MARLBORO, NJ — June 29, 2005 — For a home theater to transform movies into an immersive viewer experience, all of its highly variable elements must converge to seamlessly engage the senses. KEF’s new Ci 3-80QT envelopes its audience with realistic movie sound while its exclusive design maintains the utmost decorative subtlety. The Ci 3-80QT is the only in-ceiling speaker that automatically extends down from its flush-mounted position to directly project sound toward listeners. In addition to motorized positioning, the speaker uses KEF’s own Uni-Q driver to create a widely dispersed and lifelike soundstage. With the introduction of the Ci 3-80QT, KEF gives home entertainment system installers the power to design a virtually invisible home theater that truly rivals the performance of free-standing speakers.
“Homeowners love in-ceiling speakers because they can be installed with virtually no impact on the surrounding decor, but by nature in-ceiling speakers are challenged at projecting sound directly at the audience,” said Alec Chanin, president of KEF America. “The Ci 3-80QT’s motorized loudspeaker overcomes this by tilting the entire driver array down from the ceiling and toward seats, and it does this automatically when the system is activated. This speaker creates the robust performance of a free-standing or bookshelf speaker without altering a home’s interior. It’s the perfect solution for someone who wants their audio system to stand out through its sound rather than its looks.”
In addition to the advantages of a motorized tilting mount, KEF’s Ci 3-80QT produces exceptionally wide dispersion through its patented Uni-Q driver. This array is based on over 45 years of audio engineering and uses technologies implemented by NASA. Uni-Q places its aluminum dome tweeter in the acoustic center of a mid-bass cone, resulting in a near-perfect, single-point-source driver. This configuration ensures both drivers’ frequency ranges are delivered in-phase and in precise focus, providing the wider dispersion that ensures all listeners throughout the room enjoy optimal sound quality, including those outside of the typical “sweet spot.” The Uni-Q array also offers distinct “vocal intelligibility,” bringing crisp transparency to all dialogue–whether whispered or shouted–even when it is competing with ambient noise.
The Ci 3-80QT comes in a soft white finish, which can be painted to match virtually any setting. It will be available to KEF dealers in mid September. MSRP is $499.99 each.
About KEF Audio
KEF was founded in 1961 by an electrical engineer named Raymond Cooke in a Nissen Hut on the premises of a metal working operation called Kent Engineering & Foundry (hence KEF), on the banks of the River Medway, near Maidstone in Kent. From the beginning KEF was destined to become a company with a flair for uniqueness and innovation in engineering, design and materials. The four cornerstones of KEF`s success over 45 years are Quality, Honesty, Dedication and Innovation.
The company is professional from top to bottom. Still occupying the same river-bank site in Kent, the company services export markets throughout the world, manufacturing high performance speakers for home cinema, hi-fi and custom installation applications. KEF firmly and passionately remains true to its proprietary, proven technologies such as Uni-Q and ACE. It is these characteristics, traditions and above all sound quality that have ensured that KEF`s reputation for audio excellence is among the finest in the world.
About KEF America, Inc.
KEF America is the wholly owned subsidiary of KEF Audio, an award winning British manufacturer of quality, audiophile-standard speakers and home theater systems. Headquartered in Marlboro, New Jersey, KEF America has built the KEF brand by offering loyal North American audiophiles a stream of innovative speakers and components unmatched in the industry. Many KEF products have won awards from both sides of the Atlantic, as KEF is a brand name long associated with quality and technical innovation.
For additional information about KEF America and its award-winning products, please visit www.kefamerica.com.
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