SpeakerTalk

[ojdorson]

Hi folks,

In lieu of an introduction, I'll just tell you that my first pair of Kef's were C40's. They were fantastic and convinced me that Kef was a speaker to own. I've now got a Model 100C reference center and I finally found and bought a pair of 105.2's. The drivers and function are perfect and the cosmetics are respectable. I also just purchased a Kef 40B subwoofer - not much info to be had, but here's what Kef sent me in response to my query;


Returning to the Kef 105.2's... I plan to listen to them for a while, "as is". Then I'll be interested in upgrading the crossovers. I'm sure I'll have *many* questions when that time comes. Right now, though, I'm missing the midrange screen from one side. Does anyone around here have a "parts" unit? I've been watching for a pair of really beat up 105.2s to show up on eBay. There was one recently, but the owner pulled them from the eBay store because he didn't like their listing.
Also, the grey finish on the mid/tweeter modules flakes off... how are other 105 owners dealing with this? Just living with it - or is there someway to remove it all without hurting the plastic beneath?

Thanks in advance!

[ColinR]

Email me directly if you want a frequency plot of the Ref 105-2.

The manual is in the Technical Section

Regarding the midrange grill, I have one spare head with a dead S-STOP, which I'd really like to fix.

However due to ePimp, that ain't going to happen.

Now I believe as you also post on audioasylum.com, you're on the other side of the pond so shipping might be problematic.

Any arrangement would be on the basis that if at some future date should you part out or otherwise dispose of the Ref 105-2's, the grill must be returned.

Regarding the grey (mine are very dark grey / black) finish on the head, I don't understand the problem, so send a picture .

Upgrading the crossovers, I don't approve and unless you've a bucket of money and a truck load of test equipment I wouldn't bother.
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[ojdorson]

Hi Colin, thanks for the response - and I apologize for not getting right back to you! I thought I'd get e-mail notifications of replys and such - I'll have to check the settings of my account here.

I'm sure this sounds really bad, but I'm not sure what I'd do with a "frequency plot".

I've got the manual for installation/setup from that section, and I was very happy to find it! I don't think I did put anything on AA, but I do frequent audiokarma.org a lot and have mentioned these speakers there.

I'd be very happy to make arrangements with you to acquire that midrange screen. I absolutely intend to keep these speakers for as long as I can, and would let you know if I ever did let them go. I've wanted these speakers since I first saw them and desire them even more now that I've heard them!
That said, there is a pair of heads on eBay right now that I'm hoping to buy. They look to be from the original 105's, but the screens should still work, right? If that doesn't come through, we can talk more about your screen. Shipping shouldn't be too bad at all because of the [lack of] weight.

The grey finish I'm referring to... the textured grey finish often starts to flake off and revel the satin black finish underneath. Kef replied to an e-mail from me and suggested that I use a rubbing compound to remove the rest of the grey and then either refinish or keep them satin black. I will probably refinish if I can find an appropriate spray.

So, you don't think that the crossover replacement is necessary? I was planning on just doing a part-for-part replacement so that all the caps and such would be fresh. Lots of other owners have reported that this made a very positive difference. I finally removed the bass driver just last night and was VERY impressed by the build quality of everything in there.

The only "problem" I noticed so far is that I don't seem to be getting the red LED to light in any of the positions of the knob. I switched the knob to "Listening Window" and gave it some music and some FM hash, but the LED just doesn't light. I actually still don't have the second bass cabinet, so haven't tested the second speaker. Any idea what I might be doing wrong?

[ojdorson]

I've got the speakers up and running and really enjoy them. I bought them with the full hood grilles, but those were destroyed in shipping. I managed to find a mint set of woofer-only grilles for not too much, and that's what I wanted anyway.

They sound fantastic. Both S-STOP circuits work fine - it just takes a little more juice to get them to light up in "listening window" mode.

Wonderful speakers, and I won't be getting rid of them for many years.