KEF 104/2 tweeter replacement
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- The KEF 104/2 speakers were built and engineered by KEF United Kingdom in the late 1980's. To this day, they are hard to beat with most upper end speakers.
The tweeters will wear out after about 10 years. The ferrofluid inside the tweeters can dry and gum up over time, or they may 'pop' with too much 'Pink Floyd'. I was lucky and mine survived 26years. Instead of buying new more expensive speakers to have a similar sound, I wanted to try and fix this myself and researched the net for a few days.
What I found was-
*KEF has now changed ownership and they do not build or stock any replacement tweeters (KEF T33) for the KEF 104/2. This was per the tech dept at KEF.
*Five possible tweeter replacements for the KEF 104/2.
VIFA BC25TG15, HIVI X1, VIFA DX25TG09-04, AUDAX TWO25A2, Morel MDT29.
*Most of these tweeters come in 4omh and 8omh. 4omh for the 104/2.
*The Morel MDT29's were built to replace the original KEF T33 tweeters in the speakers, but they will not fit inside the 104/2. Modifications to either the tweeter or cabinet had to be done. All forums I read suggested modifying the tweeter.
*I could find no video on the net that showed how these modifications were done.
*I chose to modify the inside of the cabinet slightly to fit the new MDT29's.
*Replace the tweeters in each speaker so they have an equal sound.
Results-
*The MDT29's rock! I think better than the original T33's.
*$51 per tweeter vs. new speaker replacement of up to $3500 each for a similar sound.
*Time, 30 minutes on the first speaker, 15 on the second one. Learning curve.
Sometimes what seems better optically isn't always. The Kef T33 was a very sweet tweeter with low listener fatigue well matched to the crossover... even though efficiency and power handling were lacking. The Morale with it's larger magnet would strike me a somewhat more efficient thus some added resistance in the crossover is needed or else an over bright sound will result.
Andy-
Glad it worked out for you. I did look at 4:01 on the video to see what you were talking about. Actually, I did not cut off the plastic around the new tweeters (as a lot of others had suggested), instead I used the Dreml to carve our the cabinet so the depth of the tweeter would fit. So far, the MDT29's are still working out great. Good luck and thanks for sharing your comments. Tough to beat the sound of a KEF104.
Also, if you use a cut down MDT29, it does not sit flat in the T33 recess due to both connections being on one side, so I used a Dreml grinding stone to recess the wood there so it sat flat. I too am very satisfied with these tweeters as a replacement.
Yes, at first the Morel's did have a brighter sound to them. I chalked that up to the muddier sound of the older KEF T33 which had degenerated over time. At first, I did adjust the treble a little to compensate. After a year after installing the Morel's, I am still very happy with the results. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Nick. Sure write out your questions and I try and answer. I replaced the tweeters 4 months ago and still very happy with the results.
The things we do to preserve our vintage KEF speakers. Just replaced one tweeter on my Uni-Q C55s. Luckily, the newer Q55 tweeter can be made to fit.
The stock tweeters are not manufactured anymore. There is a kit out there you can buy, but the kit does not replace the fluid inside the tweeter. The morels are just a touch sharper than the originals which I have adjusted my receiver by just one notch setting, but after 25 years before I replaced them they may just have been very flat.
Scott, thanks for this great video. It gave me the confidence to try it myself. For future reference, at 4:01 you mention using a Dreml tool to cut the plastic edge off the MDT29's which is what I eventually managed using a diamond cutting wheel and after destroying one voice coil since I didn't have it clamped down (it spun and ripped the VC connections off before I clamped it). I'd actually highly recommend purchasing the pre-cut e-bay set if I were to do it again.
Thank you for this video, was really really helpful. The first speaker was a pain but the second install was a lot more smooth and took me about 1/3 of the time. One thing to note, if you do it this way, the tweeter isn't completely flush, but grinding down the plastic front bezel on the tweeter seemed more daunting.
Which tweeter did you end you going with?
Scott B Same tweeters- the Morel MDT29-4's.
Scott B Man these speakers just sound better and better every day after replacing the tweeters. It seemed subtle at first but now three days later I realize that it's really drastically better.
*****
The original T33 tweeters will go flat over time, mine sure did. Glad it worked it for you!
excellent very detailed tweeter replacement for the KEF 104/2
Thanks! After 4 years... the morel tweeters still work great.
The morel mdt 29's I purchased came in either 8 ohm or 4 ohm options.
I matched the impedance of the original KEF 104/2 T33 tweeters which were 4 ohm. Thank you for your question.
