NEWS: KEF announces KC62 subwoofer with new Uni-Core technology

It certainly looks tiny for a sub. I wonder if their innovation pays off?! But it's a step forward helping with design and if it does the job properly kudo's!
 
£1400... o_O

They’ll have to be awesome for that price.

For the well heeled though (assuming they are any good) then a pair of these, a pair of the LS50 Meta speakers and a Lyngdorf 1120 might be the best sounding, best looking lifestyle type hifi around.

For £5800.

Still, plenty of people have spent more for less.
 
:rotfl:
Those figures are physically impossible from drivers and a box that size.
My 18" driver in a 10X bigger box struggles to do 11hz.

How do they get away with those nonsensical figures?
I'd like to see someone challenge those figures in court.

To think some people will swallow it too, just because it's Kef.
 
Because they don't say what volume it's at.
If it's 60dB it might do it.
 
Surely it has to have some basis in reality otherwise they’d get pulled up on it?
 
You’ve got to praise innovation and ahem, thinking outside the box...

But it’ll be interesting to see how they compare with price comparable subs from the competition. Many have criticised the LS50’s over the years for their lack in the bass department, some calling for a floorstander equivalent. This seems to be KEF’s response given the pictures: it seems to have been specifically designed to partner the LS50’s...which means that KEF are aiming more at the music market than the home theatre crowd.

With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how the KEF sub handles rhythm and timing and midbass punch rather than the infrasonic depths aimed for by some subwoofer manufacturers. As with REL subs, the proof will be in the musicality rather than plain stats.

EDIT: Just noticed this seems to be a smaller version of the KF92, with some of the design principles being similar. And the KF92 was very well reviewed for depth and musicality...

 
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Because they don't say what volume it's at.
If it's 60dB it might do it.
Is that a serious reply?
You've got to be kidding me.

It says within + or minus 3 dB @ 11 to 200hz!

My 6.5" Mains couldn't produce 60dB @ 25hz in my system running 80dB on average, fwiw.
 
Is that a serious reply?
You've got to be kidding me.

It says within + or minus 3 dB @ 11 to 200hz!

My 6.5" Mains couldn't produce 60dB @ 25hz in my system running 80dB on average, fwiw.

He is correct. Sweep it at 60dB and it could very well be 6dB down at 11hz. Also, if they don't specify the test environment it could be anechoic, quasi-anechoic, or some sort of simulated "corner loaded in small room". There's nothing inherently misleading about their specs. We just have to use some common sense in interpreting them.

Tom V.
 
I think it’s great to see new, innovative tech like this, it pushes things forwards & i would guess they’ll eventually use the tech on larger models. It looks like a great bit of engineering/design to me, well done to Kef:thumbsup:
Should have called it Uni-Qore though;)
 
He is correct. Sweep it at 60dB and it could very well be 6dB down at 11hz. Also, if they don't specify the test environment it could be anechoic, quasi-anechoic, or some sort of simulated "corner loaded in small room". There's nothing inherently misleading about their specs. We just have to use some common sense in interpreting them.

Tom V.
Tom, you obviously know more about it than me, so I'll have to bow to your superior knowledge.
One thing though. 6dB down is not 3dB, as is quoted in the specs.
I still think it's a massive misrepresentation and struggle to see how a 6.5" driver can be 3db down at 11hz compared to 200hz in any world including a resonant box.
It's academic, as anyone with half a brain would know that this box won't produce any usable output at those freqs.
The trouble is, the sort of people who like the idea of a matchbox as a sub, won't know anything at all.
Then again, they probably won't know what they're not getting :)
 
Having a small room and wanting to upgrade my sub for a better one this looks very appealing.
Music is important in my listening so this may fit the bill.
 
i notice the drivers are side-firing, so I’m thinking this may not be ideal if you’re room dictates placing it in a corner, as one of the drivers will be facing the wall. Unless its DSP can mitigate any unwanted effects.
 
Tom, you obviously know more about it than me, so I'll have to bow to your superior knowledge.
One thing though. 6dB down is not 3dB, as is quoted in the specs.
I still think it's a massive misrepresentation and struggle to see how a 6.5" driver can be 3db down at 11hz compared to 200hz in any world including a resonant box.
It's academic, as anyone with half a brain would know that this box won't produce any usable output at those freqs.
The trouble is, the sort of people who like the idea of a matchbox as a sub, won't know anything at all.
Then again, they probably won't know what they're not getting :)
All you need is for the sub to hit the low number and you can EQ everything above there into line. You'll be giving up loads of headroom, but it's possible. I don't know that that's what they're doing of course, but compression sweeps would quickly tell you.

It's like the B&W DB4S which is -6 at 8.5Hz with a 10" driver. What those numbers don't tell you is that 8.5Hz tops out at about 80dB, above that level the response shape changes dramatically and moves the -6 figure up the frequency range.
 
