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KLH 6 tweeter question

marcthisdate

marcthisdate

Where’s the confounded bridge?
Just received a pair of KLH 6's, circa 1969 or so judging from the stamp on the woofer. These are the ones where I can remove the woofer and tweeter with screws. What they are connected to is in my signature. I previously had a pair of Bose 301's (Latest ones) connected to my receiver. I am completely blown away by the sound of these speakers. Good bass and a complete lack of boominess that I can now say the Bose exhibited.

Now to the question.... I noticed that one speaker has a slightly crisper high end then the other and the side that is not so crisp has a slight buzz in the tweeter at higher sound levels. I'm pretty sure it's not the receiver as it follows the speaker whichever side I attach it to.

Any suggestions as to next steps I should take to troubleshoot. Am I looking at replacing the tweeter or could it be in the crossover?
 
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A speaker of this age needs it crossover updated. Do this first and if the buzz isn't eliminated the replace the tweeter. Another diagnostic test you could perform now is to switch the tweeters between the speakers. If the buzz moves with the tweeter, its the tweeter; if not its the crossover. In any event, plan to upgrade the crossover.
 
rmeade said:
Another diagnostic test you could perform now is to switch the tweeters between the speakers.
Click to expand...
I like that idea, at least it will eliminate or point to the tweeter as an issue. Wonder how common KLH tweeters are on the bay to buy...?
 
Thinking about this... Would a bad cap(s) cause lower frequency leakage into the tweeter, hence the rattle? I've put the order in for new caps in the meantime but curious if that could contribute to the issue.
 
RxDx said:
Shouldn't be too hard. The same tweeter fits the Seventeen, Twenty, Thirty,
and Thirty Three.
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That good to know, thanks. Also noticed parts express has an OEM version of the tweeter as well. Not too sure about the fit though.
 
RxDx said:
Fit is typically not the issue- it's about matching sound. Buy in pairs or buy a
used original driver.
Click to expand...
Thanks rxdx and borus. I’ll hit the cap swap first and if that doesn’t do it, I will pursue new tweeters.
 
Bose? What's that?

Seriously, you might want to take the tweeter out and inspect the back to make sure a lead isn't brushing against the cone. These have metal screens on them. If you think it might really be bad you could take the screen off and examine the front too. I believe the screens are glued on. Some have done surgery on those tweeters. I've never had luck doing that though, but if it really is bad then you aren't losing anything.

You've got arguably one of the best vintage 2-ways out there. Nice score and as others have said you can usually get the tweeters on the big auction site. If you don't see them now - be patient they come up for auction regularly. As others have said some of the other models share the same tweeter which widens the pool of candidate tweeters.
 
Tim D said:
Bose? What's that?
Click to expand...
I think I finally get why some like Bose and some don’t. When I bought the receiver, I needed a set of bookshelf speakers quickly to test it out, and knowing there was a local Bose store went to it and bought a set of refurbished 301’s. (Price was right)

Just listening to the 301’s with nothing else to compare them to, I was happy with how they sounded. I also wanted to get the system a set of speakers closer to its vintage so eventually focused on the 6’s. Once I got them, I threw the 6’s on the B speaker inputs and played them side by side with the 301’s. That’s when I realized what I was missing. Less muddy, very open with a surprising amount of bass. And this is without a recap.

By the way, I did exactly what you suggested. You might be onto something. Buzz seems to be gone. Now waiting for the new caps to arrive.
 
Now you're catching on. You think they sound good now. Go ahead and recap them and get the dope from vintage-ar seller on flea bay (just a happy customer) to seal the woofer surrounds. Then you'll really understand! I won't use anything else as some of the concoctions that others cook up will harden and ruin the woofer. I think AK user RoyC supplies the stuff to vintage-ar and you can also get it direct from him.

Put on one light coat of the goo and try the push test where you push the woofer in and hold for a couple of seconds and let go. If it takes a second or more to return then they are sealed well enough. Don't over-apply the sealant because then you stiffen the surrounds and that hurts the sound too.

Too many uninformed think that vintage doesn't sound good. That keeps the price from exploding too much on this stuff, but it is going up. The KLH Sixes are one of the better vintage 2-ways and can be better than a lot of the modern stuff in that segment as well. One thing you can be sure of is that the Sixes will hold their value and if you maintain them every 10-20 years they'll last forever.

Listening to my 1963 KLH Sixes now through my Fisher KX-100 Tube amp and Dual 604 TT with the original Dual cartridge. Playing Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life. Sublime.
 
Tim D said:
Now you're catching on. You think they sound good now. Go ahead and recap them and get the dope from vintage-ar seller on flea bay (just a happy customer) to seal the woofer surrounds. Then you'll really understand! I won't use anything else as some of the concoctions that others cook up will harden and ruin the woofer. I think AK user RoyC supplies the stuff to vintage-ar and you can also get it direct from him.

Put on one light coat of the goo and try the push test where you push the woofer in and hold for a couple of seconds and let go. If it takes a second or more to return then they are sealed well enough. Don't over-apply the sealant because then you stiffen the surrounds and that hurts the sound too.

Too many uninformed think that vintage doesn't sound good. That keeps the price from exploding too much on this stuff, but it is going up. The KLH Sixes are one of the better vintage 2-ways and can be better than a lot of the modern stuff in that segment as well. One thing you can be sure of is that the Sixes will hold their value and if you maintain them every 10-20 years they'll last forever.

Listening to my 1963 KLH Sixes now through my Fisher KX-100 Tube amp and Dual 604 TT with the original Dual cartridge. Playing Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life. Sublime.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tim... vintage-ar and the sealant no longer appears on the 'bay, at least not that I can search on. I PM RoyC and hopefully he can supply. The woofers sound great as they are so I can't imagine what they would sound like resealed.
 
marcthisdate said:
Thanks Tim... vintage-ar and the sealant no longer appears on the 'bay, at least not that I can search on. I PM RoyC and hopefully he can supply. The woofers sound great as they are so I can't imagine what they would sound like resealed.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I see he doesn't have anything up right now. This happened about a month ago and a few days later he had it back up again. Not sure if this is permanent or fleeting. You could PM him on flea bay or just PM RoyC here on AK who is their supplier.
 
Caps have arrived! Should be getting the sealant tomorrow (RoyC came through!) and a new weekend project is born.... :)

IMG_8942.JPG
 
i envy your project. I've been slowly working on a pair of early, sealed Model 6's that are an absolute pain to open up/service. I guess the finish result is worth it but that's the fun of the hobby.
 
bigcaddy64 said:
i envy your project. I've been slowly working on a pair of early, sealed Model 6's that are an absolute pain to open up/service. I guess the finish result is worth it but that's the fun of the hobby.
Click to expand...

+1.

I love the Sixes and I like the older ones just because they are more "vintage" and go a bit deeper due to the longer excursion of the epoxied woofers.
 
The supposed "mystic" sound was what really prompted me to finish the project. One has been finished and I hope to open the other one today or perhaps this weekend. The only downside the that the pair are not matched. One is walnut and the other is blonde.

When paired with a single AR-2ax, i wasn't that impressed with the sound. Maybe i need to have them working as a pair to realize the full potential.
 
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