KEF 104.2.....Fix 'Em or Not?

chadbang, thanks for the video! I completely agree that they are worth the effort.

 

That settles it then. Refoam it is then.

 

Yes, I think so.
Nothing to lose.
If I'm still not happy after that then I buy new and the repair experiment hasn't cost me much.

 

The only reason I mentioned Penaudio Cenya is because you said that you liked them in an earlier post. In my opinion, you would be far better off with a pair of Harbeth Monitor 30. Years ago, an audiophile friend of mine and I purchased a pair of KEF 104.2 to audition so we could see what all the fuss was about. I was stunned at how sub-mediocre the sound was. I won't go in to detail as to do so would be guesswork anyway as I don't remember specifics other than how spitty and unrefined the tweeter was, but I was completely unimpressed. I've learned, over time, to base my opinions upon what I experience rather than legend or mystique. This is not so say that I am not a KEF fan, as I have owned and loved many vintage KEF models in the past.

 

I've listened to Harbeth on 3 separate occasions and liked them, but not enough to buy. The Super something was the best IMO but they were a bit too pricey.
If the KEFs you heard were spitty then I suspect they needed the ferro fluid replaced. Once my were done they opened up and smoothed out nicely

 

I have been regretting not having bought any KEF's back in the days when they were still made in the UK. I helped my sister pick up a pair of Missions some thirty years ago and her husband, an amateur jazz musician who used to sell and repair saxophones, keeps telling her those Mission speakers are the best sounding speakers he has ever heard ...

 

Listened to Focal Aria 926's and a couple of ELAC models.
Never been a Focal fan but must admit I liked them.
Highs smoother than the 800 series I listened to a couple of years ago.
Bass was overpowering and a bit loose with the tube gear they started with but improved greatly when they switched to a 150W SS integrated.
The price is right too because the walnut finish is being blown out, 1K savings to be had.
Taking my amp in next weekend to see how they sound with my gear.
The ELAC in the same price range as the Focal was awful. The 6K model was another story, very nice.

 

I have read a number of very positive reviews of Focal but really have not experienced the sound of any of its models. I will be searching for a pair of bookshelves in the near future. Unfortunately, finding a bookshelf model with deep bass is not easy.

IIRC, Music Direct sells the full-line of Focal speakers ...

 

Took my amp into a couple of shops today with decidedly mixed results.
Store A:
Focal Aria 926.
Beautiful highs, muddy bass. Hard to make out individual bass notes, drums lacked the snap I'm looking for.
ELAC FS147.
Bass a bit tighter but didn't think the highs were quite as good, get the feeling they could get a bit sizzly.

Store B:
Spendor A6R. Nice mids and highs, not as good as Focal but close. Bass very articulate especially on acoustic jazz. Could hear every note and pluck....even the strings buzzing. But overall the bass seemed very subdued, lean, lacking in weight in comparison to all the others.
PMC 23:
Bit more open than the Spendor though things like trumpets seemed less focused. More bass which I felt was good initially until I realized it was nowhere near as articulate ar the A6R's.
Kind of had the A5R in mind but if I found the bass a bit lacking on the 6's I can only assume it would be even worse on the 5's.

If the Focals had the articulation of the Spendor it would be a slam dunk. Is it possible to improve that within the room and maybe with different amplification.?
At the end of the day I'm thinking the Spendors, in my smaller room and closer to the wall to re-inforce the bass might work best.