically placed wooden braces that, instead
it is stability. The most obvious criterion is that it should not
• Forces from pressure in the air contained inside of being rigidly coupled to the panels are joined via a lossy
be easy to knock the loudspeaker over. Loudspeakers can
the cabinet. interface. The braces are placed where the panel movement
be heavy and could cause discomfort or injury should they
would otherwise be greatest and the lossy layer, like normal
fall on anyone, especially a small child. There are furniture
If cabinets suffer these problems, it is worth asking why we damping pads, converts the energy into heat.
standards that cover this and the device should return to an
need them at all. The answer lies in the drivers themselves.
upright position if it is leaned over up to 10°.
They radiate the same amount of sound energy to the rear Additional damped braces are situated at the back of each
as they do to the front. Unfortunately, the rear radiation driver, which reduce the level of reactionary vibration
Also important to the audiophile is that the cabinet should
is out of phase with that from the front and, if the two transmitted from the driver to the cabinet.
not be allowed to rock when the drivers operate. If this
are allowed to mix, they cancel each other out. The Figure 2
happens, the bass quality is impaired. It may be described as R11 Cabinet construction
ability of sound waves to go around corners depends on The reduction in sound output from the cabinet varies
“softening” and the effect is most noticeable on percussive
the wavelength relative to the size of the object. A good model by model, depending on the exact geometry, but
bass, often referred to as “slam”.
analogy is to consider waves in the sea. They readily wrap is typically of the order of 20dB, as shown in figure 3.
round small rocks but are reflected from cliffs. So it is with Cabinet sound radiation is highly distorted and, at the
All the floor-standers in the range are equipped with spike a loudspeaker driver. The lower the frequency the more the resonance frequencies, causes time-smearing as the output
feet that pierce through carpeting and prevent any rocking. sound will wrap around the driver. A driver suspended freely hangs on. The increase in clarity wrought by the damped
These spike feet are fitted to outriggers that extend beyond in air will have no bass. We need a mechanism for blocking bracing is readily noticeable, is probably best in class for
the boundaries of the cabinet and provide the necessary this interaction and the cabinet serves to do this. single-enclosure multi-way loudspeaker systems and is
static stability.
comparable to the best high-end systems.
There are two common ways of reducing panel output:
Stand-mount systems should always be mounted on a stand
that affords similar stability. • Adding bracing between the panels to increase stiffness.
• Adding damping pads to the panels.
The idea behind method 1 is that the increased stiffness
reduces panel motion. What it does in fact is to raise
Figure 3
the frequency of any resonances. A similar effect would Panel vibration — without damping — with damped bracing

