My Kappa 9 restoration

[FrankieS]

excellent job!
thank You

 

[muziekfreak]

Same here mine are restored to its original state too .. Miller sound polydomes you name it, it’s done.

I said the same thing, they will go (probably not) of I ever get the chance for a beta

 

[Frederic-Fr]

Just awesome work Seifreit, both what you did and sharing with us which is quite complete.


I would like to improve the cosmetic of my recently acquire 8a which are near 9a on the aspect that interest me as yours are just the best in class no discussion but my wife said noway to that tall speakers and she did not even realized that would require a second amplifier block...

Foam and electronics where renewed and controlled for all of the speakers on that aspect I am clear for a while, even if I am going through a running-in period and cannot benefit of its best yet, after all I dream of it for 34 years I can wait some 200h running-in. and in fact I still have my good old SM150 .


The grills show the same issue as yours (in fact worse than yours),

I luckily found a very similar one which is considered as the most neutral available (sound wise which was to me the most important). Before you ask (as you did earlier in the post) being French nobody is perfect) I found it in a specialized shop in Paris not economically cheap to ship in US (but possible if you guys wish).

I also will test one I found on Aliexpress I will share with you the outcome upon receipt as this is fairly cheap and supposed to be very good.

Taking away the Infinity Logo is my main issue. How did you manage without breaking anything?

Also taking away the glue I was to use a sharp knife but wonder if Acetone could do the job. How did you manage?


On top of the speaker the wood shows some uneven wood grains and some re-varnishing not nice to look at.

I will use appropriate light abrasive to take varnish away but do I get you right the wood is NOT varnished but oiled?

 

[Kevinbigdog]

I was surprised that I didn’t care for that combination either. I’ve read countless posts regarding how Arnie voiced them with transistor amps for the woofers and tubes up top. When I first hooked up the Sunfire with that combination I was expecting an out of body experience. I listened to that setup for a couple weeks hoping it might get better but the top end just seemed too soft, dull.

I used to be one of those who felt an amp was an amp and it shouldn’t make a difference to how a speaker sounded as long as it could provide clean adequate power. This is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to listen to different amps with a pair of high quality speakers that can reveal those differences. Very eye-opening. I would really like to try a true tube amp for the top but it’s not in the budget at the moment. Until then, I’ll just keep enjoying the current setup.

I agree 100%..the simulated tube sound on my sunfire amp is flat and lacks life...not horrible.. but it is hard too accept when you know it sounds better the other way..I switch it up every year or so just for fun..but never lasts more than a few days...switching back is equivalent to make up sex

 

[Herb Myers]

Part 4 - The real point of all this

With the Kappa 8s in the main system and the Kappa 9s moved out to the shop the real work began. This is what I wanted to accomplish with the end goal being a set of Kappa 9s that I felt would be a close to original in sound and look as possible.

1) Replace all the aging electrolytic caps but leave the yellow poly caps in place
2) Replace all 4 EMIT diaphragms
3) Address any cosmetic issues with the cabinet that were not done before
4) Replace the worn grill cloth

Not a long list but plenty to do. As I was happy with the result from using the Mundorfs in the 8s I went the same route with the 9s. Since I had practiced everything on the 8s, removing the crossover from the 9s was "easy". For those looking to tackle a recap here is a picture of the crossover board.
View attachment 1814374
Red circles indicate what needs to be un-soldered and the yellow circles show where the stand-offs are that will have to be released. Unsoldering the leads that come from the banana jacks is a bit of a pain as the wires are single strand and fairly stiff. They are folded over onto the board and then soldered. you will have to try to pry them up while applying heat, A good vacuum desolder iron and/or wick is a must. You will also need to unsolder the two leads to the coil on the left edge (from picture perspective). Once these six point are unsoldered and free you will need to release the standoffs working from the left edge where you unsoldered the coil. the board will "hinge" allowing you access to both sides without disconnecting anything else. You can also cut the nylon zip tie that holds the bundle of cables going out to the drivers. It is attached to a hold-down on the main panel. Don’t forget to replace it when you’re done.

So, now to replace the caps. The only drawback to using the Mundorfs is the limited option in values. Many had to be stacked to get the values I needed. Here is the board finished from both sides.
View attachment 1814395 View attachment 1814396
This stacking caused one other issue. One of the larger coils(the one that gets unhooked temporarily) has to be relocated as it hits the new caps.
View attachment 1814398
Not a big issue and something that may not be necessary depending on what caps you choose to use. This is also the perfect (and really the only) time to de-ox all the level controls. Next on the list was replacing all the EMIT diaphragms. You may ask why as they were all working. These are 30+ year old speakers and I want them to last another 30+ years and I could see the ripples through slots so while i was there...

Here is a picture that shows the difference between a 30 year old diaphragm and a new one from BobbyD38 (can't say enough about how much his efforts to provide us with spare parts are truly appreciated).
View attachment 1814406
The old diaphragm is on the right and new one on the left. You may also find that one of the terminals has a piece of cheap masking tape around it. This was done to insulate one of the terminals from hitting the frame and possibly shorting out if both terminals rub the frame. If you decide to install new diaphragms in your EMITS you may find they are glued together. They actually applied a layer of glue around the entire perimeter of the magnet structure. This made it very difficult to separate the old diaphragms from the front panel. I was hoping when all was done that I would have 4 good back-up diaphragms. I ended up with 3 because of the glue issue.
View attachment 1814412 View attachment 1814413
Make sure to replace that tape with fresh tape as a minimum. I implement a more permanent solution by using some shrink tube on both terminals.

Now for the cosmetics.

Hi! I am planning to follow your instructions so thank you for your post. Question: How do I access the crossover? Your help, of course, is greatly appreciated!

 

[seifreit]

Hi! I am planning to follow your instructions so thank you for your post. Question: How do I access the crossover? Your help, of course, is greatly appreciated

The crossover is part of the rear terminal/control panel. It is surrounded by a trim panel. You will need to remove the screws around the trim piece and then remove the lower woofer. The crossover can the be brought out through the woofer hole. You will need to cut the cable tie that holds the wire bundle that feeds the drivers. Do Not cut the wires themselves. With those wires freed up you will have enough flexibility to flip the crossover over and access the board.

Feel.free to.pose any other questions here and ill try to answer them . You can also send me a private message if you prefer.

 

[Herb Myers]

The crossover is part of the rear terminal/control panel. It is surrounded by a trim panel. You will need to remove the screws around the trim piece and then remove the lower woofer. The crossover can the be brought out through the woofer hole. You will need to cut the cable tie that holds the wire bundle that feeds the drivers. Do Not cut the wires themselves. With those wires freed up you will have enough flexibility to flip the crossover over and access the board.

Feel.free to.pose any other questions here and ill try to answer them . You can also send me a private message if you prefer.

Appreciate the help! I found a photo I believe you had posted that shows the woofers removed allowing access to the boards. Take care!