Groomlakearea51

SF: Understood, I'll just pony up at some point for brown from Duracrest, etc. in a couple months when I get to that part of the project.

SF: I'm half way through the 2,640,000.5 staples from a set of black cloth on a pair I'm restoring, wanna' trade? (It's a WAF thing...She's into the brown...)

Another interesting crossover mod: Bob Crites' A/4500 (Type A) using his CT-125's. Have them in my LS's or KC's, dependent on what I'm doing... Excellent improvement over AA's. They do sound "different" than with Bob's AA's with the A cap "selector" option. Not better or worse, just different.

Good question; maybe Klipsch could find out how that pair ended up at OneCall.

Not a 33, for sure; looks like a PA type woofer. I would not re-use it inasmuch as it could cause problems, not only for performance, but the crossovers. Get with Bob Crites on real K-33's. He has the CT-1526 which is the direct replacement for the "good" K-33-E.

SF: You have a PM; Thanks

Quick question; where is a good source for the V-Cap (OIMP), or the others... if I want to DIY at some point on some of my K's, C's, H's, etc. I have Bob's on some, and I'm very, very happy, but I really want to "learn myself" on simple soldering upgrades and that would be a good project.

The KC-BB's and LS-BB's rear their ugly side again.... Last year I spent a fortune in time and effort to locate and buy the original Klipsch black laquer primer, black semi-gloss, #40 sheen laquer, and the #40 sheen clear to redo my KC-BB's, H-BB's.... Finally got a gallon of each through Sherwin Williams. The manufaturer is actually OPEX, and the product is Valspar lacquer. Really difficult time, no-one in a 200 mile radius wanted to special order, etc. 90% of the store employees told me (while picking their nose and listening to their Bose store system...) "If it's not in our catalogue, we can't get it..". The other 10% were just zombies so I left the stores, (BTW, what's High School afternoon jobs coming to?!!!). By the time I got the Valspar, I was only able to finish a couple of HBB's, and it was well into the winter season and the temperatures are not right yet for spraying. In any event, several weeks ago, i was in Walmart (don't laugh, that's the only big store in town since they ran everybody else out'a business...) and was in the paint department. Krylon has released a spray can lacquer in black and clear for about $2.99 a can.... So, for a small door panel that I needed to touch up, bought a can of each. Got finished, and the fumes having made me crazy.... and not wanting open the Valspar stuff again until I'm ready to go for broke, I sprayed a "puddle" from the Krylon can on a piece of plywood and headed to the KC-BB's, Using a small "artistes" brush, I touched up a couple of spots, and the next day came back and looked, Voila!! Slightly more gloss, so I got out a piece of 800 grit (yes they make it) and polished the spots and they blended into and matched the original. Did a puddle of clear and same treatment. Unless i'm at point blank range, I cannot see the spots. Since the KC's are next on the "list" of projects to do, I'm thinking of using that method to treat the scratch & nick filler, etc., until it's time for breaking out the Valspar, gun and compressor for the KC-BB's. Islander: If you plan on doing the whole cabinets later, email me and I'll head to the workshop and find the OPEX/Valspar part numbers because your gonna' need alot to practice with and then shoot. You'll also need a HVLP finishing gun with a 1.3 mm nozzle (fine pattern). Takes about a pint of each for each K-horn, so will likely be about the same for the LS's, and extra to practice. You will need to find or make a paint booth with ventilation and a msk system. Doing it without ventilation is dangerous and you could have serious side effects to your health, not to mention the weird psychedelic side effects....

Darn it! Missed them again!!! [:S]Ludovico must'a bought them all[]

The old standby - mineral spirits - will also work well; does not degrade the laquer primer used on the rear panel, insets and motor board. Wipe off excess, wipe again with clean dry cloth. Usually last for about a year or so until the dust gets back in there. Motor boards are "funny"; I've seen them flat/ matte, semi-gloss, satin, smooth to heavy to light textured, "eggshell" textured (looks like your drywall latex, but black), sprayed on and several that appeared to have been simply "rolled on" with a paint roller. Rear panels range from nice smooth finish all the way to very rough, enough to grap threads off the rag. For the real detailing afficionado... Take off the old velcro, then clean them up, and replace the velcro. The "hook" side on the motor boards get "hairy" over time.

