KEF R5 META - PAIR

Kef R5 Meta are the thinnest floorstanding HiFi speakers of the renewed English R Meta Series, the real entry into the Olympus of High Fidelity. 3-way speakers, equipped with the famous Uni-Q composed of a 25 mm tweeter and 125 mm midrange and 2 130 mm woofers. Finally they also integrate the revolutionary Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT™) which takes the performance of these speakers even further.

This new absolute reference is compact and elegant, without sacrificing high-impact low frequencies. Like the rest of the line, it is available in the classic black or white lacquered finishes and real walnut.

Description

Kef R5: The best sleek and slim floorstanding speakers

Kef R5 Meta are the renewed entry floor HiFi loudspeakers of Kef's Meta R Series. The most extreme acoustic technologies are housed in a slim and compact body: it is able to offer a highly detailed sound and deep and clean bass.

The Meta R Series is the latest evolution of one of the most complete, loved and acclaimed loudspeaker lines ever. Featuring an endless list of technological innovations and countless improvements over the previous generation, this range aims directly at the acoustic peaks of the Kef Reference series. Already in 2018 top-level features and performance were brought to this category and price range, with no fewer than 1,043 individual changes to the previous R Series.

The result of this huge production effort is exemplified by this speaker: which now boasts the Uni-Q® patent, now in its 12th generation, but also with the innovative Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT™ – Metamaterial Absorption Technology) implemented.

Thus was born the R5 Meta, which although falling within the same size range, benefits from patents and innovations developed for the leaders in the Blade and Reference classes, to ensure even more realistic and detailed performance compared to the previous edition.

Also R5 Meta, like the whole series, is equipped with the same Uni-Q as the larger R7 and R11 Meta models, consisting of a 25 mm aluminum dome tweeter and a midrange with 125 mm aluminum cone. The whole is completed by two 13 cm woofers dedicated to low frequencies.

The Metamaterial Absorption Technology in R5 Meta

Kef first introduced Metamaterial Absorption Technology, or MAT™ – for short – in 2020 in the legendary LS50 Meta, thus also winning the What Hi-Fi? Innovation of the Year award.

Then integrated in the active models LS50 Wireless 2 and LS60 Wireless as well as in the Blade Meta and Reference Meta flagships, the technology now also arrives in the famous R line of the English brand.

The MAT material is custom designed, taking advantage of its unique properties and very complex labyrinth structures, to reduce 99% of unwanted distortion that would be created behind the tweeter. The result is a more natural and pure sound.

12th generation Uni-Q – the heart of R5 Meta

With the aim of implementing Metamaterials within the R Series and getting the most out of the combination of these technologies, Kef had to completely redesign the patented Uni-Q® driver, starting from the magnetic group of the motor – now with very low distortion – of the midrange.

The identifying trait of Kef since 1988 - the Uni-Q - is inspired by what is most true in nature: the spherical emission. With the tweeter concentric with the midrange - mounted in line with each other - we will obtain a point emission source, exactly as in reality. But above all, it allows the sound to be propagated more evenly, thus allowing you to enjoy incredible levels of detail and realism at any point in the listening room.

The famous Uni-Q® patent over the years has been the result of continuous research, has won countless awards and has now reached its 12th revision.

Now, in addition to reaching a higher frequency range – but always without distortion – thanks to the longer excursion of the driver itself, it includes a waveguide, between the tweeter and the new Metamaterial absorber, completely redesigned specifically for this edition.

The incredible angular dispersion – characteristic of Kef – now more than ever fears no rivals.

The damper also has two rings of porous material to absorb resonances, and therefore improve detail and transparency.

Not just patents

Kef – guided by acoustics – has been engaged since 1961 in the pursuit of pure sound reproduction of our favorite recordings.

At the same time, however, the Maidstone brand has always collaborated with important industrial designers to combine within its reference speakers not only the most cutting-edge technologies and innovations in the world, but also an ultra-modern aesthetic.

Kef R5 Meta – like the entire range – is finished in three elegant and classic colours, which give this floorstanding speaker a timeless look: black or glossy white and real walnut, all three finished with tone-on-tone details, a starting from the tips arriving at the drivers. Whether it's the outer ring or the Kef logo, everything recalls the dominant color.

In this latest renovation they also wanted to create two truly fascinating special edition finishes, however reserved exclusively for the small R3 Meta – with an Indigo Gloss with golden driver, and Glossy Titanium with Uni-Q Red for the R7 Meta.

R5 Meta is recommended for medium-small environments

The Kef R5 Meta is perhaps the easiest floorstanding speaker to set up in Kef's new R Meta series. Its compact size, smaller woofers, combined with perfect bass management and double rear reflex, give ample flexibility of positioning within the listening environment.

Its performance makes it perfectly suitable even in small or medium-sized rooms between 10 and 30 m2, for traditional Hi-Fi listening. On the other hand, to provide more important soundscapes – of 40 or 50 square meters – the addition of a reinforcement subwoofer or possibly an upgrade with a loudspeaker with a higher-capacity woofer is definitely recommended.

Like the entire R Meta line - which in fact also includes two speakers dedicated to LCR and a Dolby Atmos model - this fantastic R5 Meta can naturally be integrated into surround systems to create high-level Home Cinema systems. For excellent sonorisation but at a lower cost, we recommend looking at the SerieQ.

Improved woofers for precise bass

The drivers dedicated to the low frequencies of the R Series had already been completely re-designed in the previous 2018 edition, to obtain greater "punch" and control, even managing to reach a double excursion compared to the past, guaranteeing absolute performance and highly tolerant of volume excursions!

