What's Inside the KEF R11s? | Quality or Garbage? 

can't go wrong with KEF, they make quality products

GREAT video my friend 😊👍.... You did an incredible job between managing taking apart the speaker... The tools... and the camera. I've done that before and I know that it is CRAZY hard.

I have a pair of KEF 103/3’s from the 80’s and they are built like a tank. I had to take one apart to replace the binding post and was very impressed with the way were braced and put together.

Great video!! Interesting to see how they are made

People saying the quality of the components being subpar are those poor rich people that got baited into buying a Reference 5 or insane B&W 801, of which yes and likely, the components are of a better build quality, but it's nowhere close or worth fourfold the price. It's just the idea that counts to these people, and that's why they will tell from any other speaker that they're 'bad quality' when in reality they are practically just as good.

I’ve had these speakers for a while. I purchased them after multiple auditions comparing them with similar priced speakers from the likes of B&W, Q Acoustic, ATC Etc. I was impressed by their transparency, dynamic capability, inert cabinet, driver configuration and ability to retain excellent tonality at low listening levels. They represent high value, high performance, outstanding build quality and aesthetics and offer uncompromising ‘bang for your buck’. I’ve no idea of the quality of the components used to fabricate the crossover network, I just know it works. If Kef have cut corners with the crossover components, which I doubt, it will have been because they were attempting to keep the retail price competitive. I’ve not seen these speakers dissected prior to this video. It’s not a task that I’d undertake myself. I’ve always regarded those speakers as ported, which they are. Vut, until I saw you open them up, I didn’t realise that only the 2 inner bass compartments are ported. The 2 outer compartments are sealed. That’s really interesting. Goes some way to explaining their bass weight, yet precision and agility. If I had to criticise them, I’ve found they lack a little in ‘mid-bass punch’. I listen to a lot of female vocal trance, with it’s synonymous 120BPM. They do punch, but lower down, in the stomach, not the chest!

First time watching one of your videos. Very informative and enjoyable. Thanks for your hard work. 🙏

Crossover is actually pretty good quality, Clarity Cap on tweeter which is the most important part for good components. Plus the Kef R range measure really excellent. You'll find speakers costing many times the price with nowhere near the crossover engineering put in. For off the shelf speakers these are a home run, although DIY is where the real value and quality comes into play.

The gauge of wire is fine. In terms of comparing to speaker wire, the reason it needs to be thicker (but let's be honest, most of us run too large-gauge wire for our purposes) is to keep resistance low as distance increases. For short runs, like on the inside of an enclosure or other very short distances, using smaller gauge is perfectly fine, as the length of wire is also very small, so cumulative resistance is kept low regardless. Same for tuning: The ports might seem short, compared to how we usually think of them on subwoofers or larger speakers, but as the airmass in the enclosure goes down, and tuning frequency goes up, port length goes down. Usually you can look at the -3 dB point of the bass in the speaker, and the port tuning will be somewhere around that. IMO they seem to have made sensible choices for the internals, and as you say the quality is there in the most important bits, the drivers and the enclosure.

thanks, glad to have seen this, i have the kef r3, have to believe they are built to this quality too, they sound good as well.

Cool video. Btw Can’t get around physics no matter what your mind wants to think. Those leads are more than enough for the length of the run. especially with you using 12 or 14 gauge to the speaker.

That Uni-Q trim ring isn't designed to just cover up the screws of the drivers. The trim ring is called the Shadow Flare. Surface tension causes sound energy to travel along the front surface (baffle) of a loudspeaker cabinet causing diffraction. Upon reaching the edge the energy re-radiates acting like a series of additional drivers along the edges of the cabinet. This re-radiated energy competes and interferes with the current driver output. The result is time-smearing that impairs clarity and diminishes soundstage. The problem is multiplied the greater the distance between the edge of the cabinet and the driver. This becomes problematic with mid-range and HF drivers, such as the Uni-Q driver array, because they are inherently smaller than the LF drivers and therefore leave greater space from driver edge to cabinet edge. The Shadow Flare acts like a waveguide for the Uni-Q effectively narrowing the cabinet width. The Uni-Q Mid-Frequency driver acts as a waveguide for the High-Frequency driver. The combination of the Shadow Flare and the surface design of the MF driver completes a waveguide that attenuates diffraction to an inaudible level at the listening position. Shadow Flare elevates the standard trim ring beyond aesthetic dressing to an integral performance component.

