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Recap KG4 x-overs or Crites...?

W

Wungun

Active Member
I'm kinda on a right budget right now...really tight! I know the Crites XO's aren't too pricey, but would it be worthwhile just recapping them with $20-30 worth of caps instead of going the whole way with the Crites...?
I'm under the impression Bob knows what he's doing and I'd be just shooting I'm the dark with a recap...


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I recapped mine with Jantzen caps from Parts Express, and removed the polyswitch in the crossover. I'd recommend the same, maybe substituting the big parallel cap with the house brand electrolytic Parts Express crossover cap to keep costs down.
 
a poly switch is a device which is thermally triggered and will act as a thermal circuit breaker. It is used as a protection device for the tweeter. The use of these devices has a significant impact upon the quality of sound. Either bypassing the device with a piece of wire or replacing it with a piece of wire will allow you to directly hear the impact of the device for yourself. In place of the device you used common sense to protect the tweeter. Simply turn the system down when you hear it begin to hear it distort. For those who need to ask how to tell when their system is distorting simply leave the device in place in the circuit. Hope that this helps. Best regards Moray James.


Wungun said:
Thanks for the reply...
Polyswitch? What's that...and what does it do?



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Thanks Mr. James!
I'm gonna pull mine right now :)
Are they mounted on my x-o's or the tweeter themselves? (KG4's)


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I replaced the 2 caps with film caps (1 Dayton and one Solen). The 33uf cap was replaced with another electrolytic.

I didn't realize the poly switch degraded the sound. Do they go bad over time? Is it possible to replace it with an improved one? I see that they are in the pictures of the crossovers that Bob Crites sells.
 
Wungun said:
I don't see a poly switch on my crossovers...
Hmmm...


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I have attached a link showing a KG5.5 schematic so you can see the poly switch which is the first device in the tweeter crossover section. I have never used a polyswitch long enough to be able to say that they suffer deterioration over time. They just don't sound good even brand new but if they prevent people from blowing up their speakers then they are fine for those folks. All that you need to do to remove the device from the circuit is to solder tag a small piece of copper wire across the two legs of the device, 22 gage copper is fine for a tweeter. Hope this helps. Best regards Moray James.
 

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  • Klipsch kg-5.2 schematic.jpg
    Klipsch kg-5.2 schematic.jpg
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Not in this one...
I'll have to check the other, but they are consecutively serial numbered...1985 models.


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Not in the other either...

I've seen pics of other KG4 XO's with different cap setups...like 3...2 paired together.


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Since you don't have a polyswitch you don't need to be concerned about them. With respect top Bob's crossovers they are identical in the circuit used all bob changes generally are the capacitors. Since you only have two caps per speaker why don't you splurge on yourself and buy some nice ones? I would make up a composite cap out of plastic film caps to replace the electrolytic in the bass section polyester film caps will work great and I would buy a nice film and foil to replace the 3uf in the tweeter section Then you can concentrate on all the other mods that you can do to your speakers. Best regards Moray James.
 
Thanks Moray...
When you say to use a "composite" cap, do you mean use a pair of them in parallel or series?
Wish I had the money for some V-Caps or Duellund's...
Some day!

Can you explain your choice on the materials?
Would polypropylene fall into the polyester category?

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Wungun said:
I don't see a poly switch on my crossovers...
Hmmm...


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The earliest KG-4s did not have the polyswitch. Klipsch quickly incorporated it because of so many early tweeter failures and warranty replacement.

The polyswitch, when it is fresh and new does no harm. As they get old and get operated many times, they get more resistive. I would put one in the crossovers that do not have them and I would replace them when re-capping the crossovers.

Bob Crites
 
Wungun said:
I've seen pics of other KG4 XO's with different cap setups...like 3...2 paired together.
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The KG-4's I recapped not long ago had a 3uF, a 33uF, AND a 8uF. Judging by the way those inductors looks, that definitely is one of the older variations. I'm no expert on Klipsch, but it might not be a bad idea to update to the later KG-4 schematic....Those speakers sounded awfully damn good when I was done...

DSC_0037.JPG
 
Wungun said:
I wonder if that extra cap has anything to do with the poly switch?


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For some reason I cannot get the image of the KG4.2 network to post in this reply. I was able to find a copy of it on another thread see the attached link.
I agree that the updated network is a good idea. Regarding the polyswitch they can and do save a lot of people from themselves damaging their speakers.
I don't agree with Bob that they do no harm even when new that's my opinion and anyone here can listen to their speakers both with and without the polyswitch and make there own opinion. For those who blow up their tweeters then the lesson may or may not be learned and it is as good a reason as any to buy the new titanium tweeter diaphragms from Bob along with a new pair of polyswitches. Best regards Moray James.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=508957
 
That's for the 4.2 and 4.5...so I assume they are all relevant. Thanks for the link...
RDE 070 is the polyswitch I'm guessing...?


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