Description
A vintage pair of the legendary KEF Reference Series Model 105 Speakers. To my ears these speakers sound absolutely fabulous. They were the ultimate top-end speakers of their day. I have heard that they retailed for around £2000 in late 70s early 80s money, hate to think how much that would be inflation adjusted (this comment was from a youtuber, so no idea as to its ultimate accuracy). The cases are in very good condition, a few minor scratches and dints to the wood surround, but nothing major - see photos. The removable screens are in excellent condition. The speaker diaphragms look very clean, no sign of any wear or degradation. The only obvious sign of age is from the remains of the glue on the top of the bass cabinet where a 1 flat foam top was seated. The foam was in a degraded state so was removed - as you will find for all instances of this speaker. This is not at all visible with the screens on and can probably be cleaned up OK, but as I wasnt sure how to do this properly I have left untouched. The cabinets are on castors and very easy to move around. Sonically they sound perfect with no rattles, vibration or harshness - to the limit that my puny 80w digital amp can push it. The upper speaker box can be rotated and elevation changed up and down to precisely direct the higher frequency sounds. There is a peak level indicator, which is a small red LED located in the tweeter box. This can be adjusted with the dial at the back to choose at what peak wattage input level it will be illuminated. Dimensions: 965 x 415 x 455 mm, (38 x 16.3 x 17.9 in)Weight Net: 36 kg (80lb)Finish: Walnut From the speaker brochure: KEF REFERENCE SERIES MODEL 105 Model 105 is the newest addition to the well known Reference Series based on KEFs experience in the production of high-grade monitoring loudspeakers for sound and television broadcasting organisations. Its design is the result of a long-term development aimed primarily at avoiding the restrictions - particularly in stereo reproduction - imposed by the directional characteristics of conventional loudspeakers. Although the project involved some advanced mathematical theory, the design objective was a very practical one, namely, that the high standard of sound quality and stereo realism to be achieved should not be confined to some preferred listening position, but should be maintained constant over a defined area large enough to accommodate a group of listeners. Judging by the outward appearance of Model 105, the most striking feature is the arrangement of the three drive units, two of which are mounted in a separate housing of somewhat unconventional shape. But this is only one aspect of a comprehensive development, in which drive units, filter networks, enclosures and spatial acoustic were all considered as part of an overall system-engineering plan. KEF have combined subjective evaluation with objective standards. The result is Model 105: a loud speaker in a class of its own, which reproduces speech and music with the highest fidelity, even at realistic concert hall levels. Listen to a symphony on Model 105s and its like having the orchestra in your room. Three fine drive units are used in Model 105, each matching perfectly the performance requirements of the system. The low frequency unit is a 300 mm (12) driver with a massive magnet and high temperature motor assembly which easily accommodates the high power for which Model 105 is designed. The 110 mm (5) mid range unit has an aluminium voice coil former, and a visco-elastic damped Bextrene diaphragm diaphragm supported by a special PVC edge suspension. The high frequency unit is a 52 mm (2) radiator with a 38 mm (11/2) hemispherical Mylar plastic diaphragm and a damped roll surround. Each drive unit in the Model 105 has its own individual enclosure. Model 105 Specifications Dividing Network: 4th order Linkwitz-Riley band pass -6 dB at crossover pointsDividing Frequencies: 400 & 2,500 HzNominal Impedance: 8 ohmsProgramme Rating: 200 wattsSensitivity: 86 dB spl for 1 watt (1m on axis-anechoic)Maximum Continuous Sinusoidal Input:35 Vrms 100 to 400 Hz28 Vrms 400 to 2,500 Hz11 Vrms 2,500 to 20,000 HzMaximum Output: 107 dB spl on programme peaks under typical listening conditionsFrequency Response: 30 to 25,000 Hz ±2 dB 38 Hz to 22 kHz at 2 m on measuring axisDirectional Characteristics:Within ±1 dB of axial response up to 20,000 Hz (for ±5° vertical)Within ±2 dB of axial response up to 13,000 Hz (for ±20° horizontal)Amplifier Requirements: 40 watts minimum into 8 ohmsFuses: Fitted to mid-frequency and high-frequency sectionsPeak Level Indicator: Switchable to indicate power levels of 40, 50, 60, 100, 125, 150 and 200 watts Finish: Walnut
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