KEF owners thread
- Thread starter matteos
- Start date
While not perfect, it doesn't look too bad to me. I used to detail BMW's with 5 to 7 step polishes and could get rid of something like that in 10 minutes.
TomBig58
Super Member
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
Any Kefs with the uni Q driver should be facing straight forward, not pointed in toward the listener. This is not a typical narrow path driver design and will have too much midrange when pointed in . The soundstage gets confusing because of how wide each uni-Q path is , if toed in they will cross each others path before reaching the listener. Keep them straight and you will be rewarded.
I absolutely agree with that!
Is there an optimum distance from side wall?
The graphic illustrations that KEF ships with every pair of speakers (what they consider "instructions") show the recommended minimum distance to walls and apart from each other.
Hey, that's really great information, Ken. I never thought of referring to the owner's manual. I'll see if Ebay can track down the original owner and see if he still has the pamphlet from 1993. Or, if he doesn't know the answer to my question about location, he'll just refrain from responding.
You can easily just download that from the KEF websites.
Yes, I think that will be my first option from now on. The way I figure is, Why bother asking a human being, when I can just "google" it?
I recently bought a pair of 105.4s, which sound very nice. However, one of the terminals is very loose, as if a nut inside the cabinet is unscrewed. Occasionally the speaker will cut out if the speaker wire isn’t aligned just so. It’s eventually going to drive me crazy.
But: How do I safely remove a bass driver in order to get inside the box? I unscrewed the screws on the lower driver but it wouldn’t budge, and I couldn’t figure out a way to pull it out that wouldn’t cause some damage (like pliers). It’s really wedged in there. Anyone have experience popping these out?
But: How do I safely remove a bass driver in order to get inside the box? I unscrewed the screws on the lower driver but it wouldn’t budge, and I couldn’t figure out a way to pull it out that wouldn’t cause some damage (like pliers). It’s really wedged in there. Anyone have experience popping these out?
It doesn't bother me at all, but I don't know if you're just being flippant. Just the same, here's the link to the specific manual and you can save the PDF.
https://www.kefdirect.com/pub/media/wysiwyg/documents/ls50/LS50_Manual_preview_250412.pdf
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
Kef r series owners be aware of the eq bump that the open ports cause, at least on the 300 series, a flat eq is shown by adding the port plugs. Low and high end extensions can be manipulated this way. Actually adding the plugs and taking up the bass knob a click or 2 really tightens them up like a tighter acoustic suspension sealed cabinet, dont be afraid to try the port plugs and turn up the bass a little to comphensate. Very fast and tight low end.
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
Yes i am a pickering fan and user ...... but ...after much trial and error testing , the nagaoka mp110 is a faster , cleaner less bloated sounding cart for the kef r 300s. The low end stops, and starts are very immediate, highs and cymbals are probly 10% cleaner and open with no rolloff, and what i didnt realize is how much surface noise was behind the music with my beloved pickering XV 1800s by design. The Nagaoka cart rides high above the record with a tall stylus and cantilever down to the record , this reduces any noises from the record reaching the cart.
I'm now curious to try one of those Nagaoka MP110's. Thanks! I wonder how it will compare to the Ortofon 2M Red I'm using now or the Sumiko Pearl I had until my wife took it out with her duster.
freQ(*)Oddio
Super Member
Boy i dont know if it would best those newer design carts you have, but compared to my very old carts the new design of the Nag is a improvement.
TomBig58
Super Member
CT removing the woofer is the only way to access the back of the binding post as well as the crossover network. Try a tiny screwdriver wiggle/twist/pry action in one of the screw holes on a steep angle so as not to mess up the bolt threads. Mine was loose too and I had too tighten the crap out of the nut in the back to my satisfaction. I went ahead and tightened all 4. It sounds like you may have already loosened up the solder connection on the wire so check that out.
Don't forget to rotate the woofers 120 degrees upon reinstall. You are supposed to do that once or twice a year on those 12" woofers.
BirdLives
Super Member
A very timely question...
I just picked up a pair of 2nd hand LS50s over the weekend. I tried them first with a Signet TK10 ML. They sounded very detailed with great separation and superb imaging, but a little thin in the bass and lower midrange. I'm now trying them with a Pickering XV-15/625E. Perhaps a little less detail, but a fuller sound, still with great separation, but not quite the imaging of the Signet. I need to hook up both tables at the same time so I can do a proper A/B comparison. The Signet TK10ML has a very low output for a MM cartridge (2.2mV) and I think that may be influencing what I'm hearing. I have to really crank up the volume knob to get the LS50s going. The Pickering, with a more conventional 4.4mV output "seems to be" a better match, but I want to run a true A/B test with matched volume levels to get a more accurate comparison. I REALLY like the imaging with the Signet, but also like the fuller low end with the Pickering.
I also plan to try a couple of my vintage Shure cartridges, and will probably also try the AT132EP as well.
Still need to work out the placement (will need to move the larger JBLs out of the way for that), but here's how I'm running them currently (driven with a Yamaha A-1000):
Eye (and Ear) Candy... nicely, nicely done.
david1111
Barba non facit philosophum
I've got a general question for everyone regarding spikes on Kefs.
I have some 107s that I've been testing, with and without spikes, and the spikes seem best.
There's been a lot of info floating around regarding isolating them from the floor to prevent the bass resonance from vibrating the voice coil and screwing with the bass response.
So ... I checked online to see what Kef was doing with their new offerings, and the new Kef Reference 5's; a $20k usd pair of speakers (For us goofy Canuks, it'd be closer to $30k, and then tack on the exchange rate), are shown in their marketing photos with rock-solid spikes.
Now, Kef has plenty of labs to test the various supports for their speakers in many different applications, and I would naturally suppose that they can arrive at the speaker support solution that would perform the very best. So, I'm guessing that spikes are the way to go; not complete isolation.
Anyway ... I just wanted to bring it up for discussion, since there's been a variety of info that I've been trying to decipher.
I'd appreciate anyone's thots and/or experiences.
Thanks.
Dave
I have some 107s that I've been testing, with and without spikes, and the spikes seem best.
There's been a lot of info floating around regarding isolating them from the floor to prevent the bass resonance from vibrating the voice coil and screwing with the bass response.
So ... I checked online to see what Kef was doing with their new offerings, and the new Kef Reference 5's; a $20k usd pair of speakers (For us goofy Canuks, it'd be closer to $30k, and then tack on the exchange rate), are shown in their marketing photos with rock-solid spikes.
Now, Kef has plenty of labs to test the various supports for their speakers in many different applications, and I would naturally suppose that they can arrive at the speaker support solution that would perform the very best. So, I'm guessing that spikes are the way to go; not complete isolation.
Anyway ... I just wanted to bring it up for discussion, since there's been a variety of info that I've been trying to decipher.
I'd appreciate anyone's thots and/or experiences.
Thanks.
Dave
