sir Foo, may nagdaan sa aking KEF 104 back in mid '80s but it sounded good and comparable with the EVs, ARs and JBLs, i kept during that time. it requires good placement though since it was less efficient despite its size (and looks more like a Kabuki-type, if i still recall, compared with US-made vintage gear I had then.) may bumili sa akin agad ng five figures, so, binenta ko.
if you're comparing it with your AR-90 and Yamaha NS-1000, inferior nga ang KEF-104. i just checked the Orion bluebook used by traders and insurers as reference in the US and it showed a used KEF 104's recommended re-sale value today at only $200. in comparison, the small KEF 101/s2 that i own has a used value of $250. your Yamaha NS-1000 has a re-sale quote of $620 while your AR-90 was pegged at $350.
i also posted the question at the AK forum and got some questions back. Eto po ung reply ko:
I went downstairs and tried the speakers again. I realized there's an Ab after the model number. (So its a KEF reference 104ab.)
I used a Sansui AUD707Xdecade amp. It's 100+wpc i believe. I've placed an AR90 in the A speaker set and the Kefs in the B speaker speaker posts.
I tried Norah Jones' "Come away with me" and the live version of Eagles' "Hotel California".
BASS
The bass is not as full and deep as the AR90s but they seemed okay for the size of the speakers. I don't know the words to use, but though the AR90s bass is better, the kef's bass is still pleasant to my ears.
Mids
Norah jones' voice came out accurate and She wasn't nasal at all like she was in some speakers i used.
Treble.
I have to really place my ears to the tweeter to really hear the tweeters. They work but are overpowered by the bass.
Compared to the AR90s' treble, the kef's are i really lousy. Almost inaudible.
I tried moving the selector switch from - to Ref to + to no really discernible effect. The treble is no unpleasant, its just not there!!!
There are no buzzes, wheezes, coughs or any rattling sound.
I pulled out my screwdriver and slowly opened the biggest woofer...and found out its just a radiator with a large piece of foam behind it and other foam pieces lining the speaker box.
The middle speaker's metal surrounding the magnet ( i dont know what that is called), was covered with a white powedery substance. My, that's a very heavy small speaker.
I couldnt remove the tweeter without prying against the wood and thus damaging it so I desisted and put everything back. I wouldnt know what to do with the tweeter anyway.
Plugged the speaker again and listened for about half the norah jones CD. In summary, I guess i like the bass but not the high's which was almost non existent. the mids are also okay.
Well, i expected the AR90s to outperform the kef's but the difference in the highs is too much.
(m sorry i lost my digital camera so i can't post pics)