Vintage Audio Review Episode #47: KEF Model 107 Reference Speakers
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- In this episode I talk about the KEF Model 107 Reference Speakers and some basic measured performance of them. A pdf file (not a WORD files as I said in the video) showing how I did the woofer surround re-foaming can be downloaded here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1fB7m...
00:00 Introduction
05:03 “Tour” of the Speaker
05:34 KUBE EQ
16:40 Measurements
14:00 Listening & Final comments
Back when I was eighteen, I bought my first Audiophile Amp in Australia, a NAD 3130. That I owned for 15 years. The shop had a new pair of KEF 107.2 and I got to listen to them. At the time I was amazed at the music they could produce. I never forgot how good they were. Wish I could find a pair in New Zealand, but I think they were never imported to here. Great video, thanks.
Thanks for taking the time to share! I have an NAD3130- kinda a bench amp sometimes- I am sure the 107.2s sounded great- not sure how much difference there is between my 107's and the revision- guess I could read the review on the 107.2's. Good look on finding a pair in New Zealand- maybe Australia might be easier...
Great video, like it very much. I remeber the 105 which was a little muddy in the bass but had a fine sound in the mid and highs. Never heard the 107 but liked the vintage kef designs very much about their phase adjusted of the mid and high units and their non fatique sound for long listening. I missed some dynamic and build my own speakers around a Dynaudio D54 dome mid which i still have after 40 years.
Thanks for the comment. As I think I mentioned in the video. I started looking for some 105's to recreate my early audio desires and ended up with the 107s, which I listen to often. I don't think I have heard a KEF speaker that I didn't like. The 107's are very easy to listen to- in fact, I am going to get up for a moment and turn that system on. Ok, now I have some tunes coming out of the 107''s. Nice to hear that you have the same speakers that you made 40years ago!
Most grateful for the insights
Nice vid! I have a pair of KEF 104/2 speakers and replaced the ferrofluid. Great sounding speakers. I would love to have the 107s👍👍
I have not heard the 104/2's, but am guessing they would sound pretty good. If you replaced the ferrofluid yourself, that is great !
I've bought a pair of pre-owned few years back. Over the course of the last 5-6 years, a few updates were done and they are...
1/ Replaced the woofers' foam surroundings
2/ Replaced all capacitors with Falcon Acoustics' capacitor kits (1st step of sound improvements)
3/ Replaced all internal wirings with solid core silver wirings (2nd step of sound improvements, major)
4/ Replaced the OEM tweeters with Midwest Speakers' MT-1191 (Designated as KEF104.2's replacement tweeters. But it works perfectly with the 107)...a significant improvement to the top end extension as well as sound staging.
I'm so happy with all the above updates and brought the 107 back to its best.
Thanks for sharing what you have done. I looked at the Midwest speakers tweeter replacement but sent mine out to have the ferrofluid replaced instead. Not a believer in wire replacement, but if it worked for you, that is great. Likewise on the caps unless they were defective or changed value greatly. I listen to them a lot and think they (mine) sound pretty good now. When i want a bit different sound I switch over to my Wilsons....
@@vintageaudioreview Enjoy the music that the 107 bring is the most important thing. As long as you are happy with what you have that's all good.
One cheap and easy upgrade that worth trying is the Midwest tweeters. They might not be the perfect fit for the 107 and only some minor adjustment needed. I'm confident that you will enjoy what these tweeters bring to your world of music (at the same time you may compare them to your re-fluided OEM tweeters).
@@ddavideo I did not enjoy pulling the tweeters in/out, but at least I have longer wires on them so it would be easier. As i remember the Midwest tweeters would have required a different mounting approach...?
@@vintageaudioreview Yes, mounting the Midwest tweeter is the most difficult part of the process as it doesn't not have any mounting point (as it's tailored for the 104.2's). I have it "glued" to the PVC plate of the 107 (yes, it's not the perfect solution but it might be the only way).
@@vintageaudioreview The Midwest has a much better top end extension (but not bright) that gives the set up a whole new dimension in airyness, depth & width.
Very interesting video. I´m also a KEF lover. I had never heard any KEF´s before I heard a pair of the original Reference 105 (or the "105.1"). These speakers were my "the search is over-moment". I never looked back. It´s crazy how good they sound. But only with good components of course. You need a heck of an amp to please them. I haven´t heard the 107´s, but it´s interesting what you say about the newer 105´s (was it 105.3?). I have also heard that my original 105´s was a lot better than the newer revisions. Kind of "you either get the oldest 105´s OR 107, and nothing in between".
Thank´s for some good KEF education. I wonder. Would you also say that your 107´s have a really "big" sound? I´m Swedish so i´m not that good in describing in maybe the right english words. But I wonder because one of the characteristics that both I and some audiophile friends say is that my 105 have such amazing kind of "big" or "large" sound.