nice review and the internals is good to see whats inside

Very good video. I was wondering what is inside the Kef speakers. I used to own Kef small bookshelf speakers. They sounded very good to me.

Nice, i have some Kef Uni-q ceiling speakers on order. Didn't realize those drivers are so heavy, I might have to reinforce my drop ceiling first

Good video not sure I would take apart my speakers. As for Cross-overs its a common area to put in less quality parts because its generally not seen. I just ordered a set of the Meta 3 which kef states they have improved the crossover components using cleary capacitors. I am sure you will still see iron-core inductors and sand caps. That's just the breaks. One can do a complete cross-over redesign, but the warranty will be gone. I myself just may do that. I had the R3 and found them ear-bleeding fatiguing. I auditioned the new Meta, they have made strides in improvements. I am waiting on the indigo blue. Good video.

Great video, well produced too. Thanks.

Great video! Yes Xover parts make a big difference but like everything else KEF has to meet a price point and those would cost another $1000+ by the time they hit the retailer using some top shelf components. It really is worth it IMO if you really enjoy a speaker and want to keep them. Even buying more expensive speakers likely have same issues. Enjoyed your video!

The main purpose of shadow flare is to extends the waveguide effect of Uni-Q. 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, minimizing the acoustic impact to negligible levels. In other words it's main purpose is for better sound quality.

The iron core inductor in the crossover is most likely in the woofer circuit operating to a few hundred Hertz only and, as long as it's appropriately electrically rated, should not affect listening performance. When taking speakers apart I always deburr the screw holes before reassembly to ensure the driver or terminal plate etc seats flush.

Fun video! I'm considering buying the Meta version of these and so I found your video very informative.

Awesome video with ample details

You can say that about 90% of the commercial speakers out there. “Better crossover parts needed”. Honestly I’ve tried No-Rez from GR-Research in place of the cheap damping material and it helps. Parts express has there version. The one thing I noticed which impressed me about Canton speakers is that the internal wire is always soldered to the drivers and binding posts.

Good stuff! Whats inside gear matters!

Also have to think that the wire we run from amp or receiver should be larger than the wire in the enclosure is its a longer run and the wire in the enclosure is to individual drivers not the whole signal

Thanks for sharing your content. How about the Wharfedale EVO 4.4 floorstanders which in the UK are around a £1200 a pair.

I always wanted to see what a Kef speaker looks like from the inside. Thank you for your sacrifice. 😁

i believe that uniQ driver is used in all lines from LS 50 up to Blade, which would explain the magnet size on the driver.

Not sure if anyone else noticed but the back of the woofer was pressed into the bracing, you can see the marks @8:45, which would make the vented pole piece less efficient and could cause thermal buildup. 🧐

It looks like I saw orange caps in side on the crossover and that is a good thing also huge indicator,s doesn’t make the crossover better I found that out because of the Man that designed the DCM Time Window , Time Frame and the CX speakers because they are some of the best imaging speakers I’ve ever heard. KEF has some of the best coaxial speakers out there based off of Altec Lansing and Allied coaxial speakers design from way back and are still some of the most expensive coaxial driver on the market today even though they are no longer in business. I would say that they are solid speakers and don’t threat the small stuff because it just works.

The wires can be a little thinner than the main leads we use from the amp because they are short. Just like a fuse can handle the full power of your supply across a thin wire because it is short.

