svberger

I'm sorry I didn't mean that testing is useless or I'm not interested in it, rather that in this instance one should be able to hear the positive results without much effort. In my experience, testing in audio will often provide clear cut answers that the ears(at least mine) can't decipher. My understanding is the PWK put the protection in place when solid state amps became big and started blowing tweets left and right and was costing the company lots of $$ to replace under the life long warranty. Evidently making sure it didn't affect the sound took a backseat to saving money.

Listening is where it's at. If I can hear how significantly the difference, dare I say improvement is, I would be shocked if anybody could not. It's dramatic.

Yes thank you. Makes perfect sense.

I'm listening to the opening track of this now, fairly loudly, and not a trace, A TRACE, of distortion other then what Dave Rempis chooses to play. A better testament you won't have from me today.

1.5 watts is fairly low in my estimate, and even for owner of a super efficient speaker like the LS one has to think that reaching that amount of gain would not be unusual. And therefore believing that distortion could happen at a gain even lower then that is not asking for a lot. And as you point out, one's ears should quite easily be able to provide evidence as to that. Mine did.

A good thread from 2010 that provides some great information about removing the diode(s) on the AA: https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/118388-are-the-diodes-in-aa-crossovers-necessary/ Evidently with the protective diodes in place, distortion starts to kick in at 1.5 watts. That ain't much.

Sounds like your career occupation has provided you with the proper tools required to navigate the dark, deep and unsteady waters of forumville. I don't think I have ever taken audio advice that where the claims were less then the actual result, and by a fairly wide margin. Congratulations. It is obviously quite the little secret that hasn't seemed to reach the general population of LS listeners, especially those that have such a difficult time with the very issue that this little endeavor provides such positive impact.

The more I listen the more I can discern a most definite positive difference. More then what you call a "small nuance" because normally those kinds of changes fly right over my head and I can't hear any change. Much like when I used to go in for trying different types of cables. Each change was supposed to bring with it a subtle but audible difference for the better. Never happened to my ears. Never. This, however, has been quite immediate, and quite wonderful. I'm a bit flummoxed by it. I'm guessing others, particularly those with such extreme issues with LS's, would be also. And mind you, all I have listened to this morning is digital streaming. I wonder how much difference I'll hear with analog. Looking forward to it.

Just started listening. And there does seem to be a difference. As indicated by you, there does seem to be an element of "harshness" that has been, er, tamed might be the appropriate term? Noticed right away I could turn up the volume a little(no worries, no harm shall come to these tweeters while I'm on duty) and the gain seemed to happen a little less quickly. The first tune that came on my morning random mix was from the immortal trumpet maestro Tina Brooks. Trumpet even in the right hands can be a pretty good indicator of tweeter performance IMO. Tina's horn hit the high notes sweetly without any bitterness. Kinda like some sweet tea without the lemon(sorry, best I can do on a first few sips of coffee). I want to be clear that unlike many, I did/do not find LS's harsh, sharp, etc.. On the contrary, I can listen for hours and still want to do what you see me doing in my profile pic. Get another album. But as a live Neil Young hits the mix now, with his harmonica squealing out the first notes, I really can hear a subtle but noticeable change. Neat. Thanks for the tip.

Well got a diode in each speaker unscrewed last night and will see if I can hear any change today. I know you indicated I only need to unscrew one so I assume I can leave the other one alone unless I remove/replace the crossover? Or is there some reason/benefit I would want to unscrew the second diode?

Yes 63 was a very good year. No doubt LS's can cut through any din easily enough which makes sense considering their beginnings as a PA speaker.

Young'un!

I agree. Don't wait if you really want them. And if you haven't read up on them, and you've never heard them before, I'd recommend getting as much info here and other places on them if you're serious about them. I and many others adore them as is, but just as many if not more don't . And while there's certainly much you can do in an attempt to change how they sound, you should know about that, the effort to do it, and the cost.

One more thing. I tend to listen at reasonable levels. Even when I've used huge amps, like the McIntosh MC2300, I never turned it up to frat house party levels. All power to those that still like to headbang at those levels, but as I near the almost unbelievable age of 65(yet in the best health I've probably ever been in...I weigh now what I did in my 20's!) I have no desire to do that. Don't get me wrong, I still listen to some pretty wild stuff, including a lot of avant garde jazz/experimental, etc., and the Velvet's "I Heard Her Call My Name" has been a favorite for decades and still is. But at reasonable levels. Maybe that's why I can easily listen to the LS's. I have no need to raise the roof with them, and perhaps they are simply not the best speakers to do that with, particularly if somebody is listening with amplification that is on the shrill side to begin with, or in too small a room, or whatever else might be a problem up chain. With a McIntosh MC240 now(and soon MC30's) I get plenty of volume, obviously, but hardly ever use anything more and yet I feel the dynamics of the music are all there and more. And yes plenty of bottom end to spare. The days of going to concerts and standing right next to the guitar player's amp, or the PA system have ended for me, and playing these speakers at high volume would be akin to that. And luckily, I don't need to.

Nothing wrong with liking good HF detail. I feel I'm getting plenty of that now with the LS's, but the simplicity of installing the Crites' crossovers has me considering picking up a pair if for nothing else to ease my curiosity. Can always use them as backups.

Thanks for this. I would expect any new cap will have the LS’s sounding brighter. Something I really don’t need nor want .

This is wonderful. Thanks.

No disagreement, but a slightly different personal viewpoint. It's not as difficult as some might have somebody else believe. A reasonable size room, some decent corners or walls, and some quality amplification(which can, but doesn't have to cost a lot) will usually get it done. I'm not particularly anal about my set up, but I suppose after doing audio for as long as I have(5+ decades) I've come to learn a few things which have positive impact to my listening needs. As always, one can be as carried away with these things as they desire. I try not to. Get it to sound good to my ears, and be done with it.

Brothers from another mother you and me are mate.

That's my thought. That they just haven't used the proper gear, had the proper room, proper placement, etc. But in the end, there's no accounting for personal taste. I do know that some of the folks who have indicated their dislike for them have gear that I would never want to own in a million years. Big black shiny speakers, lots of modern stuff, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just not my cup o' tea.

I know there are a few select folks here and other forums that actually like them. Stock, even, or with perhaps the most minimal of update/mod. I wonder what it is that separates us from the masses who can't stand them? What do we have in common? Fun to belong to a group that is seemingly so exclusive.

Boy there are sure a lot of folks online who really hate these speakers😅 Makes me love them all the more.

Great info! Thanks again!

You did and I didn't realize at the time Crites' was so easy and quick to install. As I indicated, it's only out of curiosity and only because it's essentially a few minutes of unplugging and plugging that has me even considering it. That having some kind of go to backup plan if need be. Kind of like having extra 6l6 tubes for my MC240 if one goes down.

Thanks. I like when I can cheap out😉