Thanks for the comments and question and your English is much better than my Swedish. I alternate between the 107's and the Wilson Watt 3/Puppy 2's- totally different sounds, but both pleasing. Don't really need a subwoofer with either of them. The Wilson's are more detailed than the 107's and their bass is what I would call tighter. The 107's seem to be able to take as much power as I dare to throw at them- right now that would be 350w/ch. The 107's have a warm sound- I don't think I have a good definition for what a big sound is... Be sure to chime in the comments after tomorrow's video!
I bought my 105.1’s in ‘79, they use fuses. 105.2’s had circuit breakers. The selective LED indicates power peaks, they don’t indicate distortion. They are still in daily use, all original drivers, sound as good as new. Crossover caps ruptured after 20yrs, serviced by KEF. They’ll no longer service them. IMHO they were the pinnacle of KEF’s achievements. The Uni-Q’s aren’t a good design, they’re a gimmick, & don’t provide I SPL’s I desire. I’ll never sell them, they’ll be a family heirloom. They’ve been replaced with Von Schweikert Audio Endeavor 3 SE’s, due to the deterioration of the cabinet’s MDF bottom panel.
I appreciate your taking the time to share your experience with your 105.1's. Glad your drivers held up and at least you were able to get the caps replaced by KEF. Sorry to hear the bottom has not held up. I am glad you will not sale them- same way with my LaScalas.
Fantastic ... I use to own these ... Sound Stage is unreal ! ... Nice review ... Hope the Holidays was good to you and family ... Until next time ! ... '' Take Care ''
Thanks so much for your comment and the holidays were fine for us. Why did you sell them ? I think they have a good soundstage, but have heard better (think Falcon Acoustics Q7), but w/out the bass!
@@vintageaudioreview In fact i did own a pair ... I've always had a sweet spot for KEF. It was in a smaller room set up . But KEF's Flag Ship did a very sweet job , with the room tunes wall set up added .
👍🏻😎
I love my 107's for twenty years now. Have refoamed them a few years ago and now have to put new ferro fluid in. A bit hesitating though😶
I recommend using the guy I used on ebay, audiopreception, unless that is something you want to mess with. Thanks for the comment!
Replacing the ferro fluid is not a complicated process. Search on RUclips and just followed the instructions. Takes maybe just 1/2 an hour to have it replaced.
a friend of mine has these, not the best looking but great sounding speakers
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. I think they have a nice look to them, unless you are looking for something more "modern". Did your friend have the covers on or off?
@@vintageaudioreview He has the covers on and runs them with Dynaco SCA-35 tube amp that makes them sound phenomenal. Maybe it could be the place he has them or it could be just me 😬
@@AudioElectronicsChicago Covers On for sure, except when setting the toe-in or showing someone what they look like w/out them. I am surprised the Dynaco's work well with them as they like power- guess it depends on how loud you want to listen to your music.
My dad just inherited a pair of these. What kind of receiver/amplifier would you recommend to run these?
Thanks for the question. First, if they have not had the woofers refoamed, you need to check and see if they are intact- most likely not. That has to be done. Also, get the tweeter's ferro fluid replaced or, you could get some replacement tweeters that would work for about the same cost. Assuming that is done, the speakers can take a lot of power- unless you just play at lower listening levels- you would want an amp that is capable of at least 200w/4ohms, which eliminates a lot of receivers (vintage). If you don't need to shake the walls, any amp or receiver that can do 50w/4ohms would be just fine I would think
Sooo...without the Kube what is lowest heard frequency+-3db ? I have a small room and a pair I'm about to get has no kube but I'm still wondering if i got the kube would that create more problems as there would be more bass extension... Also I've only heard good things about them and small rooms but still ..😂
Thanks for the question/comment. To be honest, you can probably just use an equalizer to boost the bass a little bit to get close to what the Kube does.
Can you please tell me what does phase measurement of speakers/amplifiers tell and also what are the brand of drivers are used in these speakers ?
Thanks for the comment. I do not know what brand of drivers the 107 uses- as far as I know, KEF made them in house- at least the tweeters.As for phase, you would want both speakers phase to be the same- I only showed the one speaker's measurements in the video- probably should have measured the other one and plotted them against each other. Also, you would not like real sharp phase transitions, and the less variation in phase vs frequency the better. Phase problems can cause frequency nulls that are not desirable is my understanding.
Just bought one would love to service it. Further the binding post is broken how do I fix this ?
