superfinemind

I had already reassembled the speakers without ferrofluid and tested for operation. Without driving them hard at all, the Titanium diaphragms with no ferrofluid in the gaps were nice, very detailed, but a little harsh. After disassembly again, and refilling the coil gap with ferrofluid graciously supplied by AMPED, the brightness was tamed, and yet the drivers were just as crisp and detailed as they should be. At this point, with new fluid, new Ti diaphragms and new capacitors, I could not be happier. At some point, I will haul these into a space larger than my 13x17 listening room, and really find out what they can do. I run them with 10-watts of tube power right now, which is more than ample for my room, but I have 50, 100 and 150-watt McIntosh amps on hand, and that would be a fun experiment. I also hear tell that K55V's and A55G's will work in the Chorus II using the K-61 horn, which is a drop-in replacement. That might be fun as well... Thanks to everyone for all your help. Have a good Memorial Day, and remember above all the sacrifices of those who gave their last full measure so we could have the freedom to argue in comfort the relative merits of OFC, toe-in, and tubes vs solid state.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I am thinking I will reinstall the ferrofluid, although I do not run at high volumes. The most cogent response (not that we are grading...) is from Dean, who notes that not having the fluid changes the tweeter values slightly, and such that the crossover may not filter the signal as designed. That makes sense, and thank you very much. Everyone else, thanks just the same..!

Good evening. I just now replaced the original 1992 tweeters in my Chorus II’s. There was oil or fluid on both of these, first on the face of the magnet, and also the card stock was soaked when I cleaned out the gap into which the edge of the voice coil fits. Both test at 8.4 ohms after reassembly. Is the dark brown liquid from deterioration of the phenolic material (which looked OK) or is this ferrofluid? If ferrofluid, is it necessary for proper operation, or just in high power applications to absorb heat. I’d not heard any mention of ferrofluid in Klipsch products up to this point, but I cannot logically see how it could be anything else. Help..!! 😃

Hello All I just bought a pair of 1974 vintage Klipschorns (KB-WO) essentially sight unseen (just a couple of basic photos on Facebook marketplace). When I picked them up this week, I was astounded at the condition. I still need to clean them up, condition the wood, get the light dust out of the backs, etc., but these are almost a time capsule. There is hardly a mark on them, the original AA networks are untouched, the round-magnet k-77's are in place, as are the spring-connector k-55's, none of the screws anywhere have marks on them, the veneer is so perfect it looks like laminate, the screen on the backs is intact, the bronze cloth is just perfect, and there are no modifications anywhere. They will clean up beautifully, and already look like fine furniture. Truly a product of Klipsch at it's finest. Here's my problem: I was thinking before I bought them that I could do this, do that, etc. New networks, Volti midrange horns with Beyma tweeters, etc. etc. But now I don't think I could bring myself to do anything beyond bringing them back to up to original specs. I'd almost feel as though I would be ruining them by making any changes. In automotive parlance, "they are only original once". All of a sudden, I feel like one of those Porsche guys who deduct 10 points at the concours because a cad-plated screw was replaced by stainless. It's not so much a matter of value, since these will not be sold until I am in an urn somewhere, but I suddenly feel almost like a steward or caretaker. I mean, how many more like this do you think are out there? There can't be many. They are a piece of history, and I think with some sensible and unseen upgrades (better connectors and wiring, diaphragms, etc.) they will still perform at a very high level. Certainly not on par with a new AK6, but still not bad. I'd put the upgrade money into tube gear to drive them (McIntosh or Primaluna), and I think the result would be outstanding; perhaps not the 99.999% sonic perfection that everyone tries vainly to achieve, but maybe 99%, which is plenty good enough for me. What say you? Thanks, Greg

Please see the attached photos re serial numbers. DIRTMUDD posted photos via the link I sent him earlier (thanks so much..!!). I'm asking $500 for the bare cabinets and all the woodwork shown. $750 will get you that, plus (2) working square magnet K-55's, (2) round magnet k-77's (one needs a diaphragm), and a pair of working midrange drivers to fit the K400. I also have two spare networks (AA or AL I think, but I will confirm) for $50. So <$1000 would get you a pair of kick *** genuine Klipschorn workshop or garage speakers, and with just a little more you could dress these up with veneer and proudly have them in the house. Let me know of any questions. I can aid with delivery along the gulf coast, and can crate and ship these to ship via motor freight anywhere in the US. Thanks everyone for your interest. Greg

I have a line on a pair for myself, that will keep me from having to rebuild the decorator models. Sorry for the lack clarity. Happy Thanksgiving..!

I have a line on a pair for myself, that will keep me from having to rebuild the decorator models. Sorry for the lack clarity. Happy Thanksgiving..!

Will do. Photos, serial numbers, etc. to be posted tomorrow. Thanks.

