KEF's new Metamaterial Absorption Technology

[PierreV]

Vivid Audio absorb almost every thing with single tube. The best speaker I ever heard ( noting come even close )

Those are very good speakers indeed. That I know since I own a pair of G3s. The "box" just disappears.

As far as saying "nothing comes even close", I would be a bit more careful. I also happen to own a pair of Focal Scala Utopias, which I use in the same room. Just like you, I would have sworn the differences were massive and took an impromptu blind test, which I essentially failed. After that shock result, I actually had to train myself a bit to reliably identify the differences. And, as a side note, I compared the G3s to the Blade 2 for several hours (sighted test) before going for the G3s and, again, I found the differences relatively small at the time.

 

[Mnyb]

My guess is their interest in this is it solves a problem that the UniQ causes, and it's less important for more traditional designs.

Their page teases new speakers using this, wonder what range that will be, new reference series, or new blades?

Good thinking , they always strive to improve the uni-q

 

[Mnyb]

What makes you say that? Most speakers today have to be small for the sake of being there at all. Just look at the space available in reasonably priced appartments in any major city on the globe. London, which is kind of a relevant market for KEF, is particularly bad in this regard.

The problem of making a decent speaker is hard enough already , without that ball and chain ? They fit
Speakers just can’t be small enough for people who don’t like speakers regardless of interior space , make them interesting and beautiful furniture instead .

 

[Mnyb]

The problem of making a decent speaker is hard enough already , without that ball and chain ? They fit
Speakers just can’t be small enough for people who don’t like speakers regardless of interior space , make them interesting and beautiful furniture instead .

Forgot they take the same acoustical space and therefore real estate anyway to work properly small speakers must be on stands and proper distances to sidewalks etc is what it is . The bigger speakers just dominate the interior a bit more

 

[Jukebox]

My guess is their interest in this is it solves a problem that the UniQ causes, and it's less important for more traditional designs.

Their page teases new speakers using this, wonder what range that will be, new reference series, or new blades?

Don't think will be the R's because they are already the newest release; Also the Blade has a small chance in my opinion. But a new LS50 would make more sense

 

[Kachda]

Don't think will be the R's because they are already the newest release; Also the Blade has a small chance in my opinion. But a new LS50 would make more sense

I doubt they are going to release their latest and greatest on the cheaper line. My guess is they will start with the reference and then update the ls50.

 

[Count Arthur]

Who knew Glen Cambell worked for KEF.

 

[Jukebox]

I doubt they are going to release their latest and greatest on the cheaper line. My guess is they will start with the reference and then update the ls50.

Time will tell but LS50 was an engineering masterpiece for the price and size when released and it's the perfect candidate for this new concept considering the small footprint and that will address the mass market for bigger sales and customers reach. Also his life cycle should came to an end...around 8 years already.
But whatever it will be, cant wait to test it!

 

[jgazal]

I value intellectual property and the thought they dedicated to adapt the general development of metamaterials to this specific problem of rear loading of the vented tweeter, even optimizing the number of tubes that capture sound and tunnel then into the absorption cavities.
But in the end of the day, we have two injection molded parts with 9 cm of diameter and overall thickness of 1,1cm and a conical vent that must add negligible cost compared to previous cylindrical vent plus wadding assembly.
Having said that, I see no reason why this type of incremental improvement should not be implemented in all drivers of all lines.
I could be wrong, but I guess it can be done with minimal alterations in production lines (altering die cast and injection molds). It would even save the step of inserting wadding in the cylindrical vent and the step for fixing the new piece to the back of the uni-q driver should remain the same since all them have a protective plastic cover.
On the other hand, the alternative of rear horns we see in the B&W Nautilus would seem indeed costlier to implement throughout all lines.
The white paper has no comparison between the performance of wadding rear vented tweeters of newer Uni-Q drivers (R series or 12th generation Uni-Q drivers) with this new conical vent with rear axially mounted absorptive metamaterial. The marketing says it absorbs “99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of driver” versus “60% absorption” of “loudspeakers using different approaches”.
Of course they may well restrict this solution for an exclusive line. But then they would be selling not a solution to a real acoustical previously untackled challenge, but a “solution” to satisfy the costumer curiosity and insatiable desire for a idealistic perfection.

