Kralk Audio TDB12 or Kef 105.4

[Macca]

Valve amp -hard to predict what the outcome would be then. Ideally you don't want a speaker with big swings in the impedance. Although if it does the business with the Monitor Audios then it would probably be fine with Focals too.

[Jac Hawk]

Valve amp -hard to predict what the outcome would be then. Ideally you don't want a speaker with big swings in the impedance. Although if it does the business with the Monitor Audios then it would probably be fine with Focals too.

It has plenty of punch Martin, i'll have a look at the focals, my thinking was a big bass bin so the Kralks would be spot on as they have a 12" and the Kef well i have a sweet spot for them i would be tempted by the 105.2 but a 12" bextrene cone with known issues and 40 years of service would push me towards the 105.4

[Pigmy Pony]

Focal Kantas in Private Exhibitions. Go on you know you want to

[Jac Hawk]

Focal Kantas in Private Exhibitions. Go on you know you want to

Bit too rich for me at the moment, just spent a load on an amp

[Macca]

It has plenty of punch Martin, i'll have a look at the focals, my thinking was a big bass bin so the Kralks would be spot on as they have a 12" and the Kef well i have a sweet spot for them i would be tempted by the 105.2 but a 12" bextrene cone with known issues and 40 years of service would push me towards the 105.4

Probably a better bet. The KEF Reference series from the 1990s were very good too, you sometimes see them pretty cheap (for what they are).

[VanDerGraaf]

Well I've got the Electra 926, best speaker I've owned by a country mile, out of the dozens I've had over the years. In fact one of the best speakers I've ever had a listen to, not just owned. Date from the late 1990s. They've done lots of iterations since, I think the latest one is the Kanta 2 but they are all basically the same design.

Superb midrange, close to electrostatics, and not so big and bassy that they won't work in a typical 16x12 room. Will show up inadequate amplifiers though which I think is why Focals in general have a poor rep on forums and so don't sell easily.

Interesting Martin. Not wanting to derail the thread but I have always had half an eye on bigger Focals but always got put off a little by claims of searing treble. I should know by now to be cautious about accepting various claims like that.

[VanDerGraaf]

It has plenty of punch Martin, i'll have a look at the focals, my thinking was a big bass bin so the Kralks would be spot on as they have a 12" and the Kef well i have a sweet spot for them i would be tempted by the 105.2 but a 12" bextrene cone with known issues and 40 years of service would push me towards the 105.4

I've had 2 pains of the original 105- didn't have any of the cone sag problems. The French guy I bought the first ones from thought it was very rare and a lot of other owners report no issues.

I think the 105.4 probably wins out in the tweeter department, probably sounds slightly more modern.

I would suggest the KEF 107, ultra deep bass plus all that is good about the 105.4, but in this cellar environment with low ceiling I don't know how they would work out.....the bass exits near the top of the speaker box.

[Pigmy Pony]

Bit too rich for me at the moment, just spent a load on an amp

Yeah the price of them Focals sits somewhere between and

With the ceiling being quite low I just wondered if maybe you could have problems controlling the bass, hence the suggestions about trying subs. From what I've read the Kralks with 12" bass can overpower smaller rooms, and even Mr Kralk (can't remember his proper name) would probably say as much.

Very much a 'try before you buy', which I know is easier said than done at the mo.

[Macca]

Yeah the price of them Focals sits somewhere between and

With the ceiling being quite low I just wondered if maybe you could have problems controlling the bass, hence the suggestions about trying subs. From what I've read the Kralks with 12" bass can overpower smaller rooms, and even Mr Kralk (can't remember his proper name) would probably say as much.

.

Size of the bass driver has nothing to do with how much bass there is. I've got some Akai speakers with 15 inch bass units, people who have heard them comment on the lack of deep bass. It all depends on the design. I had a listen to the Kralks and there were no issues with too much bass, or bass boom, and the room was not large. A lot of these problems are due to people needing their speakers to be placed right up against the wall or rammed into the corners.

Most speakers are not designed for that sort of placement. Some are, the key is to do the homework and choose wisely. This is where the oft derided 'graphs and measurements' can come in handy.

[Pigmy Pony]

Size of the bass driver has nothing to do with how much bass there is. I've got some Akai speakers with 15 inch bass units, people who have heard them comment on the lack of deep bass. It all depends on the design. I had a listen to the Kralks and there were no issues with too much bass, or bass boom, and the room was not large. A lot of these problems are due to people needing their speakers to be placed right up against the wall or rammed into the corners.

Most speakers are not designed for that sort of placement. Some are, the key is to do the homework and choose wisely. This is where the oft derided 'graphs and measurements' can come in handy.

No, I agree with the bit in bold, I'd just worded my comment badly. I said "Kralks with 12" bass" because I couldn't remember the model name.

I visited Mike's house a while ago, and while it's a very nice dedicated listening room, the ceiling is rather low. And Mikes comment about space being a bit tight as far as putting in subs is concerned, suggests the room might be smaller than I remember