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DIY Ls3/5a Custom Bookshelf Loudspeakers Here I have a custom Ls3/5a DIY speaker pair made to a high standard by a keen speaker hobbyist with 25 years experience. These sound excellent using all correct used KEF spec drivers in excellent condition, and new 11 ohm crossovers from Taiwan. Cabinets professionally made by John at Aranmar Acoustics. They also have somewhat deeper enclosures, and more solid construction than standard. I actually prefer the sound of these to the original design due to more extended bass. Everything else sounds very similar even without the screens on the tweeters.
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KEF traces its roots to 1961, when British engineer Raymond Cooke founded the company in a modest Nissen hut on the grounds of the Kent Engineering and Foundry in Maidstone, England. A former BBC engineer and Wharfedale veteran, Cooke was driven by a passion for music and a commitment to technological innovation, aiming to reproduce sound as faithfully as the original performance. From its inception, KEF pioneered materials like foil-stiffened polystyrene diaphragms and Melinex tweeters in its debut K1 loudspeaker, setting a benchmark for engineering precision that propelled the brand to early acclaim.
KEF has long specialized in loudspeakers, establishing itself as a leader with iconic innovations such as the Uni-Q coaxial driver and computer-aided design techniques that revolutionized driver and enclosure development. While drive units supplied to other manufacturers fueled its growth, the brand's core output remains high-fidelity speakers across categories like floorstanders, bookshelves, and home theater systems, including early THX-approved setups. Active wireless models and reference-grade series extend its portfolio, though it eschews amplifiers, turntables, DACs, headphones, or cables.
Renowned for its science-driven heritage, KEF occupies a premium position in the hi-fi market, blending accessible high-end performance with cutting-edge technology. Collectors prize vintage BBC monitors and Bextrene-driver classics, while modern buyers seek its precise, natural soundstaging. Decades of awards affirm KEF's status as a respected innovator, appealing to discerning audiophiles who value engineering over hype.
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