KEF KF92
Home Cinema Choice|January 2023
KEF applies Newton's Third Law to its dual-driver bassmaker, so Steve Withers searches for his lab coat and Godzilla disc
Steve Withers
KEF KF92

IF YOU MANAGED to stay awake during physics classes at school, you might remember Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states - in essence - that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. It's a principle of classical mechanics that's been embraced by speaker and subwoofer manufacturers, allowing them to engineer a force-cancelling design to reduce cabinet vibrations and increase the maximum output.

KEF is no stranger to it, and claims to have launched the first commercial speaker with a force-cancelling driver configuration, in the shape of the Reference 104/2 floorstander in 1984. More recently the company has been using this approach in its subwoofers, with the flagship Reference 8b, mid-range KF92 (tested here), and dinky KC62 (see HCC #320) all benefiting from a force-cancelling array.

The KC62 differs slightly by using a single, overlapping Uni-Core voice coil for its two 6.5in woofers (allowing it to be extraordinarily compact), but all three employ the same design idea of two drivers positioned back to back. The KF92's are 9in units with a hybrid aluminium/paper cone, plus 'oversized' motor system and voice coil.

This story is from the January 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HOME CINEMA CHOICEView All
AV Avenger
Home Cinema Choice

AV Avenger

You should think twice before accepting an invitation to play Resident Evil 4 with spatial audio in a haunted prison, warns Steve May

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney
Home Cinema Choice

Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney

Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Feedback
Home Cinema Choice

Feedback

Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
M&K Sound V12
Home Cinema Choice

M&K Sound V12

TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded
Home Cinema Choice

Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded

This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2023
Short and sweet
Home Cinema Choice

Short and sweet

Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023
Discreet delivery
Home Cinema Choice

Discreet delivery

A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2023
One project, two rooms
Home Cinema Choice

One project, two rooms

Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2023
THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD
Home Cinema Choice

THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD

Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 2023
System selector!
Home Cinema Choice

System selector!

Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming

time-read
8 mins  |
May 2023