Klipsch KG4 Titanium Tweeters

[Eldin]

So whenever a mod to anything is suggested, I'm always the skeptic. The whole "I changed something so it HAS to be better" mentality and all.

The Crites titanium diaphragm did actually make a really nice difference on my KG4's. Overall, just sound a lot clearer than before. Did an A to B test with one speaker having the original diaphragm, and the new did sound much nicer!

 

[usedto]

A lot of people like the change. Then, there are others who have tried them and switched back. We all hear differently. Glad you like them.

 

[CRG]

Have you also changed the crossovers? I recently picked up a pair of KG4's that are all original and sound great. The original owner thought it unnecessary to do these mods, but I still wonder whether it's worthwhile.

 

[Eldin]

I just replaced the caps in the crossovers. Didn't bother doing a before and after as I plan to keep the speakers in the long run, so the peace of mind was enough for me to warrant the replacement.

 

[tomstiel]

Do yourself a favor,,,,crites crossover and ti tweeters,,,made NEW speakers out of the KG4 s

 

[CRG]

Do yourself a favor,,,,crites crossover and ti tweeters,,,made NEW speakers out of the KG4 s

I’ve since installed the Crites tweeter upgrade and am glad that I did. I’ve read that the crossover upgrade is much less noticeable, so will leave things as they are for now. Listening to Stan Getz on the TT and it’s fantastic.

 

[Eldin]

I’ve since installed the Crites tweeter upgrade and am glad that I did. I’ve read that the crossover upgrade is much less noticeable, so will leave things as they are for now. Listening to Stan Getz on the TT and it’s fantastic.

I agree, when I replaced the crossover system there wasn't just a difference that you'd remember the next day. My caps were probably in good condition though. Shitty original caps will make a huge difference replacing.

Also the crites crossover is just a waste of money. That could be spent somewhere else in your system and make a bigger difference imo. It's 220$ for the crossover for the KG4. Literally just spend it on a really good stylus and be much better off.

 

[moray james]

I agree, when I replaced the crossover system there wasn't just a difference that you'd remember the next day. My caps were probably in good condition though. Shitty original caps will make a huge difference replacing.

Also the crites crossover is just a waste of money. That could be spent somewhere else in your system and make a bigger difference imo. It's 220$ for the crossover for the KG4. Literally just spend it on a really good stylus and be much better off.

No disrespect but I have to strongly disagree with your comments regarding the Crites crossovers. First off these crossovers are targeted at those who either don't have the time, skill or interest to build their own networks from scratch yet want guaranteed results along with a substantial performance improvement. Second the Crites network while being the same schematic (identical network design) as the stock Klipsch crossover the Crites networks provide a much improved layout of parts along with improved parts. This alone is easy to hear in a good system and worth the price of admission and they are built with far better sounding capacitors and inductors all higher quality than the stock Klipsch networks again an easy to hear improvement.
Yes you can save money and do the same thing yourself for less perhaps if you know what you are doing and you can single source the needed parts but if you are not used to soldering film caps and you want tested and guaranteed results then the Crites networks are a very good value, they do not deserve to be dismissed in an off hand manner. They may not be for everyone but they are not a waste of money. These are some of the few modifications which will in most cases increase the resale value of a Klipsch loudspeaker. I am not sure if you are aware but Bob just recently passed away. A stronger supporter of Klipsch products and owners there has never been and he will be sadly missed. Bob's son Michael will continue the family business.

 

[CRG]

No disrespect but I have to strongly disagree with your comments regarding the Crites crossovers. First off these crossovers are targeted at those who either don't have the time, skill or interest to build their own networks from scratch yet want guaranteed results along with a substantial performance improvement. Second the Crites network while being the same schematic (identical network design) as the stock Klipsch crossover the Crites networks provide a much improved layout of parts along with improved parts. This alone is easy to hear in a good system and worth the price of admission and they are built with far better sounding capacitors and inductors all higher quality than the stock Klipsch networks again an easy to hear improvement.
Yes you can save money and do the same thing yourself for less perhaps if you know what you are doing and you can single source the needed parts but if you are not used to soldering film caps and you want tested and guaranteed results then the Crites networks are a very good value, they do not deserve to be dismissed in an off hand manner. They may not be for everyone but they are not a waste of money. These are some of the few modifications which will in most cases increase the resale value of a Klipsch loudspeaker. I am not sure if you are aware but Bob just recently passed away. A stronger supporter of Klipsch products and owners there has never been and he will be sadly missed. Bob's son Michael will continue the family business.

Installed the Crites crossovers today and wow, what a nice improvement in overall sound. I'm not going to offer up a bunch of fancy language to describe the difference, but I really, really like what I hear! Sound seems more crisp, defined and punchy.

 

[Swokie63]

Do yourself a favor,,,,crites crossover and ti tweeters,,,made NEW speakers out of the KG4 s

No disrespect but I have to strongly disagree with your comments regarding the Crites crossovers. First off these crossovers are targeted at those who either don't have the time, skill or interest to build their own networks from scratch yet want guaranteed results along with a substantial performance improvement. Second the Crites network while being the same schematic (identical network design) as the stock Klipsch crossover the Crites networks provide a much improved layout of parts along with improved parts. This alone is easy to hear in a good system and worth the price of admission and they are built with far better sounding capacitors and inductors all higher quality than the stock Klipsch networks again an easy to hear improvement.
Yes you can save money and do the same thing yourself for less perhaps if you know what you are doing and you can single source the needed parts but if you are not used to soldering film caps and you want tested and guaranteed results then the Crites networks are a very good value, they do not deserve to be dismissed in an off hand manner. They may not be for everyone but they are not a waste of money. These are some of the few modifications which will in most cases increase the resale value of a Klipsch loudspeaker. I am not sure if you are aware but Bob just recently passed away. A stronger supporter of Klipsch products and owners there has never been and he will be sadly missed. Bob's son Michael will continue the family business.

