Product Description
Center Yourself (On The Couch)
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| The pleasures of
home cinema depend largely on the quality of your center channel speaker.
This is an area where the unrivalled dispersion characteristics of KEF
Uni-Q technology make a real difference -- the 5.25" titanium-coated
Uni-Q array in the iQ2 projects on-screen dialogue with equal clarity and
realism throughout the room. Configured for bi-wiring or even
bi-amplification like all the Q Series, its smooth midrange and fast
transient attack delivers the listening enjoyment of high-end audio
technology at a surprisingly modest price. |
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Acoustic Intelligence
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| Acoustic
intelligence -- that's the best way to describe what KEF engineers have
applied to create their newest line of iQ center channel speakers. From
the second you spot the soft sheen of titanium on the Uni-Q Array driver
cones, you know you're in for something special. And you won't be
disappointed. Restless, despite being one of the best, KEF has made
improvements to every aspect of its trademark Uni-Q technology. With new
cone materials and surrounds. Redesigned magnet structures. New,
state-of-the-art voice coils. Higher specification components. More rigid
chassis and cabinets. The result of all these innovations is plain to
hear. Power handling and sensitivity are better than ever. iQ plays loud
and true, with even clearer vocals than its illustrious predecessor. Even
gutsier and more tightly controlled bass. And, of course, the impeccable
extended bandwidth response you need to get the most out of the latest
digital audio and home theatre formats. As every model in the range is
voiced for a perfect tonal match, the 3-D soundscape is so seamlessly
integrated that everyone in the room gets the full benefit, wherever they
sit. Breathtaking is the only word to describe it. |
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Uni-Q Array Explained
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| You don't have to be
a genius to understand why iQ Series speakers sound so good. After all,
they incorporate the Uni-Q technology originally designed for one of the
world's finest speaker ranges, KEF's legendary Reference Series. The Uni-Q
concept is based on using aerospace materials to make the tweeter small
enough to place at the acoustic center of the bass/midrange cone. With
both drive units on exactly the same axis and sharing the same waveguide,
they behave as a single point source that projects a more natural sound
image over a much larger area than the usual tiny 'sweet spot'. This is
because the Uni-Q configuration eliminates the inherent problems of having
the separate midrange and high frequency drive units of a conventional
speaker. As loudspeaker radiation varies according to frequency, low
frequency and high frequency drivers have intrinsically different
radiation patterns whose directivity - known as 'Q' - changes at the
crossover frequency. Interference (or 'lobing') between the two units
causes a dip in power response around this frequency, with a peak above it
due to their differences in directivity. These factors introduce
colorations that muddy the sound image. You get no such problems with
Uni-Q. Being coincident and perfectly time-aligned, the directivity of
both LF and HF units is controlled by the profile of the midrange cone,
with no possible path or phase differences between the two, and no
'lobing' interference at the crossover. The 'Q' is unified, in other words
- hence the name. So instead of narrowing towards the crossover and then
widening again as is the case with separate drive units, the Uni-Q
radiation pattern remains stable. Power response is uniform, with smoother
variations on and off-axis. The acoustic image is better balanced and more
natural sounding across both direct and reverberant fields. Multi-channel
imaging is noticeably clearer and more accurate. The Uni-Q array in the Q
Series incorporates a sophisticated new tweeter with an aluminum dome
that increases the break-up resonance to 34kHz (as compared to the 25kHz
threshold of a typical standard dome). The MF voice coil is of
copper-coated aluminum ribbon, edge-wound over a polyimide former to
increase sensitivity by maximizing the amount of copper in the magnet gap.
The chassis are of precision-cast aluminum for greater rigidity, with a
vented design to improve power handling. The tall profile cone surrounds
are of butyl rubber to allow greater excursion, and therefore higher
output. Faraday rings are incorporated into the ultra-low distortion
motor, further reducing harmonic distortion by as much as 20dB. And
audiophile-grade crossovers are connected to the shrouded bi-wirable
terminals to ensure the cleanest possible signal transmission. With
refinements like these, no wonder the sound is so open and natural. No
wonder the action on screen suddenly becomes more compelling. No wonder
you get so utterly immersed in the listening experience. It's what the KEF
iQ Series is all about. |
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More Than Just A Box
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| iQ Series cabinets
are thermally formed in 'heavy' MDF, whose density makes it acoustically
inert to reduce unwanted coloration of the sound image. Using laminated
construction techniques, with inner and outer layers bonded to a segmented
core in a giant press, the precisely radiused panels are exceptionally
rigid, with the Uni-Q arrays faired in to the cabinet. Massive internal
bracing tailors the volume of each enclosure to the exact parameters of
its drive unit and minimizes any residual panel resonance. All models have
two pairs of fully shrouded terminals for bi-wiring or bi-amplification,
and are magnetically shielded to prevent interference with other
electronics. |
This
product was tested by KEF to make sure it still works perfectly, and then
repackaged for sale at a significantly reduced price. Any scratch or dent on
these products will be only skin-deep (most canÂ’t be seen); we guarantee that
they'll perform just like brand-new. All accessories are included, along with
KEFÂ’s full 5 year warranty (1yr on amps)
*Quantities
are VERY limited and the selection changes frequently!
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