The *NOT BORING!* Hi-Fi faff chat and sales

[legrandefromage]

all you do is connect them up, theres no magic to testing

 

[JayLC]

all you do is connect them up, theres no magic to testing

Hopefully they won’t mind then. I haven’t even got an amp anymore. Sold it all 18 months ago when I got made redundant. All i have is left is a few interconnect cables and LP’s

 

[legrandefromage]

ah, no amplifier, I can send you one for postage costs!

 

[JayLC]

ah, no amplifier, I can send you one for postage costs!

Ooh, you have my interest sir.

 

[legrandefromage]

its 'only' a Marantz PM 385 but its 40w into 8 Ohms so should be enough to drive your Neats

same as this one

 

[The Bat]

which lead me to vintage KEF models, ended up with Corelli's as I really liked the idea of T27 tweeters coupled with a bigger sealed enclosure + 8" drivers.
Recapped them with Falcon Acoustic kit (same guy who designed the early KEF models is the chap who puts the Falcon kits together) and they sound absolutely wonderful. I've no right to own such a nice pair of speakers for the paltry price I paid

Those 1970s KEFs are great speakers and, as you found, can be bought for not much.

I have some KEFKit 1 models, pretty much the same as your Corellis with the T27 tweeter and B200 bass-mid driver. These were sold, as the name suggests, as a (partly) self-build: the front panel was supplied with the crossovers and drivers attached, the owner just had to build the cabinets, fit and connect the terminals and attach the grilles.

Mine sounded great but, as you discovered, really benefited from the old original Elcap caps being replaced with new ones. An easy, cheap job that I'd recommend to anybody with speakers of this vintage.

I've since picked-up a pair of Chorale, which are the factory-built version of my KEFKit1. I think KEF did a few variations of speaker using this driver combination e.g. your Corellis, with slightly different versions of cabinet, crossover and driver spec i.e. the B200 and T27 was available with different sized magnets and coils with different throw length, these are designated by the SP number e.g. SP1014. A big benefit with the B200 is that it has a rubber surround rather than foam so it isn't subject to degrading.

If possible, would you be able to take a photo of how your crossover is attached in your Corellis, please? (I'm doing a bit of tinkering and want some ideas..)

 

[KeepItSteel]

Yes I really feel this era KEFs are a no brainer, classic T27 tweeter (no ferrofluid to dry up) and ubiquitous B200 driver with as you mentioned, a stable rubber surround.
I believe the Corelli came with a specific crossover and the B200 was given a smaller voice coil for added detail at living room volumes. Either way, it sounds fab.
I have an eye out for a pair of Calindas or 103ab's just to see what the extra dimension and bass response will offer in my set up.

Here's a few pics of the Corelli crossover for you, it's a very simple set up

 

[The Bat]

@KeepItSteel Thanks for the photos, I was wondering how your crossovers were attached. I've bought a replacement for one of mine but it's from a slightly later version of Chorale and will require a bit of fettling to attach it to my speaker so I am after ideas before going ahead.

Good luck with any other KEFs you try, keep us updated with what you find.

Kevin.

 

[legrandefromage]

sold my spare T27 but still have some B200 somewhere

 

[JayLC]

its 'only' a Marantz PM 385 but its 40w into 8 Ohms so should be enough to drive your Neats

same as this one
View attachment 713099

Looks ideal. I have tried to “start conversation” with you. Hopefully that worked.