KEF 102 (circa 1987–1992)

Most of what is documented about the KEF 102 comes from a pair of period test reports and KEF's own advertising. HiFI-Stereo (May 1987, p.41) measured the 102 at 92 dB SPL for 2.83 volts of pink noise at one meter under anechoic conditions, with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms. A later equipment listing in the same magazine (March 1992, p.98) describes it as a two-way floorstanding speaker with an 8-inch woofer and a 1.5-inch fluid-cooled dome tweeter.

The same May 1987 test report found the response peaked in the 200–300 Hz range and fell smoothly by about 7 dB from 300 Hz to 2 kHz; from 200 Hz down to 45 Hz, output rolled off at 12 dB per octave in the normal mode and 6 dB per octave with the KUBE equalizer in the chain (p.42). The reviewer reported the bass was not at all thin — if anything, the speaker leaned warm, a character that was audible but not objectionable. The KUBE was clearly integral to the design: bass distortion was measured with a constant input to the KUBE, and KEF's advertising that spring made the same point, arguing that because no two listening rooms are alike, the speaker shouldn't offer one fixed bass response (Audio, June 1987, p.15).

Beyond those sources, the record is thin. No original price, production span, or full specification sheet has surfaced in the Archive's materials. What the period press makes clear is that the