KEF's R Series speakers earn rave reviews for their sleek looks and precise sound, and their newly refined "Meta" versions come with some important design upgrades for even better performance than before. The R5 Meta is the most compact tower speaker in the lineup, so you can enjoy its spacious, detailed performance in a modestly sized home theater or stereo listening nook.

This speaker offers some eye-catching finish options, and it includes stabilizing outrigger feet with carpet spikes.

Revolutionary MAT technology improves performance

This speaker gets the "Meta" part of its name from KEF's innovative Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) — a highly complex, mazelike structure that absorbs unwanted sound waves coming from the rear of the tweeter. The resulting sound is clearer, purer, and more detailed.

Exploded view of the advanced Uni-Q driver, with the MAT absorber at far right

An upgraded Uni-Q® driver array for better clarity and accuracy

KEF's patented Uni-Q technology places the R5 Meta's 1" vented aluminum dome tweeter in the acoustic center of the 5" aluminum cone midrange driver. This arrangement allows the sound from the two drivers to reach our ears at the same time, resulting in more natural sound. Uni-Q technology is now in its 12th generation, and the engineers at KEF have designed this version to reduce distortion caused by several factors, as well as optimizing it to take full advantage of the aforementioned MAT absorber. Bottom line: these R Series models offer even more natural-sounding performance than earlier versions, thanks to cutting-edge Uni-Q drivers.

Diffraction disarmed

The ring you see around the Uni-Q array is what KEF calls their "Shadow Flare." Its shape is carefully profiled so that the tweeter doesn't have "line of sight" to the cabinet's edges. This design minimizes a potential source of audible distortion known as sound wave "diffraction," which can occur when the high frequencies coming from the tweeter couple with the speaker's front baffle and muddy the sound. It's just one of many design elements that helps give this speaker its clarity and precision.

High-tech woofers for clear, accurate bass

Each of the two 5-1/4" hybrid aluminum woofers is made up of a shallow aluminum skin atop a paper cone. This hybrid design allows very precise movement for dynamic, accurate bass. And the two rear-firing cabinet ports have innovative flexible walls to prevent air turbulence and unwanted resonance from coloring the sound.

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