Nothing a quick wipe couldn’t fix, however. The Black matte sample I received looked good, but strangely enough, it picked up fingerprints like nobody’s business. The LS50 Meta comes in four contemporary finishes, including Carbon Black, Titanium Grey, Mineral White, and a Royal Blue Special Edition.
The single set of five-way binding posts is also very similar (read: very basic) to the original LS50, and the Meta is again robust and weighty, just like the original.Ĭonversely, there are some subtle cosmetic differences to the Meta, like the new rounded inset rear panel and matte satin-like finish, which gives it a more modern look than the first LS50.
Kef ls50 meta surround system driver#
While there’s a lot of new stuff in the Meta, there are also a lot of elements that throwback to the original LS50, like the low-diffraction, curved baffle, the Uni-Q concentric driver setup for point source perception, the 2-way crossover, and its overall compact dimensions. They have also installed a new offset flexible port for enhanced midrange clarity. The enclosure also has Constrained Layer Damping (CLD), which refers to a separate dampening layer to reduce distortion further. A quick knock test will attest to this, as I received nothing but a brief “thunk” when I attempted it. This disk also incorporates a maze-like pattern to enhance absorption properties.īesides MAT, Kef has newly instituted several other design elements like “Driver Performance Optimisation” for reduced coloration overall and new cabinet cross bracing for prime cabinet rigidity. In practice, Kef has installed a MAT driver array (basically a disk made of metamaterial) behind the Meta’s Uni-Q driver to soak up unwanted resonances. They also claim 40% more frequency response smoothness over the original, a pain point for some folks on the first version. Kef claims the technology is capable of eliminating 99% of high-frequency distortion. In the case of MAT, Kef has created a synthetic material that can absorb unwanted sound emanating from the rear of the LS50 Meta’s driver, thus reducing distortion and enhancing the speaker’s transparency. By the way, metamaterials are a unique assembly of composites put together to exhibit particular properties.
Then in 2020, Kef decided it was time for a refresh, implementing several improvements, most notably the introduction of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT).
The first LS50 speaker was released back in 2012 to celebrate KEF’s 50th anniversary, and over the years, it has become iconic, drawing accolades from just about all of the audio press. Dimensions (HWD per speaker): 12 x 7.9 x 12.2 in.Amplifier power (recommended): 40-100 W.No input has been given regarding the content contained within. So if you have the original LS50s, should you upgrade? Is the new LS50 still an affordable reference in today’s market? Well, read on, and I’ll let you know the scoop!ĭisclaimer: The review unit I have on hand is provided by Kef in exchange for our evaluation. I finally got my hands on a pair of LS50 Metas, and I was super excited to find out just how much of an improvement these new LS50s were. When I bought them, they were considered the reference monitor for around a thousand dollars. I mean, the ones I already had were pretty darn accurate and immersive, providing listeners with astounding soundstage, imaging, and scale for its size.
0 kommentar(er)
