KEF is a proud pioneer of excellence in sound. Since 1961, KEF's mission has been to preserve the integrity of original sound with as little intervention as possible. The goal of every KEF product is to do one thing: provide the listener with a revealing sound experience that is as true to the original recording as is possible within the confines of their own room. KEF creates remarkable speakers that win awards and impress listeners the world over.
KEF Uni-Q technology: A landmark innovation
Of the many landmark innovations KEF has pioneered, arguably the greatest of all is the Uni-Q point source driver array, with its outstanding acoustic clarity and off-axis dispersion. With years of continuous innovation and development, the Uni-Q driver array achieves a level of sound quality over a broad area simply not achieved from conventional speakers. No matter where the listener is positioned, everyone in the room enjoys the same accurate sound.
Most loudspeakers have the midrange and treble drive units mounted one above the other, so the sound is coming from two different places, causing audio ‘confusion’ and losing the chance of achieving a truly natural sound.
With Uni-Q, the midrange and treble units are mounted at precisely the same point in space - allowing them to integrate perfectly and create the ideal soundstage for the listener to experience a convincingly natural sound.
From a listener’s perspective, the combination of matched directivity and precise time alignment in all directions gives signifficantly improved stereo imaging over a wide listening area, the realism of which is enhanced by the even balance of the reverberant energy within the listening room. Enhanced further by KEF’s ‘tangerine’ waveguide placed over the tweeter, an even more accurate three-dimensional sound is dispersed evenly throughout the room. With Uni-Q technology recordings sound uncannily realistic and utterly convincing whether you are in the centre of the room or off to one side. The listener isn’t limited to a central ‘sweet-spot’ as with conventional speakers meaning KEF’s speakers are an easy choice when planning and designing a project or installation.
Dr Sebastien Degraeve, research and development engineer at KEF: "We want to absorb the sound behind the drivers because we want to hear the music and not any artefact created by the driver itself or the cabinet. We've created a metamaterial that is optimised to absorb the maximum of sound in a minimum of space."
A ground-breaking new generation
KEF’s world-class engineers have been at the forefront of cutting-edge audio technology for nearly 60 years and with KEF’s willingness to think outside the box and constantly search for new materials, techniques and technologies, Uni-Q has evolved.
Using advanced simulation and analysis tools, KEF engineers have now developed the 12th generation Uni-Q with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), as featured in the newly launched KEF LS Collection. This new driver array delivers reduced colouration, less distortion and a sound that is more transparent and life-like than previously possible, all dispersed evenly throughout the room.
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 the listening experience.
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 range of speciffic frequencies. When combined, the channels act as an acoustic black hole, absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound. Other traditional approaches have only allowed around 60% absorption, so the resulting acoustic quality is incomparable. The difference is audible.
Applying the new innovation
New technology as pioneering as MAT requires a great platform from which to perform. This innovation has allowed KEF to design the revolutionary KEF LS50 Meta – the world’s first loudspeaker to feature Metamaterial Absorption Technology – and the KEF LS50 Wireless II, the ultimate Wireless HiFi speakers. The LS Collection delivers an unrivalled purity of sound that is so natural the listener will feel entirely immersed in their chosen soundscape. You only have to listen and believe.