The LS50 is a two-way loudspeaker, its Uni-Q is a tweeter/midwoofer combination, while in the three-way Blade, the Uni-Q is a tweeter/midrange combination, so it's free to operate over a narrower bandwidth. The Uni-Q in the Blade Two is a bit different. presents a more transparent window into the recorded soundstage." (footnote 1) This 12th generation technology has already appeared in the LS50 Meta, and John Atkinson said that in comparing it to its predecessor, it "improves on its presentation of low-level detail and. ![]() So, what's new in 2022? Uni-Q, KEF's unique, concentric tweeter/midrange driver, is now in its 12th generation as the "Meta" name indicates, it incorporates Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) to reduce the influence of the reflection of the tweeter's backwave back onto its own diaphragm. Yes, the price is higher, but taking inflation into account, the new speaker is actually about 10% cheaper. Even the speaker terminals look the same. Superficially, the Blade Two Meta looks just like its predecessor: same shape, same dimensions, same weight, a single Uni-Q driver on the front, two pairs of force-canceling woofers mounted on the cabinet's two sides, and two large ports, each venting a separate chamber for each woofer pair. This time, anticipating updates to the Blades (and the Reference line) for KEF's 60th birthday, I presumptuously requested a pair of the new Blade Twos well before they were announced. Still, I was jealous when John Atkinson reviewed the smaller com/Blade Two in 2015. The latter is significant because I enjoy the view from my Manhattan apartment, unobstructed on the inside, at least. They looked like no other speaker, and they were tall. When the original Blade was released in 2009, I was fascinated but also intimidated. These technologies and others combine in what KEF calls a "Single Apparent Source." All are incorporated in the new Blade Meta speakers. During his tenure, we have seen the maturation and refinement of the Uni-Q coaxial driver, the development and implementation of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), the use of force-canceling woofers to minimize cabinet vibration and coloration, and the introduction of stiff, glass-reinforced composite cabinet material shaped to reduce diffraction. The project Cooke started has been sustained by a succession of notable designers and engineers (Laurie Fincham Andrew Jones), and it seems to be flourishing under the current VP of technology, Jack Oclee-Brown. Regrettably, they were always priced out of my reach. ![]() They always seemed to strike the right balance of intelligent engineering, solid construction, and domestic suitability. ![]() ![]() Shortly thereafter, I commenced decades of building loudspeakers, mostly with KEF drivers, and, beginning with the 104 in 1973, pining for their Reference speakers. As a teenager, I was introduced to founder Raymond Cooke and his innovative "race-track" woofer, Mylar tweeter dome, and Bextrene cones in Bud Fried's IMF Newsletter. Not in any existential sense, but in a literal, practical way: The arrival of the Blade Two Meta is the culmination of a lifelong fascination with KEF. It seems as if I have been waiting for these all my life.
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