Kef XQ 3

Hace algún tiempo me hice con éstas cajas al cambiárselas a Galli por uns infnity cascade nine.
Las había probado así como de pasada solo para comprobar que iban bien.
Y las tenía desconectadas porque no tengo donde ubicarlas.
El otro día hablando con un conocido me dijo que le podían interesar para su home cinema y quedamos en que se iba a pasar a escucharlas.
He quitado las Gallo y he puesto las Kef en la sala de 15 m y conectadas al Callisto.
Y la verdad es que no suenan nada mal , pero nada mal.
Es más , en mi sala no dan problemas de graves y tienen un sonido claro, natural y agradable.
Me parece que si el tipo éste no se las queda, las voy a dejar una temporadita para poder saborearlas mejor.
Yo había escuchado la serie iQ y no me parecía gran cosa, pero éstas tienen otra gracia.

hola rubius yo tengo las 104/2 y son una gozada se defienden muy bien con todo tipo de musica y son muy agradables y no son para nada cansinas.

dile que la has vendido y disfrutalas un tiempo y si aun tienes el S6 pruebalas con valvulas,lo mismo te sorprenden.

un saludo y disfruta de ese arsenal de cajas

Mmmm.... Rubius, si te sobra alguna pantalla, acuérdate de los pobres.

gali escribió:hola rubius yo tengo las 104/2 y son una gozada se defienden muy bien con todo tipo de musica y son muy agradables y no son para nada cansinas...

Hola,

Yo mismo sigo usando a diario unas KEF Reference Series,Mod. 103/4 y siempre me surpreendo ennamorado de su sonido y es que periodicamente me siento atacado por la fiebre de lo upgrade mas nunca he hallado quien me las pague ni quatro perras y darlas por nada, no!
Me voy quedando con ellas.

Las tiengo atacadas por dos Musical Fidelity, ELEKTRA E-300 en mono en el rango HF/MF y por dos monos de Vincent, S 996 en las bajas frequencias y asi he logrado extrairles unos bajos muy decientes contrariando los mayores reproches que les hacian.

He hallado hace poco esta vista explodida de sus tripitas:

Las 104/2 al descubierto!...

Dedicado a Gali y a sus KEF, una review sobre las 104/2:


Specifications
Frequency Range 55Hz - 20kHz (+/- 2dB)
Drive Units HF: T33 25mm (1") Impregnated fabric dome
MF: 2 x B110 100mm (5") Doped Bextrene cone
LF: 2 x B200 200mm (8") Paper cone
Crossover Point 150Hz, 3kHz
Nominal Impedance 4 ohms

Characteristic:
Sensitivity Level 92dB
Amplifier Requirements 25-200W into 4 ohms
Maximum Output 112dB
Internal Volumes LF 50 litres
MF 3 litres
Net Weight 32kg (70.5lbs) each

Dimensions
(H x W x D) 900 x 280 x 415mm
35.5 x 11 x 16.4 ins
Price: $3,000 when new

HISTORY:

Back in the 1980's KEF was a wonderfully British company making their own drivers with a top-notch team. While their top range model was the 107 that produced deeper bass (down to 20Hz), after careful auditioning the 104/2 was the obvious winner. KEF's 104 model saw various versions and the 104/2 was the final result of the product's evolution. This relatively high sensitivity loudspeaker, at 92dB/W/m at 4 ohms, produced frequencies from 55Hz to 20kHz (+-2dB) with five drivers. The tweeter is KEF's T33 25mm (1") silk dome with slight horn loading. It was flanked above and below by the B110 100mm (5") doped Bextrene midrange cone in a D'Appolito technique. Bass was produced by a pair of coupled cavity B200 200mm (8") paper cone drivers with their center magnets connected by a metal pole.

The midrange/tweeter/tweeter panel (weighting about 25 lbs) is completely removable from the woofer cabinet (at nearly 45 lbs) and both loudspeaker cabinets are very rigid. Each midrange is enclosed in its own sealed section to reduce any interaction while the tweeter is press fit to the cabinet via a rear screw. The internal woofers' output exits via a flanged port the same size as the midrange units. And thus the brilliance! The tricks up the 104/2; proverbial sleeve is that the sound wave of the midrange and the bass drivers is the same size, plus add in the point source-like output from the midrange/tweeter/midrange D'Appolito configuration. On the rear of the cabinet is a pair of binding posts for the upper frequencies and another pair for the woofers so you could bi-wire/bi-amplify.

