• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

ads L1230's - time for grill repair - 11.9.2021

@Spiceman50 Yeah, I knew they were just veneered except for those solid corner pieces. That's why I may just take all of the bottom stuff off and redo them and leave the rest of the surrounding wood like it is. No sense in trying to rebuild busted up corners for something on the bottom backs. I'll probably do something where it gives them a little more stability from front to back to help against tipping as easy. I don't have small kids but I do have 2 dogs (one is German Shepherd) and 2 cats so I'd rather them not be pushed over. Ha. I do keep a "gate", of sorts, for going in my upstairs to keep the animals off the carpet so there's no chance of peeing, pooping, or general mass havoc. :D

Yes, that's a PL-518. I'd thought about building new bases out of MDF and veneering them in various wood and selling on e b a y. They are a simple parts swap. Who knows. It's hot in AR, too, and i do hate working in the garage with all the heat...and damn horse flies the size of a small bird, it seems. Hate those things.
 
avguytx said:
@Orthodynamic Yes, I had seen those posts about the crossovers which sparked my interest in Richard's choice in capacitors. They have a similar look to orange drop caps but maybe they're some other basic brand. Apparently he doesn't buy into the big capacitor game like so many. I read how many people don't care for the Solen caps but I have been using them for about 30 years now along with Mills resistors and don't have a gripe about their sound. I have tinnitus and some HF hearing loss from about 12khz on up so, if Solens are "brighter" or more harsh, maybe they work in my favor. I've literally used hundreds of Solen caps in the last 30 years. Maybe having tinnitus is in my favor as I don't have to spend more money on higher priced caps to get good results.
@Spiceman50 The risers are still there but in bad shape. That particle board doesn't hold up worth a crap for 40 years of being moved around. Even the lower walnut trim area isn't in great shape. I'll have to do something with that most likely. Might redo the whole bottom and do them in a satin black finish so I'm not trying to match walnut stain. Could also make a base that is a little more stable, and usable/functional, than what's currently there.

I have bo problem with wood working. These Klipsch Belle inspired closes were my last build I did in late 2017.

View attachment 1955512

And here's a recently re-veneered Pioneer PL-518 turntable I did with leftover ribbon mahogany from my Belles. Much better than the original gray.

View attachment 1955529
Click to expand...
Gorgeous work on those! Veneer work is one of my favorite things to do!
Regarding crossovers and my experience with cap replacement on ADSs. First, in almost everything I’ve read, the only cap to replace is the lyric on the woofer circuit. The films usually are fine.
I have 910s. They sound fabulous, crossovers are original, mids and tweeters rebuilt by Mr. So. At one of the Peekskill Lodge meets, I bought a set of recapped crossovers. I was stoked, couldn’t wait to make the swap. That night, made the switch, and...........No difference! What? How could this be? My ears didn’t lie. So I put the originals back in, and again, no difference, so they stayed. The recapped set are for backups, just in case I need unobtanium parts. My other ADSs are L980s. All original, and I feel no need to do anything to them.

Glenn
 
@GD70 That's about what I've read, too, with the 'lytics only being changed out. What I think I'll do before ordering my parts will be to lift a leg on each cap and resistor on a single crossover, take a measurement, and see where those read. If they are within 5% or so, they stay, if beyond, they get changed. I don't have the ability to check ESR on the caps but I doubt that type has lost a lot.

I don't blame you for going back to the stock crossovers; sometimes it's just not worth it. If all of the caps were cheapo electrolytics or those awful black caps with the red ends, it would be a no brainer to change them all out. I'd rather save the money and time...and enjoy the music, anymore.
 
@GD70 @Spiceman50 I did some tinkering with the crossovers tonight by lifting a leg to take some measurements on the 4 resistors and 4 capacitors on one of the crossovers. No sense in doing both, really.

Here are the results:

Capacitors
6.8uf = 6.63uf actual (variation of -2.5%)
(3) 4.7uf caps = 4.86uf actual (variation of +3.4%), 5.02uf (variation of +6.8%), 5.16uf (variation of +9.8%)

Resistors
25 ohm = 25.1 ohm (good)
4.7 ohm = 5.7 ohm (variation +21.3%)
1.5 ohm = 0.5 ohm (variation -67%)
0.55 ohm = 0.8 ohm (variation +45.5%)

So, definitely variation on resistors so those will all be changed for sure. Capacitor wise, well, it's just going to be a personal choice, really. I believe my result percentages are correct.

