BLADE & BLADE TWO

Uncompromised Innovation

When we gave our engineers free rein to create the best speaker they could, they came up with the revolutionary Concept Blade prototype - the world's first single apparent source loudspeaker. Its sonic capabilities were so impressive that we created an edition that serious audiophiles could actually own.

This was so well received - and scooped so many prestigious awards - that we developed a second model, BLADE TWO. With all of BLADE's acoustic prowess and iconic design on a slightly smaller scale, BLADE TWO is easier to position where space is at a premium, and where BLADE’s extreme bass extension would be superfluous. BLADE TWO, same DNA. Same striking aesthetic. Same advanced driver technology and unique single apparent source configuration. And above all, the same lush, phenomenally realistic sound.

BLADE and BLADE TWO share a new architecture that achieves the ideal point source, with the four sophisticated bass drivers (225mm/9-in. for BLADE, 165mm/6.5-in. for BLADE TWO) configured so that their combined acoustic centre occupies exactly the same point in space as that of the Uni-Q HF/MF array so the sound appears to emanate from a single, flawlessly coherent source.

Sculptural and acoustically inert, the slender parabolic enclosures are engineered never to interfere with the purity of the output. Inside, you find ingenious new venting, bracing and wave management technologies. Every component operates so comfortably within its performance envelope that you experience noticeably more precise imaging than is possible with conventional speakers.

Just as KEF's philosophy has always been to innovate in pursuit of the most accurate and realistic sound, BLADE speakers are about perfecting a groundbreaking concept to delight people who really love music. Whatever your taste, BLADE and BLADE TWO are what all great design aspires to: being the best they can possibly be.

Kent Engineering and Foundry Editions

Asserting the sophistication of the technology they contain, the stunning BLADE & BLADE TWO cabinets are available in a palette of seductive finishes: Piano Black, Snow White, Warm Metallic Grey, Light Metallic Silver, Racing Red, along with two specially commissioned ‘Kent Engineering and Foundry’ finishes, which celebrate KEF's unrivalled heritage of continuous innovation for over 50 years.

Frosted Blue, hinting at the blue of the original KEF logo, and Frosted Copper Black - the Kent Engineering and Foundry editions combine the latest BLADE technology with an aesthetic that subtly evokes this rich pedigree.

Given time, we'll also match any colour you want. Like everything else about BLADE and BLADE TWO, it's about getting every last detail absolutely right.

Single apparent source

Like listening to one voice rather than many, sound from a single source is inherently clearer. Not only are the acoustic centres of the HF and MF drivers in the Blade & Blade Two Uni-Q array coincident, but the four LF drivers, (225mm/9-in. for Blade, or 165mm/6.5-in. for Blade Two) are mounted symmetrically equidistant from it so that their acoustic centres occupy exactly the same point in space.

This single apparent source configuration is what makes the Blade & Blade Two so gratifyingly coherent across the frequency range, with noticeably more precise imaging than is possible from any conventional speaker.

What you hear sounds as if it's being performed live right in front of you.

Discrete bass chambers

The twinned pairs of bass drivers are mounted in discrete chambers separated by an internal partition. By increasing the frequency of any internal standing waves to way beyond the crossover point, this reduces the need for damping material (which can otherwise impair bass quality). Nothing has been overlooked in the quest for the ultimate clarity, right across the frequency range.

Force cancelling

To avoid dissipating the energy of such potent bass drivers in exciting the cabinet (and thereby generating resonance, especially at high volume), the large kinetic forces involved are cancelled out by mounting the LF drivers rigidly together, back-to-back.

By minimising cabinet colouration, this highly effective configuration partly accounts for the Blade & Blade Two's natural-sounding and engagingly musical performance.

Attention to detail

With speakers as ambitious as the Blade & Blade Two, short cuts are out of the question. Everything has to be as right as it can possibly be.

Terminals & terminal links

Two pairs of the finest audiophile quality WBT connectors allow bi-wiring or bi-amping to optimise the retrieval of low level detail in the music.

Low order crossovers

The simple low order crossovers specified for both Blade & Blade Two employ the best components available, carefully selected by a rigorous auditioning process so that every part of the signal path is fine-tuned for maximum clarity.

Hard wiring

The patented screw-in linking plugs are to full audiophile specification (as well as simplifying set-up by eliminating fiddly wiring links). All the crossover components are individually wired by hand rather than mounted on a conventional printed circuit board. As well as being more environment-friendly, this optimises both reliability and sound quality by assuring the cleanest possible signal transmission.

Specifications

Design	Three-way bass reflex, single apparent source driver configuration
Drive Units	Uni-Q driver array: MF: 125mm (5in.) Li-Mg-Al /LCP hybrid cone HF: 25mm (1in.) Al dome Bass units: LF: 4 x 225mm (9in.) with force cancelling
Frequency Range	28Hz - 45kHz (-6dB) free field 20Hz (-6dB) typical in room bass response
Frequency Response	40Hz - 35kHz ±3dB (-6dB at 28Hz)
Crossover Frequencies	350Hz, 2.3kHz
Maximum Output	117dB (peak sound pressure level at 1m with pink noise)
Amplifier requirements	50 - 400 W
Sensitivity	91dB (2.83V/1m)
Harmonic distortion	2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m) <0.5% 40Hz - 100kHz <0.2% 200Hz - 10kHz
Impedance	4 Ohms (min.3.2 Ohms)
Dimensions	1590 x 363 x 540 mm / 62.5 x 14.3 x 21.2 in. (with plinth H x W x D)
Weight	57.2 kg (126 lbs)
Unit measurement	Pair
Document Download	BLADE Manual BLADE & BLADE TWO Brochure BLADE & BLADE TWO Information Sheet
Remarks	* KEF reserves the right, in line with continuing research and development, to amend or change specifications. E&OE.

Blade Two Specifications

Design	Three-way bass reflex, single apparent source driver configuration
Drive Units	Uni-Q driver array: MF: 125mm (5in.) Li-Mg-Al/ LCP hybrid cone HF: 25mm (1in.) vented aluminium dome Bass units: LF: 4 x 165 (6.5in.) with force cancelling
Frequency Range	34Hz - 45kHz (-6dB) free field 25Hz (-6dB) typical in room bass response
Frequency Response	40Hz - 35kHz (±3dB)
Crossover Frequencies	320Hz, 2.4kHz
Maximum Output	116dB (peak sound pressure level at 1m with pink noise)
Amplifier requirements	50 - 400W
Sensitivity	90dB (2.83V/1m)
Harmonic distortion	2nd & 3rd harmonics (90dB, 1m) <0.5% 40Hz - 100kHz <0.2% 200Hz - 10kHz
Impedance	4 Ohms (3.2 Ohms min.)
Dimensions	1461 x 338 x 475mm / 57.5 x 13.3 x 18.7 in. (with plinth H x W x D)
Weight	35.3kg (77.8lbs)
Unit measurement	Pair
Document Download	BLADE Manual BLADE & BLADE TWO Brochure BLADE & BLADE TWO Information Sheet
Remarks	* KEF reserves the right, in line with continuing research and development, to amend or change specifications. E&OE.

Blade Two Meta