The shorter the wire the skinnier it can be as resistance is directly proportional to the wire length and inversely proportional to the cross section area. I’m not talking full impedance here as R is the most important component of the wire impedance at audio frequencies.

Thanks Kspace- By Kef starting out with good drivers that are tuned for their cabneit you don't need an overly complex crossovers ' for the overall sound to be good those Engeeners know whats up ! Also 'internal cables' if you added them all up in size they'd be pretty thick You change the size of the internal cables you also change the resistance, Conductance and Impedence ' Of drivers as well Atleast Kef twisted the cables that was goid for sure - I love KeF they have a Real Sparkle of top and crazy azz imaging and bass at low volume is outstanding in a properly sized room and Amp - Thanks Again on a side note I have My 52 pound Yamaha integrated amp and the new Vidar2. Bi amping my Polk lsim 703 😃 74 pounds of 2ch class AB 😮🎉The polks wont let me sale them !! Even though me 🔺 40th is another level or 2 above ' Polks aren't the most refined but dam they good on jazz/blues i am a sucker for some Both

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I honestly don’t know much about speakers especially when it comes to high end but I am looking at the r11’s meta and curious what is your thoughts? I will be using a Denon 4700h for them. Thanks for your time!!!

Yup, no need for monster wires when the internal wiring is pretty basic.

For the love of all that’s Holy. Please get an extension bit driver for your drill before you damage a speaker or cabinet with the spinning chuck. ☮️

the thin lead to the woofer is OK because the power is being split between 4 woofers, and also its such a short run between the driver and crossover. (voice coil wire is much thinner that that even) also that pole vent on the woofer is thicc

I have a pair of 1980s vintage Dutch Translator 4-way floorstanding speakers. They're still excellent in the very high and deep bass departments. I planned to replace them with Kef LS50 Metas, but after some experimenting I ended up using the LS50s sitting on top of the old floorstanders. The Kef LS50s are at their best in midrange and lower highs. With the LS50s a little bit more toed-in than the Translators, the result of the "Just add Kef" trick is a set of four speakers that deliver stunning soundstage which the Translators couldn't create when operating without the LS50s. I guess Kef Blades are a lot better still, but I'd be curious how close this budget solution comes to a pair of Kef Blades. Very interesting to see what's inside these Uni-Q drivers 👍

The speaker wire going to the speaker is going to all speakers. The ones inside goes to one speaker.looks a lot like my Bowers speakers, only I didn't have to take mine apart, there's a utube vid . I also have an orthoscope

6:55 also goes to show you why it's pointless to use expensive heavy gauge wire between amp/receiver and speakers

My man, you’re a beaver soul than I am. But thank you for the peek inside.

have you ever thought of ordering the mid range and tweeter assembly with the Meta and swap them into the R11? that would be a good video to showcase.

I have R11's and they look good , sound good ..no problems at all ..The sound quality is outstanding ...

Good video

yes more inside look of other speaker s .thanks

Just curious why you wouldn't pry open the screw covers with a plastic pry tool like the ones used for car audio ? I can see the damage threat the screwdriver did. Maybe next time. Good video BTW.

Considering the price of these they can add quality parts for the crossover for sure not just few bucks and the speakers will sound much better

Thanks for the video! Everyone interested in audio likes to see "what's inside."

Hey dude random question, Do the white speakers every bother you when lights off, I’m building out my theater that was going to be open to kitchen now closed off dedicated room. I have glossy white JTR Noesis 215 RT’s

Those rings are part of the wave guide also.

Great video. Very basic internal structure inside the cabinet. For the price, I think KEF should spend a little more money on the cabinet material and the structure.

5:40 taking the speaker apart at all isn't covered under warranty, regardless of whether or not you use power tools.