@Orthodynamic My crossover is close to the pic you posted except instead of the 10uf cap, I have a 3rd 4.7uf cap. The .58-ohm resistor on the diagram was a .55-ohm on mine. Like all manufacturers, they used what they had in the barn. Ha
 
Last edited:
avguytx said:
@GD70 @Spiceman50 I did some tinkering with the crossovers tonight by lifting a leg to take some measurements on the 4 resistors and 4 capacitors on one of the crossovers. No sense in doing both, really.

Here are the results:

Capacitors
6.8uf = 6.63uf actual (variation of -2.5%)
(3) 4.7uf caps = 4.86uf actual (variation of +3.4%), 5.02uf (variation of +6.8%), 5.16uf (variation of +9.8%)

Resistors
25 ohm = 25.1 ohm (good)
4.7 ohm = 5.7 ohm (variation +21.3%)
1.5 ohm = 0.5 ohm (variation -67%)
0.55 ohm = 0.8 ohm (variation +45.5%)

So, definitely variation on resistors so those will all be changed for sure. Capacitor wise, well, it's just going to be a personal choice, really. I believe my result percentages are correct.

@Orthodynamic My crossover is close to the pic you posted except instead of the 10uf cap, I have a 3rd 4.7uf cap. The .58-ohm resistor on the diagram was a .55-ohm on mine. Like all manufacturers, they used what they had in the barn. Ha
Click to expand...

When I bought my L1230's there was something wrong in the tweeter circuit of one of them, so I sent in both. Had the same problem in a set of L810'S ... issues with the tweeter circuits. Then I bought a set of L1530's that had an issue with the bi-amp switch. Excluding the latter, I had no Idea what the issues were, I just sent them in and Richard automatically updated the caps weather they needed them or not. Which is totally fine with me. That said, if and when I come across any other ADS crossover, I'd probably not change out the caps for the sake of just changing them out.

Course thinking about it, twer I 30 years younger, yeah ... I'd probably change them. :music:
 
Spiceman50 said:
When I bought my L1230's there was something wrong in the tweeter circuit of one of them, so I sent in both. Had the same problem in a set of L810'S ... issues with the tweeter circuits. Then I bought a set of L1530's that had an issue with the bi-amp switch. Excluding the latter, I had no Idea what the issues were, I just sent them in and Richard automatically updated the caps weather they needed them or not. Which is totally fine with me. That said, if and when I come across any other ADS crossover, I'd probably not change out the caps for the sake of just changing them out.

Course thinking about it, twer I 30 years younger, yeah ... I'd probably change them. :music:
Click to expand...

Knowing me, I'll probably just order all the parts and call it good. I mean, its 18 parts total with a cost of 70 bucks shipped or so. I've wasted far more money in the past on stupid stuff. Haha. Plus, I really like these speakers. Now, if I happen to come across a pair of Infinity RS2 or 2B's, I wouldn't gripe. :D
 
avguytx said:
Knowing me, I'll probably just order all the parts and call it good. I mean, its 18 parts total with a cost of 70 bucks shipped or so. I've wasted far more money in the past on stupid stuff. Haha. Plus, I really like these speakers. Now, if I happen to come across a pair of Infinity RS2 or 2B's, I wouldn't gripe. :D
Click to expand...
Get to it.
 
@Orthodynamic I noticed in this thread from a couple years back that your L1230 crossovers have a single 10uf cap on each one in the place of where mine have (2) 4.7uf caps. Attached are the pictures of mine and yours (mine is the one that the crossover looks like it's at an angle) where you can see that the only difference is, there are two spots on the same trace for two4.7uf caps to go in parallel for 9.4uf on mine. On yours, there is only a single spot on each trace for use of a single 10uf cap. I would imagine this was due to a supplier issue and maybe they had a surplus of 4.7uf caps and not many 10uf caps. ha. It does happen in that industry for sure.

