Kef R Meta Series Release

[MarkS]

I went looking for the new white paper but only found the old one:

https://assets.kef.com/documents/rseries/rseries2018-white-paper.pdf

I'm afraid there's bad news! In the original R series,

the dome vents through the centre pole of the magnet system to a cavity filled with absorbent wadding. The cavity is tapered to that, when the wadding is inserted, it becomes more dense towards the rear of the cavity, gradually increasing absorption.
All the rearward energy is absorbed and cannot re-radiate through the dome after being reflected at the back of the cavity.

The new meta series only absorbs 99% !!!

 

[tktran303]

Oops. Marketing didn’t read their previous marketing material.

Blade 1 Meta: the best speaker we know how to commercialise, so far. The cost no object one.
Reference 5 Meta: the best speaker in a rectangular box that we can commercialise, so far. The aspirational one.
R 11 Meta: the cheaper, mass manufactured, cutting costs wherever we can, albeit with some trickle down tech so you get a taste of the good stuff, one.
Q series: the ones we actually sell in volume, which pay our the bills, and is able to keep us going. Damn you Apple with your iPod. EarPods, and HomePod.

Doesn’t sound quite as sexy, now does it?

@jackocleebrown
Are you able to get management to bring back the copper cap on the pole piece so there’s copper inside/outside of the gap and above and below it? Maybe in the next Reference. My Reference Meta Uni-Q doesn’t have it.

 

[jackocleebrown]

@jackocleebrown
Are you able to get management to bring back the copper cap on the pole piece so there’s copper inside/outside of the gap and above and below it? Maybe in the next Reference. My Reference Meta Uni-Q doesn’t have it.

@tktran303, sorry - I'm not following you. Do you mean on the MF? The new Reference and Blade META Uni-Q (SP1815) has a lot more copper near the coil than any previous Uni-Q motor. Plus two aluminium rings too:

 

[tktran303]

Yes, exactly, I’m with you Jack.

With the next Reference or Blade Meta, can you get management to rid of the alu rings and have a full copper cap? So there’s copper in/out of the gap AND above and below it?

The best motors/cones/soft parts in the business can do HD2 down ~-60dB and HD3 down ~-70dB (@96dB @1m). But they are not KEF’s brilliant coaxials. You guys are way in front when it comes to coaxials, IMHO.

But the potential to sink the HD3 down another 10dB, particularly between 400Hz and 2KHz would be welcome. That would improve IMD from the already very good to brilliant!

Best regards,
Thanh
Australia

 

[jackocleebrown]

Yes, exactly, I’m with you Jack.

With the next Reference or Blade Meta, can you get management to rid of the alu rings and have a full copper cap? So there’s copper in/out of the gap AND above and below it?

The best motors/cones in the business can do HD2 down ~-60dB and HD3 down ~-70dB (@96dB @1m). But they are not KEF’s brilliant coaxials. You guys are way in front when it comes to coaxials, IMHO.

But the potential to sink the HD3 down another 10dB, particularly between 400Hz and 2KHz would be welcome. That would improve IMD from the already very good to brilliant!

Best regards,
Thanh
Australia

Hi @tktran303, seems like we should hire you as a consultant ;-) Out of interest, which motors are you thinking of?

 

[Alexx]

Opale: Don't think prices can go down, a small discount is at the dealer's discretion, people have ordered the new R3 Meta for 1900 Euros, the price is interesting.
Will they probably decrease after launch? I don't think it would be nice but if they increase it's a useless wait.

@Nootomuskaatje: Agree with you! the "old" R3 series is fantastic I don't know how much it's worth spending 500 euros more for the new one, moreover if the only update done was to put some material behind the tweeter I don't expect big things and audible differences by ear.

I have read on many tests done on the LS50 and LS 50Metal that the only advantage on the Meta is a slightly forward soundstage and better directionability, on the old model the sound is a little warmer on the more natural Meta.....a I like it hotter.

The old R3 can you confirm that you have the 12th generation UNi-Q driver? (so it would be equal to the Meta).

With 500 euros saved, many other beautiful things can be done (dedicated stands, a small environmental treatment with panels, etc.) perhaps these things give better results.

I still can't decide......
See you soon thank you very much.

 

[tktran303]

@jackocleebrown

I’m not going to name the competitors in this thread, out of concern it will derail the conversation. You can PM me if you like.

