KEF R5 Meta

KEF R5 Meta - Compact floorstanding speaker with big sound

The slim and elegant R5 Meta is a compact floorstanding speaker capable of delivering highly detailed sound and deep, clean bass. It boasts a 12th generation Uni-Q® driver with MAT™ and two 5.25" hybrid aluminum bass drivers. It can be used as a stereo pair or as surround speakers in an ultimate home theater system in the R Meta series.

Highlights:

• Detailed, precise, and expansive stereo soundstage
• Immersive and incredibly musical
• 12th gen. Uni-Q delivers a larger soundstage and “sweet spot”
• MAT provides cleaner, more natural sound
• Optimized tweeter opening for better detail reproduction
• Flexible Decoupling Chassis prevents unwanted cabinet vibrations and provides greater clarity
• Hybrid aluminum bass drivers with greater excursion, delivering tight, deep, and controlled bass
• Shadow Flare technology provides a higher level of detail
• Perfect for smaller rooms
• Flexible reflex port for better clarity and detail

About the KEF R Meta series

The reason KEF speakers sound so natural and neutral is their groundbreaking and patented Uni-Q driver, which makes all the sound come from a single point because the tweeter is placed at the acoustic center of the midrange/bass driver. This means the sound is dispersed much more evenly and widely than with conventional speakers, where the sound comes from drivers in different positions. When the sound comes from a single point, KEF avoids the interference problems of conventional speakers, making the sound much cleaner and more natural. When all frequencies reach the ear at the same time, the sound is perceived as far more precise and realistic, which means instruments sound like real instruments rather than a speaker’s reproduction of them. This is something every speaker strives for, but very few master as well as KEF.

Revolutionary sound absorption with MAT

The biggest innovation in the R Meta series is the patented MAT. This technology may be the most revolutionary tool in KEF´s acoustic arsenal, raising the performance of the 12th generation Uni-Q driver to a whole new level in terms of precision and clarity. MAT eliminates distortion and delivers cleaner, more natural acoustic performance. It is the result of joint development with Acoustic Metamaterials Group. Metamaterials are specially developed structures that use existing materials in such a way that they exhibit new, desirable properties that simply do not exist in naturally occurring substances. MAT's tuned channels absorb 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of the driver, compared with around 60% absorption from speakers that use other methods.

The result is much more precise imaging and sound. The improved crossover design has fine-tuned the signal path and brought significantly improved transparency. The optimized cabinet design means even better acoustic performance. The result is optimal bass response and even better transient reproduction.

Shadow Flare for better clarity

In the latest version of the R Meta series, KEF has also used an innovative solution to remove the harmful diffraction and turbulence that “muddy” the soundstage. They achieved this by using ‘Shadow Flare’ technology, taken directly from their reference series, and the result is much better reproduction of the finer details. With KEF’s Meta series, you will therefore experience being much closer to the instruments, because you can hear and visualize all the fine details, especially from string instruments and percussion.

However, it is not only at high frequencies that the R Meta series excels, because the bass driver is an advanced aluminum-paper hybrid that ensures a perfect combination of rigidity and lightness, allowing the bass to reproduce the very deepest tones with the greatest speed.

Flexible port for cleaner bass

To enable the R Meta series to deliver truly deep and articulate bass, KEF has designed a reflex port that delays turbulence and prevents resonances from coloring the midrange. In addition, they have designed a cabinet that uses both hard and soft components to eliminate unwanted vibrations that would otherwise alter the sound and the music. KEF has also chosen a much slimmer design than its predecessors, which makes the speaker not only look better but also sound better. At KEF, everything is about improving the sound, and the closer the drivers are to the edge of the baffle, the less diffraction occurs. The result is that the sound does not become “muddy” but instead sounds crystal clear.

Critical damping for better performance

Powerful drivers can easily cause the cabinet itself to make noise – noise that was never part of the recording to begin with. Together with the internal bracing, KEF's Constrained Layer Damping is a sophisticated bracing system that ensures the cabinet remains completely acoustically dead. This has been achieved by connecting the bracing to the drivers and the cabinet with a lossy interface. This material converts vibrations into heat, ensuring that the cabinet makes the only sound it needs to make - the sound of silence.