6 7
Directivity and diffraction Ports

Both these attributes are affected by the geometry of the Ports are used to augment bass response. They have the
cabinet and so are lumped together here. dual advantage that they enable a lower cut-off frequency
than closed-box systems for the same size of enclosure and,
It is not often appreciated that the directivity of any within the operating range of the port, the bass driver moves
loudspeaker system is controlled as much by the geometry less, thus lowering distortion.
of the cabinet as by the size of the drivers. In this, the
engineer is helped by the fact that listeners may occupy Ports are not without their drawbacks, however.
positions that vary in the horizontal plane, but ear height
• They can be a window to resonances in the air cavity
differs little. It follows that it is much more important to keep
inside the cabinet.
the horizontal dispersion of the loudspeaker wide than is it
• At midrange frequencies, they act rather like an organ
the vertical.
pipe and exhibit a series of resonances.
• They can be a source of noise if turbulence is allowed
It was stated above that each of the R Series cabinets is slim. to happen as air vents out at each end of the port
Figure 5
Not only does this minimise the cabinet’s visual impact, but Simulation of tweeter output (so-called chuffing).
it allows the wide horizontal directivity required to create top – tweeter mounted directly in baffle
Figure 4
bottom – tweeter in Uni-Q array with shadow flare— direct — diffracted KEF engineers have tackled each of these potential problems.
Acoustic Impedances after Beranek - Note that it is the 20dB/decade
a stable sound stage for all listeners. The larger systems in slope of the real part that affects the driver response in its working range
the range employ multiple small-diameter drivers rather that
If we look at the drivers used in the R Series systems, we
a single larger diameter one precisely so the cabinet can inaudible and the driver’s response smoother. However,
can see that the bass drivers follow this requirement, but the
remain slim and maintain the desired horizontal directivity. the radius of curvature must be of the same order as the
midrange and tweeter drivers do not. Normally, the tweeter
There is a small reduction in vertical directivity – but this is wavelength of the sound, the overall width of the cabinet
would be the most to suffer because it is much smaller than
not a problem at bass frequencies, where the wavelength increases, making it more visually intrusive, and the cost of
the width of the cabinet, which is determined by the diameter
is long compared to the driver spacing. In the more critical manufacture increases considerably. So, whilst this technique
of the bass drivers. However, in the Uni-Q driver (more of
midrange, the Uni-Q array gives far better vertical directivity is often found on the most expensive systems, it is not
which later), the tweeter fires into an acoustic waveguide
than can be had from multiple vertically-displaced drivers. appropriate to the R Series.
formed by the midrange diaphragm and it is the diameter of
this relative to the width of the cabinet that determines the
Diffraction – the bending of wave motion around corners – With most manufacturers, the diffraction effect is something
level of diffraction.
can cause time smearing. Some of the sound energy generated to be suffered and not talked about. But the fact that we
by the drivers travels along the front surface or baffle of the are talking about it here indicates that KEF engineers have
There is more work to be done, because the diameter of the
cabinet and, if it reaches an edge, re-radiates as shown by successfully tackled the problem by a bit of lateral thinking Figure 6
midrange (for other reasons) is smaller than that of the bass Simulation of bass driver + port — and port only —when the port is
figure 5. It’s rather like having small secondary drivers spread made possible by the fact that Uni-Q drivers are used placed close to the node of internal resonances.
drivers, and it is here that the lateral thinking comes into play.
along the edge of the cabinet. But this radiation is delayed throughout.
compared to the sound coming directly from the driver,
Around the Uni-Q driver array is what is normally called a
approximately by the time it takes to travel from the driver It has been known for many years, and is illustrated by Leo
trim ring. Not simply a decorative piece, the R Series trim
to the edge. There is thus a degree of time smearing that Beranek in his book “Acoustics”, published in 1954, that the
ring is specially shaped and engineered. It increases the
impairs the clarity of what the listener hears. Not only acoustic impedance of a driver (the interface between the
effective diameter of the waveguide such that the driver
that, but there is perturbation of the frequency response diaphragm motion and radiated sound) is smooth when
array “sees” the edges of the cabinet much less than if it
because this secondary radiation goes in and out of phase mounted both in an infinite baffle (as expected) and at the
were mounted normally. Hence the name “Shadow Flare”.
with the direct sound as the frequency and commensurate end of a long tube the same diameter as the diaphragm.
The level of secondary radiation is decreased, resulting in
wavelength vary. This latter situation comes about because the dispersion of
less time-smearing, greater clarity and a smoother response.
the driver is such that it doesn’t acoustically “see” the edges
The classic way of dealing with this effect is to round the of the tube. The physics of this situation can be bent a little
and it can be shown that a driver mounted in a cabinet not This technique was originally developed for the Reference
sharp corners of the cabinet. In simple terms, this can be
much wider than itself has a very low level of diffraction. It’s Series products and illustrates our trickle-down philosophy.
regarded as creating a multitude of edges, each with much
Figure 7
lower levels of secondary radiation. The total level is much not perfect, but the level of diffraction is much lower than it Simulation of bass driver + port — and port only —when the port is

lower with the result that the time smearing becomes would otherwise be. placed close to the antinode of internal resonances.

8 9
 Organ pipe resonances Diaphragm

These resonances within the port itself can be drastically This is a 2-part structure, comprising a shallow concave
reduced if the walls of the port have a degree of flexibility. aluminium front skin connected to the driving voice coil by a
Instead of the normal rigid plastic, the walls are fabricated more conventional paper cone (see figure 9).
from closed-cell foam. Originally developed for the LS50
loudspeaker, this technique dramatically reduces the pressure
variations inherent in these higher frequency resonances and
renders them less audible. Figure 8 illustrates this technique
using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), where the colour scale
from green through to red indicates the level of air pressure.

