The KEF Reference 1's bring sound quality, dynamic range, power handling and bass extension to a modern looking 3 way bookshelf speaker that rivals many floorstanding models. With a kit of different bass reflex tube extenders supplied it is possible to get a typical in-room bass response of 30Hz (-6dB) with amplifiers up to 200W rms - so it is possible to achieve at an SPL of 111db. The most astonishing specification is the Reference 1's ultra low distortion across an ultra wide bandwidth.

The KEF Reference 1's will re-define your thoughts about what a bookshelf speaker can sound like. They maintain an astonishingly large and accurate soundstage with stupendous bass extension for a bookshelf sized speaker. They also deliver realistic and wide dynamics from low to high volumes - and they happen to look drop dead gorgeous whilst doing all of this.

So come down to our Bentley showroom and prepare to be amazed by the KEF Reference 1's.

The KEF Reference series is a stalwart and a fixture in the audio business. There has been a 'Reference' model in the KEF range since the Model 104 back in 1973. KEF became the first loudspeaker manufacturer in the world to implement computer-assisted 'total system design'. New and revolutionary digital testing equipment gave the KEF engineers access to relevant crossover and drive unit data at a glance, assisting them enormously in the development of a highly advanced generation of audio equipment.

This pioneering use of computer-generated data enabled KEF’s engineers to match pairs of speakers to within one half of a decibel, making them the audio-technology equivalent of identical twins. Exact pair matching results in perfect stereo and these revolutionary speaker systems became renowned for their superior acoustic accuracy. Models in the range included the widely celebrated Model 104 – the first domestic unit to match the standards of a broadcast monitor loudspeaker.

The current KEF Reference series speakers continue to implement advanced technologies to ensure that they stay true to the Reference moniker.

The KEF Reference series delivers an even more dynamic, accurate sound than the R series. Reference series speakers use a composite damped aluminium front baffle with tensioning bolts to absorb energy and minimize resonance transfer into the cabinet. (vs  MDF box in the R series). The drivers are more advanced in ways that you don't see, for instance the tweeter is comprised of two layers of aluminium with different shapes to change the radiation pattern and break up resonances in the dome, The Reference tweeter combines the extended high frequencies of a diamond driver without the weight extension and goes up to 35K with very low distortion characteristics (it is only a single piece dome in the R series). The woofer has a more extended throw with a new type of suspension and damping system delivering lower distortion along with greater dynamics and power handling. The Reference series also have both better cabinet bracing as well as superior crossover parts and designs.

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Quote From SoundStage! Hi-Fi :

"...superbly clean, extended highs; tight bass reaching down to just above 40Hz; midrange smoothness and clarity to die for; across-the-board neutrality; and superior coherence of the three drivers’ outputs throughout the audio band, with no audible indication of where the woofer’s duties ended and the midrange’s began, or when the midrange handed off to the tweeter....... rejoice in the fact that, from 40Hz up, the Reference 1 is one of the world’s most accurate- and best-sounding loudspeakers...... KEF’s Reference 1 is the best stand-mounted speaker I’ve ever heard. The bottom most octave excepted, it’s among the very best speakers I’ve heard of any size and price. As its name implies, the Reference 1 can indeed be considered a reference for stand-mounted loudspeaker design."

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