Peter P.

Your high school had a pair of LaScala's?! Some suburb you must have lived in! I remember reading the stereo magazines as a teenager and when I was in the Air Force. The Klipsch ads, the product reviews; I wanted them and I hadn't even HEARD a pair! Then, while in the service and shopping for my first stereo, I stopped at an audio shop in Starkville, Mississippi. You know how you would dare not enter the stereo rooms that had gear outside your price range because you weren't worthy? Well, that's how I felt standing in the room with a pair of Klipschorns in the corners. I timidly asked the salesperson if I could hear them. He put on a direct to disc recording of Steely Dan's "Can't Buy A Thrill" and played "Reelin' In The Years". The only way I could describe the sound was "effortless". I remember the salesman telling me (above the amazingly loud but clean music) that they were barely consuming 1 watt of power.

Wow; the results of your work look impressive!

Beachboy, you really should consider some used Klipsch's. You can find a used pair of Forte's, Forte II's, or kg series 5.2's or 4.2's on craigslist for MUCH less than NEW RF82-II's. You'll be blown away by the distortion-free low end of their passive radiators, ruthless efficiency, and availability in the real wood veneers you seek. The models I mentioned all have impeccable reputations and are still sought after, many years after production has ceased. In fact, you should even consider the Klipsch Heresy. While the specs suggest they won't play as low as you want, you're going to be surprised at what you hear if you can listen to a pair. These pint-sized brutes will impress you. This year I dipped my toe into the Klipsch waters with a pair of used Heresy II's and still have a *^%!-eating grin on my face when I listen to them, like right now!

If your problem is bass performance, it's not the Forte's. It's either your speaker placement or the environment they're in. I feel those are the two most important factors affecting speaker sound quality. If you can, place the Forte's closer to the wall or even better, in corners. Next, they'll be constrained by the distance from the speaker to the opposite wall. The longer, the better. If the room has a lot of reflective surfaces, the reflected wave can cancel out the transmitted wave at certain frequencies giving the illusion of lost bass. As an aside, II was amazed at the improvement in bass response of my twinky bookshelf speakers with 6.5" woofers when I placed them on my carpeted floor for an unrelated reason.

You're missing nothing. As long as the driver is working and sound is coming out of it and there's a capacitor in the circuit, it's working.

In case you need some help, here's how I tested my Heresy tweeters: Disconnect the speaker leads from the driver and measure the resistance across the tweeter's terminals. Should read close to whatever is stamped on the rear of the driver. With the tweeter disconnected, clip your voltmeter leads across the tweeter leads and measure AC volts with some music playing at low level. The meter should display something under a volt, and vary rapidly with the music. You could try playing interstation FM white noise for a steadier reading. Increase the volume and the voltmeter reading should rise. If it does, the crossover is good.

I for one, can't wait to see the restoration, so don't forget to post them in-process as well as the finished cabinets. I wouldn't mess with the crossovers if there's no obvious damage to the capacitors if for nothing else, to keep the cost of your purchase and restoration down. The more you invest, the less of a bargain you got!

That was enlightening; thanks! I wonder why they reverse polarity on the tweeter? That means the OTHER speaker was wired incorrectly-the speaker with the apparently untouched terminal connectors. Break out the screwdriver... I also wonder why there's no embossed "+" marking for the terminals on the squawker. At least I didn't see any; instead there was a yellow dab of paint adjacent to one terminal, which I assumed is the positive terminal. Thanks again.

I bought a used pair of Heresy II's a couple months ago, joined this forum, and learned tons. People like to take apart, modify, and improve (if that's possible!) their Klipsch speakers. I didn't get a chance to listen to the speaker long because I had to send my amp out for repair. I picked up the repaired amp today, and I decided to poke around inside my Heresy II's. I wasn't sure the tweeters were working because I could barely hear anything coming out of them but to be fair, I've had a history of ear surgeries andI suffer tested hearing loss above 9kHz so I'm not surprised if I don't hear anything! Anyway, I tested the DC resistance of the first tweeter and it was 8.5 ohms; good. Then I put a voltmeter on the tweeter leads and measured the output to the speaker, ensuring it rose with volume; good. But when I looked at the speaker leads, the BLACK lead was connected to the "+" terminal. I would expect the RED lead would be connected there. So I checked the squawker and it has NO "+" marking on the terminal, just a splotch of yellow paint which I presumed must be the positive terminal. The woofer had the "+" lead connected to the red lead. Genius that I am ;-), I started to see a pattern, so I corrected the red/black lead issue on the tweeter. I then decided to check the other speaker. Everything was CORRECT with that speaker, but I noticed the spade connectors for all 3 drivers on the second speaker were oxidized (expected) and UNINSULATED. Wait a minute; I don't think that's what I saw in the first speaker! So I went back to check; the spade connectors on ALL THREE drivers on the first speaker had been replaced with INSULATED, SHINY (almost chrome) spade connectors! I have no idea why the spade connectors in just one speaker were replaced-feel free to give me ideas why. And while I'm not sure I can tell the difference now that the tweeters are operating in-phase, there's comfort knowing both speakers are wired correctly. So if you bought your Klipsch speakers used, it might be worth checking inside to ensure everything is connected properly. Thanks for reading!