Now I know you have nothing to do with pricing, but I’m sure you’ve already noticed how people are commenting at the price differences between the previous R series and the new R Meta series.

Just pages and pages of commentary about price differences that is next to 10-15% (at least to the fella down under).

I mean, have any of you guys been out recently? Prices for everything has gone up, and it’s related to world affairs that was beyond our control.

Perhaps they’ve forgotten that the previous R series was introduced in 2018. You know, when the world was a different place?

Let’s bring the focus back to the 2023 R series, and how it is better than the 2018 R series.

I love the look of the Blade Meta 1, and am impressed with the performance of the Blade/Reference Meta Uni-Q; IMHO there’s no better coax (yet), and I, for one, look forward to future developments at KEF.

 

[lossendae]

I don't know how much it's worth spending 500 euros more for the new one

Only for the new colour, stand included. A treat for both ears and eyes !

 

[Alexx]

Yes, you are both probably right.

Talking about the price difference doesn't help (as I mistakenly do too) the important thing is to understand the difference in quality.

For the colors, let's hope that's not the only difference -

Reading the website, kef says that the driver (Middle Tweeter) has also been redesigned, he also talks about the Crossover but it is not clear if it has been modified, do you know if it is different from the old model?

The price if confirmed 1900 euros is excellent (400 euros more than the old R3 in promotion).
See you soon.

 

[pjn]

What I am particularly wondering is where the weight savings come in - e.g
R7->R7 meta - 4.6 lbs
R3->R3 meta - 2.5 lbs
R2->R2 meta - 3.3 lbs

What has been removed? Those are not trivial differences (6.6%, 8.4%, 8.9%)
And yes, I do like spreadsheets.

 

[exm]

What I am particularly wondering is where the weight savings come in - e.g
R7->R7 meta - 4.6 lbs
R3->R3 meta - 2.5 lbs
R2->R2 meta - 3.3 lbs

What has been removed? Those are not trivial differences (6.6%, 8.4%, 8.9%)
And yes, I do like spreadsheets.

Speculating: maybe the speaker casing is made of an even cheaper (lighter) material? (another reason why the Reference Series are so great).

 

[abdo123]

Speculating: maybe the speaker casing is made of an even cheaper (lighter) material? (another reason why the Reference Series are so great).

There is no world where cheap = light.

MDF is the heaviest there is.

 

[pjn]

Speculating: maybe the speaker casing is made of an even cheaper (lighter) material? (another reason why the Reference Series are so great).

Yes, those are HEAVY. Reference 1, for example, is driver size for driver size equivalent to the R3 but weighs 40lbs compared to the R3 meta at 27lbs, but that can mostly be explained by thicker box walls - R3 has an external volume of 1700 cu in, vs the Reference 1 of 2300 cu in, much of which is a 3 inch deeper cabinet. And, I am guessing that the bass drivers have bigger magnets.

 

[Daka]

Yes, those are HEAVY. Reference 1, for example, is driver size for driver size equivalent to the R3 but weighs 40lbs compared to the R3 meta at 27lbs, but that can mostly be explained by thicker box walls - R3 has an external volume of 1700 cu in, vs the Reference 1 of 2300 cu in, much of which is a 3 inch deeper cabinet. And, I am guessing that the bass drivers have bigger magnets.

Stronger magnets - neodymium - top class.

 

[dogmamann]

There is no world where cheap = light.

MDF is the heaviest there is.

HDF is heavier than MDF

 

[Descartes]

What I am particularly wondering is where the weight savings come in - e.g
R7->R7 meta - 4.6 lbs
R3->R3 meta - 2.5 lbs
R2->R2 meta - 3.3 lbs

What has been removed? Those are not trivial differences (6.6%, 8.4%, 8.9%)
And yes, I do like spreadsheets.

Weight loss program!

 

[dogmamann]

Weight loss program!

Now bass should be “lean” with less meat on the bones

 

[bodhi]

Now bass should be “lean” with less meat on the bones

I bet it's faster also. With the R7 you might get three beats of kick drum where previously there was only two.

 

[dogmamann]

I bet it's faster also. With the R7 you might get three beats of kick drum where previously there was only two.

There is no such thing as a fast speaker and a slow speaker. my 10 bucks computer speaker is as fast as Kef muon.

 

[MarkS]

I think @bodhi was engaging in