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Kef 103/4 Need help in overhauling,No bass at all

Great midrange and soundstage, but the lack of bass in this little speaker is driving me nuts!So I've decided to remove
all the bass units and go with an external bass source. I've
removed the crossover and all the old wire. I'm now left with two empty compartments where the bass units used to be and I'm thinking of adding 40lbs. of led shot to the lower one and isolating the xover in the middle. Can someone please suggest a good cable that I can hardwire to the xovers and drivers. That's right hardwire from input to output. No binding posts or cable termination! I hope it works. I also need advice for the bass. Should I run a cable from the xover to an external passive sub or should I go with a powered sub? And which one would best match the Kefs? Any advice would be of great help.

Thanks, Alex
albarba

Showing 2 responses by viggen

viggen
838 posts
 
Yup, I totally agree.

When I set up the 103/4 witht he Klipsch sub, the KEFs were running full range while the sub was xovered at 80hz. Placement was best directly facing the speakers, directly behind the listener. The midhighs to highs will have an errie effect with this set. Very 3 dimensional.
viggen
838 posts
 
Hey Alex,

I am glad to meet another 103/4 owner, salutatios.

You did what? Remove all the bass UNITS? You mean the dual 6 inche drivers in the chamber? You GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

I own a pair of 103/4, and I used to think I needed a sub as well. I did a lot of minor tweaking, positioning, and cable upgrades, and now the speakers doesn't need a sub, unless you want 20 hz.

One of the best features on the 103/4 is the push pull dual 6 inch drivers. They control the low mid bass like no other speaker I've heard. I prefer them over the 104/2 because the 103's have no midrange coloration. It is a pity you took them out.

Regarding positioning, these speakers need a lot of room. I place them 5 feet from walls, and I even elevated them 1 foot off the ground. The bass fills my 20x25 livingroom, no problem.

What equipment are you using?

One tweak that made all the difference, lower frequency wise, is when I "floated" my amp. I placed a phone book underneath my amp. This greatly improved lower frequency bloom. I kid you not!

If you have to go with a sub, I've heard the KEF with a 10 year old model Klipsch subwoofer, 15 inch. They absolutely synergize. Second recommendation would be ULD-15 from velodyne. The latter is smoother sounding, but the Klipsch really brings out the 3 dimensionality of the KEFs. The improvements are staggering.
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