Figure 10
Turbulence — Response of non-optimised bass driver — Response of optimised bass driver Panel

This occurs at both ends of the port as the air exits the
port either to the open air or the air enclosed within the is not excited.
cabinet. The solution is to flare both ends of the port. The
progressive expansion of the air afforded by the flaring Figure 9 Magnet system
reduces turbulence and thus audible chuffing. It should be Cross-section of bass driver moving parts

noted that, if turbulence is allowed to develop, not only is With the new series, the magnet system has been totally
it audible, but the performance of the port changes with redesigned. One of the key objectives is to keep the magnetic
sound level, impairing the dynamic range of the loudspeaker. flux density seen by the voice coil as constant as possible
Figure 8 The aluminium skin has a shallow profile to minimise
Pressure of the first “organ pipe” resonance in a port Top – with coil position.
rigid walls and no end flareBottom – flexible walls and end flares perturbation of the response of adjacent drivers as a result

Resonances inside the cabinet

Drive units (Drivers) of diffraction.

The cone itself is vented to allow free movement of air as

The port(s) are positioned on the rear panel of the cabinet. All but one of the systems are 3-way – they have one or
the diaphragm assembly moves back and forth. The static
This has two advantages: more bass drivers, a midrange driver and a tweeter. The
centre pole of the magnet structure causes the volume of
midrange driver and tweeter are combined into a single
• Resonances inside the cabinet are at relatively high air between the paper cone and the front aluminium skin
array known as Uni-Q. The only 2-way in the series utilises a
frequencies and the sounds are not directed towards the to vary with diaphragm position and this must not become
bass-midrange driver instead of a dedicated midrange driver
listener. trapped, otherwise the air will be pumped through the
in its Uni-Q array.
• There is more freedom on the rear panel compared narrow apertures of the magnet system and cause noise.
to the front in positioning the port so it is placed close
to antinodes (nulls) of the resonances, so less energy is Bass drivers The front aluminium skin provides the stiffness necessary to
transmitted through the port. provide pistonic radiation and therefore temporal accuracy
To illustrate this last point, figures 6 & 7 show the difference Whether the system contains one, two or four bass drivers, within the working range of the driver. However, like all stiff
in output when the port is placed at a node and an antinode the design remains the same, save for the impedance of materials, the stiffness is not infinite and at some frequency
of an internal resonance. For the first of these measurements each individual driver. The number of bass drivers simply diaphragm breakup sets in and the Q (sharpness) of the
there is no wadding inside the cabinet, so the effect is made determines the maximum loudness of the system for a given resonances is high – the response peaks at resonance can
clearer. The resonance can clearly be seen in the total level of distortion. Note that, when there is an even number be as much as 20dB above the pistonic response. Such
response. of bass drivers, these are symmetrically arranged above and resonances are not readily suppressed by the relatively
below the Uni-Q array to preserve a virtual point source gradual attenuation of the crossover network and, if left
When the ports are optimally placed and the wadding over the full range. unchecked, will cause colouration.
added, the resonances are greatly depressed and cannot be
detected in the overall response. To reduce the intrusion of these higher-frequency resonances,
the paper cone is joined to the aluminium skin at a nodal
Figure 11
ring, not at the periphery. The nodal ring is an antinode of
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of
the lowest resonance and, when driven there, the resonance Top – 2011 R Series bass driver magnet system
Bottom – 2018 R Series bass driver magnet system