Looks like they're sold! When I bought my used Heresy II's recently I promised myself I would offset the cost by selling my existing speakers and stands to recover some of the cost. It makes my Heresy's seem like even more of a bargain.

What a story! And at least you're left with ONE pair of Klipschorns...

This is correct, and also true in my field, RF electronics.

I contacted the seller last night to ask him if he was sure about the driver P/N; he listed k-1003-k8 and the Klipsch literature listed 1004. He responded today. I rechecked the auction and they were already sold. :-( Thanks for keeping an eye out.

That was nice of you post that link; thanks! You're like the devil sitting on my left shoulder... P.S. The price for that kg sw is $150+$33 shipping. That's not bad considering it would ship from WI to CT. But there's another one on eBay in Alabama listed for $99 albeit Local Pickup Only, and one recently sold on local Craigslist for $80. Should I hold out? Lastly, the eBay listing specs the drivers as K-1003-k8, but the Klipsch literature specs a 1004. I'm inclined to think it's an error and I inquired with the seller, coyly asking about the driver spec. I can't find a k-1003 driver-does Klipsch make an 8" driver with that model number? I'd hate to get bogus drivers in that unit.

A lot of interesting input. Thanks! The mention of the 12dB/octave for an acoustic suspension speaker interests me because I just built a simple first order, 6dB 120Hz high pass filter for my 6.5" woofer acoustic suspension speakers as I'm running a subwoofer. From what I've read, acoustic suspension designs have greater natural low end extension (6dB/octave) than ported or passive designs (12dB). My filter was just a novice attempt using the easiest method with available parts but I'm intrigued with trying a 12dB filter at the same cutoff frequency. I figured manufacturers would install the high pass filter on the woofers to protect them from excessive excursion and possible damage, as well as distortion control. But they cost money, so I could imagine some companies leaving them off to meet a price point. It sure would be nice to know when you read the spec sheet, though.

When a manufacturer specifies a frequency response for a speaker, particularly the low end, are they referring to the natural roll off of the speaker or have they put a high pass filter on the woofer so it doesn't strain to reproduce frequencies below what the engineers designed it for? Does the approach vary based on how much the speaker costs? What does Klipsch do? Is it pretty obvious and easy to look at a crossover and tell the difference? I've been wondering whether it would be beneficial to add a high pass filter to all my speakers' input terminals to filter out any frequencies below the speaker's low end cutoff.

Local pickup only; I'm in Central CT. I don't recall the brand when I bought them, but they were Sanus or similar brand name. Specs: Top Plate- 6 x 8" Bottom Plate- 9 x 10" Height- 24" Each of the 4 Pillars- 2 x 3" All-steel construction. Top and bottom plates are 1/4" thick; uprights are 3/32" thick. The stands come with reversible, adjustable, brass feet. One side is spiked; install them with the flat side down and apply adhesive felt pads found at the hardware store for sensitive surfaces, or leave them off entirely. The stands are sand-filled for damping and stability; they weigh 60lbs. apiece! Similar stands available today would be: Pangea Audio DS400 at $199/pair Target MR24 at $520 Very good condition. Dope slap; I forgot the price. $110/pr. Feel free to entertain me with offers.

