The KEF Q3 Meta speaker system features a 12th-generation Uni-Q driver. It features several significant design changes aimed at further enhancing sound quality. The 25mm aluminum-dome tweeter is loaded by a Tangerine sound guide, which aligns its polar pattern and eliminates phase distortion. A MAT sound-absorbing element is installed on the back of the tweeter—one of the key upgrades made to the new-generation Uni-Q drivers. The MAT element is thin to maintain the driver’s compact design, while at the same time dispersing sound waves almost completely from the back of the tweeter dome. This solution gives the speaker a transparent and detailed high-frequency sound.
KEF Q3 Meta
The KEF Q3 Meta bookshelf speakers are larger than the entry-level model in the series and can easily handle high-quality sound in a medium-sized room. Featuring an elegant European design and high-quality finish, they will look great in any interior. The KEF Q3 Meta is available in white, black, or walnut. This choice is sufficient for the model to seamlessly blend into any modern setting.
KEF Q3 Meta
The speakers are equipped with the company’s signature Uni-Q combination driver, which first appeared in the company’s models in 1988. Since then, its design has undergone numerous revisions and refinements aimed at further enhancing sound quality. Today’s Uni-Q driver, found in the KEF Q3 Meta, embodies the latest audio technologies. The woofer and tweeter, located on the same axis, feature an efficient electromagnetic system and are precisely matched. Both drivers are positioned so that their combined sound is balanced across the entire frequency range, eliminating phase distortion. The speakers are connected through a crossover network set to a frequency of 2.0 kHz.
KEF Q3 Meta
The speaker’s woofer has a diameter of 165 mm, allowing it to reproduce deep and rich low frequencies. The speaker’s cone is made of aluminum and mounted on a wide elastic surround. The diaphragm is equipped with transverse ribs to increase rigidity and dampen unwanted vibrations. The tweeter, located in the center of the woofer, has special acoustic baffles that act as a sound guide. The HF driver’s dome, also made of aluminum, has a diameter of 25 mm.
KEF Q3 Meta
The KEF Q3 Meta uses the company’s proprietary CFD-optimized bass reflex port, engineered to maintain smooth airflow and eliminate turbulence or unwanted chuffing. The cabinet itself is heavily damped, keeping vibrations to a minimum and ensuring the enclosure adds no coloration—even when playing at higher volumes. The magnetic grilles attach seamlessly via hidden mounts, preserving the speaker’s clean, uninterrupted look.
Like the rest of the new Q Series, the Q3 Meta is available in three finishes: matte black, matte white, and an American walnut veneer. The latter is impressively convincing—its synthetic origins are nearly impossible to detect, even by touch.
While we didn’t push the speakers to their absolute limits, the Q3 Meta handled elevated volume levels effortlessly. Even when the music became intentionally loud and dense, we heard no signs of compression or distortion. KEF’s engineers have managed to extract a surprisingly muscular, punchy character from a relatively compact 165 mm midbass driver—far more authority than you’d expect from a speaker in this size class.
Bass performance closely matches the published specifications. Between 45 and 50 Hz, the response is remarkably linear, with no dips or exaggerations. The midbass cone’s modest diameter works to its advantage here: its lightweight aluminum diaphragm reacts instantly to transient spikes, keeping attacks tight and decays clean, without adding any unwanted resonance. When a recording features natural reverberation, the Q3 Meta reproduces it with excellent accuracy, and even complex rhythmic patterns remain precisely articulated. It’s rare to hear cymbals, snares, and midrange harmonics locking together so coherently.
KEF Q3 Meta
Much of this refinement comes from the 12th-generation Uni-Q driver. The integration between the tweeter and midrange is so precise that they behave like a single point-source radiator. The result is a seamless, natural tonal signature that feels more like a perfect full-range driver than a traditional two-way system. The Q3 Meta also projects a wide, evenly illuminated soundstage—almost like a pair of acoustic spotlights. By rotating the speakers slightly, you can tailor the overlap of these “beams” to match your listening distance, making them just as capable in nearfield setups. In close-range listening, the stage becomes more intimate yet retains impressive depth and spatial clarity.
Without direct back-to-back comparison with the previous Q3 model, isolating the exact contribution of MAT technology is difficult. However, one conclusion is undeniable: the Q3 Meta doesn’t merely meet expectations for its price—it surpasses them confidently. It’s been a long time since a Q-series upgrade left such a strong and memorable impression.
KEF Q3 Meta Specifications
- Number of Ways 2
- Enclosure Type Rear Bass Reflex
- Tweeter 1” (25 mm) tweeter with aluminum dome membrane, placed in the center of the bass speaker (Uni-Q)
- Midrange/Woofer 6.25 ” (165 mm) Midrange/Woofer with aluminum cone (Uni-Q)
- Frequency Response 49 Hz – 20 kHz (+/- 3 dB)
- Sensitivity 87 dB
- Sound Pressure 110 dB
- Nominal Impedance 4 Ohm
- Input Power 15-150 W
- Crossover Frequencies 2.0 kHz
- Input Connectors Pair of Screw Terminals
- Grille Removable
- Dimensions (WxHxD) 210x357x305 mm
- Weight 8.2 kg
