Description
KEF Reference 5 Meta Floorstanding Loudspeaker
The Benchmark of HiFi Speakers
The KEF Reference 5 Meta is the flagship of The Reference Series, the loudspeaker that all other high-performance speakers compare themselves against. Since 1973, The Reference has continually set the benchmark for loudspeaker design and sound reproduction, pioneering the use of digital technologies to achieve the highest audio accuracy and adding to the world’s knowledge of acoustic science with each successive generation. Now equipped with the extraordinarily capable 12th Generation Uni-Q driver array with Metamaterial Absorption Technology, the Reference 5 Meta exemplifies the passion for innovation that underpins KEF’s entire design philosophy, delivering a sensational soundstage of unrivalled scale, precision, and naturalness. Designed, engineered, and handcrafted at KEF’s home in Maidstone, Kent, every pair of Reference 5 Meta speakers can be matched within 0.5dB of the laboratory-maintained reference standard.
12th Generation Uni-Q with Metamaterial Absorption Technology
At the heart of the Reference 5 Meta is the 12th Generation Uni-Q driver array, positioning a 25mm aluminium dome tweeter with Metamaterial Absorption Technology at the acoustic centre of a 125mm aluminium cone midrange driver. This coaxial configuration allows both drivers to radiate from a single acoustic point source, delivering inherent time alignment, phase coherence, and a listening sweet spot of exceptional breadth and consistency across every seating position in the room. MAT absorbs the unwanted rearward sound energy of the tweeter that would otherwise introduce coloration into the acoustic output, providing a purity and transparency that sets the Reference 5 Meta in a class entirely its own. Crossover frequencies of 450Hz and 2.1kHz ensure a seamless and coherent transition between the Uni-Q array and the four bass drivers throughout the frequency range.
Four Bass Drivers for Flagship Low-Frequency Authority
Where the Reference 3 Meta employs two 165mm aluminium bass drivers, the Reference 5 Meta deploys four, doubling the bass driver complement for a low-frequency capability of truly flagship scale. With a selectable port configuration offering a frequency range of 35Hz to 45kHz with the short port or 32Hz to 45kHz with the long port, and a typical in-room bass response of 25Hz at minus 6dB, the Reference 5 Meta reaches into the deepest foundations of recorded music with a naturalness and control that only four dedicated aluminium bass drivers in a three-way bass reflex enclosure can deliver. Harmonic distortion is held below 0.5% from 40Hz to 100kHz, below 0.2% from 200Hz to 2kHz, and below 0.1% from 2kHz to 20kHz, with a maximum output of 116dB and a sensitivity of 88dB at 2.83V/1m. Recommended amplifier power spans 50 to 400 watts, reflecting the Reference 5 Meta’s ability to scale to the most powerful high-end amplification available.
Designed, Engineered, and Handcrafted in the United Kingdom
Since 1961, KEF has been creating award-winning loudspeakers at its home in Maidstone, Kent, and the Reference 5 Meta continues this tradition as KEF’s finest and most ambitious loudspeaker, handcrafted with the care and precision that the Reference name has always demanded. At 60.2kg per unit and 1,402 x 323 x 467mm with grille, terminal, and plinth, the Reference 5 Meta is a substantial and commanding presence in any listening room, available in five distinctive finish combinations including High-Gloss White with Champagne, High-Gloss White with Blue, Satin Walnut with Silver, High-Gloss Black with Grey, and High-Gloss Black with Copper.
KEY FEATURES:
- Flagship three-way bass reflex floorstanding loudspeaker of The Reference Series, designed, engineered, and handcrafted in Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom
- 12th Generation Uni-Q driver array: 25mm aluminium dome tweeter with MAT and 125mm aluminium cone midrange driver
- Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) for exceptional sonic purity and elimination of unwanted tweeter rearward energy
- Four 165mm aluminium cone bass drivers for deep, authoritative, and controlled flagship low-frequency performance
- Crossover frequencies: 450Hz and 2.1kHz
- Frequency response: 40Hz to 35kHz (plus or minus 3dB)
- Selectable port configuration: short port 35Hz to 45kHz, long port 32Hz to 45kHz (minus 6dB)
- Typical in-room bass response: 25Hz (minus 6dB)
- Harmonic distortion: below 0.5% from 40Hz to 100kHz, below 0.2% from 200Hz to 2kHz, below 0.1% from 2kHz to 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 88dB (2.83V/1m), maximum output: 116dB
- Nominal impedance: 4 ohms (minimum 3.2 ohms)
- Recommended amplifier power: 50 to 400 watts
- Every pair matched within 0.5dB of the laboratory-maintained KEF reference standard
- Available in High-Gloss White/Champagne, High-Gloss White/Blue, Satin Walnut/Silver, High-Gloss Black/Grey, and High-Gloss Black/Copper
- Dimensions with grille, terminal and plinth: H 1402 x W 323 x D 467mm, weight: 60.2kg per unit