@kpaceguy im not the biggest audiophile but i do understand the little nuances that premium speakers bring. I love the Kef sound.. the imaging that it displays im a huge fan of. From my 30's to 40's as my budget got better i went from Kef eggs, Q series, ls50 to the ls50 meta's and now deciding on the r series line... but if i really wanted..and not upgrading my current car for few more years.. i could get a pair of the reference 5. I was able to hear the r series (r11).. and im a huge fan of it. But never got to hear the reference.. my local carrier of kef does not have ref.. but can order it if i leave a down payment.. So long story short.. ( sorry ill get to the point) Does the sound difference of the r11 and the ref5 warrant the 15k difference. Mind you.. im doing ok.. but not rich enough where a big purchase like this wont put a dent in my account. But i would be ok with it.. if i thought i made a good decision. So what would you do? Thank you in advance

I hope i am done with my home theater this year then i can send you some pictures and make a video on it

Is quality and sound great

The uni q crossover is mounted behind the top woofer behind a baffle, the parts are crap, and it's a shame for the price they are, there are two cross overs one for the low frequency and one for the mid and high's. I built new crossovers for mine with better wire, problem was the new parts I used are to big and I had to build them external.

Just curious, the connecting cable inside the cable is just normal cable, and why we spend 1000 of dollars outside the speakers ？

R11 for 3600 or Polk l600 with center for 3600 which is the better buy

Great cabinet build. Good dampening. Crossovers? Not so great. This is the trade off that big speaker builders focus on. Grunt vs beauty. It’s a business. KEF has some incredible innovations. In truth… with KEF… it could be more icing than cake. It’s truly about knowledge in research.

good quality sound emitting columns

Nice mid/bass motor vent! but, stupidely blocked-off by the cab brace :( .........

What amp are you using?

What is the number of the low-frequency speakers?

What's Inside the wharfedale elysian 4? can you check it? :) there is no information, no pictures, absolutely nothing... :( I have these speakers and I'm happy, but I'm interested in it

I wouldn’t say garbage, but limited excursion = limited volume/SPLs. I had a set of their mid-sized towers a few years ago, played them daily at a high-level (they would only play just-so loud & nothing more afterwards). After 1 week, both Uni Q drivers seized-up🙈. The theory is like a high-tech version, of a car’s coaxial spkr from the 80’s concerning “time alignment”. Buy spkrs which have separate dedicated drivers, they’ll play louder & last much longer.

I have kef q750 and uni-Q driver has lot's of excursion

I didn't watch it yet, but I am now.

What I am wondering/ question about is the cone material, looks like plastic.

Whilst larger gauge wire is better for long runs thin wire is fine. What everyone seems to forget is that the weakest link is always the internal traces on the amplifiers pcbs it’s 1x0.3mm on a good day. Let alone the trace thickness inside transistors…..

Ok insides. Canton drivers are just as high quality if not better(and made in Germany)...crossovers in Cantons are higher quality for sure.

It looks well manufactured and should be for the price.

Good job on this video ! I agree with you on gage wire , 12 should minimum ! Thanks for the look inside .

Great point about the difference between internal wire gauge and outside purchased wire gauge. Does it defeat the purpose of buying expensive wiring or bi-wiring/bi-amping when the internal wiring doesn't necessarily match in terms of gauge or quality for that matter?

I was really disappointed when I opened up my Kef Q950's a couple years ago. Not much bracing and the crossover is brutal. At least your R-Series is much better internally than the Q-Series but my Martin Logan Motion 60 XTi's crossover looks much higher quality over the Kef R-Series.

Remember everyone these speakers sound exactly our kef wanted them to sound people talking about changing anything is just not accepting what kef have done hear ,just buy something you do like the sound of surely ?

Most important thing to "check" is crossover parts ! you will never get fast transient response with basic capacitor ( compare sound with most active loudspeakers for exemple ) , all best high end speaker will use high end capacitor such as Magico , Focal Utopia , Vivid Audio ... for both filtering : bass and medium high.

