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Kirksaeter Monitor 70s: Replacement Mid-range and Tweeter

organicdonut

organicdonut

Active Member
New topic, but related to my new-to-me Kirksaeter Moniter 70s. Can anyone recommend a replacement tweeter and midrange? Not getting any sound from them.

Tweeter part number: MB HTL-1913 4 ohms. It's a 1 inch metal tweeter, the cut out is 2.5 inches across.

No markings on the mid-range, but looks like an ADS/Braun type of soft dome.

Thanks!
 
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you may be chasing a ghost. not much out there on vintage Kirksaeter. some of the monitor series used Philips drivers, but some may have used Quart drivers. it's really the luck of the draw.
 
A picture would help to see what you are starting with.

The dome mid might match up wth a Scanspeak large dome. But no way to really tell.

The Monitor 120 shared the same Philips tweeter with the Dahlquist DQ-10. But depending on the year some parts were Braun, others were Philips, others Visonik.
 
baco99 said:
you may be chasing a ghost. not much out there on vintage Kirksaeter. some of the monitor series used Philips drivers, but some may have used Quart drivers. it's really the luck of the draw.
Click to expand...

:no:I have to agree with baco99.... the chance of getting OE replacements is slim to none.

In agreeing without providing guidance, I would be shorting you of the chance to get something comparable. I have used the following guidelines to much success when matching new with old drivers:

1- Consider all measures to include; speaker frame, depth, suspension, and even diaphragm material.
2- Match the impedance.... without this properly matched you will undoubtedly blow "something".
3- Ensure you are selecting the proper power max/rating for each driver.. and then the unit.

Example: The speaker system rated at 100W. Driver woofer = 90w + midrange and tweeter = 50w.
Avoid putting in a lower tweeter rating such as 10w. If you do this, you will under-max the system.. and your tweeter. It will undoubtedly blow, if no protection, when near or peak loads.

Now there are ways to change the overall rating of the speaker system, using the same crossover, and getting optimum performance but it involves a little re-engineering, .... and I don't think you may wish to get that involved.

However, most times consulting PE or Madisound techs will provide great leads and answers to your questions.

So..... good luck! Those Monitor 70s should sound great once up and hummin... :thumbsup:

Oh... by the way... its rare but you might want to test the crossover before you put in new drivers.. Just sayin..?
 
I might try to replace the capacitors on the crossover. I tested the drivers with a 9 volt battery and the woofer and midrange work, but the tweeter seems dead.

IMG_1154.JPG IMG_1130.JPG IMG_1154.JPG IMG_1155.JPG
 
Dimensions: speaker frame (outer ring) 9 cm. Inner frame that inserts through the mounting hole: 6 cm. Depth: 2.8 cm. Speaker can handle 70 watts. I'll share this with Madisound and Parts Express and see what they have.

The other speaker seems fine, but I can't get the back panel off. I'll leave that one alone for now.
 
Watch out for the 9v battery. Usually a 1.5 AA battery is enough.

Tweeter could be MB Quart.
Looks a lot like a Philips.
 
Midrange tested okay with the battery (just a brief touch), but I'm not getting any sound when playing music, so it might be a crossover issue, too. But the tweeter is toast. Nothing on the multimeter. Rats. These are lovely speakers. Need to get them both working!
 
Tweeter is an older MB, may even be an Isophon. Oddly, if you want OEM, you may want to look at one of the European versions of the auction site; someone there may be selling NOS or used versions. If you know the crossover frequency you may be able to find an approximate replacement.
 
looks a lot like a DQ-10 tweeter, but with a stepped face plate.

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Thanks. I'll check international eBay and have asked Madisound and Parts Express for replacement suggestions.

For the crossover, I just need axial, bi-polar aluminum capacitors, right? There's something wrong with the midrange frequencies not getting through. That driver tested okay.
image.jpg
 
baco99 said:
looks a lot like a DQ-10 tweeter, but with a stepped face plate.
Click to expand...

Much more than a passing resemblance there I'd say.

Quart / MB Quart did do OEM driver building but they were (usually) based off something they already built then tailored to the client request. That tweeter though does not look like anything they produced despite an MB on it. (As an aside, "MB" was not adopted until the early 90s. Before then it was just Quart.) Who knows though, not much info on their earliest work. It is a German made piece however, HTL most likely means hochtonlautsprecher (tweeter). Sooooo, why not contact Kirksaeter directly and ask for help? They are still around and might be able to guide you towards a tweeter replacement.

http://www.kirksaeter.com/
 
Kirksaeter guy in the U.S. doesn't have a tweeter, but suggested a different one from a modern Kirksaeter speaker. Richard So of ADS Speaker Service might be able to fix it, but needs to see it first.

My "bargain" find is turning into a more expensive undertaking. Oh well.
 
organicdonut said:
Kirksaeter guy in the U.S. doesn't have a tweeter, but suggested a different one from a modern Kirksaeter speaker. Richard So of ADS Speaker Service might be able to fix it, but needs to see it first.

My "bargain" find is turning into a more expensive undertaking. Oh well.
Click to expand...

I would send the request to Norway and see if you can find out the original vendor. Once you know who made it you will have an easier time of tracking the correct part down. I would not look to modify it for use with something else until you try to find the right one. If that does not work out, Richard knows his beans.
 
Lets see the whole crossover.

Electrolytic caps should probably be replaced on any xover that old. If those two caps pictured are tied together in parallel you need the total capacitance, it doesn't matter what values you combine to come up with the capacitance. could be one cap or combination. (voltage spec can be higher than origininal with not problems) Resistor fails are unlikely but are easily checked with a meter. Inductor coils rarely fail. Could be a broken solder joint somewhere.
 
Reviving this old thread. Richard So repaired the bad tweeter. Wow. These speakers are impressive! Very ADS-like sound.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend so much on speakers, like the KEF LS50s, only to be amazed by vintage speakers like these Kirksaeters. Granted, I'm comparing bookshelf speakers (that may or may not be placed correctly on my desktop), with giant ADS L810-sized speakers with 11 inch woofers. But still.
 
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