10 11
To this end, the old magnet system featured an extended One of the requirements of building this driver combination
centre pole that balanced the solid material that connected is the need to maintain tight tolerances. Some of the gaps
to the back plate. However, this design is still somewhat between parts are necessarily small and without robotic
asymmetric, with the result that the force on the voice coil assembly methods it would be impossible to achieve
was also asymmetric, introducing more distortion than is consistency of performance. There is a place for hand
necessary. Further, the asymmetric nature of the metalwork building, but this is not it.
caused the coil’s inductance to vary with position, altering the
termination, and therefore the equalisation, of the crossover. Filling in the gaps
The new design is more complex and features a so-called
T-shape pole (see figure 11). One of the problems with constructing a combination driver
array like Uni-Q is dealing with the gaps that separate the
This is more symmetric than the older design and, with the constituent parts. There is a narrow channel – an annular
bulk of the centre pole being further from the voice coil, gap – between the moving midrange voice coil and the
Figure 15
lowers both the coil’s absolute inductance and its variation Figure 12 static start of the tweeter waveguide. This channel acts as
Simulation of tweeter response
Suspension compliance as a function of diaphragm displacement
with position. The result is a useful reduction in even-order — Old spider — New spider
an organ-pipe-like resonator, and is excited by the tweeter — In perfect waveguide — With open gap

harmonic distortion. output. The resonances modify the response of the tweeter,
adding a series of glitches that are not present if the gap is
Uni-Q array closed off – simulating a perfectly smooth waveguide.
Note, too, the undercut in the back plate that allows greater
coil movement before the coil hits the back plate.
The Uni-Q array has been the mainstay of virtually all KEF Obviously, this annular gap is necessary to allow the midrange
loudspeakers since its introduction in 1988. It delivers the cone and voice coil to move, so the solution was to create
Another feature of the new design can be deduced by
holy grail of loudspeaker design in that all sound appears to a cavity between the midrange and tweeter magnets to
looking at the magnetic permeability in the metalwork.
emanate from the same point in space. Coaxial loudspeakers which this annular gap connected. Adding damping to this
The darker the colour, the lower the permeability and, where
had been around for many years before the introduction newly-created cavity was found to be effective in taming
it is almost black, the metalwork is saturated. This has two
of Uni-Q, but the tweeter was never time aligned with the the resonances in the annular gap and the removal of
advantages for the performance:
midrange or bass/midrange driver it was partnered with. the response glitches was immediately apparent as an
Either the tweeter was in front of the larger driver, which improvement in detail clarity.
• The saturation limits the flux density in the coil gap and
brought the added disadvantage that the tweeter impaired
so this remains constant regardless of the inevitable Figure 16
the response of the driver it was in front of, or it was well Actual tweeter response
production tolerances in magnet strength. — Original — With cavity damping
behind. With Uni-Q, both drivers have their acoustic centre
• Saturation further reduces the absolute level of inductance Midrange
at the same point and the larger driver acts as a waveguide
of the voice coil and, with it, further educes the variation
for the tweeter. The result is that the blend between the
in flux density that would normally occur as the coil Cone and surround
two units is virtually seamless in terms of both response
moves back and forth in the gap. The cone is formed from a magnesium/aluminium alloy. Like
and dispersion. The two units together can be regarded as
a single driver without the performance shortfall that would the front skin of the bass driver, it serves to provide the
Spider (Damper) necessary stiffness to give pure pistonic motion over the
be suffered by a true single driver covering such a wide
frequency range. Figure 13
driver’s working range. The stiffness is increased by the radial
The spider, or rear suspension, contributes to the linearity
Uni-Q array with no gap between HF and MF magnets embossing in the cone profile, but nevertheless it is prone
of coil movement in addition to the magnet system. In this
Over the intervening years, the Uni-Q concept has been to high-Q breakup in the frequency range covered by the
case, as we’re dealing with symmetry, it’s the odd-order
progressively refined. The midrange cone shape has been tweeter.
harmonics that are mostly affected. The new spider design
allows greater linear movement and a commensurate optimised to create just the right amount of dispersion at all
reduction in distortion, clearly illustrated in figure 12. frequencies and innovations such as the tangerine waveguide
have improved the performance of the tweeter. This is the
12th generation of the array and brings an extra degree
of refinement to the performance, but it is worthwhile to
describe everything that goes into this remarkable array, not
just the latest refinement.