Tom, you obviously know more about it than me, so I'll have to bow to your superior knowledge.
One thing though. 6dB down is not 3dB, as is quoted in the specs.
I still think it's a massive misrepresentation and struggle to see how a 6.5" driver can be 3db down at 11hz compared to 200hz in any world including a resonant box.
It's academic, as anyone with half a brain would know that this box won't produce any usable output at those freqs.
The trouble is, the sort of people who like the idea of a matchbox as a sub, won't know anything at all.
Then again, they probably won't know what they're not getting :)

+/-3 or 0/-6 I mean...technically they are different but meh---in context..:)

IME, many buyers(probably the majority) are cabinet size limited. They have a VERY specific size limit and no matter what, THAT isn't changing. So if you go really LITTLE like this...then it is a matter of making it perform within that size restriction. We can't say..."yeah but if you go TWICE the size you can get better performance at the same cost". I mean we can...but it is missing the entire point of this design.

I promise you, somewhere along the design process an engineer told marketing "all we need to do is make it ONE inch bigger in every direction and we increase bass capabilities by 25% <40hz!" Marketing's response?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqgRFal35A&t=0m50s

Marketing knows if they go one inch bigger they may lose XYZ % of potential sales. But if they lose 25% of max output <40hz the lost sales might be 1/10th of XYZ.

People looking for a very small "lifestyle" design like this prioritize size WAY more than rattling the rain gutters during fast and the furriest 15..:)

Tom V.
 
It sounds interesting but until I see reviews it's all just marketing.
It could work well in my space in theory but it depends on how the rubber hits the road.
 
£1400... o_O

They’ll have to be awesome for that price.

For the well heeled though (assuming they are any good) then a pair of these, a pair of the LS50 Meta speakers and a Lyngdorf 1120 might be the best sounding, best looking lifestyle type hifi around.

For £5800.

Still, plenty of people have spent more for less.
The Lyngdorf 1120 is a nice amp but why not just use the LS50 Wireless II and this sub. Very minimalist approach.

The sub makes some big claims and it seems fairly innovative. I'd like to see some real world reviews.
 
The Lyngdorf 1120 is a nice amp but why not just use the LS50 Wireless II and this sub. Very minimalist approach.

The sub makes some big claims and it seems fairly innovative. I'd like to see some real world reviews.

It’s for the RP.

I’m a huge fan of actives but fixing the room anomalies is the biggest part of hifi.
 
Thanks for the news Andy,

For me I'm really disappointed I wont get to hear them in the Demo room at the Bristol show, where no doubt KEF would want to show them off.For now I am really looking forward to the review on this to see if the technology delivers. I can see me wanting one of these to crown my hifi system. There is a track on the Bladerunner 2049 soundtrack (amongst many including the Prodigy) that I would die for, to have additional bass output that my R500's couldn't get down to.

Anyway this particular product reminded of some of the things I am missing.

Gordon
 
:rotfl:
Those figures are physically impossible from drivers and a box that size.
My 18" driver in a 10X bigger box struggles to do 11hz.

How do they get away with those nonsensical figures?
I'd like to see someone challenge those figures in court.

To think some people will swallow it too, just because it's Kef.

Pressure Vessel Gain is amazing: My Single SVS SB2000 (12" driver)

PvcjFzB.jpeg


Granted it's not as tiny as the KEF, but they do specify a room size. I knocked up a calculator for PVG. I wish I'd known this before dropping into a big ported SB13 7 years ago for my main theater. I could have gotten away with a much smaller sub.

I get 34db of gain at 6hz. That's in my office, which is the average large bedroom size in the UK
 
And for non technical regions they have named it after me (David) so I must get one
 
Pressure Vessel Gain is amazing: My Single SVS SB2000 (12" driver)

PvcjFzB.jpeg


Granted it's not as tiny as the KEF, but they do specify a room size. I knocked up a calculator for PVG. I wish I'd known this before dropping into a big ported SB13 7 years ago for my main theater. I could have gotten away with a much smaller sub.

I get 34db of gain at 6hz. That's in my office, which is the average large bedroom size in the UK
Thats in room response. My 10inch Bass driver will happily show a good response curve far below 20hz in room vs the spec,

FREQUENCY RESPONSE ON-AXIS±3 dB 17Hz – 250Hz

Hard to compare what these Kefs really can do, but then again for the money my Paradigm seismic 110 with perfect bass kit can be had. The PBK does a great job on parr for BASS with Diac live with half the hassle.

Sadly KEF are masters of the Spec. and it therefore impossible to do a-b comparisons

As a foot note I am staggered just how much my sub has gone up. With PBK I paid £1300 new. They are now £1700 plus PBK
 

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