What changed with the upgrades, more specifically speaking..? I've read about the Crites upgrades, but really haven't seen a specific definition of what they improved.. I have a pair of KG4's, and a pair of Chorus's.. I'm pleased with the sound from both pairs, but to be honest, expected more bass..
And I am not interested in resale value, these are my speakers..

 

[Guido57]

Not KG4s but KG4.5s, as I did my crossover rebuild on my 4.5s, "better" caps though I haven't gotten to inductors yet, as the same time I put in the Crites diaphragms I can't attribute differences between the upgrades. But based on other speakers I've worked on I find higher grade crossover parts can significantly improve the sound, so long as the driver is capable of resolving the difference. I recently had a speaker go from above average to amazing with different caps and inductors. The level of detail increased dramatically for those particular speakers.

 

[Madman1]

What changed with the upgrades, more specifically speaking..? I've read about the Crites upgrades, but really haven't seen a specific definition of what they improved.. I have a pair of KG4's, and a pair of Chorus's.. I'm pleased with the sound from both pairs, but to be honest, expected more bass..
And I am not interested in resale value, these are my speakers..

Lack of bass can usually be resolved by placement and room treatment. Not sure you’d notice any dramatic difference with a recap but can’t hurt to try. Never found kg4 lacking in bass, fun speakers. I had 4 stacked one time, crazy! There is a chorus mod that adds port extensions that some guys swear by, but I’ve never tried or heard it.

 

[Eldin]

Lack of bass can usually be resolved by placement and room treatment. Not sure you’d notice any dramatic difference with a recap but can’t hurt to try. Never found kg4 lacking in bass, fun speakers. I had 4 stacked one time, crazy! There is a chorus mod that adds port extensions that some guys swear by, but I’ve never tried or heard it.

Granted I'm not a basshead, but I've also never felt the KG4's needed more bass in any of the music I've listened to. From EDM, rock, to classical hahah.

For me the best way to describe the difference with the titanium diaphragms is just smoother. Seems like there's a larger range of sound it can reproduce without having the harshness the original diaphragm had. All that aside, you know how audio stuff goes! Half the change is all in your head anyways

 

[Swokie63]

Lack of bass can usually be resolved by placement and room treatment. Not sure you’d notice any dramatic difference with a recap but can’t hurt to try. Never found kg4 lacking in bass, fun speakers. I had 4 stacked one time, crazy! There is a chorus mod that adds port extensions that some guys swear by, but I’ve never tried or heard it.

I asked for more specifics, and I'm the one that should have been more specific.. The KG4's sound awesome.!! Rock, classic rock, blues, jazz, classical..
The Chorus speakers are definitely brighter, the highs just seem to overwhelm the lows..
Listening to Pandora or AMHD from a Chromebook line in to an Adcom preamp, out to a pair of el84 tube mono's, and then to the speakers..

Granted I'm not a basshead, but I've also never felt the KG4's needed more bass in any of the music I've listened to. From EDM, rock, to classical hahah.

For me the best way to describe the difference with the titanium diaphragms is just smoother. Seems like there's a larger range of sound it can reproduce without having the harshness the original diaphragm had. All that aside, you know how audio stuff goes! Half the change is all in your head anyways

Thanks.. Smooth is what I'm looking for, harsh is what I don't want.. I may go with the Crites titanium on the Chorus's..

 

[Madman1]

I think you’ll like the crites tweets. Do a google search for chorus port mods and check those out, inexpensive and easily reversible. Finally go ahead and recap, inexpensive if you can solder.

 

[Swokie63]

I think you’ll like the crites tweets. Do a google search for chorus port mods and check those out, inexpensive and easily reversible. Finally go ahead and recap, inexpensive if you can solder.

Will do.. thanks..!!

 

[Swokie63]

A little more specific...

Tone in, Contour in, Bass up, Treble down on the Adcom..



Forgive me for the dust, I find time now and then..

 

[Madman1]

Kinda surprising that you need the controls turned that much especially with el84 tubes afterwards. Maybe time to try a tube pre.

 

[mitchalee]

What changed with the upgrades, more specifically speaking..? I've read about the Crites upgrades, but really haven't seen a specific definition of what they improved.. I have a pair of KG4's, and a pair of Chorus's.. I'm pleased with the sound from both pairs, but to be honest, expected more bass..
And I am not interested in resale value, these are my speakers..

Klipsch has never boomed. They often don't go deep. What they have always offered is flat, clean, musical bass.

I'm no expert, except with my own speakers. I own Heresy, Cornwall, and about a dozen modern Klipsch from various yard sales, thrift shops, and local sellers. Most of the new stuff I picked up for next to nothing. Well, the original Heresy had nothing below 65 Hz worth mentioning. Bass was clean and flat and very defined, but it did not go deep. The Cornwall gave the illusion of lots of deep warm bass, perhaps too much. But actually it bottomed out at about 45 and was gone by 35. Or so, depending on the room. The newer Klipsch feel very solid and accurate in bass, even the surround sound specials. Their chest high towers with 2 10" woofers and a tractrix kind of bug me with a bit of ill-defined public address quality. BUT the bass is to die for. Very solid down to, maybe 35 and still there a bit lower. And with plenty of power and musicality. And they can boom and shake if that is your thing.

I really can't listen to rock on the Heresy without a sub. The Cornwall are best alone. The modern stuff often has matching subs, but honestly does not need it except for super hero movies. But, godamighty, they give impressive cinema sound! And are relatively cheap. Or at least fully competitive with all the other surround sound brands.

By the way, I did the Crites caps only because mine got flakey. All I hear is the Cornwall restored to its original glory. Which is nice!