I doubt you would be able to find an exact replacement binding post, but could finding something that would work. This should work: www.amazon.com/BEKER-Connector-Audiophile-Amplifier-Terminal/dp/B07TCV56PV/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.eba7bd4e-dedb-4570-b09b-0e101a3c98a8%3Aamzn1.sym.eba7bd4e-dedb-4570-b09b-0e101a3c98a8&crid=1QBQM8NXZL5H3&cv_ct_cx=5way+binding+posts&keywords=5way+binding+posts&pd_rd_i=B07TCV56PV&pd_rd_r=4a32b764-6609-4e64-b34d-c46398d0e429&pd_rd_w=mbAkN&pd_rd_wg=ImOqZ&pf_rd_p=eba7bd4e-dedb-4570-b09b-0e101a3c98a8&pf_rd_r=X56GGYG9W39D9KHTZB2Y&qid=1679170304&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=5+way+binding+posts%2Caps%2C138&sr=1-3-492482ea-2ad3-4cfe-9d1a-0efc7c5c9374-spons&psc=1&smid=ARUGL1ZNXUXN9&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUFBLOVlDSDJPRjlRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTg2MzYxMVNDMU9FR0JGS0ZZSSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODU5NTMwM1M0VzBLR05QTzhJQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3NlYXJjaF90aGVtYXRpYyZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
How do they work/sound in a small listening room? Like 3,7m x 3,1m x 2,5m?
Thanks for your interest in the Kef's. That is a fairly small room for those speakers. You would not need a very big amp for them- maybe 60w/8ohms or 100w/4ohms would be plenty. My guess is that they would sound fine, but unless you have a great deal on a pair, you would be better to find a smaller speaker system...
@@vintageaudioreview okay, thank you for your answer.
@@vintageaudioreview would the KEF 105 be better in a smaller room than the 107?
@@xXLegendXx70 I started out looking for 105's and ended up with the 107's, but have not heard them in over 40years' II am not sure that they would take up less of a footprint than the 107's- they are still a large speaker- just not as tall as the 107's
@@vintageaudioreview ah alright. Because right now I have a beautiful pair of JBL 120Ti, and they sound great, but they are a little too big for my room. And I want to try B&W or KEF speakers. Preferebly vintage models. What would you suggest?
In my book, the first real fullrange speaker, and a better speaker than the 105. Ironic you should mention wilson. The kef measure better than any watt puppy up to version 6 at least. I had the 104/2 which also uses the KUBE. It's still amazes me how many people have no idea what the KUBE is.
I appreciate your taking the time to comment. I am guessing that if you were plunking down that much money for a speaker, you would have gotten the Kube as well- maybe a lot of them did not survive with people moving around over the years. Actually, the 107 has almost 3dB less sensitivity that the Watt 3/Puppy 2, which I have in front of and to the side of the 107's now. I will switch between them every few weeks as they both have a different sound- kinda like driving a different car around for a while. The bass on the Wilson's is "tighter" than the 107's, but the 107's have good bass.
@@vintageaudioreview I never cottoned to Wilson and the focal tioxid tweeter. The measurements of the wp5 were laughably bad ( Richard Hardesty/ watchdog) Sensitivity is not an issue with me since I have hundreds of ss watts , and a tube preamp. I got my 104/2 used in England, and sold them a few years later since I was moving back to the states.
@@scottlowell493 Hopefully you were able to find a great pair of speakers when you came back to the states. I sorta agree with you about power, but my current amp for that system is a Soundcraftsmen 250w/8oms vintage amp, and the clipping LED's come on when playing the 107's. Not so much with the Wilsons. The 107's have the flattest impedance I have measured (both resistive and phase). I don't know if you watched the video I did on the 107 vs Wilson A/B test.....
@@vintageaudioreview I'have not seen that. The other speaker that measures very well is the vandersteen model 2ce signature (now III). A/D/S (IIRC) were pretty flat too.
@@scottlowell493 I have not heard either of the speakers you mentioned. Note that I am strictly talking about the impedance of the speaker and not it's frequency response as measured with a calibrated microphone. While I do a basic measurement of that and the associated SPL, my "test area" has a lot of flaws in it, but since it is the same for each speaker that I have measured, at least it provides a small data point. I have found speakers to be more subject to listener preferences, I guess more personal, and so measurements can guide you as to what kind of amplifier you will need to drive them, but not how much you may enjoy listening to them, though Harmon studies have shown listeners prefer a flat frequency response....
Nice lows and mids, but ultra ugly highs, this speaker with a Dynaudio Esotar T-330 tweeter would be near nirvana
Thanks again- I will have to check the tweeter you mention- is it easy to mount? THere is a midwest speakers tweeter that was recommended as well. But as I had the Ferrofluid replaced I doubt I would want to swap out tweeters. I have the Wilson watt3/puppy 2's in front and to the side and so I will change them out to get a different sound- sometimes I like red wine and sometimes white....
@@vintageaudioreview the Esotar is used on Eaglestone Andras, Jamo Orielle, Sonus Faber Guarneri Homague, is the best tweeter I have heard, the most expensive too
@@ThresholdZhor You sure know your "esoteric audio"- I have heard of sonus faber and listened to some- didn't do anything for me. But the crossover would most likely need to be tweaked to match that tweeter- much more than I would want to undertake.