Figure 14 Figure 17
Uni-Q array with opened cavity between HF and MF magnets and damping added Uni-Q drive exploded view

12 13
The KEF Blade uses nodal drive (as described on page 11, The optimum dome shape for waveguide loading is a
where the technique is used on the bass drivers) to tame spherical cross-section, but the optimal shape for stiffness
these resonances. But that technique, when applied to a is an elliptical cross-section. Both were combined into the
Uni-Q array, cannot use an intermediate cone and instead patented KEF Stiffened Dome. An elliptical dome attaches
requires an expensive large diameter voice coil which was to the voice coil former and the centre is removed. This is
not appropriate to the R Series. capped by a spherical dome and a very stiff triangular section
is formed where the two parts join.
Instead, there is a lossy interface where the voice coil joins
the cone. This interface serves to decouple the drive at high
frequencies. The high-Q resonances are tamed to the extent
that they may be properly attenuated by the crossover and
Figure 19
not break through the tweeter output. Response of midrange driver measured without crossover in 2π baffle
— without interface — with interface
Figure 23
Figure 19 illustrates the improvement in the unit’s response Magnet system Simulated response of tweeter
— without tangerine waveguide — with tangerine waveguide
as a result of using the lossy interface.
The design of the magnet system follows that of the bass Rear loading
drivers. alongside the addition of aluminium de-modulation Figure 21
The surround is particularly problematic. It has to allow 3D CAD sectional views of the tweeter dome and extended former Like any drive unit, the tweeter radiates as much energy
rings. The reduction in harmonic distortion as a result of that meet to form a triangular stiffening member at the dome edge.
the cone to move freely, but it is also a critical part of the backwards as it does forwards. Not only does this energy
the new magnet system and improved surround geometry
tweeter waveguide. Surrounds also tend to break into have to be absorbed, but there must be sufficient volume
is shown in figure 20.
complex vibrational behaviour at higher frequencies, often Tangerine waveguide behind the dome to prevent a build-up of excessive pressure.
moving in the opposite direction to the cone. The so-called This pressure can impair the suspension of the dome and
“surround dip” in a driver’s response is quite common. cause displacement of the ferrofluid that sits in the magnet
The new R Series driver features an improved surround gap to cool the voice coil.
geometry, achieved through extensive computer simulation,
optimisation and practical experimentation. It allows greater To that end, the dome vents through the centre pole of
movement of the cone and gives a smoother response for the magnet system to a cavity filled with absorbent wadding.
both midrange and tweeter. The cavity is tapered to that, when the wadding is inserted,
it becomes more dense towards the rear of the cavity,
gradually increasing absorption.
Figure 22 Tangerine waveguide

The interface between the radiating dome of the tweeter and All the rearward energy is absorbed and cannot re-radiate
the waveguide formed by the midrange dome is extremely through the dome after being reflected at the back of
critical. Ideally, the diaphragm should be a pulsating dome, the cavity.
Figure 20 which would involve the radius of curvature changing. This is
Midrange driver distortion (1m, 5.6V RMS) not possible and the motion is in the same direction all over
— 2011 R Series — 2018 R Series
the surface of the dome. To compensate for this non-ideal
situation and taking a leaf out of the design of pressure drivers,
Tweeter
the Tangerine Waveguide was developed to restore correct
Diaphragm assembly coupling between the dome and the whole waveguide.

The dome diaphragm itself is aluminium. More exotic

The improved coupling at high frequencies above 5kHz
materials – diamond and beryllium for example – are
brings with it a useful increase in sensitivity and a reduction in
sometimes used in an effort to increase stiffness and push the Figure 24
the height of the first resonance peak, illustrated by figure 23. Front and rear view cross sections of tweeter showing rear loading
pistonic region of the tweeter to the limits of human hearing.
But this can be done with aluminium at far lower cost,
providing some ingenuity is used in designing how the dome
is constructed.
Figure 18
lossy interface between voice coil and midrange cone

14 15
Crossovers All cored inductors in the new series crossovers use a
laminated core material that substantially lowers distortion
compared to the outgoing series, as shown in figure 27.
All 3-way crossovers, which covers all bar the 2-way Atmos®
enabled R8a, follow the same general format shown in figure
Mention should be made regarding the two parallel
25.
capacitors C3 and C4. The total value is large and low-loss
types would be prohibitively expensive, so the bulk of the
Each system in the range has been carefully voiced using a
value is made up of an electrolytic type and around 10% of
wide variety of musical genres to ensure that no artificial
the total value is a polypropylene type, wired in parallel - the
enhancement is introduced.
so-called bypass configuration.

