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Kef 104.2 Speakers. Suggestions Discussion Forum

KEF 104/2 SPEAKER OWNERS.

Lets have a tips and suggestions forum on how to improve these wonderful speakers.

Topics could include speaker placement, speaker tweeks, best speaker cables (interconnects, power cords etc), best amps (receivers, cd players etc), best compatible center and rear surround speakers, care and maintence, repair shops and more.

Here is a review (see below) that I found on the web concerning KEF 104/2 Speakers.

In over 10 years of doing high end audio reviews, enjoythemusic.com has given out a total of 59 awards for product excellence. The KEF 104/2's were among them. Out of those 59 awards, only 5 were to speakers and that includes speakers in the $10,000+ catagory. The editor has a section he calls "my personal list of products that deserve to be heralded as something truly special" and the KEF 104/2 speakers are included.

The Review summary: Back in the 1980's KEF was a wonderfully British company making their own drivers with a top-notch team. While their top range model was the 107 that produced deeper bass (down to 20Hz), after careful auditioning the KEF 104/2 was the obvious winner. KEF's 104 model saw various versions and the 104/2 was the final result of the product's evolution. This relatively high sensitivity loudspeaker, at 92dB/W/m at 4 ohms, produced frequencies from 55Hz to 20kHz (+-2dB) with five drivers. The tweeter is KEF's T33 25mm (1") silk dome with slight horn loading. It was flanked above and below by the B110 100mm (5") doped Bextrene midrange cone in a D'Appolito technique. Bass was produced by a pair of coupled cavity B200 200mm (8") paper cone drivers with their center magnets connected by a metal pole.

The midrange/tweeter/tweeter panel (weighting about 25 lbs) is completely removable from the woofer cabinet (at nearly 45 lbs) and both loudspeaker cabinets are very rigid. Each midrange is enclosed in its own sealed section to reduce any interaction while the tweeter is press fit to the cabinet via a rear screw. The internal woofers' output exits via a flanged port the same size as the midrange units. And thus the brilliance! The tricks up the 104/2; proverbial sleeve is that the sound wave of the midrange and the bass drivers is the same size, plus add in the point source-like output from the midrange/tweeter/midrange D'Appolito configuration.

As for sound, the highs are smooth and midrange is very well presented. Bass down to about 50Hz is excellent and tuneful. Do not use the KEF Kube, an external box said to enhance bass down to lower frequencies, as this clouds the sound. If you need lots of bass below 50Hz get a separate subwoofer. The soundscape thrown by the pair of 104/2 is remarkable! When present, not only is the sound totally enveloping, but you get height information too.
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I welcome and look forward to your input.
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jerryrard's avatar
jerryrard
1 posts
 
One channel of my 104/2s is brighter than the other. Swapped the amp output channels, and the mid/tweeter boxes of the speakers. The issue followed the speaker and boxes... on mono . That eliminated the possibility of the amp and crossover issue. Did the toilet paper test and found out that one tweeter was not putting out much volume as the other. 

Gonna replace the ferrofluid and see if it fixes the issue. Otherwise, gonna find replacements. 

Can anyone share their KEF T33 ferrofluid stories? Thanks!
mcgal's avatar
mcgal
204 posts
 
The update on this posting brought back fond memories of my old 104.2s. They are now 32 years old but they don't work anymore. Coils on woofers are shot and tweeters are dried up. My son is using them as art stands. Loved those speakers. They replaced my old Magies.
clwinbe's avatar
clwinbe
39 posts
 
It took me such a very long time to get around to this speaker. My first real speaker was a KEF C80.  Smooth, not the best low end but a very well rounded speaker. I found a beautiful Cherry 104/2 speakers put up for a sale by a son who didn’t want them. They sat in his parents living room. $350 for this clean of a pair I’m good with. Superb condition. I’ll yank the woofers next week for surrounds and the inner ring. Be a pleasure to restore. 
They sound beautiful as they stand. Took me a long time to get around to em. Now, I need to find my Argonauts….
paul6ppc
1 posts
 

I recently restored my 104s, new donuts on all 4 woofers,

new ferrofluid in both tweeters,repair the crossover. And found many loose nuts on all the woofers. They had 1989 on internal parts. 
ovrrall they sound like new. Very happy with them. Powered by Yamaha m65. 

spl's avatar
spl
57 posts
 

A real gem of a speaker that I first heard with a Mark Levinson #23 amplifier 39 years ago when I was working at the Hi-End  audio store Candyman in Santa Fe NM and fawned over as I could not afford them with a price tag of roughly $2,500. Of all the Hi-End speakers we carried including the. B&W 801, 802's, Martin Logan Sequel's, Klipschorns etc the KEF 104/2's were my favorite as they threw a beautiful deep and wide soundstage with enough meat on the bone In the lower midband that gave a beautiful luxiouris elegant sound.

Well, 39 years later I came across a restored Black Ash pair very inexpensively priced brought them home and hooked them up to my Kinki Studio EX-M7 amplifier with Shunyata Research and Oyaide cables and was floored as how beautiful they sounded and better than I remember  the Levinson #23 amp ever sounded, naturally because the Kinki Studio EX-M7 amplifier is a far more sophisticated amplifier with its lateral Exicon mosfets and substantial power supply. At any rate the KEF 104/2's will remain in my speaker stable, what a great 💎!

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