The Official KEF 105 Owners Registry

[KKlarkson]

Thanks for the feeback, I have been looking for an amp, I think it may take a bit to find something. I did notice there are a couple of Yamaha amps on CAM that have just popped up.

I ordered replacement caps from Falcon and now I think I might hold off replacing them. These are quite remarkable speakers for the price (IMO).....
View attachment 2687634

Recapping all of the crossovers will make an incredible difference to the performance of your 105s. People refer to these speakers having "polite" bass, but that's a symptom of a 105 with out-of-spec crossovers; same issue if the high frequencies don't have any kind of "sparkle."

I installed Falcon Acoustic's recap kit in mine earlier this year, and it totally changed the speakers. Mine had the original caps from 1979, and 19 out of the 25 were well out of spec; A/B'ing the speakers against themselves - one with new caps and the other with the original caps - was eye opening. The speaker with recapped crossovers could reach much higher into the high frequencies and much lower into the low frequencies.

Don't forget to do the crossovers inside the bass cabinets and make sure you've got some decent acoustic foam inside the bass cabinets ... the original stuff has probably turned to dust.

 

[Grimrt]

I finally got around to replacing the caps....it did make a sizeable difference in the higher frequencies; I didn't notice much change in the bass. I do run a sub because I find they can be a little lean at times, but that maybe related to the amp....
While doing that work I found that all the screws holding in the speakers were finger tight at best. All in all I'm happy.

 

[Grimrt]

Mine are sitting idle these days after I got a pair of Kef 107s. What the 105s do well, the 107s do better! But that doesn't make the 105s much lower. They were TOTL for I believe a year before the 107s came out. I think they are great speakers, and they are pretty cool looking as well! They do like power though. Both the 105, and even more so the 107s. I'm powering my 107s with a Yamaha M40 amp temporarily until my stepson can come by and give me a hand with the Bose 1801 in the basement. I do hear a difference. It isn't bad if I don't crank the volume up too much, but there is some ... depth to the music missing. The Bose 1801 is very good with Kef. But I would be curious what a 500 WPC would be like with them.

I can tell you what they are like with 400 WPC now and they are very very nice . I convinced myself I needed a long-term amp and found a used JC5. Overkill for sure but what a difference from the 100 WPC Rotel receiver I was using. Now I need a preamp…not sure this ever ends.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I can tell you what they are like with 400 WPC now and they are very very nice . I convinced myself I needed a long-term amp and found a used JC5. Overkill for sure but what a difference from the 100 WPC Rotel receiver I was using. Now I need a preamp…not sure this ever ends.

Do you have the 107s? With KUBE?

 

[Grimrt]

Ahh sorry, no my 105s.

 

[RemoWilliams]

I decided to try bi amping the 105.1 - unplugged the speaker leads from the mid / tweeter crossover that go to the bass driver at the top of the cabinet and inserted speaker cables from one amplifier and then used the other to power the mid / tweeters. Both amplifiers are vintage BGWs from the late 1980's, a GTB for the 12" driver and a 7500 Pro line II for the mid and tweeter. As the bass driver has it's own separate crossover it appears to be a good setup for a passive setup, not as ideal as an active x over but the 105.1s seem to perform quite well.

The pre amplifier is a Mitsubishi DA P30 and quite flexible and apparently well regarded. It has bass, mid and treble for the tone controls with individual sliders that allow further fine tuning, quite effective and which I find works quite well given the wide differences in recordings, especially CDs. I believe the BGW GTB is rated at around 300W / ch. into 8 ohms and the 7500 a bit less, certainly more than adequate. I use a low speed DC computer fan on the GTB whereas the 7500 was designed to run without a fan. I do need to put proper rca inputs on the back panel in place of the 1/4 jacks at some point. The BGWs have very good control with more than enough current and stable at 2 ohms.


I suppose I should look into having the 105.1s recapped with the kit from Falcon Acoustics, not sure if the internal speaker wire needs updating to something a bit nicer and thicker, seems quite thin for the bass driver! The fuses were a bit loose apparently and were resoldered with new fuses installed, seems the originals are no longer available so I hope whatever is in there are acceptable. I have read where some owners have simply by passed the fuses but the consensus is to leave them in place.

 

[bobk4k]

I suppose I should look into having the 105.1s recapped with the kit from Falcon Acoustics, not sure if the internal speaker wire needs updating to something a bit nicer and thicker, seems quite thin for the bass driver! The fuses were a bit loose apparently and were resoldered with new fuses installed, seems the originals are no longer available so I hope whatever is in there are acceptable. I have read where some owners have simply by passed the fuses but the consensus is to leave them in place.

For such expensive speakers when they were released they did use some thin wire to the LF driver! I replaced the internal wiring decades ago along with bi-wire between the amp and speaker so it had robust wire to the woofer and eliminated those thin wires and plugs from the head to the base. As for fuses they are still available and I purchased some from Parts Express here in the US. Specs are MF fuse - 800mA 5 x 20mm and HF 500mA 5 x 20mm. As I remember the fuses supplied were slow-blow meaning they can handle a brief overage before opening but I've used fast-blow variety. Pity someone soldered the fuses in place; I resorted to alligator clips when the fuse connections became intermittent. While it's been years since I popped a HF fuse it probably occurred during an accidental needle drop when listening to an album.