All crossovers have a reduced component count. This has

This configuration delivers almost the same low loss and
been made possible due to the decoupler in the Uni-Q
quality that would be achieved by having the full value solely
midrange as well as the improved tweeter, both of which
supplied by one or more polypropylene capacitors wired in
have inherently smoother responses and require less
parallel, but at a much lower cost.
correction from the crossover. The series resistors in the
MF and HF sections are merely to change the output level of
these drivers to match that of the bass drivers.

The HF section features a tuned circuit (L1/C2) in parallel

with the driver. This tuned to the fundamental resonance
frequency of the driver and allows the series capacitor to
have the correct attenuation. Without it, there would be
excessive movement of the diaphragm and an unwanted
hump in the response.
Figure 26
Inductor distortion at 100W
There are two tuned circuits in the LF section. One (L6/ — 2011 R Series — 2018 R Series

C6/R4) is tuned to the upper peak of the reflex impedance,

and prevents the system impedance falling too low should
the 2nd-order low-pass formed by L4 and C5 be allowed
to interact with it. The inductor L5 is small and tunes with
C5 to attenuate a residual high Q resonance in the driver
response to prevent it colouring the overall sound.

Figure 25
General schematic of R Series 3-way crossovers

16 17
Model Range R5
R3
Description
Description
This is the smallest of the three floor-standers in the range.
It’s twin 130mm diameter bass drivers are positioned each
This is the smallest of the ‘regular’ loudspeakers in the range, side of the Uni-Q array in d’Appolito configuration, to
being a compact 3-way stand-mount model. It is suited to preserve an effective point source delivery throughout the
the smaller room or closer listening, where less power is whole frequency range.
required to reach realistic sound levels.
Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications
Design Three-way bass reflex
Design Three-way bass reflex
Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array:
Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array: HF: 25mm (1in.) vented
HF: 25mm (1in.) vented aluminium dome
aluminium dome MF: 125mm (5in.) aluminium
MF: 125mm (5in.) cone
aluminium cone Bass Driver:
Bass Driver: LF: 2 x 130mm (5.25in.)
LF: 165mm (6.5in.) hybrid aluminium
hybrid aluminium
Crossover frequency 400Hz, 2.9kHz
Crossover frequency 400Hz, 2.9kHz
Frequency range (-6dB) 38Hz - 50kHz
Frequency range (-6dB) 38Hz - 50kHz Typical in-room bass 29Hz
Typical in-room bass 30Hz response (-6dB)
response (-6dB)
Frequency response (±3dB) 58Hz - 28kHz
Frequency response (±3dB) 52Hz - 28kHz
Harmonic distorition <0.3% 120Hz - 20kHz
Harmonic distorition <0.3% 130Hz - 20kHz
Maximum output 110dB
Maximum output 110dB
Amplifier power 15 - 200W
Amplifier power 15 - 180W (recommended)
(recommended)
Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.3.2Ω)
Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.3.2Ω)
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 87dB
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 87dB
Weight* 27.3 kg (60.2 lbs.)
Weight* 13.5 kg (29.8 lbs.)
Dimension (H x W x D) 1025 x 175 x 343.5 mm
Dimension (H x W x D) 422.2 x 199.6 x 335.5 mm with terminal* (40.4 x 6.9 x 13.5 in.)
with terminal* (16.6 x 7.9 x 13.2 in.)
Dimension (H x W x D) 1071.4 x 271.6 x 343.5 mm
Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss with terminal with Plinth* (42.2 x 10.7 x 13.5 in.)
/ Walnut
Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss /
Walnut
* Measurement per unit
* Measurement per unit

18 19
R7 R11

Description Description

Like the R3, this is a floor-standing loudspeaker featuring twin This, the largest loudspeaker in the range, features four
bass drivers positioned above and below the Uni-Q array. 165mm (6½ inch) diameter bass drivers, enabling a enough
However, the larger diameter of the bass drivers enables a sound level output to drive large rooms without distress.
higher sound level to be delivered and the larger cabinet The large cabinet affords the most extended bass response.
affords a greater bass extension.

