Promoted KEF BLADE - Now with Metamaterial Absorption Technology

KEF GB

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For six decades, KEF has been a proud pioneer of extraordinary sound quality, creating remarkable, award-winning speakers. From a bar-setting range of bookshelf speakers, floorstanding models, surround sound systems or discrete in-wall/in-ceiling speakers all featuring a range of proprietary technologies, KEF exists to fill rooms with music as it was made to be heard.

With a commitment to progress but with a respect for its rich heritage, KEF continues to create remarkable speakers that impress listeners the world over. And now, as part of the continuing 60th anniversary year celebrations, KEF has introduced the iconic BLADE - now with Metamaterial Absorption Technology™.

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This flagship floorstanding loudspeaker was originally developed from a 2009 project allowing KEF’s engineers to have free rein to create a loudspeaker to truly showcase KEF’s technology leadership – the team created the revolutionary Concept Blade. This, the world’s first Single Apparent Source loudspeaker, was further refined in 2011 when KEF BLADE went into production.

Now developed further still, this latest version benefits from the latest acoustic innovations: Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT™), a bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q driver array and a host of other improvements.

Discover more about the KEF BLADE One Meta and Blade Two Meta on uk.kef.com



The Technologies applied

Single Apparent Source Technology
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At the heart of Blade lies the Single Apparent Source technology and is an extension to the iconic Uni-Q driver array - the building block of the KEF signature sound. The technology aims to achieve the acoustic ideal of a point source, where low, mid and high frequencies radiate from one point.

Perfectly calibrated drivers that cover the speaker’s entire bandwidth are configured so all frequencies appear to radiate from one single point. With Blade, four low-frequency drivers in symmetrically opposing pairs are tightly packed around a two-way Uni-Q driver where the mid-frequency and high-frequency share the same acoustic centre.

The result is noticeably more precise imaging and highly accurate sound across a wider area. This is what makes Blade incredibly coherent across all audible frequencies; what you hear is more real and immersive.

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Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT)

A truly revolutionary tool in the KEF acoustic armoury, Metamaterial Absorption Technology is a circular maze-like disk that sits at the back of the Uni-Q driver array. Made up of a total of 30 tubes of different lengths and sizes mathematically optimised to absorb maximum unwanted sound from the rear of the driver in the minimum of space, each channel is tuned to a different frequency to absorb a wide bandwidth of sound with extremely high efficiency.





When combined, the channels in the structure act as an acoustic black hole, absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of the tweeter, eliminating the resulting distortion and providing a purer, more natural acoustic performance.

12th Generation Uni-Q with MAT™

The 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT for Blade is a bespoke driver array engineered to deliver pristine performance on our flagship loudspeaker. It’s the result of decades of accumulated in-house knowledge and the application of cutting-edge simulation and analysis tools. The developments are many and all play a part in Blade’s sensational performance.

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From a new stiffened aluminium tweeter dome sitting at the centre of the state-of-the-art Uni-Q driver array to deliver consistently sweet, lucid and lyrical treble, irrespective of the volume to the optimised cavity shape and the addition of two rings of porous material to effectively tame the resonances and imperfections, thus greatly improving detail and clarity.

The result of these innovations and developments is that this bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT offers a sound that is more transparent and life-like than previously possible.

Performance by Design


Blade’s sculptural design is dictated by acoustics. Tapering gracefully from top to bottom and from front to rear, the gentle front radius presents no discontinuity to mar sound clarity.

Made from an ultra-high density polyurethane composite, the acoustically inert cabinets’ complex parabolic curves are cleverly engineered to eliminate standing waves that might blur the sound.

These stunning speakers are available in a palette of eight finishes, created by blending five cabinet finishes with six driver cone colours: Piano Black/ Copper, Piano Black/Grey, Frosted Blue/Blue, Frosted Blue/Bronze, Charcoal Grey/Red, Charcoal Grey/ Bronze, Racing Red/Grey, and Arctic White/Champagne.

If that isn’t enough, it is also possible to create a customised speaker cabinet colour scheme by supplying a Pantone of your choice, for a truly unique Blade.

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Read KEF's White Paper

A Sound Statement

KEF has been creating award-winning loudspeakers since 1961 and, as flagship HiFi speakers, both BLADE One Meta and the Blade Two Meta models are still designed, engineered, and hand-built by KEF’s master craftsmen in Maidstone, Kent today. Each flagship range truly demonstrates KEF’s philosophy of innovation in pursuit of the most accurate and realistic sound and are the result of KEF’s engineering expertise.


Listen and believe - Find your nearest authorised KEF dealer here to arrange your own personal listening session.
 
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Anyone want to buy a spare kidney? Wonderful speakers but way way beyond my budget. One thing that KEF has done well is to trickle down the experience with the Blades to the R Series.
 
I think the Blades are very cool.

I did listen to the Reference 1 Meta at a dealer, and they were impressive in their way, really superb soundstage and imaging. The whole room was very damped though, so the bass sounded extremely anaemic - I wouldn't expect it to be so in a normal living room, and would personally always use a good sub with them anyway.

Unfortunately the top end of the KEF drivers is very fatiguing to me. Sounded fantastic for the first 10 minutes, then started to get a headache, after twenty minutes I realised I was checking my ears to see if they were bleeding.

I still have my old LS50s and listen to them daily as a desktop setup, occasionally but not primarily for music. Long sessions do give me a headache though.

I don't suffer any of those symptoms from my C300s. Aluminium v Silk tweeters perhaps? Even with both frequency response corrected via Dirac Live the difference is quite apparent, so it's not that there is too much treble on the FR. KEF engineering is way too good for that.

I have an hypothesis that perhaps it has something to do with the way I'm losing the top frequencies from my hearing as I get into my mid-50s. Down to around 14KHz now, with a weird sensitivity at ~17Khz where I can still hear. So I am thinking perhaps there is something "ultrasonic" (to me) going on which my brain still registers even though I cannot "hear" it and that is what causes the headache.
 
I attended an event at the KEF USA headquarters, featuring the Blade 1 Meta. Wow, just so incredible how they could fill a huge room with just that single 25mm tweeter and 130mm midrange. Of course the four 230mm bass drivers in each mean no subwoofer required.

My current speakers are the Reference 1 (non-Meta) and I also detest bright speakers. These are NOT that at all. I can (and daily, do) listen for hours on-end. I have a subwoofer, but for 90% of the music I enjoy it's never playing.
 

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