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mark electro

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Posts posted by mark electro

  1. I have read many posts here about changing out capacitors because of age and increased ESR.

    My question: What differences in sound will I hear; that would indicate that it is time to change capacitors?

    Also if capacitors are bad: Am I in danger of damaging my high frequency drivers?

    Once again thank you to all members of the Klipsch forum for continually expanding my knowlege base.

    Mark

  2. Just curious - the 2nd post here states to use a pressure washer to help to remove the chemical remover. Is applying water to wood safe? Especially delicate veneer? I would really like to know and would also be interested to hear from others that have pressure washed their speakers (LaScalas, Heresys, Cornwalls, etc)

    I am very curious about this too now that you mention it.

    Mark

  3. Thank you all very much for your very informative replys. As always, I have learned a great deal from the members of Klipsch Forum.

    AND while I have been in the computer room pondering a solution to my delima; my girlfriend has decided to enter the micro-man cave and polish the Heresy II's with Old English furniture polish then blended the light spots with Old English Dark Wood Scratch Cover.

    They now look beautiful (still are the darkest furniture in the room though). All this will cost me (I have been informed) is a "Night on the Town" this weekend! (LOL).

    I guess my next plan is to do a few months A/B listening between my '78 H's and my (new) '88 H II's to see once and for all which I prefer.

    I have a feeling the answer might be "BOTH for different reasons".

    Thanks again,

    Mark

  4. The autotransformer is an impedance converter. In the case of the T2A in your Heresy crossover, input is to the entire coil on taps 0 and 5 which are at the two ends of a coil. Taps 4, 3, 2 and 1 correspond to attenuation of 3, 6, 9 and 12 db. When we connect a driver to taps 0 and 4, for an attenuation of 3 db, what happens is that the impedance of the driver becomes effectively doubled as seen on the input side of the autotransformer. So, a 16 ohm driver becomes effectively a 32 ohm driver. For connection of the same driver to tap 0 and 3, we attenuate the driver 6 db effectively doubling again the impedance to 64 ohms as seen on the input side of the autotransformer. For 0 and 2, we have 9 db or 128 ohms. Doubling again at tap 1, we have 12 db or 256 ohms.

    The power is not dissipated, it instead just stays in the amp as attenuation increases.

    We can continue this with what is done with the Heresy type E crossover. Tap 3 of the autotransformer is used to attenuate the tweeter by 6 db. Making the 8 ohm tweeter appear as a 32 ohm driver. Tap 2 is used to attenuate the squawker by 9 db. Making the 16 ohm K-55V appear as a 128 ohm driver. This balances the output of those two drivers to match the woofer.

    Bob Crites

    Thank you Bob, I think I am caching on. Let me know if I am on the right track.

    By increasing the apparent resistance less power wil go to the mid than the woofer, and even less will go to the tweeter. However the mid and tweeter are more efficient so they need to be toned down a bit.(I think...)

  5. This is kind of a loaded question(LOL).

    October 2007 I purchased my first pair of beautiful Heresy I's (1978). In November I sent an e-mail to klipsch to find out about these outstanding speakers.

    Mr. Colter replied to my e-mail With just about everything you coul want to know about heresy's. He also told me about the Klipsch community. By the way if you read this thank you again Mr. Colter.

    In the compilation of info.; was an outline describing driver characteristics. It states that the woofer will handle 100 watts continuous, the midrange 30 watts continuous, and the tweeter 10 watts continuous. Now to the questions.

    Does the autoformer distribute the wattage via its taps??? or is there a phisics law relating to how much power goes to each driver???

    Is there a ratio of power distribution to the drivers??? How does all this add up to the whole speaker being abble to handle approx. 105 watts continuous with 500w peak???

    Thanks in advance for any insite you can provide.

    Mark

  6. I have two old, big king klipsch speakers that my uncle gave to me. I think I blew out the right speaker because when I listen to music soley from the right speaker there is no bass. The left speaker works fine. How do I fix the right speaker? There is a fuse and the two hookups for the speaker wire in the back and that's it. Do I have to do something with the fuse? Please Help

    Hey, also check the basics could there be a problem with the speaker wire? Double check conections at the amp as well as the speakers. On a pair of heresy's I have; my woofer stopped playing and the mid and tweeters worked. I looked at the back of my amp and found that the binding post nut was loose on one wire. I tightened the nut and have not had any more trouble.
  7. Hey Mark.....if you strip them with the Mineral spirits like I suggested a walnut stain would look great.....you could start buy adding 25% stain 75% mineral spirit and slowly add more to achieve the desired results.

