Peter P.

Exactly. If the amp failed without a load then it's obvious where the source of the problem was. I'm dying to hear what the cause is!

If you unplug them from EVERYTHING, except an outlet of course, do they hum? If the hum disappears when they are completely disconnected, I suspect a ground loop. I would try running a ground wire from one or both speakers to your source equipment. Not permanently, but as a test. Or, you could try running a ground wire from one speaker to the other, as I see there's a ground lug point on the speaker.

Bet you wish they made a car air freshener with that aroma!

Using a deflation calculator and the current price of $8k/pair, I get $2100 in 1978. That ought to at least ballpark you.

You don't say whether you tried another speaker. I'm assuming the overload protection is for individual speaker outputs and not global. Also, is it the same channel that goes into protection? If so, try swapping the speakers left for right and see if the problem follows the speaker. Trying another speaker, and the swap test, will tell you whether it's the Hereseys or your amp.

Get yourself a single kg .5, 1.5, 1.2, or whatever, and you're good. You could try buying a just a horn and building a cheap high-pass filter. I don't think cabinet size will be critical. There are web sites that will show you how. I built a simple second-order high-pass filter for some satellite speakers using info found online and it worked fine. Sounds like it would be a fun experiment. If you pull it off, don't forget to post your pride and joy!

Stop trying to be helpful. It's not your auction and the guy isn't receptive to your initial advice, so walk away. It's not your job to police eBay, regardless of how much you love Klipsch speakers.

He surely remembers and don't call him Shirley. With a nod and wink to Leslie Neilsen and Airplane!

I'll respond to the the OP's complaint. If you don't like the high frequency response of whatever Klipsch speaker bothers you, you don't need to mod the speaker to tame it. Just use an equalizer. There's no shame in that.

What I've noticed is bookshelf speakers, due to their distance from the floor, don't couple lower frequencies to the room, so a good portion of that tactile bass experience is lost. This was true in my case even when using 60lb. stands with spiked feet for solid coupling of the speaker to the floor. However, when by chance I placed those same 6.5" woofered speakers on the floor, the bass immediately improved, despite the low limit of my bookshelvers of 57Hz. Floorstanders often place their woofers close to the floor, which I feel is the secret trick to great bass reproduction and consequently a great musical experience.

And don't forget the Wife Acceptance Factor. That trumps all other limitations!

You have what 's called "port noise" and it's due to turbulent air exiting the port. It's a common design problem with ported subwoofers when played at higher volumes. Is is possible you're playing the subwoofer TOO loud? Perhaps if you moved the subwoofer CLOSER to the wall you could lower the volume, reducing port noise yet retaining the overall perceived volume of the subwoofer using the room's walls for bass reinforcement. You could also try experimenting with other locations for the sub, or perhaps changing the crossover frequency, which is a reach but won't hurt to try. You could try to exchange the subwoofer as defective but I don't think that will solve the problem as I'm inclined to think there's nothing wrong with the subwoofer. I think the ultimate solution for you is a sub with a passive radiator or an acoustic suspension subwoofer. Let us know if you cure your problem otherwise.

Great story. I think it definitely belongs HERE.

I hope you'll document the progress of your project on the forum. I'd find it very interesting. If you're interested, there's a pair of LaScala crossovers for sale on craigslist in CT. If you want them and he won't ship, I can work with you on it.

What a great story; thanks for taking the time to write it.

Buy toilet paper, lots of toilet paper. You will soil your pants interminably when you hear the Klipschorns. So will your neighbors. That's all the advice I have.

Those speakers are designed for the PA systems typically used in public buildings such as malls, hospitals, schools, etc. They are fed from a PA from the likes of a company such as Bogen, which will usually provide a 25V or 70V output. The reason is, the speakers will usually be a considerable distance from the sound source and it's less expensive to run smaller gauge wire long distances, and step the voltage down/current up at the speaker. Also, these PA amps are meant to drive many more speakers than the typical home sound system. The transformer provides a high input impedance, which makes connecting many speakers possible. The typical PA speaker will usually have a small transformer on it with multiple colored wires on the input or output, I forget. The wires follow a standard color code. One of those pairs of wires is usually for your typical 8 ohm load. You either connect the "taps" you need to the input wires or to the speaker. If your speakers lack those transformer "taps", then they may be designed ONLY for the PA output voltage you mentioned. If you can remove the wires from the transformer that connect to the speaker, and measure the resistance of the speaker with your voltmeter, and you find it's the typical 8/6 ohms, then don't use the transformer at all and connect your amplifier directly to the speaker. Throw away the transformer.

Tom-was Ideal Acoustics in Starkville? If so, that was the shop where I first heard Klipsch speakers (see my earlier post). I was stationed at Columbus AFB from '78-'82.

It's amazing that a speaker can move people to such emotion. I don't think there's any other brand that evokes such responses, and such passion and loyalty. Great story, greatly told.

Is it possible Aaron's lack of bass output or extension is due to his room acoustics or dimensions? I'm just wondering whether, no matter how hard he tries, the room may be holding him back from reaching low enough or loud enough.

Seek what I seek; a kg SW Passive Subwoofer. Heck; it's even RECOMMENDED for the Heresy (well, at least the Heresy and Heresy II)! One thing you have to watch out for; some subwoofers don't high pass filter their speaker level outputs, so they send a full range signal to the satellites (in your case, the Heresy's). Caveat emptor.

All the caps you measured appear to be within 10%, new or used. Depending on the manufacturer's tolerances, they're likely within spec and those measured numbers are not unusual. I don't see anything wrong with them.

Has anyone actually measured the OEM capacitors to see if their values are out of tolerance after so many years? I say as long as sound is coming out of the respective driver, the capacitors don't need changing.

I'd caution against respraying the horns. I don't know if this a popular thing to do but the most I would do is clean the horns with soap and water, then dry off to remove any potential water spots. I had a friend who painted a cowbell and noticed it changed the sound of the bell. I'd be afraid the same would happen to speakers.