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Kef Reference Tweeters-Ferrofluid Replacement


It took me three months to build up the courage to replace the Ferrofluid oil in my Kef tweeters.
There were several good videos on the internet how to go through the process, one in particular out of Texas. 
There were no videos or instructions which directly related to my specific speakers; Reference 3~2.
They are ~ 20 years old and I noticed that the highs were muddy and dull in the right speaker.
I run a Cardas Frequency Sweep record every 6 months or so.  The tweeter issue was noticeable during this maintenance procedure.
No replacement speakers (tweeters) are available from Kef or anywhere on the internet, so one wrong move and the speaker system would be worthless.  I felt like I was performing brain surgery.

First speaker took ~ 3 hours.  Second about 30 minutes.
I am happy to announce that the 'oil change' was successful!
The speakers are back to full factory operating specifications.
I've attached a link with some photos below.
If anyone needs to perform this procedure I can help walk you through the process.

Take care,
Lou
https://photos.app.goo.gl/qt1ZUPk8jF1QNkUu6

quincy
quincy OP
325 posts
 
Yes, same place I purchased mine!

I had no idea how many or how much when I did mine.
I bought six, used two.

So, to answer your question, one packet per tweeter.

Its amazing stuff.  The tweeter magnet just grabs the ferrofluid and it distributes itself around the entire annulus via magnetism.

Don't forget to clean off your voice coil with q-tips saturated with rubbing alcohol.   You need to get all the old gunk off.  Be gentle!
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 

I’ve been telling the older Thiel owners this for years now, when they all started complaining about harsh highs.
It’s just the Ferofluid drying out and turning into thick paste and making the voice coil bind in the magnet gap, causing non linear distortion, and it can cause overheating as well. 
Do a search, there's even better instruction with the links I posted in those Thiel threads.

Cheers George
ljgerens
152 posts
 
Alex,
For 1 inch tweeters, you only need one 100ul tube for each tweeter. I purchased 2 tubes from Parts Express for my KEF 104/2s which have 1 inch tweeters. 
quincy OP
325 posts
 
Thanks for the additional info and support guys!
Lou
mhaanraadts's avatar
mhaanraadts
3 posts
 
I posted the Ref 2 video that is mentioned above. If you have any questions about the process of getting the tweeter out, let me know. I did send in the tweeter to an authorized Kef repair center for the ferrofluid replacement.
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