Kef R Meta Series Release

[BrokenEnglishGuy]

looks like you have a broken tweeter . I Wonder what kind of music sounds half decent with that kind of roll off ! Also, the bass to get that level up, you need to eq to it too much, and considering the distortion levels it produces at those frequencies, its definitely audible. If just room gain then it should be fine! Still with that roll off this isn’t going to be anything near what we can call fidelity if this is from a r7!

Don't take that measurement seriusly. It was take for bass, nothing more.
This was with the mice a little different and look..


And, keep in mind. In smalls rooms there is something called '' in room gain '' which is your room giving free bass, that what happen in my room. My room likes the r7 for a random reason, that's why i got that nice bass output

 

[muad]

Ok applied quite a bit of force and woofers shadowflare eventually caved in so did midrange it’s now flush with chassis but little lip is still visible - don’t remember how was it on old R3 is this ok?

Certainly looks better than the the depth of the lip before.

In room totally depends on room. There is no certainty it’s caused by the shadow flare. If you cannot push it, that’s how Kef wants it to be. It should sound fine in other room measurements

Kef aside.. the worst thing for any transducer is a hard edge concentrically surrounding a driver. This is not special to kef or any other company. It's physics. You will get destructive interference. Note that you do not see it on any other kef speaker. The reference, blade and ls50 all have smooth transitions.

Diffraction from baffle edges

This is an example of baffle shape affects. This works the same as if you sink a driver below the baffle surface or if you don't flush mount the driver.

 

[Vacceo]

I am also very curious about the R8. On paper, it seems to be the least evolved but until we can see actual measurements, it is just conjecture.

 

[ROOSKIE]

To me, the new version is a totally different sounding speaker from paper already, shifting 70hz (400 vs 330hz)more to the more “directional” midrange should be obviously audible in real world in terms of sound stage accuracy, even though measurements on axis won’t show a difference. But off axis, I bet the new one should have a more slanting slope starting now from 330hz.

Even if it didn’t had meta material, this crossover change alone would sound different as physically the midrange and woofers don’t lie in the horizontal axis. Either the old driver had this capability or they should have done the needed improvement to handle this Change.

You are referring to the R11, correct?

Typically all things being 'normal' a smaller diver is LESS directional at a lower frequency not more.
Based on that premise, shifting the crossover to the coaxial midrange to a lower 330hrz frequency from 400hrz, will broaden the dispersion. (if it does anything notable)

The difference between 330hrz and 400hrz is pretty small. It might even just be a by-product of some other tweaks and the semantics of deciding exactly what number to nominally call the crossover point.
Both a 6.5" and 5" driver will have a very wide dispersion here.
Especially on a very narrow baffle. Using a wider baffle could of course affect dispersion here and simultaneously screw up the design's stellar looks.
At any rate not much stereo directional information is in the 330-400hrz zone to begin with but certainly there is some.
These wavelenghts of 330&400hrz are about 3feet and so easily wrap around many objects including the speaker to about the same degree.

KEF has changed the published crossover points for most of the line.
It will be interesting to see what is new in the measurements and the subjective take.

 

[ROOSKIE]

Interestingly sticks out but more on R6 than on R3
Photo 1,2,4 -R3 meta
Photo 3 - R6
Grills are the same material same design as previous gen so we can expect same behavior

The shadow flare on the lower mid and bass woofers is not an issue, should be = zero issue.
Those wave-lenghts are huge, they(the big sound waves) will never see that edge.

That flare on the Coaxial is obviously off and absolutely will measure differently aligned vs not.
On the Coaxial it is absolutely an issue so just focus on those. I doubt the design is different (but it might be of course)

I had to push them in quite hard and simultaneously not over insert them.
My R3 unit measured very differently before and after. Actually it was just 1/2 of my R3's that did not come aligned.

as @maudio & others have noted, some KEF models use a different design where it can't wiggle out of alignment.
That said my KEF LS50 Metas did come with one trim ring sticking out too far but based on my previous experiences I just aligned it by hand before even the 1st listen.

 

[Soniclife]

KEF has changed the published crossover points for most of the line.
It will be interesting to see what is new in the measurements and the subjective take.

The current assumption is they have gone for slightly wider dispersion, that probably drives the crossover frequency choice downwards, as I understand it.

 

[Mario Sanchez]

The current assumption is they have gone for slightly wider dispersion, that probably drives the crossover frequency choice downwards, as I understand it.

I think they actually bumped up the xo not insignificantly on the R2M (400>560), and the all-new R6M has a rather high XO (500) as well. Strangely, the similarly laid-out R5M and R7M had the same XO (400) as their last-gen counterparts, but the larger (vertically) R11M has had its XO bumped down a tad bit (400>330), I think this may have to do with getting more consistent vertical dispersion out of the whole speaker, you can actually see a bit of vertical "widening" on the R2c test from Erin right around the woofer-coaxial crossover frequency.