Great advice from all!!, especially the DIY "options". There is a final possible trick for the grills; since the one set is in such bad condition, it won't hurt. They should be made from a polyolefin type synthetic. If not, see option B. Option A. Take them outside and lay them flat on a piece of plywood. Remove the old velcro... Get some new velcro tabs (Heresy-I's need 14 total) and a jug of mineral spirits (look for "paint thinner" at Walmart, it's the same stuff, but cheaper... OT... also about 1/10th of the cost of charcoal lighter fluid which is also the same stuff!!...). pour about a quart in a paint roller tray. soak a clean old t-shirt and liberally "wash them". Take a soft brush like a wallpaper glue brush and brush clean them. Do it several times, rinsing out the rag. Let them dry. Tell your wife to go shopping.... Draw a bathtub of warm water; put then in. Wash them with a laundry detergent and rags. take out and rinse off with a hose every once in a while until you can't smell any mineral spirits. They should be clean. Important part. lay them between clean, white towels with a piece of clean plywood, top and bottom, think of it as a "sandwich"; place even weight (I use soft dive weights) blocks on the top and let dry for at least a day. This will prevent the fiberboard from possibly warping from the water. After a day or so, stand them vertical in front of a floor fan and let the fan run at volume 10 and finish sucking out any moisture. They should be clean and dry. Believe it or not, to get the factory "sheen" back on the cloth, mix up 1 part plain old hair conditioner with 10 parts distilled water. using a clean paint brush, "paint" them. Wipe of the excess with a clean cotton rag, put back in front of the fan. They should look like new. Option B; do it with the detergent only. Notes: If the cloth to board glue separates (and it does quite often due to age, etc.), it's contact cement; you can also use "Duco"; works perfectly, just after regluing, place weights on the cloth edge on the back to make it "stick". Good luck and hope that's of some assistance.

Hear! Hear! as the Brits will say when asking for applause.[] When I arrived in Florida after active duty, I had Klipschorns, LaScalas and one pair of H-I's that I obtained in the military (cheap!!), and a ton of 4311's, 4312's, 4313's, and L166's (Like Klipsch, they were sold in the Audio Clubs in Europe for about half of what they cost in the US). I used them as "surrounds", bookshelves, connected to the TV/VCR, etc. After about 10 years, the humidity had wrecked the woofer surrounds on just about all of the JBL's. Even with the A/C set correctly, it was just a matter of time. After replacing all of the woofers, by 2001, I had had enough of it and started trading them all off for Heresy's. About a year ago, the woofers in the last pair of 4311's died, and when I called JBL parts, they looked on their database and told me "sorry", I had bought the last pair of woofers in stock the year before. Oh well, somebody wanted them, and they were great, I really liked the ability to adjust the crossover for room acoustics, but I've never looked back. Florida humidity.... My first Klipsch "failure" was a an original K-33 on my original Klipschorns last year. I pulled them both and found that the inner chrome/nickel core "plating" had corroded from humidity, peeled, "locking up" the driver. The plating had badly corroded at the edges, and there was evidence that this had happened some time way in the past. Other one had the discoloration so it was scrapped and both replaced with B&K's CT-1526's. The seals on the bass bins were shot, thus humidity probably got in over time. Checked the other K'horns, LaScalas, Heresy's, etc., seals were still good and bins smelled "dry". Maintenance time... All new seals on everything with panels, access panels, etc. My house is "'stick" built, and is "up off the ground" on beams (old Florida style), rather than on a slab (modern and cheaper method). Humidity is usually around 50-55%. Slab houses can average 60-70% and more on the floor. When we first moved down here, we lived in an old ranch house with no A/C for a couple years, then slab houses for over 10 years (and so did these K'horns). The K'horns that failed were never used on a constant basis down in Florida until we moved into this house and finally had enough corners (They are BB's and the WAF factor applied to them not being allowed in the living room...), but the caps were really dried out by the time they went back into service. So, here's a couple interesting thoughts to throw around.... On my original HWO's, I tested the crossover units about a year ago and they are still in "spec". Caps are still ok. Now, that being said, am I just lucky? or... is it because I use them every day in the kids HT setup and they get warm? Is some humidity "good" for caps? Any ideas on those "theories"?

Mick thanks for the kind comments! I've already had about 30 emails on this pair including a bunch that want me to cut complete raw panel sets for them to assemble themselves. Good thing I got the new "bazillion" dollar table saw..... I'm going to be real busy.... Maybe people will stop stripping them and selling the drivers on eBay!?

Welcome to the Forum!! Having had a bazillion H-I's over the years (yes, I know, it's an obsession, but the medicine from Sam Adams seems to help alot now...), everyone is pretty much right about the capacitators. Unfortunately, they just "dry out" and since they do it over time, you really never know because it's so gradual. One of the other interesting things about the H-I's is that you can also "cure" another problem that is common: weak low end bass response. When they were made, they are relatively well "sealed" Being an acoustic suspension design, the enclosure needs to be sealed. Over time, and for a variety of other reasons, the wood dries out, glue dries and flakes, and the braces inside tend to "shrink" (not much, but enough). The result is they become "leaky", and they lose the internal back pressure for the woofer to operate correctly during it's "in-out" movement. The effect is that bass below about 70-80~ Hz (or more in some cases) gets killed off. The solution (or one of them...) is easy, requires no special tools, takes about 1/2 hour, costs less than $10, and you get to see inside..... Since you will likely remove the crossovers for "recap" this would be a good time to do this. Remove the back panel with a phillips head screwdriver, and lift it out of the way about 4-5 inches and disconnect the leads to the crossovers with a short flat head screwdriver. take the panel and lay it down out of the way. Examine the braces; most of the time, there will be small "gaps" between them. Take some woodworkers glue (a $2.99 bottle at Walmart...) and some sawdust and mix up a paste - fill the gaps, front and rear braces. Next, take your woodworkers glue and lay a "bead" on every internal seam between the braces, the panels, and the driver board. Next, take some black GE silicone (about $2.99 at Walmart), and put a 1 inch long "bead" on the edge of the woofer, next to the four screws; reason, there's a gap that leaks out to the cone. Take your finger and smooth it in flush (clean your finger afterwards...). Next, take a roll of 3/4" wide closed cell weather strip foam tape ($2.99 at Walmart...), and put a strip on the bracing pieces where they are against the rear panel. Let everything dry, Usually the best thing to do is let it dry overnight and check the beads, the gaps, etc the following day. Reinstall the leads to the crossover, reinstall the board. Cross-tighten the screws to make sure it's flush and does not "warp". Plug them in with something that you know well with decent bass on the material. You should notice an improvement; should sound "tighter". Hope that helps you in the Heresy "home improvement" arena.