Hello All I am selling a pair of decorator Klipschorn cabinets only (no drivers, horns or electronics), and will post photos, serial numbers, etc. tomorrow. The serial numbers are consecutive, and the writing from the original assembly in Hope is still very clearly legible inside the bass bin access door. The K33 woofers are still in place, and I am debating whether to leave these in or remove them for use on other projects. I may also have the original networks, and K77's in need of diaphrams. One top hat has water damage but can probably be repaired without losing the motorboard at all. There is no water damage at all to the bass bins. The backs have been painted at some point, and the current overall presentation is what I would call "scruffy", but I firmly believe these will clean up just fine. These differ from the older Decorators in that the top hats are separate from the bass bins, so installing spacers to mimic the B-style would be easy. I will sell these complete with new 3/4" raw birch wood fronts to the cabinets, birch top hats and birch speaker cloth frames for the sides. These would be an excellent starting point for a budget Klipschorn build, especially if you have some spares laying around like I do, and they still have lots of life in them. I've got several other Heritage projects to complete, and I have a line on a pair of low mileage 1974 Klipschorn KBWO in almost mint condition that I can pick up locally at a good price, so you know, path of least resistance so to speak. With a few parts and some TLC, these would be the killer garage or workshop setup of all time. Happy Thanksgiving to All. Greg

ricktate and Lost240, thanks very much for the guidance..!!

Thanks all. Ricktate, how did you test the bass bin for leaks? Congrats on the Forte II's...

No numbers stamped anywhere, but based on the K77M/AA combo, I'd guess the date range at 1978-1982, which is close enough for me. Today I wired-in the new K77M horns, and in the course of this found the tweeter and midrange outputs reversed on both speakers. Oy vey... I then installed new speaker cable, wired everything correctly, and was greeted with absolutely amazing sound. I'm going to live with them as is for a while, and put the upgrade budget toward a decent tube amp, as I'm using an NAD SS amp/preamp now. Im just so happy to be able to be the next custodian of these incredible loudspeakers, and will plan a cosmetic upgrade and some maintenance to keep them going for a long time to come. Thanks to all all of you on the forum who were so generous with your support. Best, Greg

Yep, looks like they are a K-D-BR. Decorator style, D cabinet, plain birch, no grilles. Thanks guys...!! I'll still send photos - these will be a great project.

Thanks all for the responses. They could be "Decorators". There is no space between the bass bins and the uppers, and the faces of the uppers are painted black, but this finish is not original as there are faint runs in the paint. I'll post some photos tomorrow. Thanks again, and I'll try not to wait 32 years before posting again! LOL The LaScalas have been with me through thick and thin, and I've often commented that this was the best $900 I ever spent. They were a gift for my 26th birthday. Too many great parties to count, and several Baton Rouge St. Pat's parades later, they are still kicking. Best, Greg

Hello to the forum. Im a long-term LaScala owner (32 years), and have wanted a set of Klipschorns since I'd first heard them at Art Colley's Audio Specialties in Baton Rouge in the early 80's. They've always been just out of reach of my "mad money", but today my wife was at an estate sale, saw "Klipsch" and emailed me some photos. Klipschorns, a little scruffy, with a slight bit of water damage on one upper section, but $100 each as they were dusty and stuck in a corner of a warehouse. I told her to "buy them now, buy them immediately!", as I tried not to hyperventilate. We brought them to my shop this afternoon and I cleaned them up, repaired a couple of solder connections, and fired them up. As best I can tell, they work fine except both K-77's are blown (a huge surprise), and the sound is muddy and depressed because the speaker cables are green and corroded. So tomorrow it'll be new Crites tweeters (these and new K55's already on hand in my LS spares), new wiring, and I'll order rebuild kits for the two AA networks. Ill need to refinish all the woodwork and maybe put some nice veneer on the fronts, but I think these will refinish nicely. There's no real damage except for the rear of the base on one upper cabinet, which I can replace. I'm on Cloud 9. I have a couple of questions of the forum, however. These speakers are what I would call "bare" or "naked". There is no evidence of any grilles having been installed, and the upper cabinets each consist only of the base, and a faceplate to which the tweeter and mid are mounted in conventional fashion. No upper "enclosure" at all. Is this an unusual setup? Is it possible to construct frames for the grilles and have new cloth grilles made? Does anyone have sources for these? Both Klipsch copper nameplates are in place, and appear original. There are no tags anywhere. Are there any identifying marks anywhere other than on an original tag? It's not critically important, but I would like to know the date range in which these were manufactured. Finally, in terms of replacement components, can I possibly get some feedback about the relative merits of Crites vs. ALK Engineering? Both of course have rebuild kits and new networks. My LaScalas have Crites tweeters and replacement mids, which along with their new crossover, render the LaScalas pretty bright (I think the mids have metal diaphragms), and I am hoping to avoid that this go-round. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to completing this sympathetic restoration and enjoying many more years of listening enjoyment. Best wishes, Greg