As for sound, the highs are smooth and midrange is very well presented. Bass down to about 50Hz is excellent and tuneful. Do not use the KEF Kube, an external box said to enhance bass down to lower frequencies, as this clouds the sound. If you need lots of bass below 50Hz get a separate subwoofer. The soundscape thrown by my pair of 104/2 is remarkable! When present, not only is the sound totally enveloping, but you get height information too.


FIRST REVIEW:

I bought my 104/2s back in the 80s, at a time when my retailer would credit full retail when swapping in speakers toward any speaker upgrade. So, every year, for a coupla hundred bucks I'd upgrade! But, after a few years, when it came time to swap in the KEF 104/2s ... Well, I just couldn't do it. Over the years since, I have auditioned a lot of different gear, but never found another set which sounds nearly so 'effortless.'

I tried both the Kube 100 and 200 with these, but found that a well-integrated sub (Velodyne for me) offered a better solution than either Kube, without the loss of imaging - I listen to a little of everything (except opera), and with an adequate sub, these KEFs will rock steady (You haven't heard "Stop Making Sense" or "Mass Romantic" until you've heard them on a pair of 104/2s!) Plus, I found that these were not nearly so 'touchy' about placement as most speakers - They are happy anywhere within a few feet of the back wall, and give an exceptionally wide horizontal sweet spot (although vertically, they drop off fast off-axis - I saw that someone here had put a 104/2 on its side as a center speaker, but it sure sems to me that would offer an awfully narrow horizontal dispersion).

Serial # on one of mine is 012239A, which (if they number in chrono order) looks to be one of the earlier sets posted here - I can't easily get behind the other one to check it, but they are the older model with the wooden grill frames. Incidentally, my foam surrounds are still in good shape after about 25 years' steady usage. I always kept the grills on, and they never had sunlight on their faces. No other maintenance except vacuuming out the bass cavity every few years, but I've heard there is some goop which will preserve rubber from deterioration (like 303 Aerospace does for vinyl - That stuff is a miracle) - If anyone knows of such, drop me a note?

I always knew that I adored these speakers, and my guests ALWAYS comment on them, but I never knew until now that they were 'legendary'! I recently picked up a KHT 9000 and stand to use as a center channel, and will post comments on that combo once I get it set up.

SECOND REVIEW:

My KEF collection composes of two pairs of 104/2 (serial number 002896A/B and 027630A/B) and a 200C for center channel. The sound quality of my two pairs are excellent and very consistent, one pair was built around 1986, one was built around 1993. In case, one pair goes off, I will still have another pair to use. For now, the two pairs works as my stereo speakers A+B and Surround sound's fronts and surrounds. 104/2 is best for classical music more on the granduer side such as Beethoven's 9th Symphony or Bitzt's Carmen and L'Arlesienne. It is also great for opera. I do not demand each speaker to perform exellently cross the full audio spectrum from 20 to 25K Hz. For surround's base, I compliment my them with Velodyne F-1200-B. For classical music, 104/2 is perfect in every way and every frequency range. I usually turn off my subwoofer. Simply let my pairs of 104/2 to perform out their best. For New Age, Jazz and Blue lovers, 104/2 is also great for your need and can live up to your expection and picky ears. Sorry, I don't play Rock and don't know how they perform to Rocks and their long term usage effect.

Many 104/2 have been used or set aside for years since they were introduced in the mid-80's and stopped 15 years ago. They are heavy and not suitable to be moved around. Many 104/2 out there may not be in ship shape. If someone has bad experience with 104/2, especially for those who bought it used, poor comment IS ad hoc and highly personally biased. For there are a wide fan base for 104/2, the demand is high. As result, they are made-shift and mis-matched pairs out there. I have seen a pair with wrong serial number and totally different wiring location. After years of good loving and caring, mine are still in excellent condition. I figure I can get extract another 20 years out of them or may be even longer!

I need to add the size of my room and the sound barrier arrangement to my equation of 104/2 performance. I have high ceiling and large room, ceiling to floor curtains. Spikes to my 104/2. All those contribute to the quality of sound. I haven't mention the size of my wires and receiver models. When reading audioreviews, one has to be careful to map out the whole story and fill in the missing pieces.

KEF 104/2 is indeed legendary has its own place in history. No matter what, beauty will age. Good TLC can slow that process. If you are reading my review before plannig to buy one, please make sure serial number matches with the same number followed by A and B for they were factory paired by KEF technician. The wire connecor is located 12" from the bottom. Exam the exterior carefully. Ask the seller to remove both unit's grill and visually check out tweeters. Never buy without listening to its sound. Bring with your own CD. If you don't know what CD to bring, try to take Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker's Bizet Carmen -Suite No. 1. The very first beat will tell you the quality of the speakers. The sound has to be clear, crispy and decisive!

