KEF's booth at CEDIA 2017 in San Diego featured wall-to-wall high-performance audio, cutting-edge industrial designs, and several “listening rooms” showing how KEF speakers blend into interior design. The company's Ci Series architectural speakers, which were on display in the booth, boast the same level of audio performance and industrial design as KEF's in-room products, but in a range of solutions that install discreetly into just about any home space.
The Ci Series includes KEF's Ci200RR in-ceiling loudspeaker as well as its Ci4100QL, Ci3160RL and Ci5160RL in-wall loudspeakers.
KEF says the Ci200RR employs a “sit anywhere” Uni-Q driver array with a 1.5-inch vented aluminum tweeter and the company's tangerine waveguide, along with an 8-inch aluminum midrange driver. The Ci200RR also employs KEF's Ultra-Thin Bezel to provide the speaker with the slimmest possible physical appearance.
Looking at the Ci series in-wall models, the Ci4100QL features a 4-inch Uni-Q array with three midrange drivers, and a 3/4-inch tweeter. KEF specifies the 4-ohm, 89dB sensitive speaker to deliver a frequency response of 55Hz to 28kHz.
Part of the Reference series, the Ci3160RL is a high-output loudspeaker that integrators can use for music and home theater systems. The Ci3160RL incorporates a 6.5-inch Uni-Q driver array, along with a pair of 6.5-inch midrange drivers. KEF states the 90dB, 4-ohm speaker is rated to produce a frequency response of 45Hz to 28kHz.
Stepping up the dynamic capabilities of the Ci3160RL, the Ci5160RL incorporates four 6.5-inch low-frequency drivers, as well as an Uni-Q array that includes a 6.5-inch midrange driver and 1-inch tweeter.
Other New Products from KEF
KEF also intoduced its Ci5160REF THX Ultra 2 architectural loudspeaker at CEDIA 2017. Like the Ci3160RL, the Ci5160REF THX Ultra 2 is also a 90dB sensitive, 4-ohm speaker, but it offers a deeper frequency response of 40Hz to 28kHz.
The company also offers a choice of two subwoofers: the Ci4100QLb and the Ci3160RLb.
KEF points out the Ci4100QLb in-wall subwoofer employs a quad-array of four-inch drivers, and its Ultra-Thin Bezel. KEF recommends that integrators pair the sub with its companion KASA500 amplifier.
The Ci3160RLb incorporates a trio of 6.5-inch woofers and a solid-aluminum baffle to minimize resonances. The Ci3160RLb also pairs with KEF's KAS500 amplifier.
