KEF is one of the most well-respected British brands in world hi-fi and has been for well over 50 years.

The company’s ethos is based around engineering, design and development found in trademark technology such as the Uni-Q driver, which still features heavily in its products today.

In recent years the brand hasn’t been afraid to diversify, either, and now covers a wide range of categories, from stereo speakers to custom installation solutions to headphones, wireless speakers and all-in-one streaming systems.

To celebrate British Hi-Fi Week, we’ve rounded up 11 of the best KEF products to pass through our test rooms since the birth of What Hi-Fi? In 1976. So kick back, relax and reminisce.

KEF Coda III (1985)

The oldest model on this list, the KEF Coda 3 originally featured in What Hi-Fi? way back in 1985. At just £99, the Codas were a serious bargain and although they didn’t feature KEF’s trademark Uni-Q driver, they still managed to impress. We noted their “excellent stereo imagery” and “clean, controlled and well-extended bass”, as well as their tendency to sound “slightly dry and splashy” with “high level rock”. The Coda III used a KEF designed and Japanese built 3cm fabric dome tweeter, plus a 20cm paper pulp mid-bass driver which was glued into the cabinet to ensure a solid seal. Proper budget speakers didn't get much better in 1985.

KEF 105/3 (1990)

The 105/3 (pictured above, middle) were clever speakers that combined a couple of different KEF technologies. The company's trademark Uni-Q driver was present, but it was also joined by what KEF referred to as its coupled-cavity bass loading tech, which had two drive units actually firing within the speaker’s cabinet. Bass frequencies would then emit from a solitary opening on the front of each speaker. This was done to lower distortion, improve power handling and deliver more bass from a small cabinet. The speakers served a solid, tangible soundstage and rich, textured bass.