KEF
STORY SO FAR
Founded in 1961 in Maidstone, Kent, by former BBC engineer Raymond Cooke OBE (1925–1995) and Robert Pearch. The pair set up KEF Electronics Ltd on land adjacent to the River Medway in Tovil, Maidstone — in Nissen huts on the site of Pearch's family firm, Kent Engineering & Foundry, from which the KEF name is taken. Cooke had been Technical Director at Wharfedale before founding the company, and used new materials (Bextrene, polystyrene cones, polyester drivers) to advance loudspeaker design. KEF went on to define a strand of British high-fidelity engineering, including the long-running LS50 monitors, the Reference series, and the flagship Blade and Muon. Cooke was awarded an OBE for services to British exporting and died in 1995. KEF was acquired by Hong Kong-based Gold Peak Group in 1992 and now sits within GP Acoustics, but research, engineering and flagship manufacturing remain at Maidstone.
DESIGNED BY
In-house KEF design and engineering team based at the brand's Maidstone HQ in Kent. All KEF speaker research, design and engineering is conducted in Maidstone, UK. UK-based: Yes.
MADE BY
Per KEF and GP Acoustics: KEF runs a dual manufacturing model. The Reference line, Blade and Blade Two, and the Muon and Muon-derived statement speakers are made at the Maidstone factory in Kent. The Q Series and R Series — the higher-volume consumer ranges — are manufactured at the GP Acoustics factory in China, on the same machinery as Maidstone, to KEF's UK design specifications. R&D, engineering, voicing and final-quality sign-off all sit in Maidstone. No published parts-by-percentage breakdown beyond this product-line allocation.
TO BUY
Further information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KEF
Further research reading
Region Made
