simplynuts
Super Member
nervous about unsoldering leads on the tweeter. Can I cut it off further down on the lead and solder back together and put heat shrink tubing on it?
KEF owners thread
- Thread starter matteos
- Start date
simplynuts
Super Member
A neighbor gave me a pair of sony ss-u230 that she said were fine. They weren't. One tweeter was playing very low. Took off the dome and discovered the ferrofluid dried out and seized the coil. Coil is still good. How do you dissolve the dried out ferrofluid if I want to revive it?So you heard the same regarding those tweeters, what I heard wasn't an uncommon statement? That's a disappointment, I've never heard them, do you like them? I've listened to a lot of KEF but almost all of it has been vintage with the exception of the LS50 so I missed all of that innovation and progression in that interim period of what....30-40 years?
Yeah I get it, it's like every KEF from the era of ferrofluid and beyond is frought with crazy sh*t to correct and design eccentricities. But they sound so damn good it's hard to avoid.
KEF 103/2? Woofer sag.
KEF 105? Woofer sag.
104/2? Tough refoams, ticking timebomb ferrofluid tweeters, ticking time bomb KUBE
KEF 107? Tough refoams, ticking timebomb ferrofluid tweeters, ticking time bomb KUBE
They are like the german car of speakers. Perform stellar when working, horrific when broken. I will advise that if you like the sound of KEF you'd also likely like the sound of IMF and Fried products. Cut from the same cloth. Fried was my gateway drug to KEF and IMF.
simplynuts
Super Member
How do you free up a tweeter that still works, but ferrofluid dried up and is preventing movement of coil? It plays very low. Coil tests good.
simplynuts
Super Member
Opinions on new kefs? My son wants to put together a home theater with Kef 35 xti, 20i, 30i,rel sub and maybe denon avr 2600. Video gaming, movies and stream music. Thoughts?
Yes.
If it were me, I'd use Isopropyl Alcohol, carefully. Using filter paper, dip a small strip into the alcohol and gently try to work it aound the space. Assuming you can remove the coil. If not, I'd still try a little IPA around it to see if it loosens up.
simplynuts
Super Member
Beer? Drink it while working on the coil?
I've worked on a few things before while drinking, and other things (long, long ago). Somehow, it never worked right after that.
It seems like you're serious...IPA, while being short for a delicious beer, is also short for Isopropyl Alcohol. You do not want to drink the latter.
mccarty350
Super Member
To be fair I've never seen it mentioned abbreviated like that either 
Sorry about that. I thought you were joking with your reply.To be fair I've never seen it mentioned abbreviated like that either
simplynuts
Super Member
Thank you for the tip. Used some alcohol and a thin sheet of plastic to work into the gap. Got the tweeter working without fluid. Not sure if it is worth buying ferro fluid to fix it since I don’t have a use for these. Sony tweeters from a ss-s230 speaker any good?
I agree that it's probably not worth the effort/money. However, you did get some good experience for when/if you need to clean and replace the fluid in a better tweeter.
mccarty350
Super Member
No sweat I learned a new acronym!
simplynuts
Super Member
me tooNo sweat I learned a new acronym!
simplynuts
Super Member
Now I can work on the KEF c80 t33 tweeters. They play, but told here to do it.I agree that it's probably not worth the effort/money. However, you did get some good experience for when/if you need to clean and replace the fluid in a better tweeter.
ProfP3PP3R
New Member
I know this was brought up recently but just received my 104/2 and the mid rangers defo need some tlc. From what I can tell the cone is secured straight to the chassis. Is their anyway at all to replace the woofers without replacing the whole front unit? The woofers all work just the cones are in poor condition.
I love kef I really do I just got my adcom gfa 5800 and got the thiels on it. The 104/2 just do not even compare. No wonder why these thiels can go for 2000 at the highest. Bass is extremely deep yet punchy incredibly accurate high end and midrange which is very much tamed by the adcom luxman combo and with extreme clarity. Very much more reference I’d say. The kef tho just have that smooth luxury natural sound with awesome soundstage that I love as well so they won’t be going anywhere either.
Ross6860
Super Member
Not with any ease, or guarantee of success. They were glued in place when the mid/hi module was built at the factory. The "woofers" are actually in the bottom of the cabinet and may also need service.
If it's the coating on the mid cones that looks bad, they can be re-coated, or just peel off the offending coating. Yes, it will change the cone weight by a few milligrams...
ProfP3PP3R
New Member
Not with any ease, or guarantee of success. They were glued in place when the mid/hi module was built at the factory. The "woofers" are actually in the bottom of the cabinet and may also need service.
If it's the coating on the mid cones that looks bad, they can be re-coated, or just peel off the offending coating. Yes, it will change the cone weight by a few milligrams...
Perfect thank you, yea I thought that the MF *oopsie i called them woofers *. Yea I thought that was the case with them now thankfully I'm gonna sort the coating out (pull it all off and tidy the dust cap up). I assume the costing is a sorta PU waterproof coating? Or is it something else?
And yea woofers just need the inner donuts replacing as the outer are rubber. And then ofc sorting the T33 tweeters out
Lou G
Super Member
The KEF 104/2 midrange drivers were a Bextrene (styrene-butadiene copolymer) cone damped with a Plastiflex PVA (polyvinylacetate) coating
The Plastiflex coating was not applied for protection but to achieve the proper damping of the speaker cone. It has an effect on the sound, even the thickness affected the sound. The coating on the back of the cone (several coats) did the real damping and was controlled by weighing the coated cone. The coating on the front (single coat) was only used to make the central dust cap stick and be airtight.
If you want to recoat the front cones, something similar to the KEF formulation is actually Elmer's White School Glue. The Borden Co (they started Elmer's Glue) actually supplied KEF the Plastiflex coating for their Bextrene speaker cones. The glue would have to be thinned down with water and best applied by spraying to get an even coat.
