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KEF Reference 5 Meta Speakers, Black / Silver - As Traded
Condition: Used. Very good, light swirl marks from cleaning only (See photos)
Includes: Spikes, carpet discs and port bungs (No boxes)
SN: 502847R / 052847L
Includes 3 month (90 day) warranty
Overview
The flagship speaker of KEF's Reference Series, the Reference 5 Meta is designed, engineered, and handcrafted in Maidstone, Kent UK.
KEF's 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ is housed in a cabinet with constrained layer damping, providing extremely high fidelity and a largely colourless output, making changes to, and quality of, amplification, sources and source material immediately obvious.
Rear porting allows for down to 40Hz bass output, but the design is well executed, remaining tight and detailed at lower frequencies.
Each speaker is measured by a laboratory-maintained reference standard to ensure pairs are matched within 0.5dB.
Specification
Design Three-way bass reflex
Drive units Uni-Q driver array:
HF: 25 mm (1 in.) aluminium dome with MAT
MF: 125 mm (5 in.) aluminium cone
Bass units: LF: 4 x 165 mm (6.5 in.) aluminium cone
Frequency range free field (-6dB) Short port: 35 Hz - 45 kHz. Long port: 32 Hz - 45 kHz
Frequency range typical in room bass response (-6dB) 25 Hz
Frequency response (±3dB) 40 Hz – 35 kHz
Crossover frequency 450 Hz, 2.1 kHz
Amplifier requirements 50 - 400 W
Sensitivity (2.83V/ 1m) 88 dB
Harmonic distortion 2nd; 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m)
It’s a buyer’s market in this niche, and at A$28,500 this listing is well into ambitious territory versus the recent Australian comps: the median is A$2,949, with the 75th percentile at A$10,642. That makes this ask far above the top end of the typical used set, so it would need to be a particularly special example to justify the price.
That said, the Kef Reference 3 is a genuinely respected speaker: clean, articulate, with strong imaging and plenty of scale when paired well. If it’s genuinely in excellent condition, with original packaging, grilles, and no driver or cabinet issues, it can be a lovely long-term keep. But at this level, a buyer should want clear proof of provenance and condition, because the premium is doing a lot of work here.
Independent perspective — not a price guarantee. Always verify condition, accessories and provenance before purchase.
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.
See all Kef listings on RADAR.
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