Inside of KEF Kube 10b subwoofer

[9800pro]

Hi all,
just got a used KEF Kube 10b.
Because its sides are full cloth wrap, I was interested how it looks inside.
You can see from the images it's not a standard sub box.
Top and bottom panels are removable because of the cloth, and the woofer is installed from inside.
The dampening material is closed cell foam sheet, no fiber or any other type of wool.
I didn't see that before in subs, so I have to imagine KEF was being cheap with the choice of dampening material.
The box itself is made from 3/4" MDF, the front is 1" MDF. The woofer screws are with threads mounted on the front side, so the grip is strong.
The top and bottom panel don't have any type of gasket, they are just screwed on the box.
While listening to the sub, there is no any type of strange noises coming from it, so it's probably made well enough.
The woofer unit is very similar to the B&W ASW608/610 models.
As for the sound itself, in my setup it sounds better than SVS SB1000 Pro.
I might try and do some DIY on it, change dampening to wool, make some bracing and maybe brace the woofer magnet.

 

[Golf]

Quite honest: If I was ever considering buying this unit, these photos would probably put an end to it.

 

[TheBatsEar]

Really cool. I wish more people would take apart their stuff and show what they find.
Thanks

 

[9800pro]

With all said above, the sub really does play nice.
In a few days I will get a new model, Kube 10MIE and will see if they did any upgrades.
I have some MDF panels leftovers and damping, will do some mumbo-jambo to see will it benefit or no.
Basically, for a few $$$ and if you're handy you could seriously upgrade it.
But most important thing, wife likes it
By looks itself, it's one of the best looking subs, especially for living rooms.

As for looking inside and deciding on buying, I once installed JBL Synthesys Array Three system with 2x JBL S2S passive subwoofers.

The cable was non OFC copper, red/black 2x 0.5mm2 and bass reflex tubes were like toilet paper tube below the paper, and for 2000usd per piece.
But it sure as sh..it played great.
So looks aren't everything, listen first, judge later

 

[Matias]

A very standard sub. Basic like it's entry level pricing imo.

 

[Willem]

The previous generation of this rather elegant budget subwoofer measured well, so I expect the new version to do even better. I note they now also have a 15 inch version. I have a Kube 8b as part of a three sub system equalized by MSO, and it performs well, though it is obviously not as powerful as the other two subs (an SVS SB2000 and a B&W PV1d).

 

[Willem]

In a few days I will get a new model, Kube 10MIE and will see if they did any upgrades.

From the descriptions, it seems the upgrade is largely about tweeks to the dsp engine.

 

[9800pro]

Amp is different, at least by the images. I hope there will be more upgrades...
Left is 10b, right is 10MIE.
And they added Stand-by mode switch, you can set it to ON constantly now.
Supposedly they had issues with Auto ON not working with low volume.

 

[Willem]

Supposedly they had issues with Auto ON not working with low volume

True, I had issues with that as well with my Kube 8b, but no longer. Always on is wasteful of energy, which is not something one wants to do in this day and age of global warming.

 

[urmuz]

True, I had issues with that as well with my Kube 8b, but no longer. Always on is wasteful of energy, which is not something one wants to do in this day and age of global warming.

How did you solve the problem with auto stand by in Kube 8b? I have the same problem, at low volume it goes into stand by. Thank you!

 

[Willem]

From what I remember, I increased the input level and lowered the volume on the sub itself. I could do this when I introduced MSO and a miniDSP 2x4HD into the chain.

 

[9800pro]

Kube 10MIE arrived and .....well..... nothing new.
The driver is the same 10" model, still no internal bracing, there is polyfill instead of foam (sort of an upgrade) and the amp is now in a metal box instead of plastic (downgrade?)...
I added more polyfill for now and added wider washers for the bottom plate to apply more pressure to the panel.
I will add some bracing later and butyl damping to the amp box and driver basket.
But for 450USD brand new, I think it's fine.
Sound quality is actually good, a bit better than for 10b, probably because of the amp.
After adding additional polyfill and running Audyssey on X4800H, the volume knob is at 9h instead of 12h, and it's plenty enough for my space.

 

[9800pro]

Did a bit of DIY on the new one. Added two braces to the top and bottom panels, and added two horizontal braces for side panels.
Also added about 400gr of polyfill. So far so good, it sounds a bit tighter. Will see after a few days how it behaves.

 

[Ron Texas]

Quite honest: If I was ever considering buying this unit, these photos would probably put an end to it.

Your post comes across as undeserved meanness. Maybe you could say exactly what's wrong with the design which the photos reveal.

 

[DVDdoug]

I didn't see that before in subs, so I have to imagine KEF was being cheap with the choice of dampening material.

It probably makes very little difference. Assuming it crosses-over at 80Hz, that's a wavelength of 14-feet and you can't get resonance inside. The wood could theoretically resonate, but that would better-fixed with braces/stiffening.

I've read that "stuffing" a box can increase its effective volume. I don't really understand how that works but I expect the small difference in volume to make no difference in a sealed box design which isn't really "tuned" anyway.

 

[9800pro]

He probably thinks about the "cheap" way KEF built it, and it's true.
For the money, they could have done a better job. I only spent about 20 USD for new polyfill, wood braces and new better screws.
They could have easily made those changes in factory for a fraction of the cost.
But, "good enough" is probably ok for KEF, branding and marketing is everything.
If I had to pay the full 700 USD price, I would buy something else.
For 400 USD, it's fine (with a few tweaks).

 

[PetaBass]

Could someone tell me if there is a fuse in the amplifier section of the Kube models? There are few pictures of them, and it seemed to me that they do not have a fuse.