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Recently aquired kef 105.2 speakers crossover capacitors question

lopezluna

lopezluna

Active Member
Good morning everyone. I recently aquired a set of kef 105.2 speakers in pretty good condition. All the drivers work and sound good. My question after reading about the replacement of the capacitors is are these original caps and should I replace them? I am currently powering them with a Hafler dh-220 that has been modified with some musical concepts mods. These speakers sounds very good but wonder if they benefit from a cap replacement. I have enclosed pictures showing the year they were made and the crossing model#. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. You all have a great day.20191007_234426.jpg 20191010_183119.jpg 20191010_181748.jpg 20191008_185303.jpg 20191010_182328.jpg 20191010_182148.jpg
 
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Those red/black caps raise flags for me. They're notorious for drifting out of spec and eventually leaking. I'd at least replace those. Maybe check with UK vendor, Falcon Acoustics. They sell KEF spec'd replacement caps, and they'll often provide a kit of replacement parts, for your exact model.
 
StimpyWan said:
Those red/black caps raise flags for me. They're notorious for drifting out of spec and eventually leaking. I'd at least replace those. Maybe check with UK vendor, Falcon Acoustics. They sell KEF spec'd replacement caps, and they'll often provide a kit of replacement parts, for your exact model.
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StimpyWan thanks for the heads up on those red and black caps, I will contact Falcon Acoustics to see about purchasing a kit for my model. Much appreciated, Ben.
 
great speakers.. I love mine and they are all original.. I know people here go whole hog for replacing caps.. I follow the KISS rule. Unless I notice one speaker sounds different than the other I leave well enough alone...Make sure to rotate those woofers periodically to prevent sag....
 
nolasally said:
great speakers.. I love mine and they are all original.. I know people here go whole hog for replacing caps.. I follow the KISS rule. Unless I notice one speaker sounds different than the other I leave well enough alone...Make sure to rotate those woofers periodically to prevent sag....
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me too
and i aint touching em until its apparent they need something
 
nolasally said:
great speakers.. I love mine and they are all original.. I know people here go whole hog for replacing caps.. I follow the KISS rule. Unless I notice one speaker sounds different than the other I leave well enough alone...Make sure to rotate those woofers periodically to prevent sag....
Click to expand...
nolasally said:
great speakers.. I love mine and they are all original.. I know people here go whole hog for replacing caps.. I follow the KISS rule. Unless I notice one speaker sounds different than the other I leave well enough alone...Make sure to rotate those woofers periodically to prevent sag....
Click to expand...
nolasally They do sound good as they are. Thanks for the advise on leaving them alone until I do notice a audible difference in the speakers. I already rotated the woofer of the speaker that I removed yesterday to get to the crossover. I am about to rotate the other woofer in a bit. I am still interested in acquiring a set of caps from Falcon just to have for if I ever need them. Once again thanks for the advise. Ben
 
fwiw, My 105.1s were recapped in the early 90s with the entire set of the red and black caps. I've had one speaker not sounding right, like a bad voice coil. Tracked it to a mid. Found that the 30 uF was apparently bad. Replaced with a 5 percent Dayton poly and that took care of the issue. Had to do both because the new cap mid seemed to overpower the unrecapped one. Wasn't in a bad way, just overtook it. They do again sound wonderful, but I plan on ordering a set from Falcon next month and replacing all of them, especially now knowing the red and blacks can drift. They stock full sets of matched caps for the 105s and the total cost for the .1s is something like $71 at least to my house.
 
HiFi in WYO said:
fwiw, My 105.1s were recapped in the early 90s with the entire set of the red and black caps. I've had one speaker not sounding right, like a bad voice coil. Tracked it to a mid. Found that the 30 uF was apparently bad. Replaced with a 5 percent Dayton poly and that took care of the issue. Had to do both because the new cap mid seemed to overpower the unrecapped one. Wasn't in a bad way, just overtook it. They do again sound wonderful, but I plan on ordering a set from Falcon next month and replacing all of them, especially now knowing the red and blacks can drift. They stock full sets of matched caps for the 105s and the total cost for the .1s is something like $71 at least to my house.
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Im also going to be ordering a full set of caps from Falcon. The set of caps for the 105.2's is priced lower than for the original 105.1's so the price to my house shouldn't be too much either (Cali). Thanks for the info HiFi in WYO, that is the second heads up on them red n black caps I have gotten. Much appreciated, Ben
 
You're welcome. Weird, that crossover is completely different than the .1. They must have found something to improve upon, which is hard to believe.

Keep us posted, as will I. I'm interested in how the sound improves with the right caps. I get the whole don't mess with it argument, but I've done a couple pairs of vintage speakers and I've heard dramatic improvements in them, even with the Parts Express and Dayton caps. The 105s are well worth doing right!
 
It appears there are 2 versions of the 105.2 crossover as well. Falcon sells an 11 cap kit and a 9 cap kit. They recommend to contact them, and order based on the serial number of your speakers. lopezluna looks like he has the 9 cap version.
 
StimpyWan said:
It appears there are 2 versions of the 105.2 crossover as well. Falcon sells an 11 cap kit and a 9 cap kit. They recommend to contact them, and order based on the serial number of your speakers. lopezluna looks like he has the 9 cap version.
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Old thread I know. I did order the cap kit from Falcon in 2019 but never installed them. Anyways my 105.2's are still sounding great today all stock
 
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