BL ADE

BL ADEA BOLD AND STRIKING PRESENCE,BL ADE PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF
WHAT IS POSSIBLE WITH SOUND. THE WORLD’SSINGLE APPARENT SOURCE LOUDSPEAKERNOW WITH KEF’S INNOVATIVEMETAMATERIAL ABSORPTION TECHNOLOGY.

A SOUND STATEMENTAN ICON THAT ENGAGES EVERY SENSEUNCOMPROMISEDINNOVATION

Blade is an attitude.
It’s about exploring
the art of thepossible, without
preconceptions.

FROM CONCEP T TO
RE AL ENJOYMENT

Obsessed with sound quality andThe concept was further refined

The latest Blade consists of two

committed to bringing a superior

and developed for production

models: Blade One Meta and Bladelistening experience, KEF has been

in 2011, when Blade became

Two Meta. Both sharing the samepioneering innovative acoustic

HiFi loudspeakers that serious

DNA, the same technology and theengineering since 1961. In 2009

audiophiles could actually own. Likesame striking aesthetic, Blade Two

we gave our engineers free rein

the original Blade, a smaller model

Meta is on a slightly smaller scale.

to create a speaker to showcase

Blade Two was introduced in 2014

KEF’s technology leadership andwith the same advanced materials

Whichever model you choose, it’spowers of innovation with noand technologies.

a spectacularly warm and expansive
sound, wherever you sit. Seamlesspreconceptions and restrictions,they came up withthe revolutionary

Blade is about exploring theand natural, effortlessly accurate

Concept Blade –the world’s firstart of the possible and pushingin every detail, and as emotionally

Single Apparent Source loudspeaker.

boundaries of HiFi sound without

true as a live performance.

preconceptions which is why thelatest version of Blade benefits fromour latest acoustic innovations:
Metamaterial Absorption
Technology (MAT™), a bespoke 12thgeneration Uni-Q driver array and ahost of other improvements.

Concept Blade realised in 200904

Blade realisedin 2011 andBlade Two realisedin 2014

Blade One Meta and Blade Two Meta05

REDEFINING THE P OSSIBLE

Blade set out
to extend theboundaries ofwhat high-end
audio canachieve.

Its exceptional acoustic integrity
derives from the combination ofcarefully chosen components,
new high performance drivers
designed to behave with nobreak-up or resonance over theirrequired frequency range and aninert, radically shaped cabinet
engineered every to interfere withthe uncompromised purity of theiroutput.
You will hear that familiar tracks
sound noticeably sweeter andmore involving as a result, or thatthe bass sounds fuller, cleaner andbetter controlled.

06

07

RE AL . COHERENT. IMMER SIVE .

Single Apparent
Source technology
delivers soundfrom one pointin space over theentire spectrum.
Single source.
Coherent sound.

At the heart of Blade lies Single

Blade is the world’s first Single

Apparent Source technology. It isApparent Source loudspeaker thatan extension to the iconic Uni-Q

extended the boundaries of what

driver array, the building block ofhigh-end audio can achieve. It is

KEF signature sound.

what makes the Blade incredibly

Single Apparent Source technology

coherent across the frequency

aims to achieve the acoustic ideal

range, with noticeably more preciseof a point source, where low, mid

imaging that is possible from any

and high frequencies radiate fromconventional speaker.

one point. Four low-frequency
drivers in symmetrically opposing
pairs are tightly packed around a
two-way Uni-Q driver where themid-frequency and high-frequency
share the same acoustic centre. The
result is noticeably more precise
imaging and highly accurate soundacross a wider area.

10RE VOLUTIONARY SOUND
ABSORP TION WITH MAT ™

A truly revolutionary
tool in the KEF
acoustic armoury,
MAT™ breaks
completely new
ground in speakerdesign.

Metamaterial Absorption

Metamaterials are specially

Technology (MAT) is a highly

developed structures that use

complex maze-like structure, whereexisting materials in such a way

each of the intricate channels

that they exhibit new, desirable

efficiently absorbs a specificproperties that are simply not foundfrequency. When combined,

in naturally occurring substances.

the channels act as an acoustic
black hole, absorbing 99% of theA result of joint development withunwanted sound that comes fromthe Acoustic Metamaterials Group,

the rear of the tweeter, eliminating

using MAT breaks completely new

the resulting distortion andground in loudspeaker design, andproviding a purer, more natural

once again demonstrates KEF’sacoustic performance.

unrelenting passion for developing
new technologies to improve yourlistening experience.

“A clever way of absorbingunwanted sound waves.”– What Hi-Fi? Innovation of the Year 2020

12

A RELENTLE SS PA SSION
FOR E XCELLENCEKEF has always
been obsessedwith perfecting
the reproductionof recorded sound,with a continuous
stream of technicalinnovations thathave shaped
the evolution ofloudspeaker design.

