KEF C35- Score?? - Help needed

[Wolverine]

On my way back home today I stopped by a local thrift as they were unloading a truck. A quick look inside showed some nice looking bookshelfs that upon closer inspection turned out to be a pair of KEF C35's. I have heard good things about KEF so asked if I could take them in and ask the Manager about them. The Manager after some hemming and hawing priced them at $30 and sound unheard I went ahead and picked them up.

A quick listen indicates they have potential but the only problem is that one of them sounds very scratchy and a bit tinny. I don't think the drivers are blown so I am wondering if it is a cap problem. I have not removed the driver yet since it looks like I will need some type of Allen wrench to remove it.

Can't seem to find much on this model on the web other than it is late 80's with a 8" woofer and .75" tweeter. They are both in great shape including the grills so I'd like to try and revive them if that is possible. Any help and info would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[arcaidy]

I have this speaker and don't care much for it. I feel quality is there, but I just do not like the sound. A buddy of mine loves it though... Mine have worked fine since purchase so I haven't taken them apart. I'll be interested in hearing more about them though.

 

[sealy]

Interesting speaker, but at the time they were made, KEF didn't yet have a handle on the concentric design. The sound is an acquired taste. They may have crossover problems, but I would also look for any voice-coil issues.

 

[soundmotor]

I have a set, a dump find. I like them for what they are and think they sound OK. They are light-weight and use them when I need to haul a sound system somewhere and they play pretty loud without strain. Better cabinet bracing would likely improve the bass response. Sealy's comment on the concentric design is probably right.

 

[Wolverine]

Opened up the troubled speaker today and nothing jumped out at me except it looked imaculate inside. I have attached a few photos just in case something jumps out any one. I confess to being a complete noob at this however I sprayed a bit of contact cleaner here and there just in case but no real change. I think it may be a crossover issue since an occasional good note seems to spring out every now and then. Is there a simple test to confirm it is a crossover issue?

Based on my limited listening of the one good speaker I do like them even though the few responses here are not giving them a ringing endorsement. Not sure what their value is but w/o sinking too much into them I'd like to see if I can get this one speaker fixed.

Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[sealy]

First thing I would suggest is to replace the lower-value electrolytics with decent caps, either metallized polyester(my preference) or polypropylene. You may want to replace the higher-value caps with new equivalents, seeing that all the caps are getting old. You can simply snip the old caps off where the wire enters each end, attaching new caps to the existing leads, or replace the cap and leads by heating the underside of the board and pulling the leads out. I recommend the former for simplicity sake. It's a bit crowded on that board, so you may want to extend some of the leads while the caps are off.

 

[Wolverine]

First thing I would suggest is to replace the lower-value electrolytics with decent caps, either metallized polyester(my preference) or polypropylene. You may want to replace the higher-value caps with new equivalents, seeing that all the caps are getting old. You can simply snip the old caps off where the wire enters each end, attaching new caps to the existing leads, or replace the cap and leads by heating the underside of the board and pulling the leads out. I recommend the former for simplicity sake. It's a bit crowded on that board, so you may want to extend some of the leads while the caps are off.

Thanks!

I have never done a recap before but I guess I need to start somewhere. Is it as simple as replacing caps with equal values or is there something else I need to consider?