 

[Thomas savage]

Vivid Audio absorb almost every thing with single tube. The best speaker I ever heard ( noting come even close )

I have those .. ha ha ..

Those are very good speakers indeed. That I know since I own a pair of G3s. The "box" just disappears.

As far as saying "nothing comes even close", I would be a bit more careful. I also happen to own a pair of Focal Scala Utopias, which I use in the same room. Just like you, I would have sworn the differences were massive and took an impromptu blind test, which I essentially failed. After that shock result, I actually had to train myself a bit to reliably identify the differences. And, as a side note, I compared the G3s to the Blade 2 for several hours (sighted test) before going for the G3s and, again, I found the differences relatively small at the time.

Engineering wise I think there's parallels between Kef and vivid.. my G3(s, same bass drivers as mine as I helped develop them lol ) are still going strong .

 

[thewas]

Time will tell but LS50 was an engineering masterpiece for the price and size when released and it's the perfect candidate for this new concept considering the small footprint and that will address the mass market for bigger sales and customers reach. Also his life cycle should came to an end...around 8 years already.

And since KEF was founded in 1961 and LS50 was released to celebrate their 50th anniversary, maybe a LS60 since 2021 isn't far away? Would love to see a 3-way LS50 with the current uni-q and without the little FR problems the passive LS50 had.

 

[Doodski]

And since KEF was founded in 1961 and LS50 was released to celebrate their 50th anniversary, maybe a LS60 since 2021 isn't far away? Would love to see a 3-way LS50 with the current uni-q and without the little FR problems the passive LS50 had.

Check this Canadian price on the LS50
https://www.visions.ca/product-deta...kers_gloss_black_pair?categoryId=160&sku=LS50

EDIT: OOPs I was thinking of a different model.

 

[thewas]

https://www.visions.ca/product-deta...kers_gloss_black_pair?categoryId=160&sku=LS50

Nice price although I even bought mine soon after they were released for 750€ instead of the official 1000€ price.

 

[ttimer]

Would love to see a 3-way LS50 with the current uni-q and without the little FR problems the passive LS50 had.

Wouldn't that exactly be the R3? Aside from the aesthetic.

 

[thewas]

Wouldn't that exactly be the R3? Aside from the aesthetic.

An LS50 has for example also a more a acoustically dead enclosure, that's why it it listed in their reference model series on their webpages.
And the new metamaterial absorber driver would be again one evolution step further to the current one used in the R3, being the 13rd vs. 12th generation Uni-Q.

 

[PierreV]

I have those .. ha ha ..


Engineering wise I think there's parallels between Kef and vivid.. my G3(s, same bass drivers as mine as I helped develop them lol ) are still going strong .

I never fail to pray saint Thomas before I play a bass heavy track on the G3: I believe it helps keep the woofers seated.

 

[Dodo974]

There are a vast number of technologies (new or old) to avoid "unwanted" waves from speakers. Materials or internal architecture's, everyone have a specific room or "chamber" to listen music. In final, there are a lot of factor to take in consideration and to test at home and find "the ultimate" music system for some years. I have my-self a pair of Q acoustics concept 20 with the gel-core technology ("bad waves" it's transform in heat) and double cabinet. This manufacturer have since "ameriolerated" this concept to adding internal's guides waves on the new model Q acoustics concept 500. It's seems manufacturers have already or forever some thing "in the pocket" to add for sell you a new "dream" of pefection.
Personnaly, I think you have to test at your home an music system with some recommendations of ASR or some reviews you can find on internet because marketing opinion's it's very subjective's or not adapted for your personnal situation ("taste", money investment or listeninng room).

 

[JDragon]

According to this reddit thread, the first new speakers with this will be updated LS50/LS50W: https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/irolta

 

[Ilkless]

If they are revising the speaker, I sure hope they fix the 1.7-5kHz response. The LS50 was a very meticulous design that was systematically optimised to reduce non-driver colourations - that curved baffle, well-braced CLD cabinet, flexible port walls, yet the response in the upper midrange and low treble did not reach its potential.

edit: Also, 6moons is claiming voodoo brand Boenicke pioneered a similar approach before KEF did. What ridiculous revisionism.

 

[somebodyelse]

Could the tail of the 0.5m exponential horn mentioned just before the conclusion of the paper be folded over and coiled to fit in a similar space to the metamaterial absorber, or would that compromise its performance somehow?