    I have a pair of birch that are stained a light walnut and then 4 coats of Watco brand tung oil.....I think they look stunning...they have a light brown -honey golden hue.....

    I like your idea. It sounds like it is within my capability too!!! A light honey walnut has a nice ring to it. Thank you.

    By the way; where do I get Watco Tung Oil ??????????

  8. Strip them clean with a chemical stripper, rubbing with fine steel wool and stipper proof gloves. They sell them at Home Depot. When done if you want to restain them, then you need a neutral or Minwax clear prestain that will seal the softer wood. This allows you to then put on muliple coats until it is uniform. At this point it can be....tung oiled, varnished, hand rubbed urethane or brushed on urethane. The preconditioner/clear coat is important as it deals with edges that absorb stain at a different rate than the rest of the wook. If you don't do this, then you have dark spots and ligher areas. Not good.

    Your not good part is about where they are now.
  9. I'm O.K. with a spray can though(LOL).

    Well, sand 'em smooth and spray away . . . ..Devil

    OK, maybe not the bestest way to make 'em black. Do you know any painters from body shops? You may be able to find one that would put a nice automotive-type black lacquer finish on for just a few bucks.

    Bill, my friends at the body shop will want to put ghost flames on my cabinets. Actualy might be cool however still wouldent match or blend with the rest of the decor in my listening area.
  10. The only way you are going to get them back to the original looking birch raw is to re-veneer them......that being said you can play with the color and lighten it considerably.

    If they are oil finish it's much easier, if they are lacquered then you will indeed need to strip off the lacquer finish first with a chemical striper like the above mentioned formers.

    if the finish is a hand rubbed oil then start with mineral spirits (this is the base of most stains, they just add pigment) I would start applying the Mineral spirits with 00 steelwool and then wipe off with a cloth towel (you are going to ruin some cheep towels)...you will have to do this several times and then you should notice that a lot of the pigment has been removed....then i would suggest applying a light coat of a "honey" colored stain mixed with 50% mineral spirits. I would do a small area on the bottom of the speaker to see if the color was good so you could adjust if necessary. After the stain has dried, you will want to give it a nice oil finish of tung or teak oil (3-4 coats)

    that is what I would do if I wanted them lightened and did not want to re-veneer them......good luck...and just a thought ...if it were me I would remove all the drivers and crossovers...or it could get messy.....

    Definately getting closer to my point. I would like to lighten and remove most of the "cherry" from the cherry color stain. Honey color would be perfect but I could work with a wallnut or even a maple.
  11. Do you know if there is a way to re-stain without taking the old stain off? Or should I just strip them and start over?

    Another option is to paint them with black lacquer. Black Heresy's are quite elegant.

    Bill, now that you mention it; Black lacquer is very elegent. I think it might be a good option to cover up the finish I have now.

    Would it be very difficult to do. As you may have noticed; I have very limited experience with wood re- finishing. I'm O.K. with a spray can though(LOL).

  12. Okay, so now we know they are Heresy I in birch raw.

    A long time ago I used Homer Formby products to remove a finish on old furnature (red stained mahogany). It was a free flowing liquid which I presume was acetone and toluene or MEK. It was mostly a matter of washing off the old finish with fine steel wool. Things may have changed.

    See http://www.formbys.com/products/

    The stuff also leached out some of the stain and did result in clean wood with some remaining tint.

    I agree with people who say that if you try to sand out the stain, you might sand through the veneer. My guess is that the stripper will leach out so much of the stain that you will not have to do more -- assuming you're looking at something other than pure birch in the end.

    I have not worked on what Klipsch used for birch ply. However, you'll get to some pont where you have to sand lightly or maybe a bit more.

    I don't see any reason to think that the top layer of birch in the ply is particularly prone to sand-through. I've made dozens of projects using birch plywood from HD and the good stuff from Woodworld (Plano, Texas).

    That sanding was just to get a good surface. It probably correct that the orginal stain job by the previous owner penetrated most of the top layer and indeed, sanding to a depth of unstained veneer is potentially dangerous.

    The bottom line here is that after you use a stripper, you'll have some color remaining. I would not try to sand it out. But a light sanding job is not likely to go through the top layer of veneer.

