■ Standmount speakers
■ £7500
■ ★★★★★
We first came across KEF’s Reference 1 speakers back in 2018. They made quite an impression due to a truly compelling blend of an insightful yet balanced presentation, superb build and thorough engineering. But it is never sensible to stand still for long in the hi-fi industry, so five years on from that original review we are sitting in our test room, having just unpacked the new Reference 1 Meta.
We were introduced to KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) a few years ago through the company’s updated LS50 Meta speakers. The MAT element sits at the rear of the tweeter and takes the form of something looking like an ice-hockey puck. Inside that housing is a maze-like structure that is designed to absorb the sound that comes off the rear of the tweeter
