KEF Reference 3 Meta Floorstanding Speakers

KEF

KEF Reference 3 Meta Floorstanding Speakers

Name: KEF Reference 3 Meta Floorstanding Speakers
Brand: KEF
SKU: REF3/META
Price: 24000 CAD
Availability: OutOfStock

SKU:

REF3/META

$24,000.00

/pair

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About KEF

Description

Reference 3 Meta

The benchmark HiFi speakers, condensed. Made in the UK.

Reference 3 Meta has an uncanny ability to generate an intricate, emotionally compelling three-dimensional soundstage that places you right at the heart of the original performance.

At its heart sits the 12th generation Uni-Q driver array with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), the latest technological development from KEF, and one which puts you solidly at the hear of the action. The three way design with two 165mm (6.5 inch) bass drivers perfectly positioned above and below the Uni-Q point source driver array. Fidelity across the midrange and treble is outstanding, with a smooth, flat on-axis frequency response and balanced response in other directions.

Together with Uni-Q’s broad, inclusive dispersion characteristics, the Reference 3 Meta allows everyone in the room to enjoy the same rich, spatially precise acoustics without being restricted to a conventional "sweet spot". Lyrical, finely nuanced and astonishingly powerful when required, the speakers intensify the experience of music or drama like few other speakers can.

The Reference

Metamaterial Absorption Technology eliminates 99% of high-frequency distortion for pure, natural sound
Bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT driver array for exceptional acoustic accuracy
Enhanced crossover design fine-tunes the signal path for maximum clarity
Optimised cabinet design for best acoustic performance
Available in 5 finishes
The Reference Series Grille set for each model is available separately

The benchmark of benchmarks.

The Reference has continually set the benchmark for loudspeakers since its launch in 1973. The perfect reproduction of recorded sound is what The Reference has always stood for. Pioneering the use of digital technologies to achieve the highest audio accuracy, every pair of The Reference series can be matched within half a decibel to the laboratory-maintained reference standard. Exact pair matching delivers perfect stereo reproduction, so these revolutionary speakers won acclaim for the superior acoustic precision. Hence the method became the name: The Reference.

KEF Reference speakers from 1973 to present day.

Always innovating.

Since the first Reference speaker, KEF engineers have continued to innovate using what is possible with The Reference. Ground-breaking in its first incarnation, each subsequent iteration of The Reference has added to the world’s knowledge of the science of acoustics. In the latest evolution, The Reference incorporates our latest innovation: Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT™) and continues to be the supreme expression of KEF’s philosophy, where advanced engineering meets inspired design.

A class apart.

The Reference are loudspeakers for serious audiophiles who aspire to the perfect enjoyment of music and movies. Whether used in a traditional two-channel HiFi or a multi-channel home theatre, listeners will be able to experience the realistic, immersive sound with breath-taking dynamics, and levels of accuracy that reveal details never noticed before.

The Reference range encompasses two three-way floorstanding speakers, a formidable three-way standmount speaker, and two three-way centre speakers that can be used as Left-Centre-Right (LCR) speakers. The Reference combines phenomenal high-fidelity performance with complete multi-channel versatility.

And now new technological advances make The Reference range even more impressive. At the heart of The Reference range now sits a bespoke 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT driver array. This new addition truly puts The Reference range in a class of its own.

Innovation

Metamaterial Absorption Technology

A revolutionary tool in the KEF acoustic armoury, MAT breaks completely new ground in speaker design.

Metamaterial Absorption Technology 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 distortion and providing a more natural acoustic performance.

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 result of joint development with the Acoustic Metamaterials Group, using MAT breaks completely new ground in loudspeaker design, and demonstrates KEF’s unrelenting passion for developing new technologies to improve your listening experience.

Uni-Q®

Sit anywhere, hear every detail.

Refined through iterations, Uni-Q® driver array for The Reference is the 12th generation Uni-Q® with MAT™. Uni-Q® acts as a single point source to disperse sound more evenly throughout the room. The result is the elimination of the limited ‘sweet spot’, therefore allowing everybody sitting at different spots in the room to experience and enjoy the same natural, detailed sound.

The 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT in The Reference is a bespoke driver array engineered to deliver pristine performance across this exceptional range of loudspeakers. It’s the result of decades of accumulated in-house knowledge and the application of cutting-edge simulation and analysis tools. The developments are many and all play a part in The Reference’s pristine performance.

1. Driver surround

A new driver surround is designed to allow longer excursion without causing diffraction and extending the frequency range of the mid-frequency. Plus, the contours of the dome, midrange horn and surround are all computer-optimised to ensure a perfectly smooth transition to the cabinet.

2. Flexible decoupling chassis

A new flexible decoupling chassis is designed to reduce vibration and reduce coloration. It ensures that any vibrations generated by the mid and high-frequency motor system are not transmitted to the loudspeaker cabinet.

