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Bronze Member Username: Michele_lBoynton Beach, Florida USA Post Number: 15 Registered: Dec-07 | Hello everyone. Today at a client's house I happened to see a set of loose speakers against a wall. I figure I would inquire about them once my job was done. I did inquire about them and he said he was going to put them on ebay. I asked him to wait a couple weeks, he agreed. He showed me an invoice from 1988, $2000.00 I looked (Not inspect) at the drivers and the cabinet, all seems well. I did not auditioned them. I read an older post from 2007 as I was researching the subject here. It seem another gent got a hold of the same set. I'm waiting to hear back from the poster. I guess I'm looking to get some feedback from anyone familliar with the 104/2 . What would be a reasonable price point? How is the sound quality? Should I expect to repair them since the technology was fairly advanced for back then? etc... Is it true these are a different class speakers than JBL L36 (I realize how speaker sound is very subjective) Yet for the most part you get what you pay for. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Michele |
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Platinum Member Username: PlymouthCanada Post Number: 15383 Registered: Jan-08 | Hi Michele Those Kef 104/2 was very good then can beat many today's speakers, much better than JBL L3, I hope you use it with a good amplifier because those Kef would be aggressive with a cheap amp. Very hard to put a price on that since I can't hear and see the beast! Try with 500$ |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 15485 Registered: May-04 | . The 104/2 marked a turning point in KEF sound which eventually led to a change in the entire British loudspeaker industry's "average" sound. B&W had led the way a few years earlier when they revised their line of speakers to be more appealing to the largest audio market in the world - the USA. Before that all British speakers of note had a more "relaxed" sound ( https://www.ecoustics.com/htr/reviews/2094) which favored classical music above other forms. KEF had recently supplied the drivers and crossovers for the very classic and very British, BBC designed LS3/5a (http://www.stereophile.com/budgetcomponents/361/index.html) and other BBC type monitors. The 104/2 turned KEF's sights towards the American market by producing a sound far less BBC and much more JBL. Overall the speaker was a market success. If you like your L36's, you should be pleased with the 104's yet find an enormous upgrade in sound quality through the KEF's. The 36's were a budget three way built in the days of "cut and try" bass reflex caninets ( http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-hptb5&p=bass%20reflex%20box&type =) The JBL's are boomy where the KEF's are far more controlled and transparent. The KEF bass system of the 104 was quite unique and worked with a high degree of precision. Where the JBL's had fairly inexpensive drivers including a cone tweeter for the high frequencies, the KEF's had far superior drivers with a well regarded dome tweeter. Most importantly in many ways, the KEF's are very ampifier friendly and require just a good quality amplifier to sound appropriately like music. They are, however, a high fidelity product which will show you any deficiencies in the equipment in front of them so be prepared to buy source players and amplifiers which do not let the speaker down. The KEF's will sound good on Rega integrated amplifiers and you might possibly find a Rotel to your liking with the KEF's. If you listening room is more toward the hard reflective type, you might try a Cambridge or a NAD dealer for options. The Marantz (http://stereophile.com/integratedamps/marantz_pm5003_integrated_amplifier/), Onkyo and Vincent amplifiers would also be a fine match for the KEF's. I would play the KEF's as is if you are satisfied they are in good condition. The drivers and their mechanical parts should not have suffered over the years unless the speakers have been abused or poorly treated in storage. The 104's were relatively high sensitivity speakers which should play at good volumes with a quality 35-50 watt amplifier or less. In room placement will certainly affect the KEF's performance as they prefer to be out in the room several feet away from each wall. They will be far less happy and less "high fideity" if they get shoved in corners. Used anything but particularly audio components are worth what someone is willing to pay for them. A few dollars spent here; http://www.usedprice.com/items/audio/index.html, will get you in the ballpark of value for the KEF's. Actual pricing may be higher or lower depending on several factors. If you have a good audio system in front of the JBL's, you should be happy with the KEF's. . |
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Bronze Member Username: Michele_lBoynton Beach, Florida USA Post Number: 16 Registered: Dec-07 | Thanks for the detailed info everyone. I haven't gone back yet to see the speakers but I will keep you up to date. Michele |
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Bronze Member Username: Michele_lBoynton Beach, Florida USA Post Number: 17 Registered: Dec-07 | Alright, I just got these beasts home. I'm going to keep them for a few weeks. Cosmetically I would rate them 8/10, a couple nicks on the bottom but I could not care less. I inspected them closely this time and noticed that the foam surrounding the center rod (Woofer system) is dried up and cracked a little on both units. Is that an expensive fix and does it need to be replaced or is it only a dust cap? I also read somewhere that those speakers should be serviced for ultimate performance, is that true? As far as sound quality it seems those speakers are more neutral with very nice mids and highs. The JBL's are substantially brighter but it's hard not to be contaminated with the mind. A friend is coming over tomorrow and I told him nothing. Hopefully I will get a decent opinion not as to quality but the difference in sound. Then again, this is completely superfluous. There is no doubt the KEF's are a different grade speakers than my JBL's, it will be difficult to part with them I guess. I've had them for 30 years. You have my two cents, feel free to comment and direct. Here are a couple poor quality pics. https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D830590_6577694_957615 https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D830590_6577694_957603 Michele |