Pearljam5000
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New KEF headphones
- Thread starter Pearljam5000
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Driver/enclosure with metamaterial like their latest loudspeakers or newest Dan Clark headphones?
Meta
They would have to work around his patents.
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They could use it for different aspects and/or different implementation, same as Dan Clark used it differently than KEF.
Hugo9000
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Presumably this will be the Ross Lovegrove industrial design for the KEF Mu7, which I posted about quite a while back. There was an interview with Mr. Lovegrove for Hong Kong Vogue in August of 2021 where he discussed his relationship with KEF (he did the industrial design for the spectacular Muon loudspeakers, for example). He has been a friend of Victor Lo for many years (Mr. Lo is the Chairman of Gold Peak Industries, and his daughter Grace heads up KEF currently). The loudspeaker he referred to in the article was of course the LS60, and he revealed that the headphone was due some time after the debut of the active speakers (he didn't collaborate on the design of the LS60, he simply mentioned upcoming things from KEF in celebration of their 60th anniversary).
I tagged the moderators and Dr. Oclee-Brown with my original post, in case they wanted to remove or edit it, but it was left up (KEF didn't seem worried about spoiling the surprise with regard to the headphones, I think they only asked that sites not post photos of the LS60 that had been shared confidentially ahead of time with reviewers, etc. to be used on the official announcement date). It was in one of the speculation threads regarding anniversary products.
www.audiosciencereview.com
Here is the magazine article, if anyone is interested:
www.voguehk.com
Grace Lo is in this KEF video, by the way:
Despite his low public profile with regard to KEF and zero mentions in any marketing or press (other than Mr. Lovegrove mentioning him in that one interview), I've always assumed that Victor Lo felt passionately about music and about KEF, which is why the company has carried on the legacy of the company's founder, Raymond Cooke. This makes KEF stand out from virtually every other storied brand after an outside buyout. They typically become shadows of their former selves, reduced to a once-respected name slapped on junk that would embarrass the original company (Nakamichi and countless others). KEF has spent about half its existence under the umbrella of Gold Peak, and goes from strength to strength in my opinion. Seeing Grace Lo take the helm at KEF suggests to me that the company is in no danger of being compromised, so I am hopeful that they will continue to be at the forefront of great sound at least for the rest of my own lifetime haha! Genelec is the other audio company that impresses me with their unwavering commitment to engineering and audio quality, although I don't have the personal experience with their products that I have with KEF, since first hearing the Reference 107 in 1987. Since then, I've auditioned dozens of their speakers, and personally still own a fair number haha (plus two headphones and one IEM).
I tagged the moderators and Dr. Oclee-Brown with my original post, in case they wanted to remove or edit it, but it was left up (KEF didn't seem worried about spoiling the surprise with regard to the headphones, I think they only asked that sites not post photos of the LS60 that had been shared confidentially ahead of time with reviewers, etc. to be used on the official announcement date). It was in one of the speculation threads regarding anniversary products.
Kef to announce new products?
Why did you go with big speakers on desk rather than something like a pair of Genelec G Ones with F One sub or something? Just curious since it’s sitting quite close and quite a bit of volume to sacrifice on desk. Short answer: because I like the speakers. Long answer: they're honestly not...
www.audiosciencereview.com
Here is the magazine article, if anyone is interested:
Industrial Designer Ross Lovegrove On His Collaboration With KEF
Welsh industrial designer Ross Lovegrove talks about his collboration with British audio brand KEF and the concept behind his latest design.
www.voguehk.com
Grace Lo is in this KEF video, by the way:
Despite his low public profile with regard to KEF and zero mentions in any marketing or press (other than Mr. Lovegrove mentioning him in that one interview), I've always assumed that Victor Lo felt passionately about music and about KEF, which is why the company has carried on the legacy of the company's founder, Raymond Cooke. This makes KEF stand out from virtually every other storied brand after an outside buyout. They typically become shadows of their former selves, reduced to a once-respected name slapped on junk that would embarrass the original company (Nakamichi and countless others). KEF has spent about half its existence under the umbrella of Gold Peak, and goes from strength to strength in my opinion. Seeing Grace Lo take the helm at KEF suggests to me that the company is in no danger of being compromised, so I am hopeful that they will continue to be at the forefront of great sound at least for the rest of my own lifetime haha! Genelec is the other audio company that impresses me with their unwavering commitment to engineering and audio quality, although I don't have the personal experience with their products that I have with KEF, since first hearing the Reference 107 in 1987. Since then, I've auditioned dozens of their speakers, and personally still own a fair number haha (plus two headphones and one IEM).
Whilst it’s clear that when it comes to speakers, KEF follows the research, that doesn’t necessarily mean they do the same for headphones. I found these measurements for the MU3, their true wireless earbuds.
The blue trace is the MU3 and the black is the AKG N5005 (known to be the earbuds that follow the Harman target closest). A bit more energy at 3k and 5k and a little less between 1-2k relative to the AKG. As such, it’s clear that KEF employ a sensible target for headphone tonality.
Measured distortion is basically inaudible, with the only black mark being that the ANC is average at best. As such I’m surprised that no one on here is really shouting about these earbuds.
In any case, I’m now much more excited to see what KEF come up with for their wireless over ear headphones.
The blue trace is the MU3 and the black is the AKG N5005 (known to be the earbuds that follow the Harman target closest). A bit more energy at 3k and 5k and a little less between 1-2k relative to the AKG. As such, it’s clear that KEF employ a sensible target for headphone tonality.
Measured distortion is basically inaudible, with the only black mark being that the ANC is average at best. As such I’m surprised that no one on here is really shouting about these earbuds.
In any case, I’m now much more excited to see what KEF come up with for their wireless over ear headphones.
Does he have any regarding metamaterials? Cannot find it
KEF’s implementation in their speakers is behind the driver, whereas DCA put it in front of the driver so it’s unlikely one firms patents conflict with the others. If feasible a similar implementation by KEF could cancel almost all of the reflections between the backwave of the driver and the cup, leading to a very open sounding closed back.
In the video where Jude from Head-Fi interviews him, Dan says he has patents for the whole meta material between driver and the ear.
Hephaestus
Active Member
They are finally out officially:
eu.kef.com
I look forward trying them out!
Mu7 | Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones
Mu7 over-ear wireless headphones feature Smart Active Noise Cancellation technology and up to 40 hours of battery life, with Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
eu.kef.com
I look forward trying them out!
