KEF Blade Two Meta

The KEF Blade Two Meta shares every principle and every technology with the Blade Meta — Single Apparent Source design, 12th generation Uni-Q® with MAT™, force-cancelling bass array, bespoke crossover — in a cabinet scaled for rooms that cannot accommodate the full Blade. It is not a compromise version of the Blade Meta. It is the same speaker, built to the same standard, on a slightly smaller scale — and, like the Blade Meta, each pair is handcrafted at KEF's facility in Maidstone, Kent, and issued with a unique Build Certificate bearing the final response chart and the signature of the technician responsible. At £25,000, the Blade Two Meta is one of the most technically accomplished loudspeakers available at any price.

Single Apparent Source

The Blade Two Meta is built around KEF's Single Apparent Source concept — the principle that the ideal loudspeaker radiates all frequencies from the same point in space. In a conventional speaker, the tweeter, midrange, and bass drivers are physically separated, which means sound from each arrives at the listener's ears at slightly different times and from slightly different directions. The 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array addresses the tweeter and midrange by placing a 25 mm aluminium dome tweeter at the acoustic centre of a 125 mm aluminium cone midrange unit. The Blade Two takes this further by positioning four bass drivers symmetrically around the Uni-Q®, so that the low-frequency radiation is centred on the same point as the mid and high frequencies. The result is a loudspeaker that behaves, acoustically, as a single point source across the full frequency range — from 33 Hz to 35 kHz within ±3 dB, reaching 30 Hz in free-field conditions and as low as 25 Hz in a typical listening room.

12th Generation Uni-Q® with MAT™

The Blade Two Meta uses a bespoke version of KEF's 12th generation Uni-Q® driver array, developed specifically for the Blade series. It places a 25 mm aluminium dome tweeter at the acoustic centre of a 125 mm aluminium cone midrange unit. The tweeter incorporates KEF's Metamaterial Absorption Technology — MAT™ — a complex maze-like structure fitted to the rear of the tweeter dome. MAT™ comprises a series of individually tuned channels, each designed to absorb sound at a specific frequency. Together they act as an acoustic black hole for the tweeter's back-wave, absorbing 99% of the unwanted energy that would otherwise colour the midrange and treble. KEF developed MAT™ in collaboration with the Acoustic Metamaterials Group — and it represents a genuine step change in tweeter distortion management, delivering a treble performance of extraordinary purity that was previously unsurpassed in any loudspeaker at any price.

Force-Cancelling Bass Array

The Blade Two Meta uses four 165 mm aluminium cone bass drivers mounted in two opposed pairs — one pair on each side of the cabinet. Mounting the drivers in opposing pairs means that the mechanical forces generated by each driver cancel those of its opposite number, preventing the cabinet from vibrating in response to bass excursion. Each pair of drivers occupies a separate chamber, reducing the need for damping and keeping the bass clean and controlled. The result is a bass section that operates without exciting the cabinet structure — keeping the Uni-Q® array on a stable, inert platform, and allowing the crossover — set at 450 Hz and 2.2 kHz — to operate with complete precision. Maximum output is 116 dB peak SPL at one metre with pink noise.

Cabinet Design

The Blade Two's cabinet tapers from top to bottom and from front to rear, with a gently curved front radius that presents no discontinuity to the sound field. The enclosure is made from an ultra-high-density polyurethane composite — acoustically inert and shaped using complex parabolic curves that eliminate internal standing waves. The cabinet's form is entirely dictated by acoustic requirements. At 1461 × 338 × 475 mm and 35.5 kg per speaker, the Blade Two Meta is physically imposing without demanding the full scale of the Blade Meta — making it the correct choice for medium to large rooms where the full Blade would dominate the space.

Two pairs of audiophile-grade WBT terminals are provided, allowing bi-wiring or bi-amping for those who want to take full advantage of the speaker's resolution.

The Blade Two Meta is available in eight standard finishes: 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. Custom Pantone-matched finishes are available on request.

Technical Specifications

Who Is It For?

The Blade Two Meta is for the listener who wants everything the Blade stands for — Single Apparent Source coherence, force-cancelling bass, bespoke Uni-Q® with MAT™ — but in a room that cannot comfortably accommodate the full KEF Blade Meta. It suits medium to large rooms and will scale without limit as the quality of source and amplification rises. At 86 dB sensitivity and 4 Ω impedance it benefits from a powerful, capable amplifier — do not underestimate it. For those building a wider KEF system, the KEF KC62 Subwoofer can supplement low-frequency performance in secondary rooms, though the Blade Two's own bass extension is sufficient for most listening environments.

Buying from Martins Hi-Fi

Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind.

The Blade Two Meta is one of the most technically ambitious loudspeakers we carry, and it deserves to be heard at length before any decision is made. We can arrange a full demonstration at our Norwich showroom — bring your own music and give it the time it deserves. When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris and Tim — experienced specialists who can advise on this product and your whole system.

Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.