Britain has always been a nation that prides itself on its engineering and science pedigree, which is why it’s no surprise that it has been the birthplace of some of the most interesting innovations in the hi-fi space.
If we were to list every amazing British invention we have experienced reviewing in hi-fi over the past near-50 years of What Hi-Fi?, this article would read more like an encyclopedia of hi-fi know-how. Instead, we are going to focus on the biggies that our team of experts personally list as their hallmarks for British hi-fi innovation.
KEF MAT
KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) first appeared in 2020 on the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning KEF LS50 Meta standmount speakers. The MAT technology is designed to help speakers cope with the unwanted sound that comes off the back of an aluminium tweeter dome so they don’t distort the unit’s forward output.
The MAT itself is basically a circular, plastic, maze-like structure that sits behind the tweeter. The specifics of the maze depend on the speaker, but effectively the design means the rearward sound from the tweeter (such as in the LS50 Meta) feeds into this maze element, that is roughly the size of a hockey puck. The element is layered and made up of 30 tubes, each of which has been tuned to absorb a different frequency (from around 600Hz upwards). According to KEF, this MAT technology helps absorb “99 per cent” of the unwanted distorting soundwaves that radiate from the cone’s rear into the cabinet.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de What Hi-Fi UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de What Hi-Fi UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Yamaha True X
An enjoyable, energetic sound from a small package
Sennheiser Momentum Sport
Sport-friendly tech abounds, but what about the sound?
How to set up a turntable and get the best sound
Make the most of your shiny new record player
Meze Audio Empyrean II
In a relatively short time, Meze Audio has made quite some impact on the world of headphones.
System of the month
For our vinyl special, an affordable turntable set-up brought right up-to-date with streaming smarts
From voice to vinyl how records get their groove
Ever wondered how music actually gets onto your vinyl records? Let us take you now on a journey into sound…
STAGE RIGHT
Our pick of the best phono stages that will help your records bring the house down
Q Acoustics 5050
Grace and power at a really competitive price
Sony ULT Wear
Sony breaks from its winning wireless formula... with very mixed results
Denon AVC-X6800H
Denon delivers yet another feature-rich and powerful-sounding flagship AVR