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KEF has announced the latest updates to its infamous Blade and Reference speaker ranges. According to the company: “Blade is an attitude. The Reference is iconic. It’s about exploring the art of the possible, which is why the latest version of Blade and The Reference benefits from KEF’s latest acoustic innovations: Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MATTM), a bespoke 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array and a host of other improvements. MAT is a truly revolutionary tool in the KEF acoustic armoury because each of the intricate channels efficiently absorbs 99 percent of unwanted sound. This eliminates the resulting distortion and provides a purer, more natural acoustic performance.”

Furthermore, KEF says its Uni-Q bespoke driver can deliver: “consistently sweet, lucid and lyrical treble, irrespective of the volume. A new ultra-low distortion midrange motor design lowers the total harmonic distortion (THD) in the midrange and reduces thermal compression, improving efficiency.”

Blade’s four low-frequency drivers are integrated with the Uni-Q and MAT with the aim of delivering: “clean, massively extended, immaculately controlled bass”. In line with the purity of the original Blade concept, decoupling the voice coil from the diaphragm allows low order crossovers to be used, for purer, silkier bass response.

Blade’s four robust, low-frequency drivers are perfectly integrated with the Uni-Q and MAT to deliver clean, massively extended, immaculately controlled bass. In line with the purity of the original Blade concept, decoupling the voice coil from the diaphragm allows low order crossovers to be used, for purer, silkier bass response. These are mounted back to back to avoid exciting the cabinet when playing loud to cancel out kinetic forces that might colour the output. Each pair occupies a separate chamber to reduce the need for damping.

The crossover design has been enhanced in the latest Blade to fine tune the signal path for maximum clarity. Plus, two pairs of audiophile-quality WBT connectors allow bi-wiring or bi-amping for lossless transmission. There are two versions of Blade on offer: the flagship Blade One Meta at £30,000 and the Blade Two Meta at £22, 500. The former three-way floorstander Uni-Q driver array combines a 25mm aluminium tweeter, with a 125mm midrange aluminium cone sat above four 225mm low-frequency aluminium cones to provide a claimed sensitivity of 88dB at 4ohm. The slightly smaller Blade Two Meta, meanwhile, reduces the size of the bass drivers to 165mm for a 86dB sensitivity.

Both Blades come in a choice of eight finishes achieved by blending five cabinet finishes with six driver cone colours: Piano Black/Copper, Piano Black/Grey, Frosted Blue/Blue, Frosted Blue/Bronze, Charcoal Grey/Red, Charcoal Grey/Bronze, Racing Red and Grey Arctic White/Champagne. Customised finishes will be available upon request from June.

Meanwhile The Reference series encompasses two three-way floorstanding speakers, a three-way standmount and two centre speakers for home cinema use. The contours of the dome within The Reference’s midrange horn and surround are all computer-optimised in a bid to ensure a smooth transition to the cabinet. KEF’s patented tangerine waveguide technology manages the airflow to recreate a natural sound field, dispersing the high-frequency imaging throughout the room. The Reference’s bass driver features a vented magnet assembly, a large aluminium voice coil and a light and stiff alloy cone.

The flagship Reference 5 Meta floorstander costs £17,500 and boasts a Uni-Q driver array combining a 25mm aluminium tweeter with a 125mm midrange aluminium cone. This is positioned above four 165mm low-frequency aluminium cones to provide a claimed sensitivity of 88dB at 4ohm. The Reference 3 Meta floorstander is £11,500 and offers the same basic spec as the flagship but with just two bass drivers. The Reference 1 Meta standmount features the same Uni-Q array partnered with a single 165mm bass driver and claims 85dB sensitivity (at 4ohm) for £7,500.

There are five finishes available achieved by blending three cabinet finishes with five driver cone colours: Satin Walnut/Silver, High-Gloss White/Blue, High-Gloss White Champagne, High-Gloss Black/Grey and High-Gloss Black/Copper.

Available to buy now, you can find out more about KEF's new Blade speakers here and the Reference series here.