Over the five decades, KEF has grown into a global company with a presence in more than 60 countries. KEF’s role in speaker history can be seen in a series of key milestones – from creating the world’s first bookshelf speaker that brought hi-fi to the masses, to using materials such as bextrene, neoprene and rare earth magnets to enhance reproductive quality, to being the first to use computers in speaker design. The company responded to the home theatre revolution with its iconic “egg” KHT2005 and KHT3005 speakers, and then changed living rooms forever with the Muon and Blade flagships, redefining engineering acoustics and design aesthetics.

“In line with the business principles set in place by founder Raymond Cooke in 1961, KEF will continue to combine the best possible engineering with the best possible design,” says KEF’s parent company, the Gold Peak Group chairman and chief executive Victor Lo.

Series of 50th anniversary initiatives and events planned

KEF will leverage its anniversary to engage with its customers, business partners, employees and the media though a series of initiatives and events. Highlights will include:

• History book – Co-authored by leading audio historian Ken Kessler and former KEF engineer Dr. Andrew Watson, 50 Years of Innovation in Sound, is a definitive study of the company’s first 50 years. The book tells KEF’s story from its 1961 founding in England to the global launch of the Blade loudspeaker in Munich in May 2011, and features archival images and never-before-seen photographs.

• KEF CD & story booklet – KEF is releasing a CD entitled, ’50 Years of Popular Music’ as part of its anniversary promotional program. Produced by Universal Music Group, the CD includes popular and iconic tracks such as James Brown’s “I got You (I Feel Good)”, Elton John’s “Your Song” and The Cranberries’ “Dreams”. The CD is accompanied by a story booklet featuring key KEF milestones, interwoven with music trends from the past five decades.

• Web feature – KEF’s website www.kef.com has been updated with special 50th Anniversary updates which include an interactive timeline separated by decade, detailed information on KEF’s milestones, and articles on KEF’s first five decades. It will also feature content from the history book, CD and the full text of the story booklet.

• Celebration events – KEF will host celebratory events to mark its 50th anniversary in Hong Kong, London, New York and Dortmund.

• Commemorative Products – KEF released the first 50th anniversary product, the Blade, in May 2011. Blade is the world’s first single apparent source speaker providing it with a configuration that is gratifyingly coherent across the frequency range, with noticeably more precise imaging than is possible from any conventional speaker.