Update: Since my subwoofer does not appear to have a high-pass filtered output on it's speaker output terminals, I started looking around to see if there was an aftermarket solution. I found Bass-Blockers; simple, first order high-pass filters used in car stereo applications. Well, if they work there, they could work for me, no? But Bass-Blockers assume your speakers have a particular resistance, and they come in limited choices of crossover frequency. I got the bright idea to make my own. I found a handy site that does the calculations for you. I went to my local electronics supply shop and bought the nearest value capacitor that was available, and some other supplies. For those that want to try this themselves, Parts Express has the best selection. When doing your calculations, you have to consider how much power your amp produces and select the correct voltage capacitor to handle the output. In my case, my 75W (amp) into 6 ohms (speaker) works out to 21V. I brain farted in my initial calculations and thought I needed 100V capacitors, which limited my available choices. Since I already had measured the voltage output of the amp at my listening levels saw only 6V output, I figured I'd be safe with the 63V capacitors the local shop had, and I was right. Again, since the local shop had a limited selection, my chosen crossover frequency would be limited, too. My subwoofer's crossover runs from 50-170Hz and since it appears from the dial I run it typically mid-range, I figured anywhere from 100-120Hz would be acceptable to start. I settled on 120Hz/220mF. I put spade terminals on one end so I could remove them from the speaker lead and insert a bare jumper if I ever wanted to run the speakers full range again, or swap in other filters. I failed to buy shrink tubing to fit over the capacitors which is why they're covered in two separate sections. Since the filter is only 6dB/octave, the results aren't that dramatic but they definitely work. Maybe next up will be a 12dB/octave filter... As to my original problem with the pops on certain consonants spoken by radio hosts, I've determined it's partially due to the equalization specific radio stations use, combined with my subwoofer adjustments. Some rock stations for instance, boost bass for a fatter sound. You would think my local NPR station, or any NPR station, would leave their equalization flat, but no. It's plain to me there's a difference from station to station. It's only the local programming the has the issue; when they forward syndicated feeds it's not a problem. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the replies!

I wonder if the Klipsch Museum would be willing to buy or trade them from you? Since they didn't cost you a dime, anything you got for them would be a plus.

Update: I bought some speaker wire and wired the subwoofer to receive a full range signal from my receiver's speaker outputs (the receiver has no LFE or sub output). I wired my 2 speakers to receive their input from speaker level outputs on the subwoofer. I presumed my subwoofer's crossover control provided a high pass signal to the speakers. But listening to them, it sounded like they were still receiving a full-range signal. I swung the crossover control to both extremes (50-170Hz) but it sure didn't look like they were moving less when observing the woofer cones. To confirm what I was seeing, I put a voltmeter on one speaker level output from the subwoofer, and using a Max Hold feature, measured the voltage with the crossover at both extremes, playing the same bass frequency sweeps. I assumed if the sub was set to pass 50Hz to the satellites vs. 170Hz, I'd see a higher voltage across the output. Instead, there was no change. So if the subwoofer isn't filtering the signal, sending only a high pass to the satellites, then it's not taking a load off them. It's an inexpensive subwoofer purchased second hand, so I can't expect much but it's a learning experience. It's one of the main reasons I want a kg SW. Judicious experimentation with the Level and Crossover controls would not remove the pop on the sharp consonants I mentioned in my original post, unless I practically turned the subwoofer level output to zero. This subwoofer is probably not suited for speech, nor is it necessary. I think the pop might be partially due to the 12" diameter of the subwoofer and a smaller driver might be more compatible. Nevertheless, I'll live with it and probably turn the subwoofer off when listening to NPR.

You can buy the complete amp on eBay and either replace yours, or just pluck the power supply from the eBay purchase and install that, keeping the remaining parts for spares. That's the power supply you're showing that's bad. It's probably not worth the aggravation to unsolder the daughter board you're pointing to and soldering in a replacement. Trying to replace the individual parts on the daughter board is not recommended as you could have damaged traces on the board, considering the burn marks. A DIY'er might be able to play with it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/KLIPSCH-5-1-ProMedia-ULTRA-Speakers-Amplifier-AMP-Only-/131982452991?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

Thanks for the replies. I don't have an AVR but a simple 2 channel receiver with no facilities to limit the frequencies; both channels run full range. Sounds like my best option is to run one pair of speaker wires to the subwoofer speaker inputs, and from the subwoofer's speaker outputs to the bookshelf speakers. I presume the subwoofer will internally high pass to it's speaker outputs whatever I set the subwoofer's crossover to pass. Time to get more speaker wire! I'll report back. Thanks again!

The bookshelf speakers are running full range and have a 55Hz low end cutoff. I can use the high pass output of the subwoofer if I connect the bookshelvers to the subwoofer but I'm not currently running them that way. The subwoofer is a ported 12"er. Let me know if I need to supply more info.

I'm looking for a kg SW subwoofer. Prefer black but any finish will do. I'm in central Connecticut. Willing to travel 1 1/2-2hrs. to pick up.

Thanks for the reply. The mains are 6.5" woofer bookshelf speakers with a low end of 55Hz. I've experimented with the crossover so it's varied; from the current position and scale on the crossover control, it's currently set to roughly 70-90Hz. I'm using a basic 2 channel receiver with the tone controls set flat. None of the specs I find tell me the slope of the subwoofer's crossover. I would have to agree regarding your comment "...increase the subwoofer by as much as 6dB from a home theater calibration." I could understand a difference between music and movie effects.