SpeakerTalk

dsmith · Junior Contributor 20+ Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 20

Hi all, Just stumbled across this site a few days ago and noticed that there are some ex KEF personel here.

My name is David Smith and I was an engineer at Maidstone from about 1982 to 1987, then moved back to the US and worked for the distributor in the Washington DC area.

My main projects were the pro models with the KM1 (with Rick Cicconi) the P60 and the redesign of the LS3/5a. I'd be happy to recount anything not yet wiped from the gray matter.

So who's out there? Speakerguru, did our years overlap? When I was there it was Mike Gough, Rick Cicconi, Andrew Jones, Phil Knight, Laurie and later Dick Small. Barbara Keene was our secretary. John Weller was lead draftsman (draughtsman?) John Miller in production?...running out of names.

Anyhow, love to hear from you all.

David

Gary · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:28 am Post subject:

There's just us chickens here tonight. Embarassed

_________________
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charles M. Schulz (as Charlie Brown)

Gary · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:30 am Post subject:

Ok, seriously, there really are a lot of great people here! Then there are folks like me who are just casual members.... but at least I have an interest in Kef and own some Kef speakers.

Welcome!
_________________
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
-- Charles M. Schulz (as Charlie Brown)

proffski

Welcome to the asylum Dave, and now abandon all hope... Very Happy

_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

ColinR · Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:56 pm Post subject:

dsmith · Junior Contributor 20+ Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 20

A clue though; Speakerguru - "the KM1 took up most of my working life during the 80's."

Thats a lot of engineering time for a model that we sold, I think, about 50 units of.

Still we learned a lot that was applied to later models. The most unique aspect was a proper temperature protection circuit that injected a little current through mid and tweeter voice coils to calculate real time temperature (we were nervous about ferrofluid boiling). A later version had a circuit analog with short term and long term time constants to give an accurate simulation of temperature.

Eight Quad 405 modules pushing 150 watts each and it played "just about loud enough" to keep the chaps at BBC Maida Vale happy.

David

speakerguru · Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:04 am Post subject:

Either you're not David L. Smith or your grey cells are already letting you down! En(ric)o Cecconi will be very dissapointed you couldn't remember how to spell his name after all those years together. Likewise Barbara Keill.

Welcome to the forum anyway. PM sent.

audiolabtower · VIP Contributor 500+ Joined: 06 Jan 2009 Posts: 686

welcome and please stay, from another simple owner.

It's great to have first hand knowledge from actual Kef engineers like Guru and yourself, and experts like Colin to help us keep alive the memories and history of a world class leading British company from it's greatest era.

proffski · Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject:

I agree, you only have to look at the forums of other famous loudspeakers, mainly USA. Not a patch on the KEF Forum!
_________________
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a
man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

Lee in Montreal · Senior Contributor 200+ Joined: 22 Aug 2009 Posts: 231

exkefman