Fresh From the Bench: KEF LS50 Meta Loudspeaker. A Material Improvement

In September 2020, British brand KEF updated its extremely popular LS50 speaker design and introduced the LS50 Meta, an improved version of the original LS50 passive design, now featuring a new Uni-Q driver that is coupled to an interesting new metamaterial absorber in the back. audioXpress requested a pair of the loudspeakers for review. Oliver Masciarotte did the listening, and Kent Peterson confirmed their impressions with extensive measurements. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2021.

After conducting a serious listening session of the KEF LS50 Meta with Oliver Masciarotte and Pete Quirsfeld, Kent Peterson took the speakers to Warkwyn to determine if their listening impressions could be confirmed with actual measurements. The KEF LS50 Meta was measured at Warkwyn’s facility using the Klippel Near-Field Scanning (NFS) system. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2021.

audioXpress June 2021 offers the most complete overview of the fascinating world of automotive audio. This series of articles discusses all the key technologies, platforms, and innovations that should be on every developer's radar, with perspectives from Meridian Audio, Roger Shively (JJR Acoustics), and Krunal Maniar. This edition also includes a detailed review of the KEF LS50 Meta loudspeaker and many more great audio electronics and practical projects.

Forced to shelter at home, Oliver Masciarotte looked around his home base in the Twin Cities, and decided it was time to have a serious look at the Magnepan LRS (Little Ribbon Speaker) the company's latest affordable, full-range quasi-ribbon speaker. For this review, Masciarotte writes about what he heard, while Kent Peterson (Warkwyn) measures its performance in the lab. If you are curious to see how does a ribbon speaker measures on a Klippel Near-Field Scanning (NFS) system you definitely want to check out this article, originally published in audioXpress, September 2020.

Our always popular loudspeaker edition is now available online and in print! audioXpress' Speaker Builder, Speaker Focus edition covers loudspeaker building, design, and testing with a balanced amount of DIY, speaker history, theory, R&D, and manufacturing articles. Read two articles about speaker history, a review of the Magnepan LRS, explore the details of two amazing speaker builds, and learn how to do loudspeaker measurements at home. And there's much more in speaker research and development, measurement, and production!

In this speaker review, Oliver Masciarotte and Kent Peterson (of Warkwyn) listen, measure, and listen again to the PureAudioProject Trio15 Heil AMT speaker system. This is a fascinating modular system, in this case designed using an ESS 6" Air Motion Transformer (AMT) and two Eminence 15" drivers, specifically optimized for use in open-baffle applications. This article was originally published in audioXpress, September 2019.

In this article, published by audioXpress in December 2017, Oliver Masciarotte explores the Naim Mu-so Qb Wireless Music System, with its stunning design, glass-filled polymer casing, and the same clever digital brain as the original Mu-so. Is this indeed a model for what complete wireless integrated audio systems can do? Kent Peterson (Warkwyn) puts the Mu-so Qb to the test confirming that the device sounds as good as it looks. This article was originally published in audioXpress, December 2017.

Acoustic design and measurement firm Warkwyn, recently acquired by US OEM speaker manufacturer MISCO, announced that it has completed the relocation of all operations from Ontario, Canada to Minneapolis and is now fully operational. The company also announced that its role as North American sales and training agent for Klippel GmbH has been renewed.