Kappa 9 Score!!!

I'm curious. You said that your 9s sounded amazing when the previous owner had them. I'm assuming you heard them before buying them. So what happened between the time they left the sellers house and their arrival at your house? I'm just wondering if something happened in their transport from one location to the next. Otherwise this just makes little sense. Wish I could be of more help I've been through a very similar situation, with a different speaker, and I know how frustrating this must be for you. Good luck!

Hey cubdog! Well, the guy I bought my Adcoms from were different than the guy I bought my K9's from. The guy I bought my K9's from didn't know what he had, so that's why I got them so cheap. lol He had them powered with a really crappy amp, so I thought the lack of bass was because of his amp.

And thanks for the encouragement! I'm really hoping to fix these before I start school in late August! *fingers crossed* :)
 
..... I'm really hoping to fix these before I start school in late August! *fingers crossed* :)

The type of general questions about your Kappa 9's you have been asking me in private conversation should really be posted here. There are many here who can also help you and have as much if not more knowledge than I. Also, these forums leave a record for the benefit of others who come along latter. You should not be hesitant to ask even the most basic questions publicly on this thread.

So, you are now embarking on replacing capacitors in the crossovers and you see some that are already bulging. My first advice is before you start removing anything get a digital camera and take detailed photos of what is connected to what. That has saved me many times. Do you have a copy of the Kappa 9 crossover schematic? That is invaluable but be aware it is not 100% correct. When removing caps you have to record the value you removed and replace it with the same value.

Personally, I think you should avoid jumping in an replacing a bunch of caps right off the bat. You mentioned earlier that the speaker wasn’t sounding right. You should focus your attention on the crossover sections that correspond to those drivers you think don’t sound right. Have you verified that all the drivers are wired correctly? When I first got my K9’s I checked all the driver wiring and found that a previous owner had wired the Semits in series with the Emits. I corrected that simple fix and the Semits came alive.
 
The type of general questions about your Kappa 9's you have been asking me in private conversation should really be posted here. There are many here who can also help you and have as much if not more knowledge than I. Also, these forums leave a record for the benefit of others who come along latter. You should not be hesitant to ask even the most basic questions publicly on this thread.

So, you are now embarking on replacing capacitors in the crossovers and you see some that are already bulging. My first advice is before you start removing anything get a digital camera and take detailed photos of what is connected to what. That has saved me many times. Do you have a copy of the Kappa 9 crossover schematic? That is invaluable but be aware it is not 100% correct. When removing caps you have to record the value you removed and replace it with the same value.

Personally, I think you should avoid jumping in an replacing a bunch of caps right off the bat. You mentioned earlier that the speaker wasn’t sounding right. You should focus your attention on the crossover sections that correspond to those drivers you think don’t sound right. Have you verified that all the drivers are wired correctly? When I first got my K9’s I checked all the driver wiring and found that a previous owner had wired the Semits in series with the Emits. I corrected that simple fix and the Semits came alive.

UPDATE!!!

Alright guys, i THINK i finally figured out the bass issue!! It seemed that the 50w resistor was wired out of phase, so i switched that and the bass seems to be doing pretty good now! Very excited about this because i FINALLY feel like im getting somewhere with these speakers!

And yes, i've already taken many many pictures! :) I've only taken out the bulging caps (the 4 black caps). Everything else is still in place and looks fine.

Im obviously going to replace those 4, but my question is about the .01uf capacitors. It seems each crossover has 3 of them. I took one out to look at it and it reads ".01uf 630v". Im looking at the only .01uf cap on parts express and it is only 400v... will this be an issue for this small of a cap!? The reason I'm asking is because I know you're never supposed to go below the listed voltage, only above! Thanks!
 
my question is about the .01uf capacitors. It seems each crossover has 3 of them. I took one out to look at it and it reads ".01uf 630v". Im looking at the only .01uf cap on parts express and it is only 400v... will this be an issue for this small of a cap!? The reason I'm asking is because I know you're never supposed to go below the listed voltage, only above! Thanks!

