CEDIA 2013

KEF gets more diverse each year, which I suppose is a good idea. The Extreme Home Theater line of in wall speakers looks very promising, almost too good to hide. The Ci5160RL-THX has four 6-1/2” low frequency drivers and a Uni-Q based midrange and tweeter, and will probably retail between $2,500 and $3,000. In the picture you’re also seeing an in wall subwoofer, the Ci3160RLb-THX with three 6-1/2” bass drivers. To drive them, KEF will introduce the KASA500 stereo amplifier. In fact, that amp can be coupled to other KEF in wall subwoofers via its internal DSP. The estimated price target for this dual channel Class D amp is $1,000.

I had to spend some time with KEF’s new sleek and stylish M500 headphones. Due to their design and use of synthetic leather, they’re quite comfortable to wear. And while $300 hardly makes it an impulse buy, I’ve paid more for headphones that weren’t designed as well.