WMcD

Some nice comments by Gary. But let me side with PWK and his use of 1/2 watt 27k resistors rather than Gary's thought that a higher power rating is a temptation given today's SPL preferences. I"ve done some calculations and concluded that it takes a stereo amplifier rated for 3375 watts to reach the 1/2 watt rating. Please check my calculations. The only part which may be unfamiliar is the analysis that the highest power is delivered into the 27 k resistors in the arms of the Y (on the schematics) is when the stereo amps are operating 180 degrees out of phase. Maybe some sound sources do that 180 degree thing as when we have only surround in old style Dolby. In a more familiar sense: It does create a condition like bridging stereo amps. This results in a voltage of zero at the meeting point where the center channel or mono signal is extracted. In out of phase condition there is no center channel signal to be had. Anyway. Assuming you use the speaker output version of the box the calcs show that you need a stereo amp rated for over 3.375 kilowatts (and outputting all of it) to put the 1/2 watt into the 27k resistors. Further, you'd be putting that 3.375 kW into the speakers. Assuming you use the line output version, the voltage at the RCA jacks must be 116 volts -- an obvious impossibility. In conclusion, PWK was conservative in his choice of 1/2 watt resistors. Addition by edit: I hope Gary is not insulted. That is not my intent at all. WMcD Center Channel Mixer and 27k half watt R.zip

"Way too complicated" ????? PWK, then, was wrong. I don't think so. Edit: I see a possible ambiguity. I should should have typed: "If it is way too complicated and simply using a Y connector works as well, then this would mean PWK was wrong in the design." I didn't mean to indicate a time issue: i.e. that PWK was wrong (then) back in that day. I believe my little rhetorical device is clear though. Any confusion is regretted. WMcD

What you need is a circuit like the one PWK used in his center channel mixing box. PWK need a mono or Right plus Left signal for the center channel and you need a mono or Right plus Left signal for the woofer. [Addition by Edit: You can do some creative thinking by visualizing you sub as a center channel speaker with very good bass and not so good treble!] The Dope from Hope has one schematic where it is shown fed by RCA connectors (line output of the pre-amp) and another schematic where it is shown fed by speaker wires (speaker level output of the power amplifier) . But the circuits are essentially the same in the use of the three resistors [47k from memory]. The device in photo might be similar too. You are correct that it is a bad idea to connect amplifier speaker or line level outputs together in parallel. They wind up fighting each other rather than combining i.e. mixing or adding. It is a different situation when the signals combine through the high value fixed resistors. The signal from the right output does appear at the left output. However, the outputs have enough authority to not be influenced. This is actually the effect of a relatively "low output impedance."

I think it is not just the horn . . . the cost of the driver is probably a big consideration with respect to home units. It is, IMHO, a bit discourteous to ask Roy for the reasoning of Klipsch's choices in business matters or technical matter and I'd never do it. Further, it wouldn't work! So why annoy friends? WMcD

Very, very nice work. WMcD

Troubleshooting: Has this particular unit ever been known to work properly? Has it ever been been abused? Can you hook it up to an amp to just play a single channel of unprocessed music and voice for testing? Determine whether the tweeter is working by using a paper towel roll as an improvised stethoscope. WMcD

I'll second the SSD and I've retrofitted some older laptops. Moving over the OS etc is easy except that some utilities will not duplicate proprietary recovery partitions. Maybe making an image solves this. Buy the biggest you can comfortably afford because the units like empty space. I've bought several refurbished and open box units from Best Buy and Microcenter with no problem. These are great ways of saving money. WMcD

I seem to recall that one of our moderators long ago said the Speakerlab plans were good. Also someplace on the forum the Klipsch plans were published but were missing a page. Then I found the missing page with a Google Image search. (Actually I searched for the preceding page figuring the missing one would be nearby.) What I found was the complete set by PWK as posted someplace by Bruce Edgar. If anyone wants to use lumber for the interior all I can say is: Youuullll beeee soooorrryyyy. Smile. Dimensional stability is important for an air seal. That is another reason to build a Jubilee -- the chamber is super simple and with a hatch on each end easy to seal. It seems to me the only non plywood version was the Plexiglas one.

