SpeakerTalk

T.O. Chef · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:00 am Post subject: Internal wire type?

Working on refitting 104's with aB crossovers I today began wondering why KEF used the wire type in these early designs.

Is it steel? Was copper deemed too expensive? Are there other desirable qualities to these rock hard strands?

In soldering it takes so long to heat, then holds heat so long that I always fear damaging delicate components down the line ... like voice coils.
Of course I suppose repairs & alterations were never considered in the original plans, but I'd love to know what was the thinking behind the choice.
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Music is food for the soul.

ColinR · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:53 pm Post subject:

speakerguru · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:59 pm Post subject:

My first pair of KEF speakers were 104s which I later converted to aBs. I don't recall them having steel wire Shocked

. It was regular 16/0.2 covered in a stiffish PVC. Have you tested it with a magnet?

ColinR · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject:

speakerguru · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:16 pm Post subject:

A lot, if not all of the xo caps and power resistors had copper coated steel leadout wires which were then tinned. Much more robust in a production environment. Quite handy if you dropped one....you'd find it on the back of the speaker magnet Laughing

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T.O. Chef · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:34 pm Post subject:

I stand corrected.
My original 104 piece of black B200 wire sports 16 strands of silver coloured something that LOOKS like steel but not attracted to Canadian magnets.
If it's coated it's heavily clad indeed, but what on what and how do you tell?. I can't scrape away anything to reveal a copper underlay.
Curiouser & curiouser.
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Music is food for the soul.

Richie · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:27 pm Post subject:

Hi Robert, have you decided what your gonna re-wire the internals with ?

I was thinking of Chord Odyssey ( to match the rest of my cables)
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Still learning ......

T.O. Chef · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:47 am Post subject: 104aB rewire

For internal cable I think I'll just leave what's there, well enough alone.
Given the very short lengths involved I seriously doubt there's any "improvement" these ears will notice by changing it.
And more he-manly stuff does not attach very well to the boards.

At the moment my brain's gone into hyper-drive trying to make sense of the most recent posting in this section, 104's to 104aB's.
Happens I'm doing that same thing ... but admittedly with a very different approach!
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Music is food for the soul.

Nimo_jon · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:21 am Post subject:

Try Western Electric vintage cloth insulated wires. Razz

Do a search on google.

Richie · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 10:47 am Post subject:

Yes Nimo has thrown a spanner in my works to Laughing

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Still learning ......

T.O. Chef · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:40 am Post subject: Internal 104 wire

I was able to get a selection of Belkin wire from Solen here in Canada that I found really good. Not too dear either.

There was a 22 gauge I think, and some heavier 20 gauge that was easy to work with. I used some for the input wire (terminals to crossover) in the 105 II's when I changed broken binding posts.

I went looking for it today but alas it's offered no more.
If I HAD to change internal wire, or was building from scratch that's for sure what I'd try to source again.
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Music is food for the soul.

T.O. Chef · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 2:47 am Post subject:

Correction: BELDEN, not Belkin.
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Music is food for the soul.

Nimo_jon · Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:29 am Post subject:

Belden wires are excellent.

Try the Western Electric cables. 22AWG should suffice. I tried it and got hooked. Yes, just a short length of tinned copper wire wrapped in cloth/silk, but it does make beautiful music. Cool