Blvdre

Thanks for the input, Shawn. I called Klipsch up earlier today, and the k-510/k69 combo is $600 for the pair, so reasonably affordable. My plan is to stay passive, and try one of Al's gentle slope x-overs (AP12 series), which would allow me to adjust the high end by using the various autoformer taps. The SET crowd seems to like the synergy of SET w/ the GS, as opposed to the ES. As I'm an SET guy myself, and don't listen at more than moderately loud levels (and that's rare), I think the GS's would be fine. Just a matter of ordering the bits and pieces, and solder the mess together. I'm certainly open to suggestions, though.

I worked briefly at a video duplication facility in the master editing room. The master tapes had the obligatory color bars and , I believe, 1khz tone for calibration purposes. I could crank that tone up, move my head to a particular position, and hear virtual dead silence. Perfect phase cancellation! Not a desirable effect in music reproduction.

Informative thread. I've also been pondering an upgrade to my La Scalas, wanting to go the two-way route to start with. I've been researching the Altec 511/902 combo, and thought that might be the way to go, but this thread has me re-thinking my plan. The K510/K69 price-wise runs about the same as a pair of new 902's and some used 511's. The question is, are there significant differences between the performance of these two set-ups, all things considered? I'm inclined to stay with Klipsch, brand loyalty and all that. Any comments, impressions?

OK, so the increased phase plug spacing of the 908 diaphragms detracted from the high-end output. It sounds like the GPA replacements would be fine, even better that they're not the light diaphragms. I had a line on some 908 drivers, but passed on them, so that point is a bit moot. I would like to pick up some 902s down the road, though, so this info is helpful.

Thnaks for the info John. I left a message with the Great Plains guys, will try e-mailing them. From what I gleaned on this forum, the great plains diaphragm is light, like the original diaphragm (type A, if I remember), more extended than the later versions.

Thanks for the advice Tom, I'll do that. My intention is to put together a two-way using my La Scalas for low-end duty (for now), and the 511B/ 908 on top, so I'm hoping for enough high-end extension to get the job done. From what I've read, it seems 600 hz is a popular x-over point, and I won't be pushing these at high volumes.

From what I've read, it sounds like diaphragm replacement is a good idea anyway, so my question is, could I replace the 908's symbiotik diaphragm with the 902's aluminum? I see Legacy Sound has these for $200 a pair, has anyone tried sound speaker repairs replacement, at $50/each? I'm guessing not as good, but you never know.

No, this is the 908: http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/altec/specs/components/908-8b.htm

Does anyone have any experience or opinions as far as the audible differences between these two drivers? It looks like the main difference is w/ the diaphragm materials, and I'm wondering if the 908 may not measure up to the 902 in terms of sound quality.

...another happy Tripp-Lite user.

It's best to just let it go. We could speculate as to the "why", but in the end it's the seller's prerogative, reasonable or not.

I don't know...to me your story doesn't add up. The speakers are within their warranty period, but instead of going to best buy for a swap, you spent $77 on a new pair of a different brand? I must be missing something.

Like others pointed out, bringing them into Best Buy for an exchange is preferable to most other options, short of Klipsch shipping you a brand new set of speakers (I think that would be an unreasonable expectation). As for quality control, it's not unheard of for electronic components to fail once out in the field. Klipsch probably has had good luck with those pots, and has no reason to switch vendors. You happen to get a unit that has a bit of dirt in it, which could be either cleaned or replaced. Most products nowadays only carry a 90 day warranty, so consider yourself lucky you still have recourse to fix your speaker under warranty.

Thanks for the info everyone. According to this, http://www.voiceofthetheatre.com/images/multicell.4.jpg it looks like the 1505 is spec'd from 500 to ~2400 Hz, a fairly narrow range. Maybe the measured range is actually a bit different. I'm not so concerned about the value. My buddy would let me try them out for nothing, and if I wanted them, he'd let me have them for next to nothing. If I decided to return them, it would be good to know value at that point - I would like to help him get rid of them for a fair price. Hell, I don't even know if he still has them (fingers crossed).

