These 1980s KEF floorstanders were a hugely ambitious landmark in speaker design.
That Was Then… KEF Reference 104/2 (1984) : Read more
That Was Then… KEF Reference 104/2 (1984) : Read more
That Was Then… KEF Reference 104/2 (1984)
- Thread starter What Hi-Fi?
- Start date
andrewdrouin
Member
Ketan.
KEF KUBE:
If you can get your hands on a device called a KEF KUBE - which shipped with most sets of those KEF 104.2 speakers, you will discover the bass that you found lacking.
Eight Inch Driver Foam inners:
All of the KEF 104.2 speakers that I've owned and seen to date - and seen discussed online to date on KEF sites, have required new (inner-woofer) foam surrounds. The KEF drivers used in that speaker featured a unique (inner) foam surround that hugged the metal pole between on the internal 8" drivers - where a dust-cap usually sits on a driver. This inner foam surround is pretty much always damaged by time, as with so many external driver foam surrounds from that era.
Ferrofluid:
Finally, as with the aforementioned foam surrounds, all KEF 104.2 speakers of that era required that the ferrofluid in the voice coil gaps of the tweeters be cleaned out and replaced. After 40 years, the OEM ferrofluid is degraded / gummy, which renders the tweeters either non-functional or reduced in output.
Appreciate you looking back on these old beauties. I hope that, given the above, you might be able to audition them again after the aforementioned updates have been implemented, if they've not been already.
Andrew D.
KEF KUBE:
If you can get your hands on a device called a KEF KUBE - which shipped with most sets of those KEF 104.2 speakers, you will discover the bass that you found lacking.
Eight Inch Driver Foam inners:
All of the KEF 104.2 speakers that I've owned and seen to date - and seen discussed online to date on KEF sites, have required new (inner-woofer) foam surrounds. The KEF drivers used in that speaker featured a unique (inner) foam surround that hugged the metal pole between on the internal 8" drivers - where a dust-cap usually sits on a driver. This inner foam surround is pretty much always damaged by time, as with so many external driver foam surrounds from that era.
Ferrofluid:
Finally, as with the aforementioned foam surrounds, all KEF 104.2 speakers of that era required that the ferrofluid in the voice coil gaps of the tweeters be cleaned out and replaced. After 40 years, the OEM ferrofluid is degraded / gummy, which renders the tweeters either non-functional or reduced in output.
Appreciate you looking back on these old beauties. I hope that, given the above, you might be able to audition them again after the aforementioned updates have been implemented, if they've not been already.
Andrew D.
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