Here the two 13 cm woofers, with their new structure, succeed more than ever in this price range, in reproducing exceptionally deep and clean bass.

They also benefit from a motor featuring an improved magnet system, now with very low distortion, and a new cone that guarantees greater rigidity. The result is superb bass performance, with extreme power, depth, speed and articulation. Hard Rock on the ball? No problem!

Shadow Flare

Another fundamental technology for the acoustic result of this renewed R5 Meta is the so-called "Shadow Flare" which is able to enhance the already ultra-performing waveguide work carried out by the Uni-Q driver.

Also heir to the reference series - Reference Meta - this innovation is now a typical feature of Kef and consists in completely reducing the diffraction effects caused by the edges of the cabinet through the accurate design of the external ring of the driver. Thanks to this profiling engineering technique, the sound performance of the Uni-Q - albeit housed in a speaker with classic shapes - achieves even more performing, realistic and convincing results, giving these Kef R5 Metas a decidedly clearer sound, and improved detail. .

Damped cabinet

The equipment with compact drivers, especially in this floorstanding model, has allowed the cabinet to be extremely thin. The benefit in this case is twofold: a discreet speaker is more easily inserted into the environment and at the same time interacts less with the room.

It also benefits from a damping technique that combines the rigidity of the cabinet with internal braces joined by a soft interface, making the entire system completely inert to vibration, ensuring a coloration-free sound.

New patented grids

Kef R5 Meta loudspeakers combine high performance with a build quality that is unrivaled in the audio industry. One of the most obvious proofs is represented by the front protection grille for the drivers, made with the use of 13 layers of composite materials and microfiber.

Featuring 1,801 precision cut-outs for each of the different drivers, the new magnetic grilles to match the specific finish, are ultra-thin, ultra-stiff and extremely stylish. Their design gives a clean cut to the past by redesigning the standards of hearing protection, without affecting the sound result in the slightest.

Reflex ducts on the back of R5

Kef R5 Meta is equipped with Reflex ducts with a flexible design.

By exploiting computational fluid dynamics, Kef was able to patent another incredible technology. Initially designed for the award-winning LS50 and later integrated into the Reference and Blade lines, Flexible Port Technology is now also applied in this Meta R-series.

By positioning the reflex ports of the speakers off-axis with the speaker cones, designing their profile and flare with absolute precision, and building the walls of the ducts with flexible material, it was possible to prevent the creation of unwanted resonances and keep the pressure constant inside doors at any frequency.

The result at the final listening? No kind of coloring of the medium-low frequencies and the return to the ear of pure sound and minimum detail: that is, the real intention of the artist.

On the R Meta series page you will find the innovative patents and technologies used to create the new R5 Meta floorstanding loudspeaker.

Tried and recommended pairings

The Kef R5 Meta tower speakers are the floorstanding speakers that mark the real entry into the world of High Fidelity by the famous English brand. They are able to enhance any type of music, with a neutral response and a wide soundstage. However, they need a good break-in to play at their best (we are also talking about 100 hours!) but the final acoustic result will be truly amazing.

To make them express themselves to their fullest and to ensure that listening is excellent, we always recommend adequate amplification: as neutral as possible and above all with good power. A possible combination is with Hegel reference electronics, which have always been Kef's partners – characterized by good dynamics and good current control. For these Kef R5s, the most in line model is the H120 while the "generous" one is the H190.

A very convenient solution could be the reference IC of the complete Cambridge Audio CX line: CX A81 which is capable of delivering 80W per channel.

Alternatively, amplifications capable of driving these speakers in an excellent way are certainly the Cyrus XR integrated amplifiers, such as the entry-level i7 XR model. For those who want something ultra modern and "interconnected" we recommend the integrated Lyngdorf - or the Cambridge Audio Evo series.

Fine Tuning

But let's not forget about fine tuning!

As for power cables, after having tested it for a long time, Hifight warmly recommends the historic brand (also English) Chord Company, starting from the prestigious Clearway series and up.

We also remember the importance of the positioning of the speakers themselves for the final result. But if you want to enhance the performance of your system, the best result is undoubtedly obtained by placing the speaker on a set of IsoAcoustics Gaia III floorstanding speaker decouplers.

Thanks to the patents developed by IsoAcoustics, the upgrade with this type of insulator will allow you to decouple the speakers from the floor, giving you a deeper soundstage, more details and drier bass, effectively reducing reverberations by a large percentage, as well as make the mid-highs decidedly brighter and more transparent.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

WEIGHT 24,5 kg per unit

DIMENSION (H X W X D) 1025 x 175 x 344 mm with terminal*

DIMENSION (H X W X D) 1072 x 272 x 344 mm with terminal with plinth*

DESIGN Three-way bass reflex

FREQUENCY RANGE 38 Hz – 50 kHz (-6 dB)

TYPICAL IN-ROOM BASS RESPONSE 29 Hz (-6 dB)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 52 Hz – 28 kHz (±3 dB)

CROSSOVER FREQUENCIES 400 Hz, 2.7 kHz

HARMONIC DISTORTION (90 dB, 1m) <1% 75 Hz and above; <0.5% 110 Hz – 20 kHz

SENSITIVITY 87 dB

MAXIMUM OUTPUT 110 dB

AMPLIFIER REQUIREMENTS 15 – 200W

NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 4 Ω (min. 3.2 Ω)

DRIVE UNITS Uni-Q Driver Array: HF: 25 mm vented aluminium dome with MAT, MF: 125 mm aluminium cone

BASS DRIVER LF: 2 x 130 mm hybrid aluminium cone