KEF Unicore

[Chromatischism]

Mind you those 33 Hz is a in-room spec, KEF gives there also for example for their LS50 Meta Typical in-room bass response (-6dB) 26 Hz while its anechoic -6dB point is at 47 Hz.

Right, which is why I made sure to state it was in-room (they don't give anechoic numbers). Not trying to pull a fast one here

 

[thewas]

Right, which is why I made sure to state it was in-room (they don't give anechoic numbers). Not trying to pull a fast one here

Yes, don't want that either , just to show that for such an in-room number KEF also wouldn't need a special double whopper sub.

 

[Soniclife]

It's just two woofers combined together and you'll pay a premium for it.

I was wondering if it would actually be cheaper than 2 separate units, as they seem to share some parts. The space savings seem minimal, so unless it performs better or costs less it looks like a waste of R&D time.

 

[Music1969]

Time to daydream. I would like to see something like an LS50W II on steroids with a large enclosure to accommodate the new bass drivers. Make it go down to 35-30Hz and have DSP. Price it between 5-6$K.

An active R3 !

 

[Matias]

Like my poorly executed image editing - bookshelf version of blade with single pair of woofers

View attachment 106065

@jackocleebrown Mini Blade Active?

 

[dasdoing]

unless it performs better

it's all about avoiding vibrations, so it will have no distorsion caused by them

 

[Juhazi]

it's all about avoiding vibrations, so it will have no distorsion caused by them

I don't think it is so simple. Moving mass inertia gets nulled yes, but higher order resonances and vibrations in driver chassis, cone and loudspeaker enclosure will remain. But for a subwoofer, inertia nulling is a major benefit.

 

[Soniclife]

it's all about avoiding vibrations, so it will have no distorsion caused by them

With the current information I don't see how it would be better than 2 normal drive units joined together.

 

[dasdoing]

With the current information I don't see how it would be better than 2 normal drive units joined together.

well, it's basicly what it is, right? lol

 

[Matias]

It's about packing it tighter and maybe some savings by sharing the same magnet between drivers.
KEF already uses force cancelling in their current line up anyway.
https://international.kef.com/collections/subwoofers

 

[Soniclife]

well, it's basicly what it is, right? lol

Exactly, and that's been done before, there must be more to it.
It could be driven by acoustic enclosure design wanting a slimmer cabinet for dispersion properties, but I doubt it.

 

[dasdoing]

KEF already uses force cancelling in their current line up anyway.
https://international.kef.com/collections/subwoofers

yes they do....that's why this will be something "bigger" then a simple subwoofer

 

[jhaider]

It's just two woofers combined together

Not really. It’s two woofers with concentric (meaning different diameter) voice coils and a common magnet. It’s legitimately something novel. Better? We’ll see. Regardless, it’s a bit fatuous to say “it’s just two woofers.”

 

[Hugo9000]

Coming to an exceptional product soon
A new technology as exciting as Uni-Core deserves a great platform from which to perform. A new KEF product that benefits from Uni-Core technology will be here very soon; The performance will rattle your bones and entice your ears in equal measure.

KEF’s first speaker was the K1 monitor. It revealed Raymond Cooke’s thirst for cutting edge drive unit technology and his BBC-based engineering background. This was a three-way speaker, standing tall at just over a metre high. The bass driver used a flat rectangular diaphragm made of aluminium-skinned polystyrene, as did the elliptical midrange. The tweeter had a Melinex dome. Melinex is a polyester film known for its high tensile strength and chemical stability.

One of Raymond Cooke’s primary aims when founding KEF was to produce a high quality three-way loudspeaker system. The K1 utilised all the key innovations of the new company: the B1814 woofer with its flat rectangular diaphragm of aluminium skinned polystyrene, the M64 elliptical midrange unit with similar diaphragm construction, and the T15 tweeter with its hemispherical diaphragm of Melinex. These were housed in a 110 litre enclosure, which allowed the bass driver to perform to its maximum, reproducing bass down to 20Hz and bringing recordings to life with a great sense of realism. The system was intended for professionals and serious enthusiasts and did much to establish the technical credibility of the KEF brand.

To minimise tonal colourations the enclosure was substantially braced with the panels damped with bituminous pads, and finished in a choice of American Walnut, Teak or Sapele with a coffee fleck grille.

My prediction/speculation:

KEF K60 Monitor, an active speaker to celebrate the historic 60th Anniversary of KEF. The initial release will likely feature Raymond Cooke's signature*, and be available in a limited numbered edition in a special finish, followed by 'regular' versions. It will be classed as a "Flagship" model. No clue on pricing, but I suspect it will be around $10k to $15k, since it will inevitably be compared to speakers like the Genelec 8361A or those recent brands like Kii or D&D. They've been working on this for some time, as the Uni-Core trademark application dates to 2019, and in light of the tremendous success of their 50th anniversary commemorative model, I'm sure they intended something very special to coincide with a historic 60 years of audio engineering excellence.