I'll bet the beancounters didn't like the cost of the K-500. HDBR has described how difficult it was to assemble. But still, it was the beauty of the lineup. But maybe the equation that the LSII is like a Belle can be run in reverse. A Belle is like an LSII. Dare I say "Belle II." Now there are CNC machines for cutting and the LSII assembly technique is perfected. The same veneer MDF can be used. The workers assembling the LSII don't have to learn new skills to make a Belle II. The mumps midrange will fit. Crossover might take some work. Goes well with a Jubilee with mumps too. Mumps surround speakers anyone? It is not that farfetched. Smile.

IMHO. If you are absolutely, madly, insanely in love with the oak you could use it for the exposed areas where Klipsch uses veneered ply Actually not that much area all things considered. Won't you need joining? There is no reason to think it is going to sound better BTW. Otherwise the interior pieces really should be ply for the sake of your sanity. It is already fabulously difficult to saw. I'll admit to not knowing how a solid plank will take to the cutting. You should take a look at whatever plans you have and note the widths. No one will ever see these interior pieces. That is what I think.

Roy and his compatriots certainly deserved this review. Paul probably gave him a back pat "Nice Work" from upstairs. WMcD

I'm not really familiar with either of the units. However. Is it possible to turn off the Bluetooth receiver to determine whether the signal is getting into the Klipsch unit that way? OTOH it may be that the signal is getting in through the various feed wires. This could be solved, maybe, by the use of ferrite line filters from Parts Express. Does anyone else out there have any suggestions for our new member?

Voice coil failure is very likely. It is the most frail of all the drivers. That is always the case. If you don't have an ohm meter you can remove the feed wires from the crossover board (the ones you retightended) and touch them to a 1.5 volt flashlight battery or even a 9 volt radio battery. A good tweeter will make a little scratching noise. For further work it is necessary to remove the tweeter including horn from the top hat. Looking in the back you'll see a screw at each corner. Getting them out is best done with a long screwdriver. You might want to remove the top hat and place it face down on carpet. Or have a helper hold the tweeter in place as you unscrew so that the tweeter doesn't fall. If I were doing this I'd contact Bob Crites. IIRC he will replace the diaphragm for you by mail. WMcD

I've been looking at the illustrations and pictures of that riser with great suspicion too. In the video of Tony he says it is two inches tall, doesn't he? I don't see that the published overall height of the K-Horn (all new or not) has increased by two inches. But this is like a model C? with a very little space instead of the collar? Maybe the ruler holder is not counting the riser? How does this affect the two-part shipping box? If the height measurement does include riser, where did the two inches get stolen from. It is near unthinkable that the overall bass bin was redesigned to become two inches more squat. Maybe someone with more experience can confirm. I think there is no real significant affect on the tweeter reception. it is already way way above ear level when the listener is seated and can two inches make that much of a difference? I don't think so. Another thought is that the riser could be used to obtain more effective volume in the back chamber. OTOH in the video I don't see any holes communicating between the riser and the back chamber. Maybe this (in fuzzy logic) is like looking for Scotty's middle finger in TOS -- it's not there but you can't tell. The published low freq cut-off hasn't changed and so maybe the riser does not affect bass response down there. The wire management is affeccted somewhat by the riser in that if/when you put speaker wire through one of the notches at the bottom of the bass bin you come out two inches above the floor. Handy. Re wire management it is interesting to view the Crazy Frenchman video and the drawings above and see that there is a cut-out for an access hatch on either side of the back chamber. Sure makes woofer (boomer) installation easier. We see the effect in the drawing above. There is a single two-hatch bass bin design which is varied by the use of two different hatch covers - one blank and one with the crossover components and terminals. So, depending where you put the crossover equipped hatch you can make a left or a right type bass bin. Or two right type or two left type. Also seen in the video and drawing are the two, two-inch (or so) diameter holes in the top plate to allow the wiring to the mid and tweeter to route to the hatch with the crossover connection. The all new Klipschorn gets the new tweeter. Maybe we should compile a list of changes. Now that enclosed backs are added by owners, so too will risers. WMcD

I like the crazy Frenchman. He calls the 401 mouth down the Eiffel Tower. And he's correct.