KEF was the first to apply computer

exceptionally broad dispersion

analysis to optimising soniccharacteristics deliver immaculately

performance, using aerospace-defined sonic imagery over aderived modelling techniques

listening area far larger than issuch as finite element analysis.

possible with any conventional

We pioneered driver decoupling,speaker.

pair matching, coupled cavity
bass loading, conjugate load
matching, and acoustic complianceenhancement. Out of all thepioneering developments andtechnological breakthroughs, it is
the Uni-Q ® driver array that sits at
the heart of almost all our speakers.
It is the building block of KEF
signature sound.
Uni-Q’s outstanding clarity and15

SIT AN Y WHERE , HE AR E VERY DE TAILP OWERFUL , ARTICUL ATE BA SS

197684235

Uni-Q technology places the1 Driver surroundmidrange motor design uses

When combined, the channels

tweeter precisely at the acoustic

A new driver surround isa copper ring embedded into

absorb 99% of the unwanted

centre of the bass/midrange cone,

designed to allow longer

the motor gap to minimisesound from the rear of theso both act together as a single

excursion without causing

inductance and variation ofpoint source to disperse sounddiffraction and extending theinductance with coil position.

more evenly throughout the room.

frequency range of the mid-This lowers the midrange

The new stiffened aluminium

The result is the elimination offrequency. Plus, the contours

THD and reduces thermal

tweeter dome that sits at thethe limited ‘sweet spot’, thereforeof the dome, midrange horn

compression, leading to improved

centre of the state-of-the-art

allowing everybody sitting atand surround are all computer-efficiency.

Uni-Q driver array is capabledifferent spots in the room to

optimised to ensure a perfectly

experience and enjoy the samesmooth transition to the cabinet.

natural, detailed sound.

of delivering consistently
4 Tweeter gap damper
The tweeter gap damper is re-2 Flexible decoupling chassis

tweeter.
6 Tweeter dome

sweet, lucid and lyrical treble,
irrespective of the volume.

engineered to maximise the7 Tangerine waveguide

Refined through iterations, theA new flexible decoupling chassis

space at the back of the tweeter

latest Uni-Q driver array for Bladeis designed to reduce vibration

for the new metamaterial

The patented tangerine

is the 12th generation Uni-Q withand reduce coloration. It ensuresabsorber.

waveguide technology manages

MAT™. A bespoke driver arraythat any vibr ations generated

engineered to deliver pristineby the mid and high-frequency

performance, it is the result ofmotor system are not transmitted

The MAT tweeter absorberfield, dispersing the astonishingly

decades of accumulated in-houseto the loudspeaker cabinet.

is a highly complex maze-likepure high-frequency imaging

structure, where each of thethroughout the room.

knowledge and the applicationof cutting-edge simulation andanalysis tools.

16

the airflow to recreate the wide,
5 MAT tweeter absorber

3 Ultra-low distortion MF motor

intricate channels efficiently

A new ultra-low distortion

absorbs a specific frequency.

even spread of a natural soundBlade’s four vented
low frequency
drivers deliver
powerful, articulatebass.
Perfectly integrated withthe 12th generation Uni-Q withMAT, the four bass drivers of
Blade provide exceptionally deep,clean and authoritative bass
response. In line with the purityof the original Blade concept,
decoupling the voice coil fromthe diaphragm allows low ordercrossovers to be used, for purer,
silkier bass response.

8 Decoupled diaphragm
Instead of using high ordercrossovers to prevent the LF
cone from reaching its breakup frequency, decoupling thevoice coil from the diaphragmallows Blade to benefit from theacoustic advantages of low ordercrossovers: purer sound andsilkier bass response, irrespectiveof volume.
9 Vented coupler
Distortion effects caused bytrapped turbulent air have been
engineered out by venting thespacer above the voice coil toallow the air to escape freely,
however hard they are driven.
LF performance therefore
remains lucid, clean and involving
when playing loud.

17

P OWER IN CONTROLCUT TING EDG E SOUND

Blade’s four powerful low frequency

Nothing has been
overlooked in thequest for clarity,
right across thefrequency range.

drivers are mounted back-to-back tocancel out kinetic forces that mightotherwise colour their output.
By minimising cabinet coloration,
this highly effective force-cancelling
configuration partly accounts forthe astonishing low-level resonanceand the natural-sounding andIn the latest Blade, the crossoverengagingly musical performance.

design has been enhanced to finetune the signal path for maximum
clarity.
Each pair of low frequency drivers
is located in its own chamber. Thisapproach reduces the potential forinterference between the driverunits, while also reducing the needfor damping which can impair bassquality.

Conventional speakergenerating cabinet resonance18

Blade with force-cancelling drivers
to minimise resonance19

PERFORMANCE BY DE SIG N

With the philosophy of innovating

The KEF team initially worked

As functional as they are beautiful,in pursuit of the most accurate

alongside Eric Chan of New York-the resulting cabinets are like works

and realistic sound, Blade is about

based design firm ECCO Designof art where the form was inspiredperfecting a groundbreaking

to create a distinctive visualby the great sculptor Brancusi’sconcept to delight people with theidentity to match Blade’s toweringmodernist masterpiece

ultimate listening experience.

performance.