 

[Descartes]

Babies arrived!
No Dirac calibration, no fiddling with positioning yet, slight toe in, 15 degrees maybe, initial reaction?
They improve depth of the soundstage over ls50 meta very noticeably. Whole presentation screams to me this is it
Shadow flare now is fixed, no movement, and slightly sticking out.
R6 will listen to later today.

They are not shipping in the US until the summer! How did you get your hands on them. Looking forward to your feedback, this the exactly setup I am looking at.

 

[Descartes]

Certainly looks better than the the depth of the lip before.



Kef aside.. the worst thing for any transducer is a hard edge concentrically surrounding a driver. This is not special to kef or any other company. It's physics. You will get destructive interference. Note that you do not see it on any other kef speaker. The reference, blade and ls50 all have smooth transitions.

Diffraction from baffle edges

This is an example of baffle shape affects. This works the same as if you sink a driver below the baffle surface or if you don't flush mount the driver.

So why do they keep making boxes!

 

[JRiggs]

They are not shipping in the US until the summer! How did you get your hands on them. Looking forward to your feedback, this the exactly setup I am looking at.

Are you referring to the entire range? How do you know. The only thing I’ve seen is that the special edition R3 and R7 won’t be available until the summer.

 

[stren]

So why do they keep making boxes!

Because they are cheaper. LS50 is pricer than any other of the 2 way box speakers. Blades are more expensive than the reference models. LS60 is kind of it's own thing, but in that light is a freaking deal.

 

[Descartes]

Are you referring to the entire range? How do you know. The only thing I’ve seen is that the special edition R3 and R7 won’t be available until the summer.

R11 Meta

The R11 Meta is the largest floorstanding model of the R Series. For a breathtaking listening experience, its combination of 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and four 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass drivers allow it to pick out the subtle details of a recording, while also delivering raw...

us.kef.com

R7 Meta

The mid-sized floorstanding member of the R Series is as powerful as it is flexible. Its 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ ensures a crystal-clear performance with music and movies alike, while its two 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass drivers deliver accurate, dynamic bass. EXPLORE THE R...

us.kef.com

R5 Meta

The slim and elegant R5 Meta is compact, but it is more than capable of delivering highly detailed sound and deep, clean bass. It boasts the 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and two 5.25” hybrid aluminium bass drivers. It can work as a stereo pair or as surround speakers as part of...

us.kef.com

R3 Meta

R3 Meta redefines bookshelf speaker’s performance. Sharing the same drivers as the range-topping R11 Meta, the R3 Meta is a true three-way design. It has a 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and a powerful 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass driver that pushes performance to new extremes.

us.kef.com

R6 Meta

Featuring the same 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ as the R Series stereo models for perfect tonal matching, and two powerful 6.5’’ hybrid aluminium bass drivers, the R6 Meta delivers an immersive listening experience that brings movies vividly to life. It is highly versatile and...

us.kef.com

Is that proof enough for you?

They are all on back order!

 

[Monosauras]

Some first in-room measurements of the new KEF R11 Meta

KEF R11 Meta

Meta… Slovo, které jako zaklínadlo pomalu proniká a mění všechny dostupné řady britské značky KEF, jež si tuto zdánlivě prostou, leč funkční technologii nadělila při příležitosti svých 60. narozenin. Od top modelů Blade a Reference nyní pronikla i do střední kategorie modelů řady R, jimž vládne...

www.hifi-voice.com

Can someone please ELI5 this for me? How is it compared to the non-meta?

 

[thewas]

Can someone please ELI5 this for me? How is it compared to the non-meta?

I would rather wait for anechoic data like from the upcoming white paper as such reviews without them and without direct comparison don't really tell much.

 

[Daka]

They are not shipping in the US until the summer! How did you get your hands on them. Looking forward to your feedback, this the exactly setup I am looking at.

Here in UK they are available on pretty much day one after announcement via selected distributors as well as KEFs website.

Did little bit A/B comparison with LS50 meta and in terms of imaging, mids and highs, it’s hard for me to pick it apart - extremely close, which is what I hoped for. I would say R3 give more depth, airiness in some songs. Difference is in low mids / bass region - more clarity more definition. I tested only with subwoofer xo @80Hz as this is how I will listen to them. Driving full range would destroy ls50 no doubt.
Depending on the music type you might hear more of a difference between them or very little.

Consider I’m biased as I prefer look of R3s and I will use them in HT setup for which they will make better job over ls50s.
On the other hand I came from original R3 onto ls50 meta last year or so - because of more impressive soundstage they were producing and R3 being very forward sounding which in my space with 3m distance wasn’t great. R3 meta seems to address those issues, give ls50 meta imaging experience (perhaps slightly better) while keeping distortion much lower under 200Hz.

