Kef 105/3 crossovers

[sbx]

Hello I am new on here and posted this question under full range when I think it may be more appropriate to this thread, well here goes...

Kef 105/3 crossover I have a pair of these speakers and have been reading about people replacing the capacitors due to ageing. I have had a quick look inside my cabinets and the caps look fine i.e not swollen, but I have read that they dry out. If it is advisable to replace them, what caps would any one recommend? I have a schematic of the crossovers and there a total of 23 caps per speaker The values on my schematic are as follows;(value times total)
240 x 2
100 x 7
80 x 4
60 x 1
50 x 3
20 x 3
15 x 1
7 x 2

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, I think these are fantastic speakers and about 18 months ago all the bass units were re-foamed complete with new centre doughnuts so they should be okay for the future...I hope. I know Kef do not have any more drivers for this model now, that is why I am asking if it would be worth all this extra work and would I notice any improvement? thinking along the lines if it ain't broke etc...

Cheers

[tinitus]

Welcome
Next time, If you want a thread or post moved, just ask

[sbx]

Hi, many thanks, I'm still trying to find my way around but I couldn't find a link about having a thread removed/archived.

Cheers.

[sbx]

Anybody had any thoughts on this subject please?

[DreadPirate]

I would advise to not bother changing any of the caps. I have never found a cap out of spec in a speaker I have recapped, even on early '70s dated speakers. They are just not subject to an environment that would require it. If you really had to "for the fun of it" then you should only replace the electrolytic ("can") types, as some of the caps most likely used are going to be film capacitors that never need replacing. If you can't tell the difference, post a picture and maybe we can advise. Whether you do or do not replace the electrolytics, one little tricky is to bypass them with a Dayton branded low value polypropylene film capacitors from Parts Express. A few uF will do. Chances are that high quality parts were used to begin with and that you do not need to do anything other than kick back and enjoy their sound.

[sbx]

Originally Posted by DreadPirate

I would advise to not bother changing any of the caps. I have never found a cap out of spec in a speaker I have recapped, even on early '70s dated speakers. They are just not subject to an environment that would require it. If you really had to "for the fun of it" then you should only replace the electrolytic ("can") types, as some of the caps most likely used are going to be film capacitors that never need replacing. If you can't tell the difference, post a picture and maybe we can advise. Whether you do or do not replace the electrolytics, one little tricky is to bypass them with a Dayton branded low value polypropylene film capacitors from Parts Express. A few uF will do. Chances are that high quality parts were used to begin with and that you do not need to do anything other than kick back and enjoy their sound.

Hi many thanks for the advice, I would imagine given the quality of the speakers in their day, that high quality parts were used and being well pleased with the performance I shall leave well alone, and as you say enjoy the speakers.

Many thanks

[Face]

What's your budget?

How much space do you have?

[sbx]

Originally Posted by Face

What's your budget?

How much space do you have?

Hello I am trying to find out what sort of cost would be involved, have you any idea? Can I ask why you are asking how much space I have?

Cheers

[Face]

I was curious if you had room for all films.

If you're on a budget, Dayton caps are good for the large values. For the small values or values in the HF circuit, Sonic Caps or Claritycaps are a better choice.

[sbx]

Originally Posted by Face

I was curious if you had room for all films.

If you're on a budget, Dayton caps are good for the large values. For the small values or values in the HF circuit, Sonic Caps or Claritycaps are a better choice.

Yes there is plenty of room inside the base of the speaker where the two circuit boards are mounted, I don't know exactly how much room there is to accommodate different types of caps on the board from the originals. I spoke to Kef yesterday and was informed that it is very rare for a crossover to go faulty, I was just exploring the possibilities etc seeing that I am going to refurb the cabinets this spring. All drivers are working fine and are the originals, but I have just bought the later Uni q HF unit from Kef while there are still some available. They perform so well I think the extra work is worth it.

Cheers