Those .01uf caps are Polypropylene Wonder caps, one for each of the ribbon tweeters. You shouldn't need to replace those unless you see a problem with them. Focus on replacing the electrolytic caps. I haven't searched PE but there are other cap sites that have good choices.

All the Semit and Emit caps are PP caps not electrolytic. You shouldn't need to change those initially. The midrange drivers have a mix of PP and Electrolytic. The woofers are all Electrolytic. You should change just the electrolytics at this point.

If you are really going to tackle replacing all the caps, then send me a PM with your email and I will forward you an Excel spreadsheet that lists all the current caps, their value, color, cap#, location and whether they are PP or lytic. There is also one Blue Culver cap that is not documented in the schematic. DO YOU HAVE THE SCHEMATIC?
 
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Great news! I'm hoping this is the solution so you can finally enjoy your K9s.

Thanks man, I'm pretty happy right now! Been wanting to 'hear' these speakers for a WHILE! :)

Those .01uf caps are Polypropylene Wonder caps, one for each of the ribbon tweeters. You shouldn't need to replace those unless you see a problem with them. Focus on replacing the electrolytic caps. I haven't searched PE but there are other cap sites that have good choices.

All the Semit and Emit caps are PP caps not electrolytic. You shouldn't need to change those initially. The midrange drivers have a mix of PP and Electrolytic. The woofers are all Electrolytic. You should change just the electrolytics at this point.

If you are really going to tackle replacing all the caps, then send me a PM with your email and I will forward you an Excel spreadsheet that lists all the current caps, their value, color, cap#, location and whether they are PP or lytic. There is also one Blue Culver cap that is not documented in the schematic. DO YOU HAVE THE SCHEMATIC?

I've been looking at this for the schematics: http://www.infinity-classics.de/technik/manuals/Kappa_9_technical_sheet.pdf

I would love that excel sheet if you could send it to me, I'd really appreciate it.
 
UPDATE!!!

Alright guys, i THINK i finally figured out the bass issue!! It seemed that the 50w resistor was wired out of phase, so i switched that and the bass seems to be doing pretty good now! Very excited about this because i FINALLY feel like im getting somewhere with these speakers!

And yes, i've already taken many many pictures! :) I've only taken out the bulging caps (the 4 black caps). Everything else is still in place and looks fine.

Im obviously going to replace those 4, but my question is about the .01uf capacitors. It seems each crossover has 3 of them. I took one out to look at it and it reads ".01uf 630v". Im looking at the only .01uf cap on parts express and it is only 400v... will this be an issue for this small of a cap!? The reason I'm asking is because I know you're never supposed to go below the listed voltage, only above! Thanks!


Wow. Pretty simple fix but hard to find.
I hope they will give you sound people say they are capable of now.:thumbsup:
 
UPDATE... FINALLY!!!!

Well, finally recapped the speakers (just for the tweeters as those were the only caps that were buldging). Hooked everything back up, and it sounds so good! So beyond happy this project is over... for now! ;) Dont worry, they are normally not that close together.
 

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Curious if the out of phase resistor was a factory problem or if the crossovers had been worked on?
 
Curious if the out of phase resistor was a factory problem or if the crossovers had been worked on?

They were definitely worked on before,
unfortunately. There was a film cap in one of the crossovers!
 

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Just thought I would post this. My friend brought over his pair of Adcom GFA 565's and we quad amped my Kappa 9's. Tbh, not a huge difference between 2 and 4 monoblocks, but there is a little more clarity. Sounds amazing!!

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Looks great. Try pulling them out from the wall a foot or two and if possible move that table to put a little more space between them, the soundstage will really open up from my experience.
 
Looks great. Try pulling them out from the wall a foot or two and if possible move that table to put a little more space between them, the sound stage will really open up from my experience.

I have actually tried moving them out from the wall multiple times and even though it does help with the highs a little, the bass becomes almost non-existent. Not really sure why?
 
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