Technical Specifications Technical Specifications

Design Three-way bass reflex Design Three-way bass reflex

Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array: Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array:
HF: 25mm (1in.) vented HF: 25mm (1in.) vented
aluminium dome aluminium dome
MF: 125mm (5in.) aluminium MF: 125mm (5in.) aluminium
cone cone
Bass Driver: Bass Driver:
LF: 2 x 165mm (6.5in.) LF: 4 x 165mm (6.5in.)
hybrid aluminium hybrid aluminium
Crossover frequency 400Hz, 2.9kHz Crossover frequency 400Hz, 2.9kHz
Frequency range (-6dB) 33Hz - 50kHz Frequency range (-6dB) 30Hz - 50kHz
Typical in-room bass 27Hz Typical in-room bass 26Hz
response (-6dB) response (-6dB)
Frequency response (±3dB) 48Hz - 28kHz Frequency response (±3dB) 46Hz - 28kHz
Harmonic distorition <0.3% 100Hz - 20kHz Harmonic distorition <0.3% 120Hz - 20kHz
Maximum output 111dB Maximum output 113dB
Amplifier power 15 - 250W Amplifier power 15 - 300W
(recommended) (recommended)
Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.3.2Ω) Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.3.2Ω)
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 88dB Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 90dB
Weight* 31.4 kg (69.2 lbs.) Weight* 37.7 kg (83.1 lbs.)
Dimension (H x W x D) 1062 x 200 x 383.5 mm Dimension (H x W x D) 1249 x 200 x 383.5 mm
with terminal* (41.8 x 7.9 x 15.1 in.) with terminal* (49.2 x 7.9 x 15.1 in.)
Dimension (H x W x D) 1108.9 x 310.6 x 383.5 mm Dimension (H x W x D) 1295.5 x 310.6 x 383.5 mm
with terminal with Plinth* (43.7 x 12.2 x 15.1 in.) with terminal with Plinth* (51 x 12.2 x 15.1 in.)
Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss / Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss /
Walnut Walnut

* Measurement per unit * Measurement per unit

20 21
R2c R8a

Description Description

This is the first of two special application loudspeakers. It’s This compact model is the only 2-way loudspeaker in the
a dedicated centre-channel model and, like the R5 features range. It features a single Uni-Q array, this time having a bass/
two 130mm (5¼ inch) diameter bass drivers each side of midrange driver surrounding the centrally placed tweeter
a centrally placed Uni-Q array. Normally, the horizontally unit. It’s angled front baffle makes it the perfect solution for
disposed drivers of centre-channel loudspeakers suffer a either a wall-mounted surround loudspeaker or a speaker-
restricted horizontal dispersion in the crossover region top-mounted Dolby Atmos® module.
between midrange and tweeter, or throughout the midrange
Technical Specifications
band if two drivers are used to cover that frequency range.
However, the point-source Uni-Q array avoids this and offers Design Two-way closed Box
better horizontal dispersion than any other horizontally Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array:
disposed configuration. HF: 25mm (1in.) vented
Technical Specifications aluminium dome
MF/LF: 130mm (5.25in.)
Design Three-way closed box aluminium cone
Drive units Uni-Q Driver Array: Crossover frequency 2 kHz
HF: 25mm (1in.) vented Frequency range (-6dB) 96Hz - 19.5kHz
aluminium dome Typical in-room bass -
MF: 125mm (5in.) response (-6dB)
aluminium cone Frequency response (±3dB) 105Hz - 18.5kHz
Bass Driver: Harmonic distorition <0.3% 200Hz - 20kHz
LF: 2 x 130mm (5.25in.) Maximum output 106dB
hybrid aluminium Amplifier power 25 - 150W
Crossover frequency 400Hz, 2.9kHz (recommended)
Frequency range (-6dB) 64Hz - 50kHz Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.4.2Ω)
Typical in-room bass 49Hz Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 86dB
response (-6dB) Weight* 4.45 kg (9.8 lbs.)
Frequency response (±3dB) 74Hz - 28kHz Dimension (H x W x D) 173.8 x 174.6 x 259 mm
Harmonic distorition <0.3% 120Hz - 20kHz with terminal* (6.8 x 6.9 x 10.2 in.)
Maximum output 110dB Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss
Amplifier power 15 - 200W / Walnut
(recommended)
Nominal impedance 8Ω (min.3.2Ω) * Measurement per unit
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) 87dB
Weight* 16.9 kg (37.3 lbs.)
Dimension (H x W x D) 175 x 550 x 308.5 mm
with terminal* (6.9 x 21.7 x 12.1 in.)
Finishes Black Gloss / White Gloss
/ Walnut

