Three-way bass reflex
The new KEF R Series has been completely re-engineered from the ground up. Decades of experience and our unbridled passion for music come together in the new R Series. Combining innovations from the Reference Series with bespoke technologies the new R Series delivers more detail, deeper insight and greater excitement.
The R3 stand mount shares the same drivers as the range topping R11 in a full range designe that defies expectations. A true 3-way speaker the R3 has a powerful 165mm (6.5 in.) bass driver and a 125mm (5 in.) midrange driver with 25mm (1 in.) aluminium dome tweeter Uni-Q array that pushes performance to new extremes.
At KEF the Reference Series is the home of cutting-edge technological innovation. This is the result of diligent, creative research and development by the very best engineers in the business. The new R Series benefits from many of the technologies, materials and developments created for the Reference Series.
When you want to forget the world and simply lose yourself in sound, R Series will take you there. At KEF, the quest to develop perfect loudspeakers has lasted more than 50 years. Like you, we don’t just want to hear music; we want to experience it, get inside it and feel part of it.
The evolution of KEF's Uni-Q driver reaches its 12th generation in the R Series. Using simulation and analysis tools KEF’s engineers have been able to dramatically reduce colouration by cutting resonance in the tiny gaps between Uni-Q’s elements. The result is purer and more precise sound with stronger imaging.
The Shadow Flare is an innovative way to cut harmful high frequency cabinet diffraction. It's a carefully profiled transition that extends the waveguide effect of Uni-Q. The treble escapes naturally because the ‘shadow region’ stops it getting to the cabinet edges. The result is vastly improved fine detail.
A solid platform is imperative for great sound. The new R Series benefits from Constrained layer damping. This system utilises internal braces joined by a ‘lossy’ interface and is highly effective at dissipating unwanted vibrations that would otherwise artificially change the sound and music.
R Series bass drivers have a two-part structure with a shallow concave aluminium skin atop a paper cone. Combine this stiffness with the cone’s unique geometry and you get near pistonic movement for punch and speed. KEF has also increased linearity in the magnet system which means more impressive and impactful bass.
When it comes to generating deep, articulate bass, port design is crucial. The R Series ports have innovative flexible walls. Using computational fluid dynamics the flare and profile of each port is calculated to delay the onset of turbulence and the flexible port walls prevent resonances from colouring the midrange.
