KEF Reference 3 - damaged cone

[morethinkingcapacityneede]

Hi there,

Yes, another question about the KEF Reference 3... I am tempted to pick up a pair second hand, however one of the cones has some dents (see photo). Does anyone have a feeling of whether the damage would be audible or purely cosmetic? Thanks.

 

[staticV3]

Damaged KEF LS60W Woofers - Aesthetic or Measurable?

Please look away if a photo can cause you physical pain. As to the how: toddler. And on that note, anyone here looking to adopt? Is this damage just aesthetic, or do I need to send the speaker back to KEF for repairs?

www.audiosciencereview.com

KEF R3 Meta woofer slightly damaged

Hello, Long time lurker firs time poster, unfortunately not for a good reason. The woofer of my Kef R3 Meta had a little accident(see attached photo). It is a tiny dot which does not bother me aesthetically and also does not seem to have an effect on my sound. I consider sending the speaker...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Sokel]

This does not even seems like a real speaker,it's more like a rendering with dents to be more believable.

 

[staticV3]

They look like normal low quality smartphone photos in a brightly lit room.

 

[AOR]

Dents on LF drivers make basically no difference. LFs on KEF speakers tend to be used up to about 400ish Hz. Even with damage, the driver would still be acting in a pistonic manner, so the change in sound would be minimal. Dents on LMF drivers, like those used in our 2-way speakers, make a more significant impact, especially if near the edge of the cone.

 

[Doodski]

Until I ferret proofed a pair of KEFs that I owned the ferret was attacking the speaker/woofer until I saw it doing it. The aluminum honeycomb driver had chew marks, dents, small tears and such and it sounded fine. I put wire over the drivers to keep the monster ferret from trying to kill the woofers and all was well after. From the looks of those speakers you showed I think you'll be just fine.

EDIT: I gave that ferret away to a English lady that loved it to bits. Never again will I have a ferret...LoL.

 

[komhst]

Did you have a ferret as a pet? !!!

 

[Doodski]

Did you have a ferret as a pet? !!!

Yes, I had a female albino with red eyes and snow white. Wild animal in the house...

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Until I ferret proofed a pair of KEFs that I owned the ferret was attacking the speaker/woofer until I saw it doing it. The aluminum honeycomb driver had chew marks, dents, small tears and such and it sounded fine. I put wire over the drivers to keep the monster ferret from trying to kill the woofers and all was well after. From the looks of those speakers you showed I think you'll be just fine.

EDIT: I gave that ferret away to a English lady that loved it to bits. Never again will I have a ferret...LoL.

Haha! You shouldn’t invite the vermin in willingly.

Ferrets, minks, martens, rats, and raccoons aren’t pets, Doodski. If I find any of them in my house, they’ll be dealt with before I even think about less pressing matters -like my morning coffee or catching up on sleep..

 

[Doodski]

Haha! You shouldn’t invite the vermin in willingly.

Ferrets, minks, martens, rats, and raccoons aren’t pets, Doodski. If I find any of them in my house, they’ll be dealt with before I even think about less pressing matters -like my morning coffee or catching up on sleep..

It seemed like a good idea at the time but as it turned out it was a wild animal in the house as mentioned. Always challenging me and untrainable.

 

[jhaider]

I'll never understand the audiophool fixation with naked, fragile drivers.

I think of it this way - does one want to spent a lot of money for something with obvious damage to a critical moving part? I mean, if they're super cheap or the discount exceeds the cost of a replacement driver and the time required to swap the driver(s) out, sure. Otherwise it's just damaged goods.

 

[Mnyb]

I'll never understand the audiophool fixation with naked, fragile drivers.

I think of it this way - does one want to spent a lot of money for something with obvious damage to a critical moving part? I mean, if they're super cheap or the discount exceeds the cost of a replacement driver and the time required to swap the driver(s) out, sure. Otherwise it's just damaged goods.

or KEF's fixation with naked fragile drivers there are no speakers grilles on any of the finished KEF speakers i own I now have a substantial investment in naked fragile KEF drivers .

KEF LSXii in the kitchen.

My living room is an accident waiting to happen LS60 with 5 exposed drivers at each speaker ( treble is behind the lemon squeezer thank you ) and dual KC92 subs with 2 drivers in each .
14 exposed drivers to bump into when i vacuum the living room , it's statistically going to happen ?

Imho the LS60 could use a similar grills as they use in their lotus car speakers at least on the midrange .

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I'll never understand the audiophool fixation with naked, fragile drivers.

I think of it this way - does one want to spent a lot of money for something with obvious damage to a critical moving part? I mean, if they're super cheap or the discount exceeds the cost of a replacement driver and the time required to swap the driver(s) out, sure. Otherwise it's just damaged goods.

I feel the same way. I’ll admit, I usually prefer the look of naked drivers on the baffle rather than behind a grille -and KEF clearly designed their drivers to be seen and admired.

I have similar feelings about glossy piano-black finishes. I once owned high-end speakers and a Densen preamp and power amp with that finish, and no matter how carefully I dusted them with the softest microfiber cloth, tiny scratches still appeared over time.

That kind of equipment is so fragile -one small mistake, and its resale value can plummet in an instant.

 

[thewas]

It should be said though that their mass product series like Q and R have grilles, even the Reference ones. People with young children will unlikely buy a Blade, I never liked the look of having grilles on my loudspeakers and despite having cats and dogs never had any damage, but might just lucky.

 

[restorer-john]

I wouldn't buy the speakers in the OP's post. They've obviously been pushed at, poked and generally not well treated. As for a dented speaker not being damaged, you simply don't know that. An offset push on any driver is more than capable of causing a voice coil to scrape the magnet gap edges and damage insulation on the windings- I've seen it many, many times.

 

[morethinkingcapacityneede]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think agree with the opinions stated, the dents by themselves are not a problem, but their presence could indicate deeper issues due to the way the speakers might have been treated. These are reasonably priced for a used pair of Reference 3s, but not it's not a 'screaming' deal. I have seen pairs of Reference 3 in pristine condition for ~£400 more. It wouldn't be crazy for a better condition pair to come on the market, on the other hand these are probably ok sound-wise, so maybe a further reduction makes the tempting.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

the dents by themselves are not a problem, but their presence could indicate deeper issues

That’s definitely something worth keeping in mind in general..

 

[wwenze]

Until I ferret proofed a pair of KEFs that I owned the ferret was attacking the speaker/woofer until I saw it doing it. The aluminum honeycomb driver had chew marks, dents, small tears and such and it sounded fine. I put wire over the drivers to keep the monster ferret from trying to kill the woofers and all was well after. From the looks of those speakers you showed I think you'll be just fine.

EDIT: I gave that ferret away to a English lady that loved it to bits. Never again will I have a ferret...LoL.

So... ferrets do nothing to sound quality. Another snake oil myth busted.

 

[JSmith]

I think agree with the opinions stated, the dents by themselves are not a problem, but their presence could indicate deeper issues due to the way the speakers might have been treated.

Absolutely... my guess, owner had kids that took to the speakers or they were very poorly transported at one point.

I believe these Kef Ref. 3's use a composite cone made up of layers, with an aluminium core sandwiched between two layers of a polymer material... so they're pretty tough and not easily dented. Even though those marks are small, the pressure of each impact may have been much higher than the dents indicate.

edit: spelling


JSmith