 

[Audiomania1]

One more 105.2 happy owner! These have been on my list for decades. Finally acquired these a couple of days ago and they seems to be in good shape both sonically and visually. So far just playing them for a couple of days and enjoying the sound. First impressions before upgrading crossovers; Pro’s: Fast and detailed sound, big and deep soundstage, non-fatiguing. Con’s More dynamic with 100W+, but Bass -level seems still a bit muted without a sub, but with added sub the overall sound is excellent in my 40m2 living room, some people are reacting negatively on the looks…. Personally, I love the looks and the functionality that comes with it.


Had I quick look inside and the crossovers are untouched and original fit.

I will update the crossovers later and also need to fresh up and restore the looks to “mint” One younger guy visiting my house spoiled my day by commenting “have you made those yourself!” and another guy kind of feeling sorry for me and commenting that “you seem to have really old speakers…. For me being able to save really old speakers from destruction and being thrown away is rewarding. Old speakers in working condition providing excellent music enjoying experience is definitely preferred instead of new nice looking speakers with mediocre sound.


Kef 105.2 (serial no. 1068 A and B), Focal Sopra 2, SVS 12” sub, First Watt Aleph-J power amp, Proton AP1000 preamp, Marantz PM 64 MKII, Technics SL-1200 MK II, Bluesound Vault with external Rega Dac, Marantz CD 63 mk II Ken Ishiwata signature

 

[Audiomania1]

Sorry, forgot the picture:

 

[Morwar]

Hello

I am glad that there is a group of people like you who like the KEF 105 and keep and restore it.

I have some 105/1 from 1979 that belonged to my father and a little over 10 years ago I decided to improve the filters with Solen capacitors and leaving the damaging ferrite coils in the circuit. I also improved the wiring and connectors and took the opportunity to improve the aesthetics somewhat, taking advantage of the fact that the headboard had to be repaired due to cracks in the wood.

The improvements in sound were evident, but in speakers with the potential that these have, it is best to go for the maximum, which I did a year ago, with Mundorf MCap Evo and MCap Supreme Evo condensers, Jantzen air-core coils for mids and highs, Jantzen Iron Core for lows due to space problems, and Mundorf MResist resistors. Internal wiring is Vdh Royal Jade and Supra LoRad connectors

For 105/1 the work is already done and tested and if anyone wants to make the leap, I can send you the filter templates that already include the consequent ESR corrections and the elimination of the 0.28 mh coil in series with the tweeter that the only thing it does is limit the tweeter and that I suppose they would put it to smooth the roughness of the electrolytic capacitors and the ferrite coils. We made these fine adjustments to the filter in the laboratory of a Teleco friend who manufactures his own speakers, so the response of the speaker was perfect.

I also have a second pair for the rear as a surround and built a 105C center speaker and 105 SW subwoofer to match.

I wanted to get the most out of these great loudspeakers, accompanying them with very high-level electronics, cabling and room, and in these conditions the 105 offer a performance that has nothing to envy to current loudspeakers.

Speakers: KEF 105/1 EVOII
Subwoofer: KEF 105 SW
Preamp: McIntosh C2300
Amp: McIntosh MC402
Amp 2: Primare A32
Streamer: Linn Akurate DS/0
Turntable: Thorens TD126 MK3
Cartridge: Hana SL
Speakers cables: Van del hul The Revelation
Interconnect : Artesanal silver 5N

 

[Grimrt]

Hello

I am glad that there is a group of people like you who like the KEF 105 and keep and restore it.

I have some 105/1 from 1979 that belonged to my father and a little over 10 years ago I decided to improve the filters with Solen capacitors and leaving the damaging ferrite coils in the circuit. I also improved the wiring and connectors and took the opportunity to improve the aesthetics somewhat, taking advantage of the fact that the headboard had to be repaired due to cracks in the wood.

The improvements in sound were evident, but in speakers with the potential that these have, it is best to go for the maximum, which I did a year ago, with Mundorf MCap Evo and MCap Supreme Evo condensers, Jantzen air-core coils for mids and highs, Jantzen Iron Core for lows due to space problems, and Mundorf MResist resistors. Internal wiring is Vdh Royal Jade and Supra LoRad connectors

For 105/1 the work is already done and tested and if anyone wants to make the leap, I can send you the filter templates that already include the consequent ESR corrections and the elimination of the 0.28 mh coil in series with the tweeter that the only thing it does is limit the tweeter and that I suppose they would put it to smooth the roughness of the electrolytic capacitors and the ferrite coils. We made these fine adjustments to the filter in the laboratory of a Teleco friend who manufactures his own speakers, so the response of the speaker was perfect.

I also have a second pair for the rear as a surround and built a 105C center speaker and 105 SW subwoofer to match.

I wanted to get the most out of these great loudspeakers, accompanying them with very high-level electronics, cabling and room, and in these conditions the 105 offer a performance that has nothing to envy to current loudspeakers.