‘Bird in Space’.

by acoustics. Tapering gracefully

The challenge was to design an

Tapering gracefully from top tofrom top to bottom and fromacoustically efficient enclosure forbottom and from front to rear, thefront to rear, the gentle fronta sizeable speaker whose driverslim proportions made possible

radius presents no discontinuity

configuration demanded large

by the single apparent source

to mar sound clarity. Made fromcapacity at the upper portion,

configuration give Blade a sculptural

an ultra-high density polyurethane

without looking at all bulky.

presence in its own right.

Blade’s sculptural design is dictatedcomposite, the acoustically inert
cabinets’ complex parabolic curves
are cleverly engineered to eliminate
standing waves that might blurthe sound.

20

21

SPECIFIC ATIONS

Model

BLADE ONE Meta

Model

BLADE TWO Meta

DesignThree-way bass reflex
Single apparent source

DesignThree-way bass reflex
Single apparent sourceDrive units

Uni-Q driver array:
HF: 25 mm (1 in.) aluminium dome with MAT
MF: 125 mm (5 in.) aluminium cone
Bass units:
LF: 4 x 225 mm (9 in.) aluminium cone,
force cancelling

Drive units

Uni-Q driver array:
HF: 25 mm (1 in.) aluminium dome with MAT
MF: 125 mm (5 in.) aluminium cone
Bass units:
LF: 4 x 165 mm (6.5 in.) aluminium cone, force cancelling

Frequency range free field (-6dB)

27 Hz - 45k Hz

Frequency range free field (-6dB)

30 Hz - 45k Hz

Frequency range typical in room bass response (-6dB)

20HzFrequency range typical in room bass response (-6dB)

25Hz

Frequency response (±3dB)

35 Hz - 35k Hz

Frequency response (±3dB)

33 Hz - 35k Hz

Crossover frequencies

350 Hz, 2k Hz

Crossover frequencies

450 Hz, 2.2k Hz

Amplifier requirements

50 - 400W

Amplifier requirements

50 - 400W

Sensitivity (2.83V/1m)

88 dB

Harmonic distortion 2nd and 3rd
harmonics (90dB, 1m)<0.5% 40 Hz - 100k Hz<0.2% 200 Hz - 2k Hz<0.1% 2k Hz - 20k Hz

Maximum output (SPL)(peak sound pressure level at 1m with pink noise)

117dB

Impedance

4 Ω (min. 2.8 Ω)

Weight57.2 kg (126 lbs.)

Dimensions - with plinth(H x W x D)

1590 x 363 x 540 mm(62.5 x 14.3 x 21.2 in.)Standard finishes

Piano Black/Copper, Piano Black/Grey, Frosted Blue/Blue, Frosted Blue/Bronze, Charcoal
Grey/Red, Charcoal Grey/Bronze, Racing Red/Grey, Arctic White/Champagne

Sensitivity (2.83V/1m)

86 dB

Harmonic distortion 2nd and 3rd
harmonics (90dB, 1m)<0.5% 40 Hz - 100k Hz<0.2% 200 Hz - 2k Hz<0.1% 2k Hz - 20k Hz

Maximum output (SPL)(peak sound pressure level at 1m with pink noise)

116dB

Impedance

4 Ω (min. 3.2 Ω)

Weight35.3kg (77.8 lbs.)

Dimensions - with plinth(H x W x D)

1461 x 338 x 475 mm(57.5 x 13.3 x 18.7 in.)Standard finishes

Piano Black/Copper, Piano Black/Grey, Frosted Blue/Blue, Frosted Blue/Bronze, Charcoal
Grey/Red, Charcoal Grey/Bronze, Racing Red/Grey, Arctic White/Champagne

KEF reserves the right, in line with continuing research and development, to amend orchange specifications. E&OE

2425

FINISHE S

Piano Black/Copper

Piano Black/Grey

Frosted Blue/Blue

Frosted Blue/BronzeCharcoal Grey/Red

Charcoal Grey/Bronze

Racing Red/Grey

Arctic White/Champagne

Asserting the sophistication of thetechnology they contain, the Bladespeakers are available in a palette ofeight finishes as standard, createdby blending five cabinet finisheswith six Uni-Q driver cone colours:
Piano Black/Copper, Piano Black/Grey, Frosted Blue/Blue, Frosted
Blue/Bronze, Charcoal Grey/Red,
Charcoal Grey/Bronze, Racing Red/
Grey, and Arctic White/Champagne.
Out of the five cabinet finishes, thePiano Black, Racing Red and Arctic
White are glossy finishes while theFrosted Blue and Charcoal Grey arematte finishes.

2627

LIMITLE SS CHOICE

Looking for theperfect colour
match for yourlistening room?

Upon request, we can match any
colour you specify for the Bladespeaker cabinet whether you wantto make a distinctive statement or
the perfect colour match for yourlistening room. You can simply
create your own customised colour
scheme by supplying a pantoneof your choice for the speakerenclosure to match with any of
the six standard Uni-Q driver conecolours: copper, grey, bronze, blue,
red and champagne. Like everythingelse about Blade, it is about gettingevery last detail absolutely right.

28

E XPERIENCE BL ADE

The proof is in the listening.
Hearing Blade in all its glory is the
only way to appreciate exactly what
this loudspeaker is capable of.

PM-BLADE-B-EN-22

Find a retailer

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