    Usual safety advice: Observe all warnings on the stripper, stains, and finish about ventilation, fire hazards, and personal respiratory equipment.

    Use a sanding block if sanding by hand. Use low speeds on power sanding equipment.

    Wm McD

    Excelent. This is what I needed to know. My main concern is/ was to not expose the MDF under the vaneer.

    Does the stripper cause any long term harm to the vaneer???

  13. And the price of $50. a pair almost makes the stain look good.

    I hate you....

    Not really, as that is a good deal. I love my HIIs, a black lacquer finish, in very good condition, and a gift from my son. So mine were inexpensive too. Wink

    Bruce

    YES; Free is better and so is the finish. Do you know if there is a way to re-stain without taking the old stain off? Or should I just strip them and start over?
  14. I'm a little concerned by your description about what you're starting with. One interpretation is that they started life as unfinished and someone added cherry stain, and who knows what clear finish. But maybe that is not the case.

    Is there is a sticker reading HOL (which would be Heresy Oak Lacquer?) I don't know how HII's are labled. Such sticker info will give us information important to how you approach the project.

    Take a look at http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/heresy-ii.aspx from the main Klipsch website. It shows that the only unfinished HII was oak. The factory finishes were all lacquer.

    Maybe you have a light oak from the factory? The sticker initials will tell.

    In any event, I would recommend not messing with them unless a compelling need for esthetics balances the work and risk of a poor result.

    Wm McD

    Sorry let me clairify.

    1988 HB-R.

    Not factory; definately a homeowner trying to match a bookcase. Kind of crappy stain job on sides and top and cabinet edges in front; but not the back or bottom.

    But the good news: cabinets and drivers are in exceptional shape. Cabinet corners are perfect!!!! (all eight of them) And the price of $50. a pair almost makes the stain look good.

  15. If you try to sand out the stain its very probable that you will sand through the veneer. I would use a stripper (Sherwin Williams product, Flood, or Benjamin Moore strip-x). If you want to remove it really fast, take out all of the inards, apply the product, wait 15-10 min (keep it wet), then pressure wash it off. That is a bit over kill but it will remove it fast. Just make sure you don't get much on the inside of the box and nice even, continous stroke with the washer. Even the pressure washer can cut through the veneer. Or you could just use a stripper and srub to death, thats always fun. Just take caution when using those stippers, the good ones are usually very toxic and can burn your skin (trust me). After you've removed the top coat and stain, sand lightly with some 120 then very lightly with some 220 if you want. Then I would recommend a transtint dye stain (water based). Wipe on two coats. Let dry 24 hours. Apply top coat if desired. If you want to skip the stain just use General finishes Seal-a-cell clear. Amazing wipe-on product. If you want to topcoat your stain to protect it and pop out the grain go with General Finishes Arm-R-Seal topcoat, which is also amazing. However, you shouldn't spray these products. Obviously, one could talk/type for hours on finishing. However, these are my recommendations. Heres a bass drum I finished with these products.

    Hope that helps,

    Jeremy

    Thanks for the advice Jeremy. Helps a lot. So stripper won't cause harm to the cabinets in the long term?

    They almost look good enough to re- stain. Other than that the cabinets and drivers are probably 9/10 condition. I hope the guy that sold them to me doesen't look up how much they are going for.

  16. I just recently picked up a pair of Heresy II's that are stained Cherry. I would like to bring them back to origional finish (unfinished). Is there enough thickness in the vanier to sand them lightly? Will sanding remove the stain? Is there a better way? Or should I just live with it and apply a new coat of stain?

    I bought them for $50. All drivers work fine and other than being stained; the cabinits are in excellent shape. The cherry color just doesen't match my other furnishings.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you,

    Mark

  17. Thank you Cyclonecj,

    Now we are getting somewhere.

    I relized that the screensaver that I had and then accidentialy lost happens to be the background between windows on the klipsch forum.

    That was perfect for me.

    However the one you have posted might also approach perfection.

    Thanx again,

    Mark

  18. Hi,

    Hopping someone can help me get my favorite Klipsch background back.

    It was basicly like a black texture (like klipsch heresy grill fabric) with a thin tan line in the upper third.

    I accidentaly erased it.

    This is the best background for my screen icons.

    Please help

    Thanks,

    Mark

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