KEF R8a

Features

Dolby Atmos-Enabled Surround Speaker: Bring immersive, cinematically vertical Dolby Atmos sound or surround sound optimized for KEF's R Series loudspeakers home with the R8a Dolby Atmos-enabled surround speaker. Equipped with a 12th generation Uni-Q driver array (consisting of a 1" tweeter and 5.25" mid-bass woofer) and other advanced technologies, dynamics is excellent while response is accurate and clean. KEF'S R8a Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker sits above your existing floorstanding or bookshelf home theater speakers. Knowing how the brain perceives sound, KEF engineers have perfected a way of beaming the sound upwards from the R8a so that it's reflected by the ceiling to replicate the vertical dimension in Dolby Atmos recordings.

Dolby Atmos: In real life, sound comes from all around. But conventional surround systems only allocate it horizontally - left, right, ahead and behind. What makes Dolby Atmos so staggeringly realistic is that the movement of every sound in the scene is reproduced in all three dimensions, including vertically. This creates a true 3D acoustic image of precisely located individual sounds that move in relation to you as if you were actually there.

12th Generation Uni-Q Driver Array: At the heart of the R Series loudspeaker is KEF's Uni-Q driver array. This signature innovation by KEF places the tweeter in the acoustic center of the mid-bass cone, with both drivers acting as a single point source. The R Series benefits from a new 12th generation Uni-Q Driver Array which has been extensively designed using KEF's in-house simulations and analysis tools. KEF's engineers have been able to dramatically reduce coloration through reducing resonance in the small gaps between the Uni-Q's separate elements. The resulting sound is purer and more precise with better stereo imaging.

• 1" Aluminum Dome Tweeter: At the center of the Uni-Q driver array is a 1" aluminum dome tweeter with KEF's tangerine waveguide to help disperse the higher frequencies evenly across a wider angle and flood the room with a natural soundfield. The tweeter's large neodymium magnet and a computer-optimized dome structure deliver articulate high frequencies with flawless precision. In addition venting the tweeter reduces pressure behind the dome, increasing midrange bandwidth and lowering distortion.
• 5.25" Aluminum Mid-Bass Woofer: Surrounding the 1" aluminum dome tweeter is a 5.25" magnesium/aluminum midrange driver. The R8a's midrange response is amazingly fast and clean, thanks to the braced magnesium/aluminum alloy cone, KEF's Z-flex surround smoothing the transition to the front-panel, and a sturdy die-cast aluminum chassis that prevents resonance from being transferred to the cabinet. In addition, large voice coils increase the driver's power handling and dynamics, reducing distortion and delivering exceptional vocal clarity.

Shadow Flare: Derived directly from KEF's Reference Series, the Shadow Flare is an innovative method of reducing harmful cabinet diffraction for delicate high-frequencies. Shadow Flare is a carefully profiled transition surface which extends the waveguide effect of the Uni-Q Driver Array. The tweeter no longer has line of sight of the cabinet edges, creating a "shadow region" at the points where the potential for diffraction is highest. The result is vastly improved fine detail, particularly when it comes to the subtle nuances of plucked strings and other percussive sounds.

Acoustic Suspension Cabinet: The KEF R8a employs an acoustic suspension (sealed) enclosure for accurate sound reproduction. The KEF R Series speaker cabinet benefits from a constrained layer damping with internal bracing which is highly effective at dissipating unwanted vibrations that would otherwise artificially change the sound of the music.

Magnetic Grille: The KEF R8a loudspeaker comes with a cloth grille that magnetically attaches to the speaker cabinet. The R8a is designed to sound its best with or without the grille installed.

Binding Post Terminals: On the rear of the speaker cabinet is a pair of heavy-duty binding post terminals that will accept bare wire (up to 10AWG), pin-connectors, spade-lugs, and banana plugs (single only). Plastic inserts must be removed from the binding posts to use banana plugs.

Mounting Options: The KEF R8a loudspeaker can be placed on top of a loudspeaker for Dolby Atmos applications, or can be wall-mounted for surround sound applications.

• Dolby Atmos Topper: The R8a loudspeaker has been expertly tuned by KEF acoustic engineers to bring extraordinarily immersive, cinematically vertical Dolby Atmos sound into the home using precision ceiling reflection when placed on top of R Series floorstanding and bookshelf speakers. The included rubber feet should be used when placing the R8a on top of another loudspeaker (the rubber feet add approximately 0.1875" to the overall height of the speaker). Make sure the top of your loudspeaker measures at least 6.9375" (w) x 10.625" (d).
• Wall-Mounted Surround: The R8a can also be easily mounted on the wall using the integrated keyhole slots on back of the speaker (mounting screws not included), creating a high-fidelity home surround sound experience that melds seamlessly with the KEF's R Series speakers.

R Series: The KEF R Series combines innovations from KEF's Reference Series with new custom-made technologies and a 12th generation Uni-Q Driver Array to deliver incredible detail and dynamic sound. The KEF R Series consists of three floorstanding loudspeakers (R11/R7/R5), one bookshelf loudspeaker (R3), a center-channel speaker (R2c), and a Dolby Atmos surround speaker (R8a).

Optional Powered Subwoofer: For even bigger and deep bass response, you can add one of KEF's powered subwoofers; such as the KF92 or one of their Kube Series powered subs (sold separately - see Accessories Tab).