adam2434

The Crites ebay listing for the phenolic midrange diaphragms indicates that they have some technical improvements vs. stock. However, I have not read any comments yet regarding improved sound quality vs. stock. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement-Diaphragm-PAIR-Klipsch-Midrange-K-53-k-K-57-K-k-52-H-and-Others-/370876365663?hash=item5659f43b5f:g:ul0AAMXQ56ZSCVz4

Bumping the diaphragm topic above... From what I've read, some folks like the Crites Ti tweeter diaphragm, and others prefer the phenolics. I do wonder if I would consider the Crites Ti or phenolics an upgrade over the stock ones. Regarding the midrange, I know the Crites Ti require a high pass filter because they do not not roll-off at the crossover point like the stock ones do. I also wonder if the Crites phenolics would be an upgrade over the stock midrange diaphragms.

At higher volumes, I feel that the mids can be a bit shouty and forward, and kind of dominate the sound. I notice this with vocals and electric guitar. I'm wondering if the Crites midrange diaphragms would make the midrange a bit smoother?

I had not heard of any issues with the Rotel RA-1570, but looks like the OP is going with the Yamaha or Marantz anyway. As a side note, like most other hobbies, you will get a wide range of opinions based on folks experiences and biases. For example, I’ve had nothing but great experiences with several Rotel pieces (knock wood), so I have a bit of bias towards Rotel. On the other hand, I had nothing but trouble with several NAD pieces, so I have a bias against NAD. I’m sure other folks have had nothing but great experiences with NAD gear. To the OP, can you purchase the Yamaha and Marantz, try them both, keep the one you like best, and return the other? This could give you some peace of mind, and could be worth the cost of any return shipping charges.

Recently picked up and replaced the caps in some Forte I's. Would love to find some Chorus II's to work on. Why is working on speakers addictive? Seems like I finish a speaker project and then want to find the next one, regardless of whether the last one was a pain in the arse. Glad you're enjoying the Chorus II's.

Love it when a plan comes together! Great Job! With the pics of the pro amp and mixer, are you going to DJ with the Chorus II's? LOL

I suggest you find a local Rotel dealer and ask them for a price. I bought a Rotel amp from Hanson AV in Dayton, OH a couple years ago, and they provided a decent discount. If you are interested in a tube integrated, might also check out the Jolida 3502S.

Another solid SS integrated with digital inputs is the Rotel RA-1570. Retails around $1600, but dealers will generally discount a bit.

Can you return or sell the new speaker wires? If not, you could re-terminate the new speaker wires with bananas, or go back to your old wires with bananas.

Since you get sound (meaning that there is no internal connection issue), I suggest using banana plugs rather than bare wire. You would tighten the binding post nut as much as possible and then insert the plug into the the center of the binding post nut. Two pairs of these would work. http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-banana-plug-pair-compression-type--091-330

If you hold the wires to any metal on the posts, do you get sound at all? If so, you may want to give banana plugs a shot. It's possible that the binding post nuts are stripped, but using banana plugs could still provide a solid connection.

I've re-foamed woofer surrounds on some AR and Boston speakers. Getting the "right" replacement surrounds is critical for achieving stock woofer performance. I think this would be true for re-coning too, for woofers and PRs. So, I'm wondering if the surround and cone replacements done by these companies result in stock performance, using surrounds and cones that match the Klipsch factory specs. I do not have any woofers or PRs in need of repair, but am curious about the parts used and resulting performance achieved by the companies that provide these services.

Is this a projector screen mounted to a frame? If so, wouldn't the screen need to be removed from the frame to un-mount the frame from the old wall and to remount to the new wall? At least this would be the case for my Da-Lite screen and frame.

If the surround is damaged, but the cone is fine, how would one know whether the new surround has the proper compliance as designed? If a speaker is re-coned (new cone) AND new surround are used, the surround compliance and cone weight/stiffness come into question. Do these speaker repair companies use OEM parts, or do you just get what they have that fits physically?

Yep, I hope these go in one of our kids' rec rooms or basements someday when they fly the coop. Until then, I'll rotate them in and out of the unfinished basement spot.

I rotated woofers and PRs 180 deg tonight. The PRs probably did not need to be rotated, but thought why not go ahead and do that too, while they're out. The woofer wires were not in the plastic retaining clips on the interior side wall - just the mid and tweeter wires were. There was just enough wire slack to rotate the woofers. With the woofers rotated, the wires are in contact with the woofer magnet due to the tautness of the wire. I wrapped the woofer wires with electrical tape where they contact the magnet, just for a little extra protection against abrasion due to vibration.

Yeah, I should have rotated the woofers when I had the PRs out when doing the crossover work. I don't like the idea of removing and reinstalling the PRs again, but agree that's the best route. I feel that each additional time a PR or driver is removed, the chances go up that something will get damaged or that a hole will get stripped.

There is no set answer to whether a DAC will be an improvement over your CD player. Depends on the quality of the DAC and output stage on both. Why not pick a returnable DAC in your price range, and give it a try? Which Schiit model are you looking at? A lot of folks use outboard DACs because they have multiple digital sources, and/or want better sound from streaming devices with digital outputs, or want to improve the sound of a lower-end disc player.

Thanks. Do the wires need to be removed from the plastic clip on the inside of the cabinet, meaning that the the PR would also need to be removed?

Applied 3 coats of wipe-on poly and plan to do a 4th this evening. After I get the cabinet finishing done, I believe a 180 deg woofer rotation will be my last task. I don’t recall whether the woofer terminals are on the bottom or sides of the woofer, relative to its current mounting orientation (which I believe to be the factory orientation). Is there enough play in the speaker wire to allow a 180 deg woofer rotation?

Thought I would provide an update on fixing scratches and nicks in the black finish. A black stain stick did not work. Next, I used Minwax Polyshades Black Satin and wiped on 3 light coats on all finished wood surfaces, hitting the surface with 0000 steel wool before recoating. These coats covered the scratches and nicks nicely, but left an uneven sheen. By the way, the Minwax Polyshades Black Satin dries almost like black paint. Next, I brushed on a coat, thinking I would get a more even final sheen. Well, the sheen is more uniform, but still not even when I shine a light directly on the wood. I believe my next step will be another light sanding followed by a couple coats of Minwax Wipe-on Poly in satin. I’m hoping that a couple wipe-on coats will even out the sheen. We’ll see…

I've been hopefully assuming that the III is a major improvement over the I and II, given that the III's estimated $3,600/pair price is about 50% higher than the I's price adjusted for inflation (which would be around $2,400/pair). I'll be curious to see photos of the III's drivers and crossover for comparison to the I and II versions.

Very cool to put a system together for your Dad. Forte are very nice sounding speakers and looks you got a great deal! I started this thread a couple weeks ago regarding restoring some Forte I, if you are interested in doing that. https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/169202-forte-i-crossover-caps-and-other-refresh-items/

If you are using the Mac's analog headphone output, you are using the Mac's DAC followed by the receiver's ADC and DAC if you use bass management or other processing. If you only want to use the reciever's DAC (avoiding the Mac's DAC and receiver's ADC), you would need to use a mini optical from the Mac's headphone output. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/KabelDirekt-TOSLINK-Optical-Digital-Audio/dp/B00GZQWM54/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1488759637&sr=8-8&keywords=toslink+to+mini-toslink+optical+cable

Interesting...I wonder why they did that? To add some rigidity and damping? Seems like a costly step to add veneer to the internal surface. I saw wood grain on the inside of the motorboard and sides when I had them open, so just assumed they were plywood.