Kef 104.2 Speakers. Suggestions Discussion Forum


KEF 104/2 SPEAKER OWNERS.

Lets have a tips and suggestions forum on how to improve these wonderful speakers.

Topics could include speaker placement, speaker tweeks, best speaker cables (interconnects, power cords etc), best amps (receivers, cd players etc), best compatible center and rear surround speakers, care and maintence, repair shops and more.

Here is a review (see below) that I found on the web concerning KEF 104/2 Speakers.

In over 10 years of doing high end audio reviews, enjoythemusic.com has given out a total of 59 awards for product excellence. The KEF 104/2's were among them. Out of those 59 awards, only 5 were to speakers and that includes speakers in the $10,000+ catagory. The editor has a section he calls "my personal list of products that deserve to be heralded as something truly special" and the KEF 104/2 speakers are included.

The Review summary: Back in the 1980's KEF was a wonderfully British company making their own drivers with a top-notch team. While their top range model was the 107 that produced deeper bass (down to 20Hz), after careful auditioning the KEF 104/2 was the obvious winner. KEF's 104 model saw various versions and the 104/2 was the final result of the product's evolution. This relatively high sensitivity loudspeaker, at 92dB/W/m at 4 ohms, produced frequencies from 55Hz to 20kHz (+-2dB) with five drivers. The tweeter is KEF's T33 25mm (1") silk dome with slight horn loading. It was flanked above and below by the B110 100mm (5") doped Bextrene midrange cone in a D'Appolito technique. Bass was produced by a pair of coupled cavity B200 200mm (8") paper cone drivers with their center magnets connected by a metal pole.

The midrange/tweeter/tweeter panel (weighting about 25 lbs) is completely removable from the woofer cabinet (at nearly 45 lbs) and both loudspeaker cabinets are very rigid. Each midrange is enclosed in its own sealed section to reduce any interaction while the tweeter is press fit to the cabinet via a rear screw. The internal woofers' output exits via a flanged port the same size as the midrange units. And thus the brilliance! The tricks up the 104/2; proverbial sleeve is that the sound wave of the midrange and the bass drivers is the same size, plus add in the point source-like output from the midrange/tweeter/midrange D'Appolito configuration.

As for sound, the highs are smooth and midrange is very well presented. Bass down to about 50Hz is excellent and tuneful. Do not use the KEF Kube, an external box said to enhance bass down to lower frequencies, as this clouds the sound. If you need lots of bass below 50Hz get a separate subwoofer. The soundscape thrown by the pair of 104/2 is remarkable! When present, not only is the sound totally enveloping, but you get height information too.
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I welcome and look forward to your input.
buyfast1

Showing 2 responses by tlenthe

Per the manual-

"ROOM POSITIONING AND LISTENING WINDOW

As a general rule loudspeakers should be placed about 1 m from the nearest side wall and 50cm from the rear wall, and angling them inwards slightly can be beneficial. The distance between the speakers, and their distance from the listener is also important. Spacing the speakers between 2 (6'-6") and 4 (13') metres apart will allow images to develop fully, and you should sit at a distance at least equal to, and preferably greater than, the distance between them.

Considerable changes can be made to the sound of your hi-fi system by altering the position of the loudspeakers relative to the walls, sometimes by only a few inches. Changing the angle at which they are placed can significantly affect the focus of the stereo image.

The listening room is the most variable and unpredictable element in the hi-fi chain and it cannot be emphasised too strongly that the only way to achieve optimum performance is through many hours of critical, aware listening both on speech and music, whilst adjusting the speakers' position.

Removing the grille will not 'improve' the speakers' performance. The special design ensures best performance with the grille in place.

The Model 104/2 is designed to stand on the floor, it does not require any other form of stand or support. If the speaker is to be used on wood or tiled floor, use the feet as supplied. On thick carpet however, stability will be considerably improved by removing the caps and using the pointed feet, fig 8. Place the speaker in its chosen position and level it by screwing the rear feet fully in and adjusting the front, using the additional washers as necessary to level the speaker. Tighten the screw firmly when levelling up is completed. Only in rare cases of very uneven floors should you need to adjust the rear feet.

The tonal quality and clarity of the reproduction, and above all, the sharpness of the stereo image, are determined by the sound that reaches the listener directly, without reflection from walls, floor or ceiling.

Reflection from nearby walls, windows, mirrors, even the TV set can spoil stereo definition by confusing the primary image. Large items of soft furniture can cause absorption of midrange and high frequencies.

Electrical time delay in the dividing network is designed to tilt the listening axis up 10° from the horizontal. This ensures that the ears of a listener seated 3m (10') from the loudspeaker are on the axis, at a height of 1.2m (4') above floor level. Reference to fig. 9 will show that accurate stereo information is maintained over a wide area both horizontally and vertically. There is no one 'stereo seat' with Model 104/2."

Happy listening!
Wanted to let folks know that I had my 20 year old T33-Sp1191 tweeters cleaned and ferrofluid replaced (see e-bay for this service) and never knew how good these speakers really are! Apparently the ferro fluid in T33 tweeters slowly dries out, leaving s gummy residue which greatly reduces the tweeter output. It happens so gradually, you never notice a change.

I had tried some Vifa 5/8" dome tweeters at about $20 each while the T33's were out being "refreshed". They seemed like a definite improvement, but were not the least bit integrated into the "voice" of the speaker once I heard the fixed up T33's.

So... if you like the speakers but think they are overly "laid back" it may well be caused by "gummy" tweeters which only put out a fraction of their intended volume.