MAT – Innovative Metamaterial Technology from KEF
One might think that speakers are already so technically advanced that no further innovation would be possible. Yet, time and again, clever developers discover interesting innovations in other fields of technology and successfully incorporate them into speaker design.
The most recent example of this is the metamaterial absorption technology recently introduced by KEF. Under the leadership of their head of development, Jack Oclee-Brown, the British company continually conducts fundamental research. Most recently, they have adopted metamaterials for the acoustic optimization of speakers.
Metamaterial – better than nature?
Metamaterials are synthetically produced substances that can be deliberately given certain properties in the lab, properties that do not occur naturally. Led by developer Dr. Sebastien Degraeve, KEF has now, in a multi-year program together with the Asian company Acoustic Metamaterials Group, developed a material that, in combination with a special shape, offers previously unimagined acoustic absorption capabilities.
Some background: Every speaker driver emits sound not only forward toward the listener but inevitably also generates sound as it moves backward, which is released into the cabinet. This unwanted sound needs to be dampened as much as possible, as otherwise it can cause the cabinet to resonate or interfere with the driver’s performance.
KEF absorber with the new material
So far, KEF has explored the MAT (Metamaterial Absorption Technology) for use with tweeters. The result is a disc only 11 mm thick, made from the new metamaterial and equipped with precisely calculated labyrinthine channels. Acoustically coupled directly to the tweeter via a short tube, this MAT absorber is said to absorb up to 99% of the sound energy in the relevant frequency range. That would be a truly fantastic value, as previously available technologies could only achieve absorption rates of around 60%.
At the moment, KEF’s MAT technology is still in the development stage. However, Jack Oclee-Brown is confident that it will soon make its way into the first KEF speakers to reach the market—we’ll keep you updated.
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