Kef R Meta Series Release

[exm]

Do you have rear surrounds as well? If so what do you use for that?

My couch is against the back wall. My overheads are Ci250RRM-THX.

 

[capslock]

I'm very interesting in the difference. I compared the R11s to the Reference 5s, and there's a major difference (worth the premium? That's another conversation). I prefer my non-Meta Reference 1 (side) surrounds over the R3 Meta I had before. Obviously, the Reference build is much, much better but the Reference drivers are also a lot better. Would love to know what's driving this.

Build quality (resonances!) and crossover tuning may certainly be more relevant to the subjective impression than any distortions at -50 to -70 dB.

I have not researched how the Reference 2014 driver is constructed. Its inductance curve is certainly inferior to either Meta driver.

As to which driver of the current series is better, I think from published data it is extremely hard to tell. The Reference / Blade driver may have an advantage in that with a neo magnet, the issue of Barkhausen noise goes away. On the other hand, I have never seen a difference in distortion meaurements between ferrite and neo versions of drivers from other brands if proper demodulation was used. There was one guy on diyaudio, though, who had strange effects in his distortion measurements that went away when he used a series resistor, i.e. approached current drive. That could have been Barkhausen noise.

 

[Shimrra Jamaane]

This is likely going to be an insanely dumb question but welp.

So I used the Kef plugs to plug the rear ports of my R11 Meta towers and for one of them I accidentally pushed the plug in too far and it fell inside. So I took about an hour trying to fish the fucking thing out with all manner of ad hoc tools and managed to finally get it but I did notice that inside the top port I moved around some of the sound dampening insulation (that white foam stuff), pushing it a bit more down than it had been at the start. I compared it to my other tower and it is now a bit lower in that top section inside the top port. Is that a concern or a total non-factor?

 

[Beave]

^I'd say it's an almost-total-non-factor. It might make a *tiny* measurable difference in sound. You probably won't be able to hear any difference. But it might bug you anyway. If it really does bug you, you could remove the trim ring around the woofer, remove the woofer, and move the insulation back to how it was. Only you can decide whether it bugs you enough to do that.

 

[exm]

^ exactly

And I don't understand why you need to plug those ports anyway

 

[Shimrra Jamaane]

I have them very close to the wall that’s why. Just a few inches.

 

[exm]

I have them very close to the wall that’s why. Just a few inches.

I have my Reference 1s (side surround) this close to the wall, and feel zero need to plug them. My 2 cents.

 

[Shimrra Jamaane]

I have my Reference 1s (side surround) this close to the wall, and feel zero need to plug them. My 2 cents.

View attachment 414923

How about for your mains?

 

[exm]

How about for your mains?

Reference 5s, here you go. No plugs (long and short ports)

 

[Shimrra Jamaane]

I'll be honest I have no clue how any of this shit works lol. The physics of sound might as well be magic to me.

 

[exm]

I'll be honest I have no clue how any of this shit works lol. The physics of sound might as well be magic to me.

If you have a system that does room correction (room EQ) there's no need to plug any ports. Without it, maybe. But then it's easy to experiment with or without it.