Groomlakearea51

About 2-3 months ago, during a search for some Klipsch brown grill cloth, I called Klipsch Parts. While brown was no longer available, they had the black in stock. I ordered a yard for some current projects, and when it arrived I carefully compared it to my 74 Heresy's, 77's,& 79 & 81 K'horn's etc. It is identical in pattern, etc. While I don't have C'walls, it is likely that this is what you are looking for. Send Klipsch Parts an email and go from there. It was "pricey", but perfect. If you cannot order from Klipsch, perhaps someone can order it for you and ship it to you. Hope that helps.

Update.... As far as "showing" up unnanounced, that of course would be a "not good" idea. In March, I had called Klipsch about locating a particular "finish" on a restoration project, and during that conversation I asked about visiting the factory. At that point, I was advised that I could ask for an appointment to visit the factory and take a tour. Many years ago I visited the factory, and wanted to take my son to see where "dad's really big speakers" come from... That being said, when I called again today to see if a certain day was "ok", I was unfortunately advised that they no longer have tours due to OSHA regulations. So......... That ends that idea.... Go to the Museum and be happy. As far as the intention; it was not to take a list of questions that could/ should otherwise be more germane to the Forum(s). I was only offering to ask certain questions for several forum members that had very particular questions about certain models that someone at the factory could answer. As an example, I have a couple of very specific questions about the finish on cabinets and was going to ask to speak with someone in that department when I'm in the area. I'm getting ready to spray black laquer and wanted some specific "guidance" when it hits raw birch.... Probably the best thing to do (now that tours are not given as in the past), is cancel this "thread", and apologize for getting anyone's hopes up that I may have figured out some way to access the factory. Later, and regards to all

Hello All, I'm going to Little Rock on 29 July and sometime during the following week I am going to run down and visit the factory in Hope. I personally have a number of technical questions related to refurbishing my Heresy's. Inasmuch as I'll be there all day, if anyone has any appropriate questions they want me to ask about, please let me know via regular email at ocsosheriff1@okeechobee.com. I'll make a list and when I get back on the 9th of August, I'll post a reply on this thread. Last minute questions?, call me at 863-634-7038 (my cell) and I'll write 'em down. Later, V/R Marshall Muros

Also check McIntosh Labs; while they don't discuss lengths, they do specify heavier gauge in the owner's manuals (14 and 12, dependent upon length of the runs).

Tom, Two questions: First, while you sell the current system, would you like to borrow a good pair of Heresy's, a Nakamichi cassette deck and a good Sansui 719 amp. Bone plain system... No questions asked, no cost, no obligation, just some 'hep, as we say down here; I'll send them to you and you can have some music. Send 'em back later when things settle down a bit. Second, are you really sure you want to sell the LaScala's? I would like to make you an offer, but let me know if that's what you really want to do. If so, let me know at 863-634-7038 or email me at the following email address ocsosheriff1@okeechobee.com. I sure hope the family situation gets better, Kind regards// MWM

You are right; best FM antenna I ever had (and still do it today...) is a split 12 gauge speaker wire piece about 8' long, on the back of the rack/cabinet unit. I make a "yagi" setup, and aim it until I have the strongest signal for the NPR station about 50 miles east (closest station anyway...); tack it down on interior of rack/cabinet until I move the tuner/ amps, etc. WAF factor is ok 'cause she can't see it...

This is becoming a very interesting forum subject because of the wide range of experience, etc. I followed pauln's suggestion and read the entire "thread". Thought about it (alot because of the electron thing which has me really worried at night now...). But seriously, went back through everything, notes, literature, manuals, etc., I've collected along the way, and the one common theme from OEM speaker engineers, retailers, etc., always seems to be the quality and the gauge of the wire. Once the gauge is below, say 16, the effects of unequal length become insignificant. That being said, there's an interesting comment in the thread that pauln cites about 10 gauge copper wire. Is this "construction code" solid core A/C wire?. Question I'm pondering (The Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF) appears again here.) She has asked me about this on several occasions: Could one, theoretically (or in practice) simply run AC code wire "sets" from where the amps are (or may be) located, through the walls up to the attic area, or down to crawlspace, etc., to terminate in different locations in the room(s) where one might want to put speakers. It would be a very real pain, but the end result would be nice looking "jack plates" at strategic locations to hook amps and/or speakers. Given the heavy insulation/ shielding, king kong gauge, solid copper, etc., there should not be any problems? Ideas?