* Measurement per unit

22 23
Summary References

The R Series sits immediately below the Reference Series O J Pedersen, S Bech and K Rasmussen, Final Report on
and borrows much of that range’s technological attributes. Activities of Eureka Project ARCHIMEDES. Univ., 1995.
It follows our belief that a great sounding loudspeaker is the
result of solid, careful and effective engineering. This involves L R Fincham, A Jones and R H Small, “The Influence of
utilising every computer simulation and measuring technique Room Acoustics on Reproduced Sound, Part 2: Design of
available, backed up by practical experimentation and Wideband Coincident-Source Loudspeakers”, in The 87th
verification. Convention of the AES, 1989.

But loudspeakers, like any other component of the “The Reference (white paper)”, KEF R&D, May-2014.
reproduction chain, are there to communicate more than
mere measurements and specifications. As Raymond K Kessler, D A Watson and M Cooke, “KEF 50 Years of
Cooke realised from the start, emotion and involvement Innovation in Sound” – A Limited Edition Book, GP Acoustics
are also part of what must be delivered to the listener. For International Limited, Maidstone, UK, 2011.
that reason, engineers and non-engineers alike audition
prototypes at every stage of development to make sure M Dodd and J Oclee-Brown, “A New Methodology for the
that the engineering is relevant and improves the overall Acoustic Design of Compression Driver Phase Plugs with
performance. Radial Channels”, presented at the Audio Engineering Society
Convention 125, 2008.
More than that, it is the same team that guides every KEF
product through its development, with the result that there M Dodd, “Optimum Diaphragm and Waveguide Geometry
is a consistency of what constitutes quality throughout for Coincident source Drive Units”, presented at the Audio
the company’s portfolio. The products deliver outstanding Engineering Society Convention 121, 2006.
performance whatever the musical genre and regardless
of whether the programme is 2-channel or multi-channel
M Dodd and J Oclee-Brown, “Design of a Coincident Source
based.
Driver Array with a Radial Channel Phase-Plug and Novel
Rigid Body Diaphragms”, presented at the Audio Engineering
The R Series incorporates many technologies that were Society Convention 127, 2009.
pioneered by KEF - the Uni-Q point source array is probably
the best-known and certainly one of the most effective
M Dodd, W Klippel, and J Oclee-Brown, “Voice Coil
of these. But this paper illustrates how every aspect of
Impedance as a Function of Frequency and Displacement”,
loudspeaker performance has been assessed and taken to the
presented at the Audio Engineering Society Convention 117,
limit, within the imposed budgetary constraints, sometimes
2004.
involving a new and different way of addressing the problem.

L L Beranek, “Acoustics”, McGraw-Hill, 1954 revised 1986

Some of the techniques described here are dealt with in
greater detail in the KEF Reference Series white paper and
G Perkins, “Modelling loudspeaker cabinet diffraction”,
the interested reader is urged to peruse that in addition to
presented at the IOA Reproduced Sound conference, 2014.
the other publications featured in the list of references on
the next page.
M Dodd, “The Development of the KEF LS50, a Compact
Two-way Loudspeaker System”, presented at the Audio
Acknowledgements Engineering Society Conference: 51st International
Conference: Loudspeakers and Headphones, 2013.
The KEF logo and Uni-Q is are registered trademarks of GP
Acoustics (UK) Ltd. Dolby and Atmos are trademarks of
Dolby Laboratories.

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