The KEF Ci200QR is an 8-inch in-ceiling speaker from the Q Series tier of KEF's CI (Custom Install) architectural range. The 'QR' designation identifies it as a Q Series Round model — the round-aperture counterpart to the square-aperture Ci200QS. The Ci200QR is the larger sibling of the Ci160QR in the round Q Series line-up, using a 200mm driver where the Ci160QR uses a 160mm unit.
Uni-Q Driver Array
The Ci200QR is built around KEF's Uni-Q driver array, which positions a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter at the acoustic centre of the 200mm bass/midrange cone. By co-locating the two drive units on the same axis, Uni-Q causes the speaker to behave as a single point source across its operating bandwidth. The result is wide, consistent sound dispersion into the room — an important property for an in-ceiling installation where listening positions are unlikely to be directly on-axis. The tweeter is fitted with KEF's tangerine waveguide.
Ultra Thin Bezel
The Ci200QR uses KEF's Ultra Thin Bezel (UTB) design, which minimises the visible rim around the speaker aperture. The bezel is the only part of the speaker visible once installed, so the UTB treatment is a practical aesthetic consideration for installations where the speaker must integrate into a finished ceiling rather than draw attention to itself.
Installation
The speaker is open-backed, which is the standard configuration for in-ceiling installation into a joist cavity. It requires a circular cut-out of 240mm in the ceiling surface and a mounting depth of 103.3mm behind the ceiling board. Connection is via gold-plated spring-loaded binding posts on the rear chassis, which accept bare wire without the need for a tool. The speaker is sold as a single unit.