Hi-Fi: Kef Reference 207/2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers – Review – 79
Kef has a reputation to uphold with its state-of-the-art products. It’s a reputation that’s well and truly maintained with the Reference 207/2, the company’s more-or-less flagship loudspeaker.
Kef has the dramatic Muon transducer at the very apex of its range, but that speaker should be compared to the likes of a McLaren supercar. With its beautifully made wooden box containing superb chrome plated spikes, and the imposing size and masterful build quality, the 207/2s can be considered Kef’s luxury production model.
Each 207/2 weighs an impressive 66kg and employs five drivers: two 250mm bass, one 250mm mid-bass, and the pod-mounted 165mm midrange Uni-Q driver with integral 25mm titanium dome tweeter.
Kef has spared no expense making the 207/2. Each circuit board used in the crossover is physically decoupled to reduce cabinet vibration, while the drivers themselves are also individually loaded and decoupled from each massive enclosure. A tri-wireable four-way design, the 207/2 also features Faraday rings on each main driver to further reduce stray magnetic fields from the voice coil.
Apart from reducing harmonic distortion, each ring serves to increase the dissipation of heat while listening at high volume.
Suffice to say Kef has used extensive bracing within each computer-modelled cabinet, the result being a practically inert and colouration-free enclosure. The bass reflex 207/2s are front ported and, unusually, have an upward-firing port located underneath the grille cloth behind each Uni-Q pod.
And they look great; the test models were resplendent in their coat of satin walnut veneer and the sight of all those 10-inch drivers suggested one hell of a listening ride.
For testing the speakers were powered by Bryston electronics in the form of the 300wpc 4B-SST power amp/BCD-1 CD player and BP-26/MPS-2 preamp.
With Stanley Clarke’s ‘Passenger 57 Main Title’ resounding through the room, I was immediately impressed with the awesome dynamics and shuddering bass, but I also warmed to the detailed and natural-sounding midband. I was able to pick out the clave used by the percussionist and locate it to the left-hand side of the central image, while Clarke’s slap bass had real bite and presence.
‘Hanuman’ from Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s new 11:11 CD has excellent plucked string sounds, and listening through the 207/2s I was very aware that real people were playing real acoustic guitars; the sound of finger against fret was exceptionally realistic.
Vocals from Ian Shaw’s ‘Barangrill’ (from a Linn sampler CD) were reproduced beautifully – very natural and free of sibilance. This excellent vocal track also highlighted the 207/2s’ wonderful soundstaging and imaging abilities with an involving and delicate portrayal.
Kef has a veritable tour de force in the 207/2s; they’re very serious loudspeakers with a mortgage-threatening price tag, but the audio performance is very close to making them true works of art.
GARY PEARCE
Kef Reference 207/2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers – Tech Specs
Enclosure Type: Floorstanding, 4-way bass reflex
Drive Units: Midrange/HF – 1 x 165mm Uni-Q + 25mm titanium dome tweeter; Mid/bass – 1 x 250mm; Bass – 2 x 250mm
Frequency Response: 40Hz-60kHz (+/- 3dB)
Sensitivity: 91dB
Impedance: 8 Ohms nominal
Recommended Power Handling: 50-400W
Dimensions: 1226 x 400 x 685mm (H/W/D)
Weight: 66kg per speaker
Pros
- An awesome battleship of a loudspeaker
- Sound and styling both amazing
Cons
- Start saving for them
Verdict
Kef has really delivered the goods with the mighty Reference 207/2s
CONTACT
This review is from Tone 79. Click here to check it out.
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