paul32579

Found an 800B original console with speakers, decent shape but non-original turntable, with manual, for $900.00. Works well, but will need cleaned up. Is this a good value?

Nope, the SW 12 II is a hundred and fifty bucks. I like good deals, but not on stuff I won't use. Course, some else might...

Found one of these subs for sale, thinking they might be the ticket for deep bass with my La Scalas. Thing goes to 28 Hz, 107 dB...hmmm. Thoughts? 15-inch be better, or this good enough?

See the Garage Sale area. I rebuild the buxom pair with Crites' stuff. Thanks for the help! Some indicated interest in the parts in the title.

...and I don't know WHAT to think. You see, I don't have a reference point as to what properly-operating original LSs are supposed to sound like. I know the caps on the '76 AAs and who knows what else were absolutely shot. I have some 1991 Khorns, and they haven't been abused too much, so I suppose they'd be ok for comparison, right? (Bob also rebuilt the K-33 drivers, and his woofers replaced the originals.) OK, playing them both together, then A, then B, on a Sansui G-8000: Hmm. The old Khorns are definitely missing something. It's like the mids and highs are muted. The LSs have mid and highs that jump out at you. Very clear sound, nicely balanced, but I seem to want more treble than with the K-77s. Then again, sometimes not. Hmm. Back to the Khorns. These have a more delicate sound, maybe it's because of the K-77s being so sensitive, but there's still majic there, even if it isn't as loud and is less clear and well-balanced than the "new" LSs. Back to A+B. Gosh, does that sound good. I don't want to have to do without either. Like the best of both worlds. So, are these upgraded LS still "Klipsches?" Maybe not! I was going to upgrade my Khorns with the 4500 networks and the CT-125s, too, but now I'm not so sure! I'd rebuild all the stock stuff and keep it the way it came from the factory IF I COULD JUST GET MY DAMNED K-77s REBUILT! I like to think that the new LSs are like the original, just a bit better. For those that have done it, do you agree? Am I missing the sensitivity of the K-77s?

Never mind, I see what you did! That looks...dang, that looks good!

Are you talking about the velcro the 4500s come with?

I took Daddy Dee's indirect advice and got BC's woofers, CT 125s and A4500s. Bob also rebuilt the drivers on the mids. I should know in a couple of days how they sound. I'm SS also (Sansui G-8000). I didn't have a lot of options - I insisted on new tweets - and the whole biz makes a lot of sense, getting the higher ranges off the midrange that the CT 125s will handle.

I'm re-assembling some 1976 LSs and I'm sure I put the long screws back in the plastic blocks that split the woofer wires correctly... OK, the block sets flat on the floor of the upper section. Then, underneath in the bass bin, the long screws go though the woofer-wire circle clips, and the screws are inserted into the two holes at the underside and screwed into the block. Ergo, the screws are the electrical conduit connecting the upper and lower woofer wires. The circle clips for the woofer contact plywood. Is this factory? I was hunting among the fasteners for four nuts and eight washers that would connect everything if those screws were sent in from the top. Many beers have passed under the bridge since I took apart the guts. Can you lead me into the light?

Wisely said, Daddy Dee! I shot the insides with Valspar satin black. Seemed a little shiny. However, didn't want flat. People want to touch the horns when they listen, it seems! I almost got thoroughly bananas and moved in to polish them like guys do with, say, aluminum motorcycle wheels. However, that will have to wait. Anxious to hear how Bob's 4500 crossovers sound...

On the inside. Satin? Flat? Thanks in advance!

Cat people. Doesn't your "Metrosexual Manual" cover this?

Those K-400s might be ugly ducklings in so many eyes, but I decided to smoke 'em if I got 'em. This La Scala rehab is all about quality, so I decided to apply my very best efforts. Actually, I thought of polishing the innards of the K-400s with gradually finer grades of grit, then spray with clear. "Well, that won't match the tweeter, you idiot," I said to myself. What should I do? Spray the tweeters with 1939 Wizard Of Oz Tin Man Paint? That's what made Buddy Ebson allergic and got himself forever booted from eternal childhood scary memories. Plus, what about "standing waves?", whatever those are. Polishing K-400s is sure to result in those! Eager to avoid those egregious standing waves, here I see my little 1995 Harley-Davidson FLHTP police bike, with the engine case nicely detailed in Harley Crinkle Paint. In my perfectly clear drunken stupor, I think, "Say! That's what I ought to paint the inside of these things with!" Nice finish, just the right amount of sheen, and if I ever detect standing waves, I'll call my local Baptist brother to see about an exorcism, and he'll probably refer me to his Pentecostal friend, whom I KNOW will kill that nuisance cleanly. I've loitered in the South for many years, so I ought to know. Next, I'm going to get the house biker-babe trophy girl to sing Karoke on my system. Objective is to see if muffling the exteriors of the old K-400s is effectual. Can't have a squawker ring unnecessarily, can one? No, not if we want Miss Tattoo to warble at her very best! I'll just squeeze the K-400 throats as she sings. Can't go messing about with K-400 insulation when Miss Tatto is busy, can you? No, I can't either. I like my women just a little on the trashy side. Gosh, if I weren't so anticipatory and hopeful that she'll remove her clothes again while she sings, I could actually focus on audiophilic points of order again. Meanwhile, in true Southern American tradition, I think I'll replace the Klipsch emblems on the La Scalas. I think everyone would rather see them read, "426 Hemi." Awesome, I know! As for the Klipschorns, which are next on the rehab list, I'm not sure how to label them. Oh, yes, I do! "Ford 427 SOHC!" My neighbors will be so impressed! Especially when they both get cranked at maximum volume after they're completely redone! Hey, they crank NASCAR on TV. Not that I don't. But the chicks around here really dig "Freebird." But I don't play that. I play Pink Floyd at maximum volume. Hey, those chicks' mobile home windows rattle anyways. They're going to love my newly-refurbished Klipshes!