THIRD REVIEW:

After extensive comparison with used speakers (fully broken-in) retailing from $3000 to $5500 (Gershman, spendors, B&W, Harbeth... to name a few) I am stunned to say that I still prefer the Kef 104.2! Most speaker I tried excelled at one thing or another but none of them sounded as consistently Beautiful as the Kefs regarless of the associated equipment or music style.

Here are 3 combos I highly recommend:

1) VTL it-85 integrated tube amp / empirical Audio interconnect / Rega Jupiter CD / Z1 monster speaker cables (smooth / warm / detailed non-fatiguing sound. Great for Voices, Acoustic, Jazz and other small ensembles...)

2) Preamp Linn 5103 / Linn Chakra amp / Linn silver interconnect / Linn K400 speaker cables / connected via optical to good Transport of lossless library ( World class spooky transparency / imaging sound that fits all styles. Not as laid back as tubes but as revealing, fairly non fatiguing and warm for solid state)

3) Same set up as above with Linn Klout amp instead of the Chakra. ( effortless & dynamics "round" sound (as opposed to sharp). Less transparency than Chakra but plenty of finess in the details and some sweet deep bass. Never harsh or fatiguing, sounds great with everything, my preferred set up.

The Kefs are the only speakers able to consistently sound great on the above setups. Those now very affordable speakers will bring much joy to the music lover.

FOURTH REVIEW

Very very rare set of the above. Anyone who knows about audio know these simply are the best!! These are the rare birewirable version in rosewood. I defy anyone to find a bad review on these beauties.I will only sell to a true music lover otherwise dont bid.

These are a lady of the highest order and deserve a new kind owner only. You would need to spend at least 15k in todays world to get close to the sound of these. Happy to demo. I have recently had them checked out at Axent the caps were checked and most importantly all surrounds replaced!!so will last for a lifetime to come only selling as going a different direction.

You will need some good amplification to make these sing but boy do the ever!! lol lol specs are Model 104/2 is a classic high output, high sensitivity loudspeaker system with exceptional dynamic capability. Since its launch, this elegant Reference Series loudspeaker has won awards worldwide for technical innovation and acoustic performance - and no wonder.

Model 104/2 incorporates KEF Reference Series dual coupled cavity bass loading, an innovative arrangement which improves low frequency performance and reduces distortion while delivering tremendous bass output. Twin chassis-less midrange units effectively eliminate chassis resonance. The very embodiment of all that makes Reference Series so special, Model 104/2 has a performance level way above its size.


CONCLUSION: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Strengths:
***Natural sound = clear, detailed, smooth and cohesive on the entire frequency (no disconnection between the bass and mids for instance). ***Efficient = easy to match /sounds effortless. ***Best with voices, Jazz, accoustic, world...still excellent with everything else! ***easy positioning and can be few inches from the back walls (as opposed to 3 feet into the room like many speakers)

Weaknesses:
I'm not crazy about their look with the grills on. The Black casing around the mids & black vent would look nicer if in wood (instead of black). *** inner bass Woofers foams degrade over time (it doesn't seem to affect the sound though, the bass are still strong, fast and deep!)

hola compi y gracias por la rewie

hace poco las tuve que desarmar para cambiarle los donetes es una caja muy bien construida con un gabinete para los medios y agudo y otro cajon independiente para los graves.

jeje veo que las ataca bien,yo uso un valvulas de 30 watios y para mi sala van de lujo,he tenido unas pocas de cajas de varias marcas y ninguna de ellas me han gustado tanto como estas kef,a ver si estas me duran

un saludo.

La verdad es que la serie IQ y la serie XQ tienen poco que ver. Tengo las columnas XQ5 (hermanas mayores de las XQ3) y estoy encantado con ellas, cuando les llegue su hora (si es que les llega) será por algo "gordo" y preferentemente pasaran a formar parte de un segundo equipo.
Cuando las compré barajaba opciones como la serie Q (las IQ anteriores), Bowers de la serie 600, Focal 700, etc. Hasta que en una tienda me ofrecieron escucharlas y era otro mundo al día siguiente pasé a por ellas y al segundo día (uno en casa) pasé a por el central (XQ2Cen).

Son unas cajas que agradecen mucho un buen amplificador, así que estoy convencido que con un "dragón" por detrás deben ir de miedo.