Speakers: KEF 105/1 EVOII
Subwoofer: KEF 105 SW
Preamp: McIntosh C2300
Amp: McIntosh MC402
Amp 2: Primare A32
Streamer: Linn Akurate DS/0
Turntable: Thorens TD126 MK3
Cartridge: Hana SL
Speakers cables: Van del hul The Revelation
Interconnect : Artesanal silver 5N View attachment 2957369

I have seen your setup on another site. It’s impressive! How did you make the material between the bass and head unit? Imo that’s what the speaker really needs. Both sonically and for visual appeal.

 

[Morwar]

I have seen your setup on another site. It’s impressive! How did you make the material between the bass and head unit? Imo that’s what the speaker really needs. Both sonically and for visual appeal.

Hi Grimrt !!!

Thank you very much for your appreciations

At the top of the speaker are two pieces. One is made of MDF to replace the original foam and serves as a reinforcement for the enclosure, but prevents the head from turning.
The other upper piece is made first of all with cork to be projected on the facades of buildings. It is a cork mixed with resin that allows it to be sculpted or molded like I did. Take a look at my video of the KEF 105 EVO I, where you can see the process I used 13 years ago, although it is likely that if I had to do it again I would do it differently.

Since the cork only piece tended to sag, and I also wanted them to have a more muscular look, I glued them onto a 10mm MDF board and improved their shapes. I also added cork material to the top of the grille and sculpted it so that everything blended together nicely, the recreated areas with the curved ones.

I also reinforced the enclosure for more places. I replaced the cable gland tube with a round wooden strip with a diameter slightly larger than the cardboard tube removed, I also made an internal reinforcement with 10mm MDF and a multitude of holes and a new front baffle so that the weak front panel would not support more the B300 driver and gain rigidity and precision. As all these reinforcements reduced the internal volume of the bass enclosure, I eliminated the floor board and replaced it with a thinner one made of 10mm MDF, the base where the crossovers are housed being a structural reinforcement part that compensates and increases the rigidity of the the bottom of the enclosure

See my video of KEF 105 EVO I for the improvements in the enclosure, and the KEF 105 EVO II for the crossovers

 

[McScot]

I just picked up these 105 Mk1's. s/n 3724 a & b. They obviously need a bit of TLC since someone seems to have tried 'fixing' a problem with either the mid/high crossover board or LED board and left a bit of a trail of destruction on one of them. On the other, some of the caps and resistors are missing from the mid/high crossover board, but I wondered if it might have left the factory like this if caps were individually measured and bespoke fitted? There are also handwritten notes on the back of each driver that look as if they were made in the factory as part of the measuring process. Meanwhile I've ordered the Falcon kit, assuming I'm likely to need it.

 

[moebuster]

I have a headunit and main crossovers ...

 

[McScot]

A wee update. The ‘missing’ caps were left unpopulated on the Mk 1. No sign of woofer sag. The bitumen pads and foam in the bass and mid enclosures were all in good shape. Cleaned up, put deoxit on the terminals and tried the one with all the caps intact. Sounds great. Lovely bass but a bit of sibilant hiss on the treble (drifting caps?).

 

[orsen]

i have the full hoods and grills, but they stay in storage as we have 4 cats, gotta cube also but have never used it


.

 

[Dev Dog]

Greetings KEF 105 friends.

Writing to see if any of y'all have a solution for my 105.2s -- the caster on one of my speakers is loosey goosey. The wood has started to shred away from where the caster is installed -- how might I go about repairing this? Pics upon request, as I don't want to move the speaker around too much (and I'm listening right now).

Cheers, all.

Just signed up and saw this old post. I’m sure you’ve completed your repair by now but I’ll throw an option in for anyone who comes across this through a search:
My woodworking buddies taught me to get a wooden dowel, a little bigger than your hole to fill. Drill out the hole to the same size as your dowel and with a little wood glue, hammer the dowel into the hole. Let the wood cure and then trim off the excess to make it flat. Then re-drill a hole that’ll fit the shaft of the castor.…voilà. This works great for doors etc but especially for kitchen cupboards(often some particle board that doesn’t hold screws well).

 

[moebuster]

-but the wood is crumbling from age and drilling and hammering may yield a bigger hole!
i'd recommend replacing-(adding),a new bottom then fasten the casters onto that. fresh wood.
either glue it or screw it in place.

 

[arts]

I will always regret selling my 105/1's. Idiot....

 

[Dev Dog]

I just picked up these 105 Mk1's. s/n 3724 a & b. They obviously need a bit of TLC since someone seems to have tried 'fixing' a problem with either the mid/high crossover board or LED board and left a bit of a trail of destruction on one of them. On the other, some of the caps and resistors are missing from the mid/high crossover board, but I wondered if it might have left the factory like this if caps were individually measured and bespoke fitted? There are also handwritten notes on the back of each driver that look as if they were made in the factory as part of the measuring process. Meanwhile I've ordered the Falcon kit, assuming I'm likely to need it.

Hey man, I see you’re missing the rotary assembly for your LED board. I can take photos of mine and also provide some diagrams with PN‘s I got from KEF if they’d be of any help.
Did you receive your kit from Falcon yet?…Just wondering on the delivery time.