I agree, I think they would be fun to play with....up until I get a hernia (I remember helping him move these things way back when. He had the bass bins too). Is it difficult getting parts to refurb these things? I'm not sure what condition the drivers are in, but I know they were in playable condition when he first acquired them. A nice two way is what I was thinking of, not sure what the range of this driver is (have to do a bit of research...) or what the sound quality is like.

Has anyone had any experience with these horns? A friend of mine acquired a pair of these from an old local theater years ago (~15 or 20 years ago). Big heavy tar-filled behemoths. They both functioned way back then, I seem to remeber them having double throats, but maybe I was hallucinating. Not long after, he just stored them away. I'm thinking about giving him a call to see if he'd be interested in getting rid of them, but not sure if it's all worth the effort. Anyone have input on these?

Nice contrast, I like it.

Your iron and the work will tell you. The joint or cable shouldn't take too long to heat up, other wise you may do damage to surrounding components, or PCB if that applies (you get the dreaded measling, or checking of the PCB glass, and pads & etches start lifting). Power supply caps and heavy guage wire can be difficult because the components sink the heat and don't allow the joint (or cable) to heat up effectively. That's why you need an adequate iron to solder the bigger stuff, preferably with temp control. It's also nice to have a variety of tips, bigger tips for bigger jobs, and vice versa.

seti, you'll be happy with that Hakko 936, I have that set-up as well. Bulletproof little bugger.

I can't look at container of cool whip without hearing Stewie, nice reference []

FWIW, I'm running a newly built pair of ALK Universals on my LaScalas with a Wright WPA3.5, and the sound is wondeful, bass included.

Alright, I have to study that damn IPC 600 Soldering Standard Guide every year and here's what the ANSI standard says: For typical PCB soldering, 700 F or there abouts is a good starting point. I wouldn't use a gun for pcb soldering, a smaller, cheap pencil iron would do the trick, a temp controlled station even beter. When de-soldering your cap, just add solder to the joint to make things flow (adding straight flux is the best method). Do this by putting your iron (clean, tinned tipped) on the pad, and add solder to the iron's tip. The solder will flow onto the joint. You can remove the solder by using solder-wick, a solder sucker, or a temp controlled de-soldering station (you bet I have one...). Frankly, solder wick takes too long and isn't all that effective. I would suggest a cheap spring loaded solder sucker. This step should be done as quickly as possible. If you're going to lift an etch or pad, it'll be at this stage. Then you'll be running repair wires, and no one wants that. Bend your new cap leads before putting through the board. The bends should be such that the cap drops straight down into the board. Be careful not to make the bends to close to the body of the cap or there won't be any strain relief for the cap. Now bend the leads flat against the board, making sure there is a little bit of space underneath the cap (so it's not resting on the board). Side note: There should always be a mechanical connection between the items you are soldering. Flip the board so it's component side down, so you have access the the underside of the board (always solder PCBs from the underside). Now rest your clean tip on the pad while applying solder to the tip. The solder will flow around the pad and up the lead, use as little solder as you can to accomplish this. Your dwell time should be about three seconds. Clip the leads and you're good to go. Absolutely practice on some wires or other solderables first to get a feel for things.

It's not that uncommon. I've owned both a CJ PV-10A and a PF1, and they both invert the line stage, phono non-inverting. Ditto with my Wright WPL11.

I might have to put that quote on the front of my bass drum head.

it was terriable as i said, thus the question here asking for opinions from people that have actually tried the mod. i took the bottom off simply to hear what it would sound like you know "experiment" . I learn different things by experimenting not necessarily by reading or going to school. i simply remembered something about a thread discussing a mod and decided to ask about it to see if it was something i thought i may be interested in. i have looked over the past threads that dean posted links to and it does sound interesting, but i didnt see anything like a review from someone that actually had listened to a pair, just passing comments about how they felt they were deeper, and they didnt perceive any loss of detail Joe OK, gotcha.