The Q8 Meta is the Dolby Atmos-enabled model in KEF's Q Series with MAT, the ninth iteration of the Q Series since 1991. It is one of eight models in the range, sitting alongside the Q11 Meta and Q7 Meta floorstanders, the Q Concerto Meta, Q3 Meta and Q1 Meta bookshelf speakers, the Q6 Meta centre and the Q4 Meta on-wall speaker, and it adds the height and surround channels to a Q Series home cinema. This listing is for a pair in Satin Black.
Dolby Atmos without custom installation
The Q8 Meta is designed to sit on top of another speaker and bounce sound off the ceiling, bringing Dolby Atmos height channels to a room with no need for custom installation. KEF's manual shows it placed on the Q11 Meta and Q7 Meta floorstanders and on stand-mounted Q Series bookshelf speakers. One pair builds a 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 layout; two pairs, front and rear, make a 5.1.4 or 7.1.4 system. An AV receiver or processor with Dolby Atmos decoding is required.
Surround or rear speaker on the wall
The cabinet also has an integrated wall mount, so the same speaker can be hung on a side or rear wall as a high-fidelity surround or rear channel. A wall mounting template, rubber feet and colour-matched magnetic grilles are included.
12th generation Uni-Q with MAT
The Q8 Meta uses a 130 mm (5.25 in.) 12th generation Uni-Q driver array, a 25 mm (1 in.) vented aluminium dome tweeter at the centre of a 130 mm aluminium cone, the same array found in the Q1 Meta and Q4 Meta. The Uni-Q behaves as a single point source and disperses sound evenly through the room, which suits a speaker that works through a ceiling reflection or from an off-axis wall position.
Behind the tweeter sits Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), a maze-like structure in which each channel absorbs a specific frequency. Together they absorb 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of the tweeter, removing the distortion it would otherwise cause, and the tweeter rear chamber vent area is increased by 250% so that more of that energy reaches the absorber.
Closed-box design and crossover
The Q8 Meta is a two-way closed-box design with the crossover set at 2.7 kHz, refined from more than 1,000 on- and off-axis measurements taken in KEF's anechoic chamber in Maidstone, UK. Sensitivity is 86 dB (2.83 V at 1 m) with a nominal impedance of 4 ohms (3.2 ohms minimum), suiting amplifiers from 10 to 150 W per channel. Frequency response is quoted at 105 Hz to 20 kHz (±3 dB), with a maximum output of 109 dB.
Finish and dimensions
The Q Series has a contemporary minimalist design with a satin finish and colour-matched driver units, and this pair is finished in Satin Black. Each cabinet measures 176 mm high, 180 mm wide and 259 mm deep including the terminals, and weighs 4.5 kg. The Q8 Meta is also available in Satin White and Walnut to match the rest of the Q Series.