KEF REFERENCE 104

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Anonymous

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1978. that is old look in good nick tho how would they compaired to moderm SPEAKERS of today
 

chebby

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Don't know. 1978 is the last time I heard a pair. Sorry.

[Not trying to be unhelpful. It's just I was 18 and I am now 48. My hearing was about 5khz better at the top-end back then and I was into Two-Tone and Reggae and Ska and Punk.

I demo'ed KEF 104ab's a few times to some of our 'wealthier' middle-aged customers in a hi-fi shop I worked in part time, so obviously I was having to play 'demo' music that I detested (JM Jarre, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Boney M, Saturday Night Fever sound track etc Yech!) in less than ideal conditions, lined up with a lot of other speakers all wired up to something called a 'comparator' with bell wire and being fed by a large Sony amp and (being 1978) some cheapo plastic Sony direct-drive turntable that rang like a bell on our non-levelled, carpeted and spotlit shelves (PS-11 more than likely). This WAS the 1970s. Watch a DVD of 'Abigails Party' for some idea of the homes this stuff ended up in!

Said middle aged couple would probably be chopping in a beloved 'Dynatron' radiogram (!) - or similar - and I would have been more concerned with the ensuing part-ex negotiations (ie breaking it to them that their radiogram was a worthless pile of sh##e that we would have to pay someone to remove) and the inevitable 'hire-purchase' paperwork than taking notes on the sound quality for posterity.

They were good. That means what it says. Better than most of the speakers around at the time. Not as good as others. I also remember the Celestion Ditton 44's and 66's as being very impressive and Gale 401's were nice too.
 
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Anonymous

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Production actually started in 1973, so these are really vintage speakers. It was the first KEF Reference model, and the first to be designed using CAD.
 

chebby

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Yes. The ones pictured in the link are 104aB versions with a little tweeter tweaker control. These were the ones I remember in the late 1970s.

Assuming they are in really good condition, and work, and have not been 'fried' by previous owners then you will probably enjoy them.

However, if you need to ask what they sound like compared to modern offerings then I am thinking you are not really the target customer. These will probably be bought by someone after an authentic 'retro' system and know all about them. (Unlike me who has to dredge back 30 years.)

Oh yes, they are big (and v heavy) and will sound best on short, spiked, welded, stands that you may have to actually get made especially.

Those 'drivers' at the bottom are not actually large driven speakers but passive acoustic-coupled bass 'radiators'. The actual bass drivers are above them. There was a lot of that going on in the 1970s. (Celestion Ditton 15 xr for instance) it was some 'purchase tax-dodge' to do with whether a speaker classified as a 'professional' speaker or not. Lots of XBR and ABR nonsense.

At least the Celestion Ditton 44's had genuine (and big) bass drivers.
 
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Anonymous

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im new and already i love this forum what a interesting post by chebby and Tannoyite thanks
 
A

Anonymous

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Check out www.hifiloudspeakers.info

The website is dedicated to KEF speakers and there's some info up there on the 104ab.
hth
Gary
 
A

Anonymous

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I have a pair of Gale GS401's Chebby. The bass is phenomenal in terms of quality and timing and perfect for Two-Tone, Reggae, Ska and Punk.

They are so bass-heavy that the midrange can get lost and they can sound flabby in a small room. They have the potential to go veeerryyy loud and veerryyy low and I love them. They are not really very wife or flat-friendly and I have had to buy a pair of Wilson Benesch Arcs to replace them. The Gales are now archived. Purists will shriek at this - I intend to use one of them as a passive sub one day when we (hopefully) move to a bigger property.

Hmmm. I think I'll stick some King Tubby on my headphones now...

PS for anybody who is curious about Gale GS401s there is a pair on E-bay right now (not mine I hasten to add). Don't expect the midrange accuracy of modern designs but the bass is very good. They are 'open' and 'spacious' in my opinion but hey - my hearing is as bad as Chebbys now so who am I to advise? I used to manage record shops not hi-fi shops...
 

chebby

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MAVVY:my hearing is as bad as Chebbys now so who am I to advise?

Actually my hearing isn't too bad for my age. I tested it recently on some University website that had very sophisticated tests (using my Sennheiser HD-595s in a very quiet room) and it is OK from 30hz to 12khz and only 3db down at 16khz in my right ear and 6db down (at 16khz) in my left ear.

Beyond that my ears must have a very steep 'slope' because I could not hear beyond 16khz at all. I assumed that when young (like most teens and kids) my hearing must have extended another 4 - 5khz beyond my current abilities.

Nice to see someone still using those old Gales. Another unusual speaker I remember was the (Jim Rogers) JR149. Looked like black foam wrapped cylinders with polished wooden tops and bottoms. (Had their own bespoke matching wooden stands I think.) I seem to remember them being based on an LS3/5A design.
 

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