Hello, Please send me the exact part number to replace a blown tweeter from my KEF 104/2. 4 ohm or 8 ohm version? Also, Is there a way to use my Multi-Meter to check if my KEF speakers are bad? If they measure 4 ohms at the speaker terminal, does it mean they are still good? Thanks, John
The older 4ohm peerless tweeters are another match for the T33. They fit the 104/2 without modifications.
Good to know. Thank you for contributing!
Cartman's presence was supurb. Was he providing assistance? Who is his sidekick? Borat? Great demo btw!
Groucho Marx!
That's what I was originally looking for but could not find anywhere. If you know the link please post. As of today, the Morel's are excellent replacements.
Thanks for the video. Have you or anyone ever replaced the Mid speakers in this cabinet? I'm wondering how you open it to get to the 5.5" speakers. Thanks
Could you pop the nut off the bottom and run a large diameter sheet metal screw thru to hold the tweeter? Nice video.
Hi Scott,
Does any of your recommend tweeters above drop into place without "modding" the enclosure? Thanks and great video by the way.
Hello
after repaceing the tweeters by morel mdt 29,did you make any change on the cross over filter,because kef have 4 ohm impedance,and morel 8 ohm.so yes,what did you modifier.
thank you for your eventualy replay
alex
hey scott i was wondering if you had time if i could talk to you about the kef's, i need to replace the tweeters in mine and i just wanted to ask you a few questions about the process. thanks
If you google Morel MDT 29 4 ohm, you will find online retailers that sell these. Good luck!
my tweeters just gone after i did pop noise by plug and unplug MIC. don't you think refluid will help to bring them back or have to replace the Morel, I took it out and checked with multimeter they are all read 233k ohm or some thing like .932M some time instead of 3.3ohm. If I'm using the 8 ohm Morel does it sound the same as T33
The Morel tweeters will fit into the KEF 104s and sound fine... but not as good as the T33 which they don’t make anymore. You could try and replace the fluid, but if you blew your tweeters... you will have to replace.
From a sound stand point, how do the morels compare to the stock tweeters? Thanks
Hey Scott, I have somewhat a noob question to ask you. One of my tweeters burned itself some time ago, and while I was waiting for the right replacement I couldn't help myself but to continue listening to my music ignoring the fact that one of the drivers is dead...Was I wrong? Can I ruin my speakers if I power them normally without that one missing tweeter? Thanks in advance for you answer.
Breaking down your question. I doubt you would be doing damage to a speaker if the tweeter was shot. I might be more concerned if damage was being done to amp/receiver. If the amp/receiver is shutting off on its own, etc. Maybe check your amp vendor on your question. Things I like to make sure I do- Polarity of the speaker wires to the amp from speakers is correct. Ohms on speaker matches the amp specs. Making sure your amp is not underpowered for the speakers. Back to your question, when my tweeter failed, it was very distracting to me not having a correct balance in the room.
Scott, great video. I have a pair as well, have owned for many years and love the sound. Did you consider replacing only the ferrofluid in the original T33s? I've read this is very common for many, especially this tweeter, and produces great sonic results.
The screw on the slider is to tighten and to keep the tweeter from moving around.
can I replace a factory tweeter 4 ohms with a aftermarket 8 ohms tweeter? because I blew up the 4 ohms factory tweeters but not the woofers. this is the second pair of tweeters I blew up in just one week. 😯😯😯
You have to match the ohms on replacements. Check the manual for your amp/receiver... on most models you can select a switch that matches the ohms on your speakers. That impedance switch would be small and usually on the back of the amp/receiver. Amp and speakers have to match.
@@3pinskier Thank you very much !!☺☺
Thanks dude :)
The Morel's did not, too deep (thick), thus the modification. If you are considering the other tweeters, check out their dimensional specs. Maybe take out the KEF tweeters and measure them, and compare.
What is the liquid in the tweeter?
The liquid in a tweeter is called ferrofluid. It is a dense almost synthetic oil consisting mostly of iron oxide materials. Over time, this fluid can evaporate, dry out, or become gummy like. This can also happen if you are really pushing the speakers beyond their proper threshold. If this happens, the sound is not good. Sometimes you can find a company that will take your old tweeters and dig out the old ferrofluid and replace it.
Hi, great video & great speakers, you can buy the ferrofluid and repair yourself, it’s quite easy to do.
I THINK YOU CAN REMOVE THE DIAPHRAGM IN THOSE TWEETERS AND REPLACE THEM. DIAPHRAGMS COST FROM 8-20 BUCKS ON EBAY.
'Dental Memory' LOL......
480p....