I don't think I Need to Replace the Crossover Capacitors, Do you?

[Grid]

Those old Callins/Temple/whatever NPE caps served with distinction and did well enough in their day. Now, after 40+ years, they're done. Give 'em a moment of silence, pay them a little respect, then shitcan them.

 

[Grid]

Just tonight, I replaced the 4uF Temple tweeter caps in my 50-year old KLH Model Twenty Threes. The Temples went straight into the garbage. Probably the most obvious improvement of any speaker I've ever recapped. I wonder if Henry Kloss ever imagined those speakers would still be in use and being enjoyed 50 years after they were originally made. It's quite a tribute to his original design that all it takes 50 years later to make them sound like new is replacing a single 4uF cap (and redoping the cloth surrounds on the woofers - that's next).

Heck his Model Six is even older. The original (early version with epoxied drivers) Model Six turns 60 next month. Maybe some day, I'll own a pair of speakers even older than I am. I've come close, but not quite there (yet).

You have any old '30s radios with field coil speakers? Those are a generation older than me, I can admit. But that is well said about Kloss. When the OLAs came out, my dad brought a pair home. To this day I use that same model, and anytime I might have someone over, they are quite impressed. And I think Kloss was forward looking in his designs, as evidenced by the little note about using the high frequency switch, back of the speaker, where it says something to the effect, the high frequency control is there for use as high frequency increases as technology develops in the future.

 

[MCM_Fan]

You have any old '30s radios with field coil speakers? Those are a generation older than me, I can admit. But that is well said about Kloss. When the OLAs came out, my dad brought a pair home. To this day I use that same model, and anytime I might have someone over, they are quite impressed. And I think Kloss was forward looking in his designs, as evidenced by the little note about using the high frequency switch, back of the speaker, where it says something to the effect, the high frequency control is there for use as high frequency increases as technology develops in the future.

And I verified last night on my Model Twenty Threes that the high frequency switch still works as designed. A switch and some fixed value resistors seems more relaiable than the L-Pads used to control the high frequencies on many classic speaker designs from the 1970s.

 

[Grid]

Good to know, thank you.

 

[Grid]

Just a quick question while I wait for the caps. Thought I'd ask instead of starting a new post. I'm noticing clipping at higher volume. Could this be due to the bad caps? Seems so, but I'd like to confirm. The amp for now is an Advent 300, 15W per, and the speakers handle 36W. So I'm hoping the clipping is due to the bad caps.

 

[darkblue94]

Just a quick question while I wait for the caps. Thought I'd ask instead of starting a new post. I'm noticing clipping at higher volume. Could this be due to the bad caps? Seems so, but I'd like to confirm. The amp for now is an Advent 300, 15W per, and the speakers handle 36W. So I'm hoping the clipping is due to the bad caps.

The amplifier is doing the clipping not the speakers or their caps.

 

[Grid]

The amplifier is doing the clipping not the speakers or their caps.

Turns out it was neither. Sometimes to test bass, I just tune to the hip hop rap station. I hate it but that music does have that subsonic bass. I guess they have a new effect in the music now. Not distortion but a kind of break up. So, now that c...rap sounds even crappier, like clipping. Go figure!!!

 

[drbiggles]

Yeah, and some of these vintage speakers will break up when forced to do something they don't want to. Especially if you give the volume knob a little twist.

Biggles

 

[AbbottTech77]

Boy I hope everyone reads this response to that question being at the end of a long string. Here is proof. See pix. I recapped two pair of 6’s, two pair 23’s, two pair of 5’s others. Every cap I test - every one has leakage and some are cracked and broken open no capacitance. Two speakers had blown tweeters. Please change your caps for $55.00 or less.

 

[AbbottTech77]

Those are all Temple caps from KLH. All no good. And they are so bad you can see the leakage on an ohm meter. Why I do not know. Maybe because oil filled or what? As an old TV man circa 70’s 80’s never seen anything like it.

 

[AbbottTech77]

Unless they are electrolytic? Lytics test to have a constant normal calculated dielectric leakage current. But from what I know these Temple caps are oil filled. Regardless, they are gone! Changed.