KEF Reference 8b Subwoofer

$15,000
By KEF

This product is not available for online purchase. Please contact us via phone on +61262474844 or email sales@mirandahifi.com to arrange purchase.
Description

To experience the full impact of dramatic on-screen effects, bass definition and control are as important as extension. For power with accuracy, REFERENCE 8b sub boasts two 500W Class D amps, each driving a 228mm (9 inch) long-throw, ultra-low distortion driver, connected back-to-back in the heavily braced, acoustically inert cabinet. Only a truly great subwoofer could do justice to THE REFERENCE standards of home theatre, and it does.

THE REFERENCE:

The standard by which others are judged, and to which they aspire.

The perfect reproduction of recorded sound is what KEF's legendary Reference Series has always stood for. And after 40 years of continuous development, the Reference has earned its name as the yardstick of high-end acoustic engineering.

If you're a perfectionist when it comes to enjoying movies or music, it's the one name that towers above the rest.

The Reference. It speaks for itself.

“A description was needed to convey the idea that every loudspeaker is subject to scrutiny at all stages of assembly, culminating in a final test comparison with a laboratory-maintained reference standard. So the method became the name: Reference.”

- Laurie Fincham, Engineering Director 1968-1991

Benchmark Technology

KEF has never been a 'me too'. Kef create. And KEF never stop learning.

The list of KEF patents and innovations is unequalled. Although the Uni-Q point source driver array is their most famous breakthrough, it's just one of many. There's the unique 'tangerine' segmented waveguide. Cleverly stiffened and optimised aluminium domes. Sophisticated vented tweeters. The ingenious use of new materials to boost motor performance and power handling. Constrained layer damping. Acoustic Compliance Enhancement. The brilliant Z-flex surround - these and many others are what account for the reputation of KEF's multi-award winning drivers.

No other manufacturer has done more to advance the state of the art - and no other range personifies KEF's passion for perfection more than The Reference.

A Class Apart

With six models - two elegant three-way floorstanders, a formidable three-way bookshelf speaker, two three-way centre channels and an awesome 1000-watt sub - The Reference range combines benchmark high fidelity with complete multichannel versatility. And as you’d expect, they all exude the sense of sheer quality that comes from being hand built by KEF’s master technicians in Maidstone, Kent.

Technology

Bass Drivers

Clean, rich and articulate bass grounds your enjoyment of stereo or multi-channel sound, and like everything else about The Reference, KEF’s new 165mm (6.5 inch) LF driver is in a class apart. With a massive vented magnet assembly and a large aluminium wire voice coil driving an exceptionally light, stiff and strong alloy cone, the dynamics and power handling are superb. Played loud or soft, in delicate passages or for full-on bass effects, the combination of advanced materials and clever engineering delivers deeply rewarding lows that blend seamlessly with Uni-Q’s immaculate midrange and treble response.

Composite Front Baffle

The Reference drivers are set in a smooth, strikingly distinctive front baffle engineered to eliminate response anomalies caused by diffraction. Made from an exceptionally strong laminated aluminium/resin composite and secured via high-loss pads and high tensile bolts, it adds tremendous rigidity to the inert cabinet. 

Crossover Design

KEF engineers computer-modelled the ideal crossover networks before exhaustively auditioning every high grade component, individually and together, to select those with the lowest distortion and the smoothest response. Perfectionism takes time, but the difference is plain to hear. Nothing is overlooked - Reference crossovers are even mounted on separate boards and decoupled from the cabinet walls to minimise vibration and crosstalk.

Cabinet Design

Finished by hand in pair-matched wood veneers to complement the composite front baffle, the shape and bracing geometry of the cabinets are computer-optimised to minimise secondary radiation from the cabinet walls and distortion from standing waves. With constrained layer damping to absorb residual vibrations, they’re engineered to eliminate any panel resonance, stray reflections or box colouration effects that would compromise the purity of the sound.

Plinths and Stands

The Reference 3 and 5 are solidly grounded on a plinth and spike set developed with characteristic KEF attention to detail, with a spirit level built into the plinth and spike sets easily adjusted by neatly concealed screws. The bespoke stands for the Reference 1 have a discreet cable management channel to keep the cabling neatly out of sight. Provision is also made for bolting the speaker to the stand for maximum rigidity, and the upright has a vertical compartment which you can fill with your choice of inert material for greater stability and acoustic damping. The stands are finished in Satin Black. 

  

SPECIFICATIONS

DESIGN Force cancelled closed box
DRIVE UNITS LF 2 x 225 mm (9in.)
FREQUENCY RANGE Free Field: 18Hz (-6dB)
FREQUENCY RESPONSE 24Hz at 90dB output in free-space mode (±3dB)
MAXIMUM OUTPUT 110dB (peak sound pressure level at 1m 50Hz)
INPUTS RCA phono sockets
Analog XLR socket
Speaker level inputs
AMPLIFIER TYPE 2 x 500 W Class D with switched mode power supply and DSP based control section
LOW PASS FILTER VARIABLE Variable frequency: 40Hz to 160Hz 
Variable slope: 12dB/oct, 18dB/oct, 24dB/oct 
LFE mode: 350Hz, 18dB/oct
LINK OUT RCA phono socket
NET INTERNAL VOLUME 23L
POWER REQUIREMENTS 100V - 120V / 220V - 240V ~50/60Hz
POWER CONSUMPTION 1000W
DIMENSIONS H x W x D : 398 x 365 x 429 mm (15.7 x 14.4 x 16.8 in.)
WEIGHT 35kg (77.2lbs.)