Reuban James speakers

[HendeoNZ]

Hi all,

I'm after some info about a pair of Reuban James speakers I picked up recently. I'm interested In knowing what the contour control is doing to the sound in particular.

Any info on these speakers would be much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[HypnoToad]

Are they endorsed by Kenny Rogers? Sorry couldn't help it.

Seriously though these look like clones of the Kef 104ab, if so the contour control is explained here for the regular 104.

https://us.kef.com/pub/media/pdf/Reference_Series_Model_104_Manual.pdf

 

[Nat]

Whoah - the classic KEF driver line up. They actually look rather like a 104aB/Calinda variant, down to the 3rd order Butterworth crossover (the B in aB), though the bass driver appears to be active, rather than a passive (hence the a - acoustic) in aB.
Quite likely to be nice sounding, though may need a recap (and there are a fair number of caps in there).

 

[HendeoNZ]

Cheers for the link.

I'm in NZ and it did have a sticker saying made NZ. (Probably should have lead with that)

Yeah they're all kef drivers the bass one is a passive radiator.

Not to many caps. 3 per speaker - I think I have a pic of them.

They sound very good. As is.

Cheers

 

[orsen]

i think i count 5 caps, ... i think ..... maybe

 

[Nat]

My memory is that there are components on the other side of the board, or another board under it. But it has been a decade since i looked at one, so I could well be misremembering. And I note that the board has a lot of unused possible connections, so the Reuban James may have a simpler crossover.

I'm surprised no one has commented on the name - though I assume that is what the Kenny Rogers reference is. The USS Reuben James was a destroyer on convoy duty and sunk by a U boat before the US entered WWII. There was significant loss of life. Obviously with the Lend Lease program and accompanying convoys, the US had signaled that it was on the Allies side, b but actual hostilities had not commenced, so it was a pretty provocative act.

 

[RadioNZ]

I'm surprised no one has commented on the name - though I assume that is what the Kenny Rogers reference is. The USS Reuben James was a destroyer on convoy duty and sunk by a U boat before the US entered WWII. There was significant loss of life. Obviously with the Lend Lease program and accompanying convoys, the US had signaled that it was on the Allies side, b but actual hostilities had not commenced, so it was a pretty provocative act.

Reuban James were the first names of the son of the guy who owned the speaker manufacturing business. Note the spelling Reuban with an a, whereas the Kenny Rogers song and the ship were spelled with an 'e'.

 

[theophile]

Could have been worse. They could have been named Coward Of The County...

 

[wmgwizard]

Or a boy named Sue...

 

[Tom Brennan]

Rueben James was a heroic American sailor in the war with the Barbary Pirates.