Which first? Crossovers or new Mid driver (A-55G Driver)

jeff's eight

Active Member
I just purchased a pair of Chorus1's and am curious which plan to follow
in terms of Crites products. A new crossover or that New A-55G Driver.
Suggestions please?
 
Just the caps in the crossover are in need of replacement. All other changes are just modifications, good or bad, unless the parts are damaged.
 
upgrades will always work best starting at the source and working out. In a speaker situation like this upgrading the crossover (which is ahead of the drivers) will make the most sense. Depending upon how much you play and the level the new caps ought to be well settled in after a few months of good play time. After you install the new mid driver I would include new ti tweeter diaphragms. Enyoy.
 
The caps used in the chorus are not the same as the oil filled caps that were used in the big heritage models. They are not the type that dries out and drifts out of spec. Changing and you will lose the original klipsch sound. Now many have changed caps in those speakers and reports a liking for the new sound.
The top end will most likely be brighter and a little more forward.


The a55g is a threaded mount and will not work in the chorus unless an adapter is aquired.
 
8472, Thank you for the insight. I had only heard to the contrary about replacing caps. I think I may proceed to do some bracing first
and see how that turns out. Do you have an opinion about Crites Titanium tweeter upgrades?
 
Personally I find the Ti. Tweets somewhat harsh. My old ears drop out around 15k so I don't necessarily need the extension that the Ti has. However crites probally offers the best drop in replacement diaphragm available out side of Klipsch themselves.
 
Hey thank you Mr 8472 ! So far you have saved me about $150 on Crites merchandise.
I don't think I need own a $50 tool for measuring the caps as I most likely will use it once.
I have a shed full of tools like that already. Any thoughts the possibility of renting one?
 
The Crites titanium diaphragms are not harsh at all, in fact they are noticeably smoother than the originals. This has been the experience of hundreds of members here at AudioKarma. Are you going to make your decision based on the opinion of one dissenting member?
 
The Crites titanium diaphragms are not harsh at all, in fact they are noticeably smoother than the originals. This has been the experience of hundreds of members here at AudioKarma. Are you going to make your decision based on the opinion of one dissenting member?

:rockon: :beerchug:... agree, I like mine!!
 
Totally love the Ti diaphragms in my Kg 4.2's. They made a much bigger difference than changing caps - although these speakers were made in 1990 and had decent film caps. 8472 may be spot on about your caps, I don't know. Easy to tell by looking if they are film or nonpolar electrolytic. Film caps tend to last pretty well but all materials can deteriorate. Do some research and/or post pics.

In order of potential effect on sound, if I was you I would:

1) Evaluate caps for "most likely old and in need of replacement" vs. "might want to test" vs. "don't mess with them."
2) Ti diaphragms
3) Other crossover upgrades

JMHO.
 
Point taken, thank you. What do you think about the member comment on chorus cap replacement :

"The caps used in the chorus are not the same as the oil filled caps that were used in the big heritage models. They are not the type that dries out and drifts out of spec. Changing and you will lose the original klipsch sound. Now many have changed caps in those speakers and reports a liking for the new sound.
The top end will most likely be brighter and a little more forward." ?
 
So they are not oil-filled, which can last a long long time if they are sealed; and they do not 'dry out' which suggests they are not nonpolar electrolytics (NP's). The only remaining major type is film and foil or metallized film caps. I assume that is what is in there. Whether replacing them will change the 'klipsch sound' may be a matter of opinion. Without further info on what makes those old film caps so special, I can't say one way or the other. But I have seen even film caps drift out of spec and have increased ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) which basically means they become more of a resistor than they should be, decreasing the output.
 
I did add some damping material and baffles. While Inside I took some pics which are likely not detailed enough to show the caps well but here goes.
 

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The A-55G is a much improved squawker driver, but in my opinion do the new capacitors in the crossovers first and after a couple months if you still want to try the A-55G’s then upgrade to them. Last night I replaced a pair of K-55M’s that the diaphragms were getting weak and the A-55G’s were a definite improvement. Also I had replaced my crossovers about 4 months ago, because I wanted to try Crites Type A/4500 crossovers in my LaScalas.
 
That vertical cap sure looks like a nonpolar electrolytic, and I think I see a yellow film cap down there too. At their age I'd definitely replace any electrolytics.

Edit: I looked at a Chorus II schematic that has a 68 uf cap. That one would most likely be an NPE because it would be huge in a film type. You could replace that with a 70 or a combo that adds up closer to 68 if you wanted, but 2 uf out of 70 is within the tolerance of the original caps anyway.
 
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