Buy both Kan and IBL ,they are not expensive.
They used Kef B110 baskets, paper coned them and put a phase plug in the middle.
So we can agree that it was no longer a KEF drive unit?
It was a modified Kef B110.
But not remotely close to half way through the jigsaw puzzle!
Xmas isn’t over Graham! We’ve just started but the kids have found their Xbox again - and I’m listening to Emma Kirkby
Rather like some of the drag queens whom I see in Brighton occasionally who have gone through ‘gender modification’ surgery.
You can never go wrong with her - what a voice she had!
seeing speakers in such lovely condition really makes me annoyed that you find tatty beaten up versions on the bay. These speakers should be cared for.
New tweeters, new grills and new spikes. I did touch up the cabinet a bit but not too much. Xovers still needs service.
Tempted to dig up the Ixo and run them active, but even passive they sound very sweet.
A solid wall to their rear which helps them.
They really transforms when active
Yeah, I ran it for a while. They suddenly have bass if ran active!
I’m curious about how you narrowed your choice down to these particular speakers. Two very different designs from the countless different models you could have chosen.
Sue’s craft room system has Kans (mk 1) on the back end of a Meridian 101/103D amp ( front end is a NAT03, and a (newly lasered) CD3.5+FC.
I’ve often considered trying a pair of IBLs, but I would inevitably end up going down the rabbit hole of taking them active!
Well I’ve tried so many speakers over the last few years, I think I have a good handle on the sound signature of various brands. I’m well aware it was specific to the models that I tried but my point is I wasn’t super impressed with a lot of speakers.
The speaker that I was impressed with most other than my Harbeths was the Naim SL2. It’s just so different. I haven’t heard a faster speaker and although in my main system I prefer more midrange warmth and more bass, in my second system I’d very much like that type of signature. I think so anyway. lol.
Dali, Borresen, many Bowers, KEFs, Dynaudio, Audiovector, kudos were not my preference overall. Even though they all have things that they do very well.
Secondly this speaker needs to be very inexpensive and nothing in the budget market appeals to me like Kans or IBL/SBLs. Between the two I now have a preference for IBL for some reason but if I see a mint SBL come up for sale, I don’t know if I’d be able to resist. Hope that all makes sense. lol
With the right source amplification and room they produce a really musical sound that outweigh and weakness they may have.
Which speaker?
Love it. I would love to find a pair in that condition