terryforsythe
Major Contributor
No. He contemplated it, but didn't.
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Kef Blade 1 meta disappointed
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Mike_Trueman
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I am just wondering. Is that front speaker the same as the KEF LS50 Meta speaker?
terryforsythe
Major Contributor
No. It is a more technologically advanced unit. Here is a link to the white paper: https://assets.kef.com/documents/reference/KEF_Blade_Ref_Meta_Tech_Paper.pdf
Not sure why I am remembering that incorrectly.
terryforsythe
Major Contributor
If I remember correctly, he was seriously considering buying them, but buying a new home added to his expenses so he opted not to.
PristineSound
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I heard the Blade 1 Meta at Magnolia too. I can say the imaging is impeccable.
Brent71
Active Member
I worked at all 3 of the Portland-area stores in the early '00s. Fun times.
valerianf
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May I just have a suggestion: for the lower frequencies the Blade speakers only rely on the side drivers.
To reach the listening guy that sit/stand in front of the speakers the sound waves can only rely on reflexions with the side walls.
If they are very far from the speakers good luck with that.
And it is mostly the case in a large shop as Best Buy.
To me the side firing speakers is a flawn concept.
To reach the listening guy that sit/stand in front of the speakers the sound waves can only rely on reflexions with the side walls.
If they are very far from the speakers good luck with that.
And it is mostly the case in a large shop as Best Buy.
To me the side firing speakers is a flawn concept.
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Those woofers are crossed over at 350Hz (on the Blade One). Let's check the contour plots:
Looks omnidirectional well past 350Hz. I don't think the KEF engineers implemented a flawed concept.
valerianf
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Ricardojoa
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W
What is wrong with the narrow dispersion?@kyuu I agree that the vertical directivity is fine.
But the horizontal directivity seems very narrow above 350 Hz compared to a Kef Q11 Meta.
It is obvious below 1 kHz.
That's intentional and desirable, you get less room interaction. Other designs take the point even lower, how low is ideal is debatable.
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It's not as narrow as it seems due to the different presentation of the contour plot. Here's the Blade Two Meta:@kyuu I agree that the vertical directivity is fine.
But the horizontal directivity seems very narrow above 350 Hz compared to a Kef Q11 Meta.
It is obvious below 1 kHz.
Just about exactly the same to my eye, except for being better controlled than the Q11.
valerianf
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Dispersion: A Show and Tell
We tend to think of speakers as devices that blast sound at us. But they actually blast sound in every direction, and that's a good thing. In fact, if they don't blast sound in every direction, it can be a problem.A speaker's characteristic sound projection pattern, broad or narrow, is referred...
www.soundandvision.com
"Speakers with broad dispersion tend to create a larger, more enveloping soundfield because there's more high-frequency sound reflecting off the walls of your room."
"What is wrong with the narrow dispersion?"
My guess it is what OP was complaining about.
Ricardojoa
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Thats just an article of what the writer thinks. Bad is relative A narrow dispersion speaker create a more cohesive focus soundstage. I have a pair of BMR Monitors, it sounds very neutral and expansive but lack focus, is great with orchestral but for other music i will trade the greater soundtange with a more focus soundstage. I would argue anout the wider audience from wider dispersion. What more important is a consistent frequency off axis. Most so called wide dispersion speaker are poorly made with inconsistent directivity, it gets wide on mid and narrow at crossover, then wide from highs tweeter but then gets narrow again at the upper frequencies.Dispersion: A Show and Tell
We tend to think of speakers as devices that blast sound at us. But they actually blast sound in every direction, and that's a good thing. In fact, if they don't blast sound in every direction, it can be a problem.A speaker's characteristic sound projection pattern, broad or narrow, is referred...
"Speakers with broad dispersion tend to create a larger, more enveloping soundfield because there's more high-frequency sound reflecting off the walls of your room."
"What is wrong with the narrow dispersion?"
My guess it is what OP was complaining about.
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That's not how it works. The sound is mostly omnidirectional at these frequencies, so the sound waves do not go straight out from the drivers and into the wall, they go in all directions. In other words, if they are placed on the side or the front doesn't really matter.
Or aimed at the floor, either (given sufficient gap between the floor & the (sub) woofer [& in my case, the downward firing port]), correct?
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I have heard the blades 1's (non-meta) sound absolutely incredible in a number of installations. One of which were in Denver at a fellow's house that had a DCS and CH precision front end (though whose room was untreated.). However, I have also heard them kind of thin/strident at a dealer showroom in Minneapolis where they were driven by some older Bryston gear and in a large open room rather far from boundaries.
I get the sense that they can be slightly "ruthlessly" transparent and, while extremely well behaved in their directivity, work in room setup, placement, acoustics, upstream gear are all important.
I would mirror Amir's comments about Magnolia. The freestanding stores had knowledgeable staff and good sound. The best thing I can say about the "store in a store" magnolias in Bet Buy is that, at least they're doing their part to try to introduce hifi to more people. However, i would use any performance demos there to make determinations on absolute sound quality and performance
I get the sense that they can be slightly "ruthlessly" transparent and, while extremely well behaved in their directivity, work in room setup, placement, acoustics, upstream gear are all important.
I would mirror Amir's comments about Magnolia. The freestanding stores had knowledgeable staff and good sound. The best thing I can say about the "store in a store" magnolias in Bet Buy is that, at least they're doing their part to try to introduce hifi to more people. However, i would use any performance demos there to make determinations on absolute sound quality and performance
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