So, I'm just going to order a pair of 10uf caps for mine versus (4) 4.7uf caps and save a couple bucks. Thanks for posting that picture a couple years back!
 
Interesting. I sent Richard So an email about the two variation of L1230 crossovers where one version has a single 10uf and the other has (2) 4.7uf caps in parallel.

His reply was, "Yes, it is updated or later version. It is better to use (2) 4.7uf replace 10uf."

The only thing I can think of to use two in place of one would be added voltage for the mids (?) but if I'm using 250v or 400v capable caps, it shouldn't matter at all. Otherwise, it's just 9.4uf versus 10uf.

Edit: Order for Mundorf caps and resistors placed this morning.
 
Last edited:
It's a piddling kind of day today so, while I wait on caps & resistors to come in, I'll clean these ugly ducklings some. The backs were looking rough so I took some satin black paint I had left (from the Belle clone build) and painted the backs of the L1230's. You can see that the bases are pretty trashed which will only happen with that kind of wood and lots of moving around. No telling about the life these things have been through.

I guess next I'll lightly sand the wood part and get some Watco Danish oil on them which will definitely help. I may take out all the screws for the mids and tweeters, lightly sand the rust off, and repaint them flat or satin black...whichever matches better. IF I get the wild hair later, I might got to Lowes and get some solid oak or something and build some new bases for them. Or at least the wood will be here when I do get ready to.

I'm glad the front baffles are in good shape and won't require much effort to make them look nice. Reminds me that I need to clean the woofers some, too.

Backs before...

20200822_134744.jpg

Backs after...

20200822_134732.jpg

20200822_134621.jpg

Bottoms are pretty rough.

20200822_134711.jpg
 
Spiceman50 said:
On that bottom trim you might consider a black matt? satin is a bit too shiny. Flat was too flat.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd thought about that, too. In our house while building last year, we used a lot of matte finish to keep the shiny down. Good idea to use that there as well. Just have to see if they sell it in a small amount at Sherwin Williams....like those sample types.
 
Sorry I couldn't get back sooner on this for you. I had surprises at work to wade though. ADS listed "Piano Black", and I'm sure it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's was a special blend they used when painting the speakers. I never had a piece big enough to take it to Sherwin Williams or Home Depot to run a color check, but .... I got fairly close just using a spray Black Matt when working with mine. I used a black Satin when I built a custom Center and Surrounds, but it was a bit to shiny. After I was done, I wished I would have used a Matt Finish. My next choice when I get a second to do another Center.

I had a couple pry marks on one of my midranges on my L1530's and sprayed some Black Matt in a cap, and used a horse hair touch up brush and just tipped the pry marks and it looked like a pretty good match. Might consider that when you freshen up the rusted area of those woofers?
 
I just seen your pics of the bottom on my PC. Yeah .... I'd say they were a bit rough round the edges. I see some edges of the cab near the back need some love, but that looks like a project for another day perhaps? Least you have something to work with there. Mine, well .... I see some bondo in my future. Just a note, I've actually kind of cleaned some of that damage up in these photos. But I'll get further into it once I get my parts back from Richard and get to spend some time listening to them.

Left Speaker Trim Damage Outside.jpg Left Speaker Trim Damage under.jpg Left Speaker Trim Damage.jpg
 
I lightly sanded all the trim down last night and I'll probably just oil them for now and call it good. In the fall, when it's cooler in the garage, I'll build the new bases and maybe do something different with that trim. I wonder how it's attached all the way around...might need to look at that more. Oh well, I don't have much in them so a little work as I go on them won't be too bad.
 
avguytx said:
I lightly sanded all the trim down last night and I'll probably just oil them for now and call it good. In the fall, when it's cooler in the garage, I'll build the new bases and maybe do something different with that trim. I wonder how it's attached all the way around...might need to look at that more. Oh well, I don't have much in them so a little work as I go on them won't be too bad.
Click to expand...

I suspect screws under the veneer? I totally understand waiting for it too cool off in the Garage. I'm waiting for that m'self. :thumbsup:
 
Nothing really new to report so far other than I wish the caps & resistors I ordered 10 days ago would have made it in by now. I did sand and oil the wood which helped out and cleaned up the woofers and rest of the cabinets. Other than that, just in limbo till parts come in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom