Daniel J SaitCommitted to ‘Sound before all else’, KEF has announced its ground-breaking use of Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT). This innovation, says the maker, will allow the design of a new range of products that deliver an unrivaled purity of sound that is so natural the listener will feel entirely immersed in their chosen soundscape.
As a joint development initiative with the Acoustic Metamaterials Group using MAT transforms loudspeaker design and, once again, demonstrates KEF’s unrelenting passion for acoustic innovation to enhance the listening experience, says the manufacturer.
So why the big deal, well harnessing MAT, KEF says it has created a synthetic material that has the super capacity to absorb all unwanted sound radiating from the rear of the driver, reducing distortion and enabling the prevention of audio distraction.
Dr Sebastien Degraeve, Research and Development Engineer at KEF, explains, “We want to absorb the sound behind the drivers because we want to hear the music and not any artefact created by the driver itself or the cabinet. We’ve created a metamaterial that is optimised to absorb the maximum of sound in a minimum of space.”
So how does it work? MAT is a complex maze-like structure, where each of the intricate channels efficiently absorbs a range of specific frequencies. When combined, the channels act as an acoustic black hole, absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound. Other traditional approaches have only allowed around 60% absorption, claims KEF, so the resulting acoustic quality is incomparable.
Dr Jack Oclee-Brown, Head of Research and Development at KEF, adds, “It’s incredibly exciting for KEF to be the first to use Metamaterial Absorption Technology in audio. Whether listening to a beloved musician, mastering a new game, relaxing with a film, boxset or podcast, we can create a breath-taking immersive and authentic sound for everyone who loves to listen.”
KEF says it will be revealing contemporary speakers that benefit from MAT very soon.