KEF Calinda thoughts?
- Thread starter Tierbo
- Start date
thomo57
Super Member
To a guy named Tierbo:scratch2:
janikphoto
Lunatic Member
I am partial to KEF loudspeakers so my opinion may not be totally objective.
I have a pair of Calinda as well as R104ab, Carlton III as well as a pair of R105.
The Calinda, R104ab and Carlton are more or less the same design; an 8" woofer coupled with a B139 PR and a tweeter, either a T27 or T33.
All three sets are similar in performance: Moderately deep and well balanced bass with smooth midrange and more than adequate extension in the high frequency.
They can fill up a medium sized room with a 70W amplifier. They are neutral and perform well with classical music and jazz. Not that they are bad with traditional rock - just not "boomy" enough to the likes of some.
Compared with the Reference 105, the latter will make you feel the low frequencies on the sofa or your body in a relaxed way. The Calinda are a bit more discreet in the low end.
Are they a decent set of loudspeakers? Certainly and for $175, they are a very good buy.
One point though: I've found that after the 30+ years after they were made, the ELCAP capacitors seem to drift in values. On one of the crossovers one capacitor had drifted that badly that the tweeter hardly gave any sound. They are probably going to need a recap but then they will perform like charm.
I have a pair of Calinda as well as R104ab, Carlton III as well as a pair of R105.
The Calinda, R104ab and Carlton are more or less the same design; an 8" woofer coupled with a B139 PR and a tweeter, either a T27 or T33.
All three sets are similar in performance: Moderately deep and well balanced bass with smooth midrange and more than adequate extension in the high frequency.
They can fill up a medium sized room with a 70W amplifier. They are neutral and perform well with classical music and jazz. Not that they are bad with traditional rock - just not "boomy" enough to the likes of some.
Compared with the Reference 105, the latter will make you feel the low frequencies on the sofa or your body in a relaxed way. The Calinda are a bit more discreet in the low end.
Are they a decent set of loudspeakers? Certainly and for $175, they are a very good buy.
One point though: I've found that after the 30+ years after they were made, the ELCAP capacitors seem to drift in values. On one of the crossovers one capacitor had drifted that badly that the tweeter hardly gave any sound. They are probably going to need a recap but then they will perform like charm.
Yeah they are the ones in Kingston... for $175 I thought I would give them a try. Running with a pair of Sound Dynamics 300ti and they have been extremely soild speaker (like them a lot), but alas the bug has bit again and its time to try another speaker.
Gear comes in gear goes out....
I love this hobby
moinau
Je me Souviens
I've the Calinda, and still use them everyday, these and a few other.
Great speakers, non fatiguing and good to excellent in all genres of music. To me anyway, they excel with Jazz, Blues and classical rock.
Somebody mentioned (SaSi from Athens) that one of his tweeter is very week. It could be the drifting of the ELCAP capacitors as mentioned, but most likely it is the ferrofluid in the gap that has started to dried up. The T27 tweeters are ferrofluid cooled tweeters, and overtime, they will eventually dried up.
175.00$ is a very good price to pay :thmbsp:
Great speakers, non fatiguing and good to excellent in all genres of music. To me anyway, they excel with Jazz, Blues and classical rock.
Somebody mentioned (SaSi from Athens) that one of his tweeter is very week. It could be the drifting of the ELCAP capacitors as mentioned, but most likely it is the ferrofluid in the gap that has started to dried up. The T27 tweeters are ferrofluid cooled tweeters, and overtime, they will eventually dried up.
175.00$ is a very good price to pay :thmbsp:
Allow me a correction: The T27 is not a ferrofluid cooled tweeter. The first one KEF made with Ferrofluid (save for the exotically special T52 in KM1) was the T33 SP1210. That did dry out rather quickly, the newer version for the R107/2 didn't so. And the original T33 SP1074 isn't ferrofluid cooled either.
Great review/recap of the Kef's with the same driver compliment. I love hearing from folks that have had or have the same speakers we are talking about.
I appreciate the tip on the recap, probably well worth the time and effort. I am excited to give them a listen. :yes:
moinau
Je me Souviens
One of the place available to get capacitors for the Calinda, although other shops certainly have the same capacitors in stock.
http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/kef-calinda-replacement-capacitor-set.html
http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/kef-calinda-replacement-capacitor-set.html
Thanks for the link! In the event these babies need replacing I know what to get now and where to get them. :tresbon:
So I picked these up about a week ago and I have been really enjoying them in limited time. I was running some Sound Dynamics 300ti's (which I really like) and these definitely have a different sound (not a bad thing). They have a deeper bass presence than I thought they would (sorta surprised me really), they seem a little more lad back in the mids compared to the SD's, but the highs are extremely pleasant and very detailed. Overall a big thumbs up...
I want to directly AB them over the next week or two (trying to get my wife to assist - always love hearing her impressions because she is not tainted by name or manufacturer etc..). The SD's are my back pocket speakers that never leave the house when all the other big wigs have. They are great for second system duties or fill in for the main system while a search for the next awesome pair continues. Could the KEF's displace the SD's?? (not so fast) We shall see...
I want to directly AB them over the next week or two (trying to get my wife to assist - always love hearing her impressions because she is not tainted by name or manufacturer etc..). The SD's are my back pocket speakers that never leave the house when all the other big wigs have. They are great for second system duties or fill in for the main system while a search for the next awesome pair continues. Could the KEF's displace the SD's?? (not so fast) We shall see...
