KEF - Blade One Meta Floor-Standing Speakers (Pair)

Cut to the Heart of Your Music with the Hand-Built KEF Blade One Meta Floor-Standing Speakers: World's First Single Apparent Source Design Features MAT, Nine-Inch Force-Canceling Drivers, 12th-Gen Uni-Q Driver Array, and Stunning Looks

The KEF Blade One Meta floor-standing speakers look and sound like nothing else on the market except for their smaller siblings. That's intentional, and two of the many reasons this truly unique and influential design will thrill and satisfy you for decades to come. Blade One Meta boasts uncanny abilities to disappear into the background, play loud without losing a hint of composure, remain fatigue-free even during marathon listening sessions, and perhaps most importantly, thrive with any type of music. And make it fun. What's not to love?

The world's first Single Apparent Source speaker features a bespoke 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array with Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), two pairs of nine-inch force-canceling low-frequency drivers, and enhanced crossover to literally and figuratively leave jaws dropped in amazement. And that says nothing of the head-turning cabinet form, inspired by Brancusi's modernist sculpture "Bird in Space" and seen elegantly tapering from top to bottom, front to rear, the slender proportions turning the hand-built and U.K.-made Blade One Meta into an artwork worthy of display in the Guggenheim.

The evolved result of KEF engineers being given absolute free reign to underscore the company's acoustic principles, expertise, and innovation, Blade One Meta aims to achieve the acoustic ideal of a point source wherein low, mid and high frequencies radiate from one point. Not an easy task but one that Blade One Meta achieves. In each speaker, meticulously calibrated drivers that cover the speaker’s entire bandwidth are configured so that all frequencies appear to radiate from one single point. Four low-frequency drivers in symmetrically opposing pairs get tightly packed around a two-way Uni-Q driver (read more below) where the mid-frequency and high-frequency share the same acoustic center.

As a result, you'll experience hyper-precise imaging and accuracy across an incredibly wide area. The 126-pound Blade One Meta remains supremely coherent across all audible frequencies; you'll hear immersive, realistic, naturalistic sonics and perceive details you never knew existed thanks to the stunning clarity. And you'll go down deep thanks to the four vented low-frequency drivers that deliver clean, extended, finely controlled bass. Decoupling the voice coil from the diaphragm permits the use of low-order crossovers for pure, silkier bass response. And to avoid exciting the cabinet when you turn up the volume, the drivers are mounted back-to-back to cancel out kinetic forces that might otherwise color the output. Each pair even occupies a separate chamber to reduce the need for damping.

Blade One Meta goes degrees further than the original model courtesy of MAT. A highly complex maze-like structure in which each of the intricate channels absorbs a specific frequency, MAT functions as an acoustic black hole by absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound that comes from the rear of the tweeter. Kiss distortion goodbye and prepare for levels of purity and smoothness you might never have thought possible.

Measuring 62.5 x 14.3 x 21.2 inches (HWD) and available in eight sleek finishes, Blade One Meta has a measured frequency range (free field) of 27Hz-45kHz and 88dB sensitivity. It is a fantastic match with any kind of amplifier as long as that amp is up to par. No matter what type of amplifier you choose, it's doubtful you'll ever tire of the sound or the acoustically inert, ultra-high-density polyurethane composite cabinetry whose parabolic curves eliminate standing waves that might negatively impact what you hear.

Sold with a five-year manufacturer warranty and our Satisfaction Guarantee, Blade One Meta cuts to the heart of music with prodigious skill and relentless joy. To learn more, give us a call at 312-433-0200.

"The Blades are easy to set up and work incredibly well with almost all amplifiers, making them a great choice for a system anchor from which you can build and improve as your time and budget allow. After a year of living with these speakers, I just don’t see the need to spend more money on a speaker — ever."
—Jeff Dorgay, TONEAudio, Exceptional Value Award

"'Marmite' industrial aesthetic aside, the magic of the Blade One Metas is realized in the sort of focus, imaging and definition you'd expect of the finest miniature, but written here into a big sonic picture without any compromise. They're weighty, fast and more than capable of shaking your chest without any slur or bloom. They really must be heard if you're shopping at this price... or even way above."
—Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product

"Musically communicative in a way that few speakers can match at any price, the KEFs are also sonically adaptable. They don’t impose their own stamp on the system or the music, but rather, they have that trick of revealing and reveling in the characteristics of the driving electronics."
—The Audio Beat

"What a rush! Judas Priest’s Painkiller was delivered with all the speed and savageness that I’ve heard any domestic audio system muster. At concert level volume the sound was close to terrifying! Awesome."
—Barry Jones, SoundStage!

12th Generation Uni-Q with MAT
The 12th generation Uni-Q with MAT for Blade is a bespoke driver array engineered to deliver pristine performance. 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 Blade’s sensational performance. For starters, the stiffened aluminum tweeter dome that sits at the center of the Uni-Q driver array is capable of delivering consistently sweet, lucid, and lyrical treble, irrespective of the volume. KEF re-engineered the tweeter gap damper to maximize the space at the back of the tweeter for the new metamaterial absorber. Optimizing the cavity shape and strategically placing two rings of porous material effectively tame the resonances and imperfections, thus greatly improving detail and clarity. A new ultra-low distortion midrange motor design uses a copper ring embedded into the motor gap to minimize inductance and variation of inductance with coil position. This lowers the midrange THD and reduces thermal compression, leading to improved efficiency. The Uni-Q driver array is fully decoupled to prevent unwanted vibrations from muddying the sound. A new flexible decoupling chassis is designed to reduce vibration and remove coloration. It ensures that any vibration generated by the mid and high-frequency motor system is not transmitted to the loudspeaker cabinet. 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-optimized to ensure a smooth transition to the cabinet. The patented tangerine waveguide technology manages the airflow to recreate the wide, even spread of a natural sound field, dispersing the pure high-frequency imaging throughout the room.