Klipsch Modifications

[ClaudeJ1]

thank you both! will keep informed! Antother topic, I have the chance to get a pair of TAD TD 4003. can this be used in the current horn?

The are superb and expensive. No super tweeter needed. I had a pair and some Canadian dude made me an offer I could not refuse, so I didn't, since he already had K402's and I got to keep my 3rd pair, which I may never sell............................maybe.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

A friend is deloping a new xover but I also can get a pair of TAD TD4003. I do not know if this drivers can be used wiht the current horn fo my Khorns.

No. But you can use it with a Volti Tractrix Horn. NEVER adapt a 2" driver to a 1" horn. Going 1 to 2 is OK but not the reverse.

 

[mboxler]

I mentioned earlier that I'm testing a pair of '78 La Scala's for a friend. Thought I'd post my findings as well as some mods I performed/will perform.

One squawker gasket was missing, the other pretty compressed. New gaskets installed.

Both AA tweeter inductors were secured with ferrous screws and measured 315uh. Replaced with non-ferrous and now both measure 265uh.

One AA's woofer inductor measured 2mh, the other 2.5mh

Plots were made on just one speaker, as I wanted to see the how the crossovers measured.

First, I was surprised how little the inductor difference made. White is 2.0mh crossover, green is 2.5mh crossover.



Next I reversed the polarity of the squawker. Green is normal polarity, orange is reversed polarity.



Next is a mod that I had to try out. I've always thought the AA tweeter filter peaked too soon, resulting in the SPL bump between 5khz and 6khz. I added a 4uf capacitor across the second 2uf capacitor of the tweeter filter and remeasured. It did decrease the bump by 4db, but it also extended the tweeter response (much flatter). Orange is 2uf, red is 6uf.



Last is a comparison between the stock AA (Green) and the modded AA (Red).



I thought the -3.35db tap on the T2A was a little too much, so I used one of my T2A alternate tap setting to get -2.5db.

I have some Crites La Scala braces arriving next week. I'm also going to try to tame the woofer peak with a notch. These are amazing speakers!

Mike

 

[geoff.27]

very interested to see the results of your woofer notch filter!

 

[mboxler]

very interested to see the results of your woofer notch filter!

Seems like the woofer peak changes from one day to the next, but I tested it anyway. Blue is without notch. Orange is with a notch consisting of a 12mh inductor, a 92uf capacitor, and a 4 ohm resistor. Not sure if it's worth it but interesting nonetheless.



I thought I'd compare my modded AA (no notch) to a Universal. Blue is modded AA, Red is Universal. Pretty close, but you can see the effect of the Universal's squawker lowpass.

I'll do some listening tests to hear how they compare.

 

[IteachSTEM]

Hello all, I decided to refurbish a set of KG4's. They were pretty rough with the typical scratches and water stains on top, but they also made the top seam on one start to pull apart... ugh! Luckily, it didn't go all the way through.

 

[IteachSTEM]

While I had them apart for sanding, I thought I would use up some scrap lumber laying around in the garage for some internal bracing. More for the fun of it, as I can never tell the difference in sound when listening to music, other than when you do the knuckle test just pounding on the cabinet.

 

[IteachSTEM]

Adding the braces...

 

[IteachSTEM]

The 4 choices of finish. Also, the final picture of the braced cabinet.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

Not sure if it's worth it but interesting nonetheless.

I'm sure it's NOT worth it.

 

[Ziinda]

Adding the braces...

If anything it will make sure there's something behind the holes in case you should strip out a screw. Using a longer screw doesn't always cure the problem unless there's more wood there. I know it doesn't take much to strip them, not as likely on Klipsch but I've had problems on other cabinets and found myself gluing 2 half rings (so I could get them inside the cabinets that had glued back panels).

On my Heresy's I used 2 longer gussets that attached to the sides and covered the back edges of the squawker mounting holes, there's hardly any material between the drivers. I felt there was a need to brace it and relieve the stress put on the frames of the drivers. If the 12" woofers were made from cast I wouldn't have worried as much. I just don't think that a driver frame should be relied on to be part of the cabinets rigidity. Drivers should never be facing deformation during use and anything that can be placed along the frame mounting area is a welcomed piece in my eyes. The horns are very stiff but still shouldn't be stressed or used to help cabinet deformation. I feel like the Heresy relies a bit on the mid horn for support and it's a simple fix that also braces the sides right away.

It wouldn't hurt to have a brace at the back of the long horn frame under the magnet as well. A simple brace that allows some support would also help dampen the entire frame structure with some hard foam rubber holding it in place.

I also doubt there's much sound change that can be heard but it's so easy to do while it's all apart, why not. I went and filled all the voids in the construction of the series 1 cabinets, they certainly were not crafted like their stuff now!

 

[babadono]

I have some Crites La Scala braces arriving next week.

Mike, just searched Crites website...where are these? Link please. Or do I need to call Michael?

 

[mboxler]

Mike, just searched Crites website...where are these? Link please. Or do I need to call Michael?

Sorry, that post was incorrect, but I couldn't edit it afterwards. I actually got them from Greg Roberts at Volti Audio. I emailed him and got a quote ($75 plus shipping I believe). voltiaudio@gmail.com

They need trimming, as each of the four horn exits were a little different.

Mike

 

[cecaa850]

Sorry, that post was incorrect, but I couldn't edit it afterwards. I actually got them from Greg Roberts at Volti Audio. I emailed him and got a quote ($75 plus shipping I believe). voltiaudio@gmail.com

They need trimming, as each of the four horn exits were a little different.

Mike

I've made a few sets. They're not that difficult to do.

 

[Gigantic]

I've made a few sets. They're not that difficult to do.

you just need some wood and a mitre saw set at 30º.

 

[rsrguy]

I inherited a set of la scala's. 70's vintage I'm guessing. I've read and little and am pretty sure it'd be a good idea to re-cap.... or swap out the cross overs. The options seem to be abundant. I have a integrated marantz for power and don't have a clue where to start. Should I just re-cap or swap to alk's? Reasons for your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[SonofJames]

I inherited a set of la scala's. 70's vintage I'm guessing. I've read and little and am pretty sure it'd be a good idea to re-cap.... or swap out the cross overs. The options seem to be abundant. I have a integrated marantz for power and don't have a clue where to start. Should I just re-cap or swap to alk's? Reasons for your thoughts would be appreciated.

I would go with the Factory Approved JEM Caps, and then just enjoy the music.

Welcome to JEM PERFORMANCE Audio

Discover high-quality vintage Klipsch capacitor kits to enhance your speaker performance. Authorized Klipsch replacements for a perfect audio experience!

jemperformanceaudio.com

 

[Gigantic]

A recap is a pretty inexpensive place to start, Dayton Audio 1% caps are great.

I highly recommend sMAHLs after which you may want to upgrade the crossovers to @mboxler & @Deang‘s 4500x

 

[Dave MacKay]

I would go with the Factory Approved Jem Caps, and then just enjoy the music.

I never bought into the premise that JEM caps are anything special. I have no doubt that they’re fine, but there’s no magic in them.

 

[SonofJames]

I never bought into the premise that JEM caps are anything special. I have no doubt that they’re fine, but there’s no magic in them.

Yes, this is a thing I know, but they are "Factory Approved" by the Engineers (and Chief Engineer) at the Klipsch factory, using their ears, affordable to try, easy to install, and thats good enough for me and others.