At CEDIA EXPO, KEF demoed their new Blade single apparent source loudspeaker to a rapt audience.
KEF Blade is the evolution of KEF’s Concept Blade, which was first shown in 2009. Single Apparent Source technology ensures the entire frequency range radiates from one point in space, creating a sound picture that is nearly indistinguishable from a live performance, according to KEF.
KEF’s single apparent source ensures that individual driver sections — for bass, midrange, and treble — of a multi-way loudspeaker work together and produce sound-fields that appear to come from the same point and place, which is especially important at the crossover frequencies where the sound output switches between drivers. The Single Apparent Source is an extension of the new, fully pistonic KEF Uni-Q MF/HF array, and includes the bass drivers for the first time.
Four 9-inch (22.5 cm), newly developed bass drivers deliver the KEF Blade’s distortion-free low frequency response. The configuration is engineered to let the forces of each moving cone cancel each other out by arranging them in opposed, symmetrical pairs. Due to the force produced by the bass drivers, the rear magnets are bonded directly to each other, side firing so their acoustic center coincides with those of the all-new, latest generation Uni-Q midrange driver and tweeter.
In addition to the Blade, KEF demonstrated its Q-Series and R-Series speakers, both featuring the company’s Uni-Q point source driver array technology.
