I purchased my KEF107s new in 1986 for $3100. Theses are 1st generation speakers. My Kube stopped working around 2005 and I have been using the speakers without the KUBE since that time.
I have replaced the woofers 3Xs over this 35 year period. I have an extra set of tweeters and mids in storage also.
I am still very happy with this speaker. The imaging and soundstaging are remarkable. They can still resolve the details in most well recorded music.
The bass is still impressive without the KUBE. The speaker only outputs what is in the rcording. If a recording is bass heavy it reproduces it. if the recording is lacking bass notes, you will not hear those notes. The speaker is still very accurate.
The Kube allowed:
1. Contour:control over frequencies under 160hz +/-3db.
2. Extension: cut off lower frequencies at 50, 35, 25, 18Hz.
3. Q-Factor: Damping, tightness of the bass
I do miss the ability to have more control over the bass on certain recordings. The bass does not extend down to 20HZ without the KUBE.
I can say that I'm still in Love with the speaker to this day after 35 years. I will replace them at some point, as they are not on par with some of the better current speakers that are in my budget.
I purchased an Earthquake SuperNova MKV 15" subwoofer to supplement the frequency range below 32Hz.
I am using Odyssey Kismet ++ mono blocks for amplification, Emotiva XSP-1 Pre-Amp, Teac NT-503 DAC, Signal Cable, Groneberg cables, DELL I7 laptop running Jriver.
I hope this helps you in your decision.
Thank You