 

[JRiggs]

R11 Meta

The R11 Meta is the largest floorstanding model of the R Series. For a breathtaking listening experience, its combination of 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and four 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass drivers allow it to pick out the subtle details of a recording, while also delivering raw...

us.kef.com

R7 Meta

The mid-sized floorstanding member of the R Series is as powerful as it is flexible. Its 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ ensures a crystal-clear performance with music and movies alike, while its two 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass drivers deliver accurate, dynamic bass. EXPLORE THE R...

us.kef.com

R5 Meta

The slim and elegant R5 Meta is compact, but it is more than capable of delivering highly detailed sound and deep, clean bass. It boasts the 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and two 5.25” hybrid aluminium bass drivers. It can work as a stereo pair or as surround speakers as part of...

us.kef.com

R3 Meta

R3 Meta redefines bookshelf speaker’s performance. Sharing the same drivers as the range-topping R11 Meta, the R3 Meta is a true three-way design. It has a 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ and a powerful 6.5” hybrid aluminium bass driver that pushes performance to new extremes.

us.kef.com

R6 Meta

Featuring the same 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array with MAT™ as the R Series stereo models for perfect tonal matching, and two powerful 6.5’’ hybrid aluminium bass drivers, the R6 Meta delivers an immersive listening experience that brings movies vividly to life. It is highly versatile and...

us.kef.com

Is that proof enough for you?

They are all on back order!

No it’s not proof that they won’t be available until summer. The special edition models are the only ones that KEF specifically stated summer.

 

[Mario Sanchez]

Here in UK they are available on pretty much day one after announcement via selected distributors as well as KEFs website.

Did little bit A/B comparison with LS50 meta and in terms of imaging, mids and highs, it’s hard for me to pick it apart - extremely close, which is what I hoped for. I would say R3 give more depth, airiness in some songs. Difference is in low mids / bass region - more clarity more definition. I tested only with subwoofer xo @80Hz as this is how I will listen to them. Driving full range would destroy ls50 no doubt.
Depending on the music type you might hear more of a difference between them or very little.

Consider I’m biased as I prefer look of R3s and I will use them in HT setup for which they will make better job over ls50s.
On the other hand I came from original R3 onto ls50 meta last year or so - because of more impressive soundstage they were producing and R3 being very forward sounding which in my space with 3m distance wasn’t great. R3 meta seems to address those issues, give ls50 meta imaging experience (perhaps slightly better) while keeping distortion much lower under 200Hz.

For scale, how big is the television?

 

[Vacceo]

Here in UK they are available on pretty much day one after announcement via selected distributors as well as KEFs website.

Did little bit A/B comparison with LS50 meta and in terms of imaging, mids and highs, it’s hard for me to pick it apart - extremely close, which is what I hoped for. I would say R3 give more depth, airiness in some songs. Difference is in low mids / bass region - more clarity more definition. I tested only with subwoofer xo @80Hz as this is how I will listen to them. Driving full range would destroy ls50 no doubt.
Depending on the music type you might hear more of a difference between them or very little.

Consider I’m biased as I prefer look of R3s and I will use them in HT setup for which they will make better job over ls50s.
On the other hand I came from original R3 onto ls50 meta last year or so - because of more impressive soundstage they were producing and R3 being very forward sounding which in my space with 3m distance wasn’t great. R3 meta seems to address those issues, give ls50 meta imaging experience (perhaps slightly better) while keeping distortion much lower under 200Hz.

So in essence, you're confirming the previous contributor that pointed out at how the LS50 Meta is a better speaker in technical terms.

We could argue that the R3 meta is an LS50-ed R series.

 

[ROOSKIE]

They are not shipping in the US until the summer! How did you get your hands on them. Looking forward to your feedback, this the exactly setup I am looking at.

I think just the 'Indigo' is summer (for the R3 meta).

I believe the rest of the colors of the R3 at least are arriving at the end of this month.

 

[ROOSKIE]

So why do they keep making boxes!

Linkwitz site is a basic primer; there are more available variables.

The tweeter is in a waveguide.
Often in those situations the dominant edge for the tweeter is the waveguide edge(or maybe it is more accurate to say there is no edge, the waveguide disappears the effects of an edge).

The midrange is in a shallow waveguide which should mitigate the edge issues.

The 6.5" driver is playing low enough none of this matters at all. (but width of the baffle does matter for forward radiation%)

Finally, if you are off axis at all then the edge changes. Most people do not fully toe in.

Squared looks good, very industrial and let's face it most folks think these look very nice and they sell 'em to people on the fence about audio in the living space.
The benefits to some engineers for curving are not enough to warrant more expensive construction and losing that industrial design.