You're right. In the end run (no pun intended), as long as the wires are of sufficient quality and gauge, the effects of unequal lengths are most likely insignificant, especially at the average distances that most folks would encounter at home. It will always be a matter of individual choice, and of course what's practical.

Need to git' me one of them there speedometers! My auto shop buddy, "Bubba", said he'd really love to find out just how fast ole' "Linerd Skinerd" is playin' that "down home" song on those big ole' Klipschorns... I told him it probably has some connection to how much beer he's had before listnin' to em'....

LT Sorry if I was unclear, I get that way sometimes... I'm banned from giving directions to the house by my wife.... It was first explained to me years ago like this; think of it as sort of like a pipe, bigger diameter with same flow, less "pressure" or resistance.The longer the wire, the greater resistance; thus if you increase the size or diameter of the wire (the lower gauge #) you have increased the available area, or diameter through which the current can flow, thus less resistance. General rule is to use the largest gauge shielded wire that's practical. I generally use 14 gauge "zip" cord because my runs are only about 30' maximum. 12 gauge is really thick, but can be problematic when it comes to the speaker terminal fittings on amps and speakers. Not a problem with Klipsch speakers because they have the screw/nut fittings and I just buy good quality "circle" crimp style clips, insert the thick wire, crimp them, and screw them down. M's also right about "zip" cord in his comment and his comment about coiling extra wire. Loose and irregular is the rule; actually I make back and forth "loops" and keep the wires at least 2-3 inches apart. Zip cord from the hardware store is actually a real good economical choice; it's fairly cheap, you can buy a spool, comes in white and brown, etc (Wife Acceptance factor...)., and it's fairly well shielded. In the end run, Dr. Bill had the best answer; if it's not audible, it's probably ok and audible is the key; Possible Idea... Use a 1k tone generator through the amp (some tuners have that capability), take a multi-meter and test the resistance at the speaker terminals and see if it's the same. Adjust wire length and gauge accordingly. Anybody know if this would work? V/R Marshall Muros

You are correct, as is probably everyone; in regards to equal lengths. On gauge, you can get away with 16 gauge up to about 50', after that the freq loss will begin to take effect; I set up a recording studio several years ago for a friend of mine using JBL studio monitors; he wanted "neat" equal runs, and I reffrerred him to the JBL folks who specifically said, equal runs; 3-12' can be 18 gauge, 12-25' can be 16 gauge; 25-50' can be 14 gauge; and 50 plus needs to be 14+ and preferably 12 gauge. The problem with unequal wire runs is the resistance. Longer the wire, greater the resistance, thus thicker the wire (or technically, the greater surface area of the wire along which current tries to flow). Uneven wire runs, particularly over 20% difference is where it begins to affect the amplifier's output due to what the amp sees as lower ohms on one side. To this day, to the dismay of my wife (remember the wife acceptance factor - WAF...) at least one pair of speakers ends up with a large loose coil of speaker wire hidden somewhere. On that note, a loose irregular coil is important due to mag field with unshielded (or low shielded speaker wire) coils. Hope that helps a bit.

Tom, Thanks for the advice; I would have removed the shellac and not prepped the wood properly! In this case, I guess the best thing to do is fine sand all over to remove sheen and bring it as close to the wood as possible, then spray the laquer. That leads to the question about the BR's that are simply stained, but with no shellac, laquer, sealer, etc. Should I buy some type of sealer, etc. What did Klipsch do to prep the BR when they make the BB's. V/R Marshall Muros

Thanks, I really appreciate the assistance; according to the son of the father who owned them, his dad shellac'd them about 20 years or so ago; I'm thinking that I would be better off with your suggestion about 400 and alcohol; living in Florida with the wild fluctuations in humidity, it would probably be better for me not to take a chance during that first 48 hours after the #40 black. It can go from 85 degrees at 50% humidity to 96 with 100% humidity in 24 hours here (live a few miles north of Lake Okeechobee), plus we're getting close (real close) to hurricane season... I had to buy a big generator to make sure that when the hurricane comes that I can keep the A/C running in the house just to keep out the humidity until Florida Power and Light fixes the poles (no insult to FPL, but they tend to take their sweet time about this....)

