kef 104.2 vs 105.2/105.3?

I bought the 105/3's after auditioning 104/2, 107/2 also.In the demo room I thought the 104 & 107 sounded alike. the 107 is the evolution of the 105/2, and the 105/3 is another beast altogether. We'll leave the word "better" out I'll just say the 3s are more foreward, they have been called harsh, but, they just need to be seen for what they are. they were KEF's least forgiving speakers at the time and were sold with a lot of mass market electronics. they need careful component matching to come alive. they are less "british" than the others and the uniQ drivers throw a huge soundstage these are large at 90+ lbs. like the 107s are an evolution of the 105's the 105/3's are an evolution of the 104/2's. I want someone to tell me about the 205/2s.

Had a set of 104.2s in the nineties, very easy to listen to. Sounded real good with a receiver loved the highs from the silk dome tweater. Went from the 104.2 to the Reference Three even better. Tried a set of 107s for awhile, excellent speakers, but went another direction and sold. Looking back wish I had all 3 pairs, never heard any Kefs I didn't like. Tried to find a dealer to hear the 205.2/207.2s but no dealers in my area and ended up with B&W. If I was in the market or could justify two pairs would love another set of Kefs, world class but under the radar for some reason.

Hi Steve,

I had the KEF 107 & 105/3 many years ago. I do remember there was a wiry element to the tweeter. I suspect some of it was the equipment I used at the time (1980s). They did need power.

I had some caps in the crossover of the 105 split & leak, which made my power amp at the time go into a safety mode. The dealer very kindly replaced these caps with another type (I cannot remember which manufacturer) and I found the speaker became much sweeter & better.

It may be worth having a look in that area with a good modern cap. Have a look at some mundorf silver in oil types if the values are not too big to make it expensive. If the cap values are large & expensive try a bypass cap. I bet you would be surprised at the difference.

I never really found a sound I loved with KEF although at the time it was impressive, probably due to the bass.

I moved away from KEF after that (to TDL), so I don't know the later speakers. I hope this helps.