beat up kef 104/2 $100--DC CL

yeah, always wanted a pair. but too many other projects and then would they bump the speakers in the living room? already 3 pair for that location.
 
Something isn't right. No front shots. Those are more than basket cases. If you could harvest drivers it might be worth it. Otherwise i think you'd like to start with better candidates.
 
Oh i see he pulled that top front assembly that's why they look like that. I still think by the time you get them right you'd be into a cleaner pair. My 2c
 
After buying my first pair of 104/2s last weekend off CL, I couldn't resist and picked them up this evening. The seller was a nice guy who seems to have gotten the contents of a storage locker or house cleanout. He sold a black pair, too, @450. Definitely not an audio guy, he shook his head when I answered his question about how much they cost new.

These 104s are really rough on the outside, have only one binding post left, and one set of woofers binds pretty good - I'd bet they powered a house party or two before they made funny noises, and then got hauled around until being put into storage. That said, they're early so the woofers have butyl surrounds, one set of woofers is good, and when I hung each mid/tweeter assembly on the working cabinet all MF and HF drivers sound quite good. Even if I did have to hotwire the source leads in through the bass port :)

Between the rough cabinetry and woofer issue, I agree that these are donors - they will die so that others may live. <Sniff>
 
Between the rough cabinetry and woofer issue, I agree that these are donors - they will die so that others may live. <Sniff>

Good work. Those good organs would have been rotting in a grave but for your brave intervention. We should petition Congress to create an organ donor card for electronics.
 
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I actually broke the speakers down and listed the parts in BT, where AKer GordonW noted that he could fix the woofers. He replaced the voice coils and spiders on the bad woofers. In the mean time I recapped the crossovers, replaced the broken binding posts, the donuts on the good woofers, and the ferrofluid in the tweeters. Got everything back together this morning, and while the cabinets remain ugly, they sound terrific. My son works at a maker space on his campus, so he's reproducing the missing bass duct with a 3D printer.

It was a good project, but the calculus here was right - unless you don't mind the looks or can veneer well, hold out for a nice pair. They're out there.

For reference: $100 for the speakers. $170 or in parts, labor, and round-trip shipping of 2 bad woofers to Gordon. $35 in foam donuts. $50 for binding posts and ferrofluid, and $100 in Falcon Acoustics capacitors. That's a lot for ugly speakers, but as Bugs Bunny says, they're Acoustically Poifect now and will be outrageously nice garage shop speakers :)
 
How about some pics? I missed the CL post.

You now have a very nice pair of party speakers. Congratulations
 
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I actually broke the speakers down and listed the parts in BT, where AKer GordonW noted that he could fix the woofers. He replaced the voice coils and spiders on the bad woofers. In the mean time I recapped the crossovers, replaced the broken binding posts, the donuts on the good woofers, and the ferrofluid in the tweeters. Got everything back together this morning, and while the cabinets remain ugly, they sound terrific. My son works at a maker space on his campus, so he's reproducing the missing bass duct with a 3D printer.

It was a good project, but the calculus here was right - unless you don't mind the looks or can veneer well, hold out for a nice pair. They're out there.

For reference: $100 for the speakers. $170 or in parts, labor, and round-trip shipping of 2 bad woofers to Gordon. $35 in foam donuts. $50 for binding posts and ferrofluid, and $100 in Falcon Acoustics capacitors. That's a lot for ugly speakers, but as Bugs Bunny says, they're Acoustically Poifect now and will be outrageously nice garage shop speakers :)
Glad you saved them.At $2900 msrp I can't think they are all over the place.Keeper speakers even in that condition which to me from the pics don't look that bad.Color in the light spots.Definately worth a reveneer if you know someone.
 
Glad you saved them.At $2900 msrp I can't think they are all over the place.Keeper speakers even in that condition which to me from the pics don't look that bad.Color in the light spots.Definately worth a reveneer if you know someone.


Reveneer definitely.
 
I might eventually. It'd take some work to clean up the smashed corners.

For the intended use, these are awesome as is.

In the embarrassment of riches department, I happened to have picked up a super clean pair of rosewood 104/2s the week before I got these, after looking for years. Did the ferrofluid already and have a set of caps and foams. Once redone I'll put in that pair in the LR.
 
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