The Meta buzzword is everywhere these days.
The Meta Verse will be where we all live and work, on a Meta Platform, hopefully with non-meta food and drink!
For two years now Kef have used Meta to describe a leap in their technology, so what actually is it?
Kef use meta material, a material that is created with in a lab, maybe like the meta verse it shouldn't exist.
This can be formed into complex shapes, in this case tubes, why?
Well every time a treble or midrange unit moves forward to produce sound it then has to move back again. This pushes air back into the cabinet and the resistance can restrict the drive unit's movement. Over the years companies have various solutions for thsi varying from stuffing the cabinet inside with wool or foam to extreme shapes of tapering tubes behind drive units.
Yes that looks extreme but that's what the tubes are technically there for!
Meta does the same thing without you seeing it.
This disc contains kilometres of tubes of varying thickness taking away the back pressure and allowing the drive unit to play with dramatically reduced air pressure interference. There is one behind each uniQ drive unit and so it works from 20k down to about 600Hz.
Magazines, dealers and many industry specialists don't want to talk too much about it as it is a really big deal but there is no doubt that there is a feeling that this is a game changer. This doesn't necessarily mean that any Kef Meta speaker is right for you or your system however it does mean you must have a listen before choosing anything else.
As What Hifi said 'KEF is on to something with the Metamaterial technology'
Meta technology started in the LS50 meta and is now employed in the LS50 wireless2, R3 bookelf, R%, R7, R11 floorstanders, all new Kef Reference speakers and the Blades and Blade 2.
Most of these are available for demonstration, come and check them out for yourself