I noticed the stuff you used is water-based. Behind a more old-fashioned solvents kind of guy, I traipsed to the local Ace Hardware and got a solvent-based can of Maple and one of Birch. What's interesting is that the Maple Famowood is kind of lighter than the old 1976 birch. The Birch Famowood has some purple to it, which is a bit darker than the 1976 plywood. What I found interesting was this: the factory used 2 types of filler. I noticed some of the purple-ish Birch color at the bottom, and a Maple at the 45 degree angle in the bass bins at the front where the brads were shot. I'm considering mixing the two Famowood colors in various degrees as I go over them. But I ordered what you suggested today, because I found out that the water-based stuff has wood particles in it that are ground finer than the solvent-based stuff. Plus, I want to see what you saw. Why so picky? How in the world can you veneer the inside of a La Scala bass bin????

Understand. I was just going to go with the stamped-steel woofs. Of course, the devil's in the details...is there any sensitivity or otherwise-sonic difference between the stamped-steel and cast Crites woofs?

You may like the sound of the Crites woofers in your Lascala's they were just not for me. In point of fact I have never seen anyone else run into the same issues with the woofers that I did. I am certainly not going to argue or debate with Bob Crites. I have respect for him and the products and services he provides. Craig Craig, you ARE talking about the stamped-steel framed woofers, not the cast ones, right?

Marvel, I want to go with Bob's A/4500 network with the CT-125s. Hoping for good results like you got!

No, no, my mind isn't made up at all! It might be better to get the original K-33s rebuilt. That's why I asking...I'd really like your input. I'd like BC to weigh in, too....it's a worthy subject, no?

They also have a bit higher SPL, which is perfect for Cornscala and I would reccomend them anyday for that application, however for Lascala's the woofers tend to steal the show, and the mids get buried in the background. I made the mistake of selling my Lascala's K-33s when I installed the CW1526s took me a while to find the originals to put back in. The Crites tweeter is fine, a bit lower in spl than the o/e. This is puzzling. If LSs are weak in the bass department, wouldn't a higher SPL woofer be a good thing in them? Or do they rattle the plywood? The Lascala bass is weak below 50hz, by replacing your bass driver with a higher SPL driver you are no only increasing spl at 50hz, but the frequencies to 400 or better. You'll see what I am talking about. You might prefer the Crites, but I would hold on to those k33s just in case. When I did the testing on the k-33's I have one rebuilt by Orange County Speaker, one original and a pair of Crites. The Rebuilt K33 was 1 db hotter than the O/E K-33 and the both of the Crites were nearly 3db hotter than the O/E. When I inquired about the additional spl I was told the Crites woofer was modeled after the Later model K-33 which is a bit hotter than the early k-33. This is a reasonable explanation, and accounts for what I was hearing.Craig Craig, You were told wrong. The CW1526 is modeled after the earlier K-33E built before 1985. Main difference is that the later model K-33 has a resonate frequency of 34 hz, where the CW1526 has a resonate frequency of 26hz like the pre-1985 K-33E. Bob Crites My K-33s are 1976 vintage. If the CW1526 is modeled after these older types, what's the expeced difference in sound between using my rebuilt ones vs the CW1526, if any? Do speaker magnets "age"? Any special nuances to older woofers worth preserving?

Well, I saw another suggestion while surfing the forum: Keep the K-33s, get the AL-3 networks, and use the K-401s! Well, using the K-33s is out the question until they are rebuildable. So, on to CT-125s... That leaves me with the 4500 network and my 400s vs AL-3 and 401s. Daddy Dee really seemed to like the 4500 network on the 400s in another thread. WWYD?

They also have a bit higher SPL, which is perfect for Cornscala and I would reccomend them anyday for that application, however for Lascala's the woofers tend to steal the show, and the mids get buried in the background. I made the mistake of selling my Lascala's K-33s when I installed the CW1526s took me a while to find the originals to put back in. The Crites tweeter is fine, a bit lower in spl than the o/e. This is puzzling. If LSs are weak in the bass department, wouldn't a higher SPL woofer be a good thing in them? Or do they rattle the plywood?

OK, Orange Country Speaker will charge 130.00/pr to recone the K-33s. New replacements from BC are 230.00. From what I'm "hearing," the BC replacements might perform a bit better. Since I personally like "new," I think I'll see how the BC replacements perform. Going with the 4500 crossovers, CT tweeters, and keeping the 400s. I don't want to get too carried away. I have Khorns as it is. You guys are something else -- in the best possible way. You care. Thanks for helping another newbie.

@ coytee: Let me ask you this: Is the Idea to go with coaxial speakers these days?

Also, if going with the CT-125s, regardless of tractrix or 400, wouldn't that kind of necessitate the 4500 crossovers? Or is there some reason to keep the AAs?

Craig, my friend, I cannot re-cone speakers. These things are pretty nasty. After the mice ate the center caps, there're probably mouse turds mixing with the coils. Crites' price is cheap. But, tell me: what's the best value? Getting the old woofs rebuilt by someone, or replacing them with....what do you recommend?