The evolution of home theater has been well documented over the years with Dolby Pro Logic, Pro Logic II, DTS, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio all serving as surround sound options for the market.
Stepping up as the next-generation format, Dolby’s new-to-the-home Atmos is making its way to the residential market straight from commercial theaters, and it is designed to deliver a level of immersiviness that has never been experienced in a home environment.
One of the first companies to adopt Atmos is KEF. The British speaker company’s new R50 utilizes KEF’s proprietary Uni-Q driver array, which in this speaker includes a 1-inch aluminum vented and “tangerine waveguide” that are located in the acoustic center of a KEF 5.25-inch midrange driver.
Internally, the R50 also utilizes KEF’s z-flex surround, which is said to smooth out the tweeter transition to the speaker baffle, and large voice coils to increase the speaker’s ability to reproduce dynamics and handle power.
The speaker’s enclosure features a wedge-shaped design that angles the Uni-Q array towards the ceiling for the dispersion and imaging of the additional effects and spatial cues that are available through the Atmos format.
KEF adds that dealers can employ the R50 with its Reference series, Q series and R series products, and in architectural situations dealers can use its Ci160QR, Ci200QR and ThX Ultra2 certified Ci200RR in-ceiling speakers to address Atmos theater configurations.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!