I’ve always found it ironic that we use upgraded power and signal path wiring with attention to good low resistance connectors and then the speaker manufacturers use mass bulk radio shack cheap wiring and same style connectors from Walmart/Autozone kits. Not saying that it matters but there is money left on the table for marketing and further profit…. Ince soeaker companies use higher end connection gear they will probably market that for further expense to the customer meaning more profit. I wonder what the delta in cost would be if say Kimber Cable licensed use of their cables in a set of speakers. I’m sure marketing would have a blast with that justifying even higher costs but how much? 😅

Have you hear the new r11 ….if yes do you like them….. is it worth to upgrade?

Maybe not a great design but definitely good quality components.

The amount of electricity running through those wires is so ridiculously low the wires are way overkill.

I think their nicely done and look great compared to other modern products I've saw. I can tell you I've had the kef ls50 and ls50 meta, and the q350 is a cheaper and overall better speaker than the meta or original model for less money, and a very very simple crossover compared to the ls50. So yeah, they made it happen on the q350, the bass is ridiculous on that size of a speaker, not bright, mids perfect.

100% high End

As consumers, I think it's fine to make observations about how a product may sound and the sonics of the speaker. That's all personal opinion and it's cool. A one year experienced audiophile may have something completely different to say than a 10 year experienced audiophile. But when making observations about the engineering of the speaker, and especially components, I think people have to really swallow their pride and just not make ignorant observations. We're not audio engineers, we haven't been MAKING speakers for 40 years. These guys know what they're doing, and it's better to trust the engineers rather than make low hanging fruit like comments about their choices in material and etc. Just my opinion of respect to any speaker manufacturer, especially KEF.

Bi amping on KEF R makes substantial difference - give it a go. Bi wording in my case did nothing. Btw do they produce any tactile response when watching movies?

I think thats kef speakers haf moost bigest tweeter smaal speakers or big tweeter is laways big ;) en also sound coming from the tweeter is very good

I think you’re a bit optimistic claiming you have the skill and knowledge to change that wire because if you really did… you’d know that splitting the wire (parallel) to each driver means you can reduce wire size

Kef are generally an excellent quality brand. Honestly, in Hi-Fi, a lot of the criticism thrown around is politically motivated and driven by a desire to defend and protect the perceived value of people's own purchases against competing products and brands.

so what happened to your cantos that you use to have

full MSRP 6k retail back in the day not worth it....4800/pr i guess...

Prying a speaker open, looking at the stuffing, weighing the magnet, and wire thickness, does not constitute a fully accurate jugement on it's build or sound quality..

The have and make the best speakers there is

Crossover, wires and terminal are bad quality for this price of speakers. Question are these terminals magnetic? Looks like brass instead of copper or gold plated

Did you checkout the crossover parts?

Not to too critical as the R11's probably sound good ( never heard them ) What i saw in the vid doesn't exactly spell quality. That piece of mdf sticking from side to side as bracing is horrid. The wires are cheap. The mid/tweeter cavity could use better damping material eg: wool . Internal side of the cabinets could use damping material eg: felt The crossover parts what I could see are budget ( somewhat typical in speakers, regardless of price ) DIY loudspeaker crossover parts are way in another league. Binding posts appear of good quality ( but then it is seen by the buyer ) Unfortunately all this adds up and all speakers are made to a price point. At the end sounds good to you, it's all that maters.

KEF spent more money on the cabinet and finish than the crossover and drivers but still didn't spend over $700 to build the R11s.

the way you prised up those covers and left visible marks on both the cover and the cabinet hurts my soul.

This man treats $3000 speakers like I treat my $75 sonys.

You could have shown the crossovers with an inspection camera that can get right into the speakers. How can you name the video 'what's inside the kef r11 quality or garbage' if you are not technically knowledgeable to know the difference. I always ask why kef hide pictures of their crossovers when other high end speaker companies are happy for you to see the crossovers in the advertising. What are kef trying to hide with their crossovers, cheapest and nastiness parts they can get away with while charging as much as they can for the product.

Gauge only matters by length...not as much in enclosures... Same in my car radio...duh 😂😂

A lot more substantial than your Cantons