Kef Blade 1 meta disappointed

[Pearljam5000]

So they're basically using the same material as the Nautilus or is it different?

 

[uwotm8]

cabinet is constructed from a lightweight composite material that is incredibly strong and rigid

I'd suspect they used Corian or any similar acrylic "stone" (yep, kitchen countertop going hi-end audio) if there was no "lightweight".
Monitor Audio Hyphn is officially made of Corian tho.

 

[Keith_W]

I'd suspect they used Corian or any similar acrylic "stone" (yep, kitchen countertop going hi-end audio) if there was no "lightweight".
Monitor Audio Hyphn is officially made of Corian tho.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I understand that Corian comes in boards, a bit like wood. It is glued together and sanded like wood.

That B&W Nautilus is cast fibreglass. Meaning there is a mold, and they push fibreglass and resin into the mold. It is then vacuum sealed until the resin cures, and then unmolded.

I don't know if you can melt Corian and pour it into a mold (i.e. injection molding). Plastic model kits are injection molded - the metal molds are expensive to make, as is the vacuum that pulls molten plastic through the mold. The metal needs to be heated during the injection phase to stop the plastic from solidifying and incompletely filling the mold. Making something as large as a speaker using this process would be horrendously expensive.

The way to tell the difference is to look inside the speaker. If you see fibreglass marks, it's fibreglass. If you see ejection pin marks, it's injection molded. I can tell you for sure that a complex shape like a KEF Blade or B&W Nautilus did not start off as boards of plastic or Corian, it has to be molded somehow.

 

[uwotm8]

Corian comes in boards, a bit like wood. It is glued together and sanded like wood

It's very versatile. Corian itself is offcially thermoformable and there are similar acrylic compounds but liquid - to cast virtually anything.
Bathtubs, sinks, even furniture - and it's more and more common and cheaper year by year.

 

[Sokel]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but I understand that Corian comes in boards, a bit like wood. It is glued together and sanded like wood.

Fibrelass and that B&W Nautilus are cast fibreglass. Meaning there is a mold, and they push fibreglass and resin into the mold. It is then vacuum sealed until the resin cures, and then unmolded.

I don't know if you can melt Corian and pour it into a mold (i.e. injection molding). Plastic model kits are injection molded - the metal molds are expensive to make, as is the vacuum that pulls molten plastic through the mold. The metal needs to be heated during the injection phase to stop the plastic from solidifying and incompletely filling the mold. Making something as large as a speaker using this process would be horrendously expensive.

The way to tell the difference is to look inside the speaker. If you see fibreglass marks, it's fibreglass. If you see ejection pin marks, it's injection molded. I can tell you for sure that a complex shape like a KEF Blade or B&W Nautilus did not start off as boards of plastic or Corian, it has to be molded somehow.

My previous house kitchen boards were made of corian, I can tell you it's 100% repairable (even at the gray color, repair was impeccable, nothing left to know it was scratched) .

Didn't the watch the fix up close but I'm sure they melted something on to it and then somehow ironed it?
It's very reassuring to know that any damage is 100% easily reparable at minimal cost (it was under 300 euro if I remember well and it took couple of hours) .

 

[Pearljam5000]

Not to mention Wilson Audio
No one even knows what they're made out of lol
Like the X material etc

 

[thewas]

I can tell you for sure that a complex shape like a KEF Blade or B&W Nautilus did not start off as boards of plastic or Corian, it has to be molded somehow.

I agree as you can see the also from the internal ribs

Interestingly in the paper of the original Concept Blade balsa wood/carbon fiber composite is mentioned. https://www.my-hiend.com/leoyeh/2009c/White Paper.pdf

 

[EJ3]

Go to the KEF store finder on the internet, and enter your zip code to find the store nearest you (eliminate Best Buys).
You may need to enter a few different cities to find a non Best Buy KEF dealer.
I can't even imagine buying any audio gear from a Best Buy (there are 2 Best Buy's near me). I have gotten a TV for my mother, some Apple phone charging cables, a few thumb drives and some UPS's from them.
Speakers? From an appliance store?
Not me, that is for sure.

 

[hvbias]

@Goldenear if you want another shot at hearing them at the same location ask to speak to the AV manager. They will likely accommodate you with speaker positioning as it reflects well on the department, and hence the department's manager, to sell such an expensive set of speakers. I used to work there in high school and being under paid and over worked meant as regular employees as long as something worked that was good enough for us.

My impression of the Blade 2 was in line with Erin's Audio Corner.

 

[Count Arthur]

being under paid and over worked

If anyone knows of a job where your overpaid and under worked, be sure and let me know.

 

[Purité Audio]

Talk to @Thomas savage!
Keith

 

[JustJones]

If anyone knows of a job where your overpaid and under worked, be sure and let me know.

Archbishop, Pope, Vicar, TV Evangelist

 

[Thomas Savage]

Talk to @Thomas savage!
Keith

Yea , ASR cheques are a rare thing , KEF don't pay as well as Topping but a man's got to do what a man's got to do, after all , We can't all have sugar mommy's...

 

[BlackTalon]

If you use the definition of "plastic" in the deformation sense this is true but then mild steel is plastic in that sense!
I don't think many people think "materials in their plastic deformation phase" when somebody writes "plastic".

Lots of people in my circle think "materials in their plastic deformation phase" Occupational hazard. My Plastic Design of Steel guide from AISC sits on a bookshelf a few feet away from me, a reminder of my favorite steel class when I was in college too many decades ago.

 

[uwotm8]

Definitely a molded acrylic (there are hundreds of types); however, it is quite thick. May contain fibers and other fillers.
B&W 800 series - bigger ones - look more impressive from the inside IMO (that curved ply and aluminium bracing).

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The Blades seem really good across all music. I found the Perlisten towers competitive for less money but no store I found had both Perlisten and Blades in them at the same time.

I had the Perlistens, too, but not when I had the Blades which came to me later. Each was compared to the then resident Revels and both caused me to consider them for purchase. Although I chose the Blades (and I am not unhappy about that), I do regret that a Blade/Perlisten comparison was not possible.

 

[chouca]

I'm glad this thread recovered its composure.

It seems like we could collectively get better at dealing with difficult personalities like Theta. He dropped in to post an outlier opinion about KEF speakers (cosmetic lifestyle brand, not for serious audiophiles) and when asked to provide better alternatives, he said "too many to post" which is a bullshit non-answer. At that point it was obvious that they were not here to participate in any sincere way, yet we let them derail the thread pretty badly. Then on their way out, they blamed the culture here at ASR. Totally perverse!

I think this forum is a great resource and I hate seeing helpful people get so frustrated. I'm wondering, is there a way that we can ignore negative contributions like Theta's more quickly and decisively without getting derailed and dysregulated by them? Maybe I'm effectively asking for world peace, I don't know!

 

[chouca]

And to the original thread topic, I first demoed the Blade One Meta at Best Buy Magnolia in south Denver. They were in a dedicated listening room and the sound was phenomenal. I made an appointment for the demo and the salesperson was very prepared. But in general, most Best Buys feel haphazard and understaffed, and not at all conducive to critical listening.

 

[sq225917]

Audio show today, sat with the Kef blade meta Lotus Ltd edition for a good half hour. Nothing else at the show came close to being as open, accurate and even handed. I think the new big passive Ki floorstanders, purifi mids and bass with ribbon tweeter had them beaten in the treble and mids for sparkling clarity, but the bass was all over the place in comparison.