The video is much more interesting with English subtitles. Activate CC and go to the settings gear icon to select translation of French into any of a dozen languages including English. Reducing playback speed while you're in there can help. Maybe Claude can help us with the occasionally puzzling translation. Les Boomers is wonderful for woofers. But "pregnant"? meaning before complete? And vegetable? Did I read the small type properly? WMcD

That first hook-up has been around for a long, long time. BTW: The number of windings is proportional to the square root of the impedance rating. Therefore, between 0 or C and the 4 ohm tap the number of windings are in proportion to 2 (or call it 20 windings). Between 0 or C and the 16 ohm tap the number of windings are in proportion to 4 (or call it 40 windings). Therefore there are an equal number of windings between 0 or C and the 4 ohm tap and between the 4 ohm tap and the 16 ohm tap. Therefore the voltages are equal. You can find PWK's center channel scheme based on connections to output transformers (not the resistance mixer box) in an early Dope from Hope. The scheme requires polarity inversion to obtain a [Left plus Right] mono signal for the center channel. But the equal voltage scheme for using taps is in there too. He is really using [Left minus a negative Right] to get a Left plus Right. That "negative Right" has to be equal in voltage to the Left. But I digress. WMcD

There is a setting on Enhancements. So click on your speaker icon and drill down. I haven't tried it but it is there. Edit: I should say that it is there on my Win 10 laptop which is an HP G7 which started life with Win 7. I looked at a Lenovo and haven't found it yet. I'm thinking that maybe the software provided by the computer manufacturer varies and a utility might be available from the sound card manufacturer. WMcD

I have one too and it is available. So if someone is looking for a pair we should all get together. I don't know value of single or pair. Make an offer all you buyers. WMcD

How about some fresh Sangria for those who want something less strong (i.e. not get drunk on their butt). Smile. WMcD

Good to hear from you Larry. WMcD

My buddy and I spent summers taking care of "the old pool" and the "new pool" at a country club. The main pump was below the water level and therefore priming was never a problem. And its been decades ago. It seems you're confident the pump is working. Check all valves. Maybe feed from the pool to the pump is airbound. Is there a feed from the skimmers to the pump? I'd stick a garden hose into the suction line maybe sealed with a big towel (bigger than the line can swallow) and force city water into the input side of the pump. You might have to seal off other drains on the bottom so the pressure from the city water is not leaking out there. Let me ask why you replaced the pump? Maybe whatever caused the need for replacement is what you've have (or still have) now,. WMcD

Sixty-three watts, huh. That is 18 dB above the 1 watt level or 105 dB plus 18 is 123 dB which is a little above the rated max output of 121 dB (equating electrical dB to acoustic dB). Therefore it makes sense. Then again someplace he said you can run the K-Horn without that inductor. It also shows you don't need more than 63 watts of electrical power which is dangerously loud anyway. WMcD

In the K-Horn and LS-II Klipsch is using big yellow caps of high voltage ratings. Does anyone know the manufacturer, materials used, and why the voltage rating is so high. Any thoughts on performance effects of any of the above?

I'm generally in agreement with MJ. Often here we get reports of diaphragms which are torn to the extent you could see daylight through them. You are in relatively good shape. Let me suggest you test them first for integrity of the air seal of the box. Have an assistant push in on the front two woofers with an open hand (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch) and see if the passive moves out. See if it holds position for 10 seconds or sold as the position of the front woofers is held. Use this test before and after your work so you have the benchmarks. I can see MJ's advice of watered-down white glue. It is to have something get into the little claw holes by capillary action. As an alternative I'd suggest superglue, the type which is the viscosity of water (not gel). Front of speaker box down on the carpet naturally. In worse cases people reinforce with tissue paper, rolling paper, or light fabric. Parts Express has replacement "clown nose" dust covers, special speaker repair glue, and black rubber cement. Also the aforementioned grills. For the record the passive is not identical to a port because it has the extra spring of the suspension. Therefore when the assembly is modeled as a filter it is of a higher "order." WMcD