KEF R5 Meta Floorstanding Speakers

The slim and elegant R5 Meta is compact, but it is more than capable of delivering highly detailed sound and deep, clean bass. It boasts the 12th generation Uni-Q driver array with MAT and two 5.25” hybrid aluminium bass drivers. It can work as a stereo pair or as surround speakers as part of an ultimate R Series home theatre system.

Overview

The KEF R5 Meta floostanding speakers deliver an unparalleled audio experience incorporating the legendary British manufacturer’s latest innovative speaker design and technology. The speaker’s three-way bass reflex design houses a Uni-Q Driver Array featuring a 25mm tweeter, 125mm mid-range driver, and two 130mm bass drivers, resulting in rich and detailed sound across the entire frequency spectrum. KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MATTM) aids the driver design in providing accurate audio reproduction and further refines performance.

The R Series speakers feature a design that emphasizes the drivers and eliminates resonances or turbulence caused by the bass port. KEF utilised Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to detect turbulence and resonant frequencies generated by the bass port, and then eliminated these issues with their innovative Flexible Wall Bass Port solution. Additionally, the R Series benefits from KEF’s advanced cabinet design, including Constrained Layer Damping construction for stability and rigidity, and Shadow Flare technology that reduces diffraction from the cabinet.

A Flare for Detail

Derived from The Reference, Shadow Flare is an innovative way to cut harmful high frequency cabinet diffraction. It’s a carefully profiled transition that extends the waveguide effect of Uni-Q®. The treble escapes naturally because the ‘shadow region’ stops it getting to the cabinet edges. The result is vastly improved fine detail.

Performance critical damping

A solid platform is imperative for great sound. The R Series benefits from constrained layer damping, a system that uses internal braces joined by a ‘lossy’ interface. This material converts unwanted vibration into heat, ensuring that the cabinet makes the only sound it needs to: the sound of silence.

True Bass Definition

R Series bass drivers have a two-part structure with a shallow, concave, aluminium skin atop a paper cone. This stiffness, combined with the cone’s unique geometry, achieves a piston-like movement for punch and speed. The drivers’ magnet system creates a broad and uniform magnetic field which means more impressive and impactful bass.

Flexible port for cleaner bass

We only want to hear the drivers, not the resonances or turbulence created by a bass port. The R Series ports have innovative flexible walls. Using computational fluid dynamics, the flare and profile of each port is calculated to delay the onset of turbulence and the flexible port walls prevent resonances from coloring the midrange.