The name is in reference to the K1 Monitor, KEF's first speaker, which was available as a kit or ready-built.

While the K1 Monitor was passive, the K60 Monitor will be active to prevent being handicapped by inadequate or unsuitable amp choices.


https://us.kef.com/explore-kef/kef-museum/1960s/k1-monitor-approx-1962-66

https://us.kef.com/uni-core


Following this product, the next Reference Series will be coming, probably next year so as not to steal the thunder from this celebratory (and hopefully revelatory) 60th Anniversary model. KEF refreshes their lines every 6 years or so, staggered by range, so a little longer for the Reference Series would fit with that.

(I don't think the Uni-Core tech will be unveiled in a subwoofer, since they say the "exceptional product" will be a "great platform from which to perform" and "will rattle your bones and entice your ears in equal measure." A subwoofer could "rattle your bones," but to "entice your ears in equal measure" tells me they mean a full-range system.)


*I personally feel that Dr. Oclee-Brown's signature should be on it as well, but I suspect his gentlemanly humility will preclude any self-tribute, however deserved it may be. The focus will be on the brand/team and the founder and his principles which have guided the company through these decades. We are approaching a milestone for Gold Peak as well, since they have owned KEF for nearly half its history, and they have remained true to the vision of the founder. I can't think of any other brand that has achieved anything like this for decades after a buyout. Speaking of humility, I find it interesting that we never hear of Victor Lo in any reporting on KEF.

 

[Ilkless]

Not really. It’s two woofers with concentric (meaning different diameter) voice coils and a common magnet. It’s legitimately something novel. Better? We’ll see. Regardless, it’s a bit fatuous to say “it’s just too woofers.”

I don't get the concentric voice coils though, if it's a dual opposed sub setup. Something about both sides not being identical for such an application irrationally ticks me off.

My first guess was a way to get isobaric loading from a single unit, but they are clearly push-push instead of push-pull. Isobaric would make sense in view of their developments around rear driver radiation, as with the Meta absorber.

 

[stren]

I don't get the concentric voice coils though, if it's a dual opposed sub setup. Something about both sides not being identical for such an application irrationally ticks me off.

My first guess was a way to get isobaric loading from a single unit, but they are clearly push-push instead of push-pull. Isobaric would make sense in view of their developments around rear driver radiation, as with the Meta absorber.

My guess is that the shared core means you can fit larger drivers in a narrower enclosure. It also means better matching I would think between the push/pull effect of the two drivers as there is less mismatch due to core magnet differences. It must be a small effect, but if you think about the meta material, Kef are really trying to improve small effects particularly distortion. My guess is that they analyzed the r600b and came up with this as a solution to improve it's distortion when pushing to larger excursions.

Having said that I like Hugo's analysis and am on board with it being used in a "K60". I don't think they will shoot as high as 10-15K, as I think they've seen how popular the LS50 series is and part of the draw has been the affordable price. While there is room above the LS50 prices, volume will drop off sharply if it raises too far above the LS50IIW price. My thought is that they should target 4-5K msrp even if that means some compromises. If they keep it active only then they won't be cannibalizing many Ref1 sales.

 

[Hugo9000]

They certainly have the expertise and in-house manufacturing capabilites to make it more affordable, and I certainly hope they will! I guess it depends on how much of a "statement" product they wish it to be, since it has the potential to vie with the Reference Series. $4k to $5k would be amazing for such an active monitor from KEF. Of course, I could be totally wrong, and perhaps they are planning something altogether different, but I think a K60 would be great, and I know how important brand heritage is to KEF.

 

[Ron Texas]

I suspect the single large magnet results in a cost savings. The concentric voice coils don't appear to save that much space, but they enable the single magnet.

 

[bo_knows]

They certainly have the expertise and in-house manufacturing capabilites to make it more affordable, and I certainly hope they will! I guess it depends on how much of a "statement" product they wish it to be, since it has the potential to vie with the Reference Series. $4k to $5k would be amazing for such an active monitor from KEF. Of course, I could be totally wrong, and perhaps they are planning something altogether different, but I think a K60 would be great, and I know how important brand heritage is to KEF.

Hi Hugo9000,
I think you are right on the money and yes, I was daydreaming when I hoped for a price in the 5-6K range. Let's face it, KEF likes to get paid for their products and if this "monitor" will step into a fighting arena with D&D, Kii, and Genelec the cost could be justified. Problem is that those products are targeting professionals and studios foremost and their popularity spread to the audiophile and music lovers market. This is not the primary market target for KEF. We shall see, time will tell.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I was wondering if it would actually be cheaper than 2 separate units, as they seem to share some parts. The space savings seem minimal, so unless it performs better or costs less it looks like a waste of R&D time.

A space saving. A synergistic performance boost?