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KEF's new Metamaterial Absorption Technology

Trouble Maker

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Newman

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Doodski

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From what I hear in that video, metamaterial is spinspeak for synthetics.
Whatever it is it might be a game changing product. I'm interested to see how it works out.
 
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kaka89

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Whatever it is it might be a game changing product. I'm interested to see how it works out.

Sound absorption probably just means they can have better ported speaker, but it is not equal to controlled directivity.
And the absorption is only 40% better than existing technology.

I doubt it will be a game changer.
 

Mnyb

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Purpose seems to be to use it behind midrange and tweeters ? The whitepaper shows a dome tweeter ?
 

LearningToSmile

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And the absorption is only 40% better than existing technology.
I doubt it will be a game changer.
Well, depends how you spin it: 40% in absolute terms, or improvement of 60 to 99 which is 65% increase, or, for the marketing inclined, reduction from 40% to 1% unwanted reflections which is a massive 40 times better ;)

Joking aside it's always nice to see mainstream brands do at least some innovation, regardless of what impact it will have in practice - I feel like particularly in materials science there's gotta be a lot of performance left on the table in loudspeaker design.
 

Mnyb

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Actually KEF is driven by a scientific narrative . To sell everyone has to present a story and a brand , it is the least bad alternative :) As a byproduct actuall science are done , good for all .

But as the paper says there are bulkier old methods that results in bigger (unsellable ) speakers , so no one uses this kind of aproach in practice .
If this aproach make it happen in actual comercial speakers good ! Thumbs upp from me .

An uneven figth for todays speaker makers it has to be small for the sake of being small , if you can turn that to your advantage that's really good.

* The good thing this smaller damping system may have desirable properties that old solutions don't have ?

* Bad thing , resources spent at "Figth against nature" ! Same problem as small subwoofers (just get the bigger box and problem solves itself ).
 

Soniclife

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The good thing this smaller damping system may have desirable properties that old solutions don't have ?
My guess is their interest in this is it solves a problem that the UniQ causes, and it's less important for more traditional designs.

Their page teases new speakers using this, wonder what range that will be, new reference series, or new blades?
 

ttimer

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An uneven figth for todays speaker makers it has to be small for the sake of being small

* Bad thing , resources spent at "Figth against nature" ! Same problem as small subwoofers (just get the bigger box and problem solves itself ).

What makes you say that? Most speakers today have to be small for the sake of being there at all. Just look at the space available in reasonably priced appartments in any major city on the globe. London, which is kind of a relevant market for KEF, is particularly bad in this regard.
 

Juhazi

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