I just can't bring myself to commit such a Heresy.... Eventually when my "parts" bins are overflowing, I'll sell of some items, but when I run across a challenged pair, it's like orphan pygmies in New Guinea (Git'er Done...). It's a challenge!!! Speaking of cabinets, I've sold a number of "raw" HBR cabinets, but not on eBay! They are by word of mouth. About once every few months, I order a sheet of 3/4" birch and cut all new panels, braces, motor boards and rear panels. Drill all the screw holes, put the finishing nails, a tube of putty, bottle of glue, and a roll of foam seal tape in a plastic bag and send them off to whoever wanted a pair to assemble. Assembled and veneered several "blank" ones also. I'm getting ready to do 2 pairs of Mahogany veneer; one complete for my wife (WAF...) and one for whomever. That'll be a couple months away though (I need to finish a pair of Klipschorns first, per WAF).

Since most of my stuff qualifies for "antique" status in Florida..... I pretty much have had Bob go through most of my crossovers and replace the caps. Difference? Yes, I too can tell, especially with the Klipschorns. They are more "clear", and I picked up a little, not much, bass, somewhere around 300hz (could be my 'magination...). That being said, my Cornwalls, because they are 87's their crossovers will be probably be recapped by Bob next year. That should really be a good "tweak".

Tony, you have PM

Tony, you have a PM.

Yup, pipe insulation works perfectly; You can also use 1/4 size (also comes with the "peel off" tape for the sticky edge). To seal to the floor.... I replaced the factory metal gliders (they will tear up a hardwood floor....) with teflon "gliders", but used more of them, including three "inboard" in the center; then used a piece of 3/16" thick x 3/4" wide closed cell foam weather stripping, but did not peel off the the "floor" side "sticky" cover. Slides around perfectly. Cheap to replace after several "move out for spring cleaning" moves that will tend to wear it off. I'm also debating about doing the same thing on the edges instead of pipe insulation next time around. Easier to trim and gets them very close to the wall.

I've still got one more K-77 left if that's of any use to you. I'm pretty much sold on CT-125's unless it's a project pair of Heresy's, K'horns, etc. and the intended "buyer" wants K-77's. I only keep one complete pair for those applications at any one time now. Call me or email me, etc.

I've got one spare K-22-R(ound...), one spare K-53 with 701, and one spare K-77 (mint, almost new, "purple" ink logo, etc.). If anyone needs one of these, email me.

Paul's a happy guy for sure!!!! He had come over and looked at a pair of H-II's I had for sale week before last, but I think he got "spoiled" when I showed him the LS's and the KC's. I ended up buying one of the Cornwall pairs that Paul was also looking at; could not resist the buy it now price. Got them home and my wife was impressed and happy, BUT then I got "the look" and she "ordered" me to get rid of something, thus the latest H-I's for sale..... Oh well, but I agree with everyone in that the Cornwall is an absolutely amazing speaker. I wish I had bought a pair years ago, but skipped them for Klipschorns and then a pair of LaScala's at the time.

I have finished another pair of completely rebuilt Heresy-I's. Complete new cabinetry, etc. They will appear on eBay shortly. For a Forum member, I will provide a discount as always. The most recent pair I completed went to Mr. Mike Bell in Ohio. He is happy. These are very, very nice, but they've got to go (I just have way too many Heresy's all over the place, and more in the workshop waiting for attention...) The eBay number is 130090264284. They might not show up for about another 10-15 minutes or so. Forum members interested can call me at 863-634-7038.

After collecting, rebuilding, etc. about 16 pairs (at last count...) there seems to be no "order". I have two pairs of 77's right now, one up and one down out in the living room... I'm also sitting here looking at a pair of late 1985 Heresy-I BB's (still with the K-22, K-55 and 77's, believe it or not!!!) with the terminals on the top (?). I did measure the wires on a project pair a while ago and colterphoto is correct. Top loaders are shorter; but then again that does not explain why "same year" pairs would be different. The holes are, however, drilled in the same relative position, regardless of orientation... That being said, it's possible that the assemblers just put the panels on and cut the wires to fit up or down, as the case may be. Who knows. I have a single '84 HBR out in the shop connected to my $10 FM mono radio with the E2 crossover screwed to the floor panel instead of the side. Came that way, no screw holes in the side panel. Go figure...