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KEF's meta material gimmick?

Hi,

A thought just occured to me recently. Is KEF's Meta material just a genius marketing gimmick? I mean everyone and their grandmas reviewed the KEF LS50 Meta and they spent way too much time explaining the purpose of the meta material. I know white papers were published with conclusive results. KEF is beloved by the "measurements first" crowd so nobody bats an eye. The illustrations for the Meta material portray an intricate maze made of a some kind of gel. But isn't that just $1 piece of molded rubber? It's just a coaster relax. 

I wanna bet real money that the 365+ cork coasters from IKEA ($2.50 for 2) would accomplish the exact same thing. Cork is a great sound absorbing material. It's complex. Just glue that at the back of the driver. Mission accomplished? Am I missing something? 

 

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Showing 1 response by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,805 posts
 

I think there are tens of thousands of terms used by speaker makers to assure the buyer that they are buying the most modern technology possible. The term I saw Focal use was "perception of modernity" I believe.

Is any speaker in 2023 much better than any speaker in 2000? Meh.

As the Kef videos show however, they are tackling a real problem in a new way, which is the backwave from a tweeter. B&W did it with a tube, others with absorbent stuffing and unique sound chambers (ScanSpeak AirCirc for instance).

So, yeah, but what’s the problem? Speaker makers always hype something. Why pick on KEF in particular here?  If you really wanted to complain about KEF it's their impedance curves.  🤣

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