Revolutionary Sound Absorption with MAT

A result of joint development with the Acoustic Metamaterials Group, using Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) breaks completely new ground in loudspeaker design, and once again demonstrates KEF’s unrelenting passion for developing new technologies to improve your listening experience. Metamaterials are specially developed structures that use existing materials in such a way that they exhibit new, desirable properties that are simply not found in naturally occurring substances. A truly revolutionary tool in the KEF acoustic armoury, MAT is a highly complex maze-like structure, where each of the intricate channels efficiently absorbs a specific frequency. When combined, the channels act as an acoustic black hole, absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound that comes from the rear of the tweeter, eliminating the resulting distortion and providing a purer, more natural acoustic performance.

12th Generation Uni-Q with MAT delivers

The tweeter in question sits at the heart of KEF's 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT driver array. The Uni-Q point source configuration delivers a more detailed, accurate and integrated three-dimensional sound image, which is dispersed so evenly throughout the room that the ‘sweet spot’ is wherever you are in the room. Using simulation and analysis tools and decades of accumulated in-house knowledge, the engineers have developed a new iteration of KEF’s signature driver array, with a new cone neck decoupler and motor system that is precisely shaped to reduce high-frequency distortion in the mid-frequency driver. The result is reduced coloration, less distortion and a sound that is more transparent and life-like than previously possible. The same can also be said of bass performance, where LS50 Meta completely exceeds the expectations of a modestly proportioned bookshelf speaker to deliver room-filling sound with deep, articulate bass.

Enhancement from LS50 lineage

Much of the engaging performance is thanks to the clarity of the driver array, but the port design is also crucial. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the flare and profile of the LS50 Meta’s patented off-set flexible port is calculated to delay the onset of turbulence and the flexible port walls prevent resonances from colouring the midrange. This leads to improved clarity, with exceptional levels of depth and detail. The LS50 Meta’s extremely rigid cabinet is optimised for the best performance, with smooth curved surfaces that help radiate sound out across the baffle without any interference. The baffle itself is engineered from an injection-moulded Dough Moulding Compound (DMC) usually found in the automotive industry. Inside the cabinet, cross bracing and Constrained Layer Damping (CLD) combine to deaden internal vibrations. The result of such meticulous attention to detail is that LS50 Meta produces the lowest coloration of any speaker in its class.

Elegant Design with Attention to Every Detail

The LS50 Meta has inherited its distinctive good looks from the original LS50, with its low-diffraction, curved baffle precision modelled around the Uni-Q driver array. The curved front is subtly mirrored by the gently radiused rear panel, while both the port exit and speaker terminals have been elegantly recessed and softened visually.

On the LS50 Meta’s underside, each corner has a threaded inset allowing the speaker to lock onto the top of the new KEF S2 Floor Stand, which also boasts integrated cable management and a mass-loadable column. LS50 Meta is available at launch in four colours, all of which benefit from a modern silky matte finish, while the S2 Floor Stands are colour matched to the models.

The LS50 Meta Bookshelf Loudspeakers deliver on every aspect of the KEF promise. A genuine industry first, LS50 Meta utilises innovative, ground-breaking technology to provide you with an immersive, completely believable sound from a compact, stylish loudspeaker that is destined to open up whole new vistas of enjoyment in your life.