Finally obtained a pair of La Scala's; "BR"; bought my 2 gallons of #40 black laquer, laquer thinner, steel wool, assorted sandpaper, orbital sander, etc. Have three pairs of BR Heresy's layed out, drivers removed, etc. Only thing left to do is prep tha La Scala's... The La Scala's were not stained, they were "shellacked". Question, how do you safely remove this gloss finish? Sand? strip? Trade someone for a set of BB's.... Thanks for any assistance; K'horns and the other Heresy's are all BB finish and wife says make them look the same or get rid of them... Oh the horror... Marshall Muros - ocsosheriff1@okeechobee.com 863-357-1600 (6:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST) or 863-634-7038 (24/7) _____________________________________________________________ Fast turning into the "Cracker Cowboy Klipsch Ranch" down in these here parts... K'Horns (the "bull"), LaScala's (the "heifer"), 5 x pairs of Heresy's (the herd....)

I have an old set of full size plans for the Speakerlab I bought in the military. Would it be possible for you to also email me a copy of the actual Klipsch plans from the 50's, I'm curious to compare, etc. I'm considering starting that project next year (after hurricane season...) and need to do my homework, look for drivers, convince my wife of the merit of late nights with power tools, Sam Adams and accompanying loud music... email address: ocsosheriff1@okeechobee.com With kind regards and appreciation if you can assist; V/R Marshall Muros

Carefully unscrewed covers and woofer; woofer is model K-22-K; has a serial number on it, but I'm 8 feet off the ground, and doing a balancing act on a ladder (they are on top of a very big book case... Did not want to fall down and not be able to get up... Crossover has a quite large "footprint" and is says in red letters, TH-SR-3. It looks as big as or bigger than the Klipschhorn crossover(?). The caps are smaller; all wires are the factory white with the red and black "dashes"; interior is immaculate, appears never to have been opened, etc. Did not unscrew mid or tweeter. There is also a piece of gray fine grain foam rubber that is between the woofer/ crossover area and the mid/tweeter area. Did not try to pull on it, etc. The face board is MDF, but everything else is birch plywood.

These are great speakers; As soon as I finish the "cabinet refinish" project, I will turn my attention to the the other two pairs of HBR's which were poorly stained. Hopefully, when I get finished, I'll have four beautiful pairs of factory black laquer finish Heresy's. Then I will turn my attention to scratches and lacquer nicks and chips on the Klispschorns... I need some experience working with the lacquer before touching those. V/R MWM

They are, in fact, birch plywood, with exact same dimensions as the HBR's. I will however have to unscrew the drivers (they are mounted from the front, and the rear is solid, with no screws, just the circular "hole" with the logo, model #, and speaker binding posts. I will post the driver ID's and crossover ID when I look inside. When you prime the birch before putting on the #40, what do you prime it with? V/R//MWM

Am new to forum; bear with me on protocol, etc; Have pair of Klipschorns (original owner KC-BB's) and 4 pairs or Heresy's ("acquired" during last few years...) Acquired 2 pairs of the TH-SR3 Heresy's about 3 years ago; s/n's are 8624420, 22, 25, and 26; were in a "dinner" theater, or something like that; Grills have black retention screws with washer "cones", appear to be OEM. Checked all else carefully, cabinetry is birch plywood, no MDF noted in cabinet construction. Drivers and crossover original, very clean, etc. Work perfectly, now system "A" on two AU-919's, respectively, in home theater arrangement in living room. Model and s/n stickers on back dated 1980. Several questions: (1) What are they exactly... When were they made? (2) Apparently mounted by someone drilling hole through sides for eyehooks.... Someone filled in holes with plastic wood, etc., but is poor workmanship, spray painted in a "patch", looks bad. I would like to fill in the holes properly, and refinish the sides (or the entire cabinets if necessary); the finish is OEM "textured" black. Any advice on this type of surface, type of paint that was used, ideas, etc. I would like to redo this to factory specs, if possible. (3) If not possible, or this type of paint is not readily available, advise method of stripping, and will prep, sand, etc., and paint with #40 sheen, black laquer to match factory finish on my Klipschorns. Thanks for any advice or assistance;