designed by Ross Lovegrove in 2007 for KEF, Great Britian, manufactured by GP Acoustics Ltd., Kent, Great Britain, 6 mm thick reinforced aluminium case, insulation, height 200 cm, width 60 cm, depth 38 cm. (DR) Limited to 100 pairs. Provenance: Coll. Klaus Engelhorn, Vienna. Acoustical Specifications: 4 x 250 mm bass drive units with ultra low distortion neodymium magnet systems. 1 x 250 mm lower midrange drive unit with ultra low distortion neodymium magnet system and response tailoring, chromes phase plug. 1 x 165 mm Uni-Q driver array incorporating a 165 mm midrange unit and a 25 mm high frequence unit. 2 x 250 mm rear mounted bass drivers for low frequency directivity control. Technical Specification: Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83/V1m. Input impedance: 4 Ohms. Frequency response: 25Hz to 60kHz(+/-3dB). Low frequency extension: 20Hz (-6dB).* High frequency extension: 100kHz (-10dB). Maximum output: 118dB. Amplifier requirements: 100 to 400W (typical). Crossover Frequencies: 120Hz, 300Hz, 2.3kHz.

The MUON is the most remarkable achievement of sound- engineering and cutting edge design. Rarely in the world of commercial products does one find such a sublime marriage of form, function and manufacturing integrity carefully tested in KEF"™s highly accurate anechoic chambers, each MUON loudspeaker is individually crafted and comes with a certificate showing its unique frequency response curve, signed by the skilled craftsman who made it in KEF"™s workshop.

One of the reasons for the superlative sound quality of MUON is that it functions beyond the normal range of the sound frequency spectrum. What this means is that it reproduces sound so low or so high that the human ear cannot register it.  Nonetheless this sound is still there and when included in the audio mix it has an enriching effect, making what you hear more vibrant and more real. To this extent MUON radically enhances the listener"™s audio experience.

The beautiful form of MUON also sets a new aesthetic standard for the audio industry, which for too long has relied on either the "dumb box" approach or over-the-top styling. Instead, Ross Lovegrove has intuitively wrapped form around sound to create a poly-sensorial convergence that gives the MUON a powerful yet elegant presence. This product can be seen as iconic of the 21st century not only because outwardly it is state-of-the-art in every respect, but because its design and manufacture would not have been possible without the latest, highly sophisticated CAD/CAM software and technology. Guided by logic and aesthetics, the MUON is as much an extraordinary piece of sculpture as it is the ultimate sound provider

Before the production models of the MUON loudspeaker could be fabricated in super-formed aluminium, a full sized prototype has to be created. As Ross Lovegrove explains, "you need to build a prototype to show your intent. " The journey from initial concept to fully working prototype took about a year and involved a great deal of research and painstaking development. Initially, Lovegrove looked to the abstract sculptures of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Anish Kapoor for formal inspiration, his aim being to arrive at a solution that existed somewhere between art and design. As is usual for Lovegrove, many forms were beautifully sketched in his notebooks until a number were resolved enough to be converted into 3D computer models. In the end, four potential designs were generated, each beautifully resolved but quite different in appearance.

Even smaller than a quark, a MUON is an elementary particle with a negative electric charge that is classified within the lepton group of sub-atomic particles. This seemed an appropriate name for the loudspeaker as the audio components embedded in its super-formed aluminium body transform electrical energy in order to produce sound "“ you just never see this happening, like you can"™t actually see elementary particles even though they are the building blocks of all matter.

The name also refers to Mu-a mythical lost continent thought to have once been located in the Pacific Ocean, but believed to have sunk beneath the waves long ago like Atlantis Certainly, the form of the MUON speaker has a totemic presence, which resonates nobly like the haunting and mysterious monolithic structures erected by ancient civilizations, perhaps even those of Mu.