Kitsan
02-09-2026, 23:28
They currently sound great, so I’m not looking to have them unnecessarily rebuilt or “upgraded”. The main issues are cosmetic, although I’d like everything checked properly while they’re apart.
The grille/cover material is worn and bobbled and really needs replacing, and the cabinets/bodies are a little worse for wear and could do with some sympathetic cosmetic restoration.
There are also a couple of electrical/details issues. One of the LEDs for the tweeter clipping indicators has stopped working, and the rear banana jack terminals appear to have been tinkered with at some point. The two speakers currently have different terminals fitted. Ideally I’d like these returned to something matching the originals, although I’d be perfectly happy with both being replaced with a suitable matching set if finding original parts becomes uneconomical.
As they sound good, I don't particularly want drivers, crossovers, surrounds etc. replaced simply because they're old. I'd prefer someone who can test everything, compare it with the original specification and only replace components that are actually out of spec or affecting performance.
Essentially, I'm after a sympathetic restoration to original KEF specification rather than an audiophile upgrade. I'm not against modern replacement parts where originals are unavailable, prohibitively expensive or genuinely inferior/problematic, but I'd like to preserve the speakers as KEF intended them as much as reasonably possible.
So far I've found G7 Hi-Fi in Leicester, who have responded to me, and Surgery Audio Services in Newcastle Emlyn, which I just emailed today.
Has anyone here had personal experience with either of those, particularly with vintage KEF speakers?
And are there any other specialists you would recommend for this sort of work? I'm particularly interested in someone who is good with both the cabinet/grille restoration and the electrical side, rather than simply repairing faulty drivers.
I also have a pair of KEF 105/3s in similar cosmetic condition which I'd potentially have restored afterwards if I'm happy with the work on the 105s, so I'd quite like to find someone I can build a bit of confidence in.
The grille/cover material is worn and bobbled and really needs replacing, and the cabinets/bodies are a little worse for wear and could do with some sympathetic cosmetic restoration.
There are also a couple of electrical/details issues. One of the LEDs for the tweeter clipping indicators has stopped working, and the rear banana jack terminals appear to have been tinkered with at some point. The two speakers currently have different terminals fitted. Ideally I’d like these returned to something matching the originals, although I’d be perfectly happy with both being replaced with a suitable matching set if finding original parts becomes uneconomical.
As they sound good, I don't particularly want drivers, crossovers, surrounds etc. replaced simply because they're old. I'd prefer someone who can test everything, compare it with the original specification and only replace components that are actually out of spec or affecting performance.
Essentially, I'm after a sympathetic restoration to original KEF specification rather than an audiophile upgrade. I'm not against modern replacement parts where originals are unavailable, prohibitively expensive or genuinely inferior/problematic, but I'd like to preserve the speakers as KEF intended them as much as reasonably possible.
So far I've found G7 Hi-Fi in Leicester, who have responded to me, and Surgery Audio Services in Newcastle Emlyn, which I just emailed today.
Has anyone here had personal experience with either of those, particularly with vintage KEF speakers?
And are there any other specialists you would recommend for this sort of work? I'm particularly interested in someone who is good with both the cabinet/grille restoration and the electrical side, rather than simply repairing faulty drivers.
I also have a pair of KEF 105/3s in similar cosmetic condition which I'd potentially have restored afterwards if I'm happy with the work on the 105s, so I'd quite like to find someone I can build a bit of confidence in.