3. Ultra-low distortion MF motor

A new ultra-low distortion midrange motor design uses a copper ring embedded into the motor gap to minimise inductance and variation of inductance with coil position. This lowers the midrange THD and reduces thermal compression, leading to improved efficiency.

4. Tweeter gap damper

The tweeter gap damper is re- engineered to maximise the space at the back of the tweeter for the new metamaterial absorber.

5. MAT tweeter absorber

The MAT tweeter absorber is a highly complex maze-like structure, where each of the intricate channels efficiently absorbs a specific frequency.

6. Tweeter dome

The new stiffened aluminium tweeter dome that sits at the centre of the state-of-the-art Uni-Q driver array is capable of delivering consistently sweet, lucid and lyrical treble, irrespective of the volume.

7. Tangerine waveguide

The patented tangerine waveguide technology manages the airflow to recreate the wide, even spread of a natural sound field, dispersing the astonishingly pure high-frequency imaging throughout the room.

Low Frequency Driver

The Reference’s 165mm (6.5 inch) low frequency driver perfectly complements the new 12th generation Uni-Q driver array. With a massive vented magnet assembly and a large aluminium wire voice coil driving an exceptionally light, stiff and strong aluminium diaphragm rather than a conventional cone, the dynamics and power handling are outstanding. The distortion performance is also superb. Played loud or soft, in delicate passages or for full-on bass effects, the combination of advanced materials, smart engineering and meticulous attention to detail enables the bass to blend seamlessly with the immaculate midrange and treble.

Performance

Total attention to detail

Every speaker in The Reference range exudes the sense of sheer quality that comes from being hand-built by KEF’s master craftsmen in Maidstone, Kent, UK. They are designed to be acoustically exceptional, attractive to look at, and each speaker is meticulously built to KEF’s exceptional standards.

Reference quality bass

The Reference’s 165mm (6.5 inch) low frequency driver perfectly complements the new 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array. Smart engineering and meticulous attention to detail enables the bass to blend seamlessly with the immaculate midrange and treble.

Engineered to be flexible

The Reference speakers are welcomingly undemanding in terms of positioning and are easy to fine-tune for your listening area by using KEF’s innovative Flexible Port Technology, which can reduce port resonance.

There are two options of port tubes, allowing users to modify the sound to suit their room. Plus, the flare and profile of each port has been calculated by computational fluid dynamics to avoid turbulent air noise that might colour the sound, another part of the complex jigsaw that is The Reference’s breath-taking performance.

The smallest details, revealed

The Reference drivers are set in a smooth, strikingly distinctive front baffle. Made from an exceptionally strong laminated aluminium and resin composite, formed in a press under extreme temperatures, it adds tremendous rigidity to the cabinet structure. The baffle also has an acoustic damping function, being connected resiliently to the cabinet via high-loss pads and secured by high tensile bolts.

Shadow Flare drastically reduces harmful cabinet diffraction, allowing Uni-Q to work at its highest level. A precision-designed surface extends the waveguide effect of Uni-Q for improved clarity, particularly when it comes to the subtle nuances of plucked strings and other percussive sounds.

Computer-modelled cabinet

Finished by hand in pair-matched wood veneers or sumptuous high- gloss to complement the sleek composite front baffle, the beauty of The Reference cabinets lies deeper than their purposeful architectural looks. Expertly engineered using finite element analysis to determine the ideal shape and bracing geometry, the structure is carefully designed to minimise the effect of standing waves, which can otherwise cause irregularity and resonance in driver output. By using constrained layer damping techniques to absorb unwanted vibrations and massive internal bracing to strengthen the entire structure, The Reference enclosures are virtually inert. And with no panel resonance, stray reflections or box coloration effects to muddy the sound, the midrange and bass you hear is exceptionally smooth, clean, and pure.

Design

Designed, engineered, handcrafted in Maidstone, UK

Since 1961, we have been creating remarkable award-winning loudspeakers at our UK home in Maidstone, Kent. As our flagship HiFi speakers, The Reference is still being designed, engineered, and handcrafted in Maidstone today.

Every speaker in The Reference range exudes the sense of sheer quality that comes from being hand-built by KEF’s master craftspeople. They are designed to be acoustically exceptional, attractive to look at, and each speaker is meticulously built to exceptional standards.

Finished to perfection

The expertly engineered cabinets are finished in a sumptuous high-gloss or richly detailed, pair-matched wood veneer to complement the strikingly distinctive front baffle. Five finishes are available, a combination of three cabinet finishes and five drive unit colours: Satin Walnut/Silver, High-Gloss Black/Copper, High-Gloss Black/Grey, High-Gloss White/Blue, and High-Gloss White/Champagne.

Performance plinths

To prevent any vestigial cabinet vibrations from being transmitted through the floor of the listening area, Reference 5 Meta and Reference 3 Meta are solidly grounded on a performance plinth and spike set developed with attention to detail. The precision-engineered plinth has a built-in spirit level, and the spike sets are cleverly designed for ease of adjustment, with the screws neatly concealed by a smart machined cap.