Iteachstem

I pulled the drivers to refinish the cabinets. The plan was to order the Ciare drivers, but they were out of stock... and are still on back order as of 12/21/2020. So I put them back in. I have a friend who is interested in the KLF 30's I restored However, he is wanting to use them in his shop. I told him that if he gets a little silly at beer-thirty on a Friday and blows one of the woofers, they are very hard to come by. So, I ordered up some aluminum cone bad boys that would meet his needs and yet still sound awesome! They are about 3dB less efficient than the stock drivers, but he is bi-amping, so it is not an issue as he can adjust for that in signal processing and amplification. The challenge speakers....

Here are the pictures of the base:

I agree... but, it's not really overdoing it, it's doing it right and to our specifications... as we don't have to report to an accounting department and worry about our profit margins.

The trim ring can be popped off exposing the typically spaced 8 mounting holes. Some people like to use all 8 and then you can simply glue the trim ring back on. I know on my klf 20's one of the trim rings just fell off while I was listening to background music. The glue used gets brittle. (Klipsch and their glue issues...ugh!) I just used a little hot glue and have never had an issue with it falling off or vibrating.

I have four (4) OEM K-31-K woofers available. These are used in the KLF-30's and the Jubilee. Location: Chicago Burbs 60511 Price: 4 for $600 2 for $350 We all know these don't pop up all that often. So here is your change to obtain some original drivers! In doing a search, there is only one other set on ebay for $800. Garage audition available to verify correct functionality.

Might I suggest you start on the bottom of the speakers? That way if you have an issue, it won't be visible.

Thanks. It was the most involved refinish project to date as they were very rough when I received them. I like the challenge and being able to bring these old Klipsch speakers back to life. I usually put them up against my current speakers I have and see which one(s) I like best. Then, I'll offer the one with my lowest score up for sale for someone else to appreciate. Here they are in my latest listening comparison session. A friend who has purchased several of my refinished speakers was in on this "listen-off" and he looked them up online and then offered me $1200 on the spot. I told him not at the moment...and then I told him I was a bit insulted, as the ones he looked up on eBay are going for $1500 and $1800 and mine appear to be in better condition!!! He said no insult intended, he was just figuring in the friend price!!!

I start with 120 on a quarter sheet palm sander. Then 220 when I get through the black mess. Then a light 320 to get rid of any swirl marks. Just be careful not to use a lot of pressure the last little bit as you don't want to burn through the thin layer of veneer. I know a lot of people like to use lacquer thinner to remove the finish, but I don't like to use harsh chemicals... I already put my body though enough back in college! I think if you search through my older posts there are pictures. I'd say bring them over with a nice bottle of wine or bourbon, and I'd do it for you, but I think that's a little far of a drive!!!

I traded for these KLF30's (That was a nightmare, but that's a different story!) The cabinets were pretty scratched, with multiple blemishes on both cabinets and they had water damage at the bottom. I pulled all of the drivers and got to work. Patched, sanded and refinished. I fabricated custom risers for the bottom. I was going to pull the bottom panels, but the inside seals were still decent, so I chose to beef up the cabinet and build a base that wouldn't look too odd. Enjoy the pictures. Original speakers: Sanding: Added front to back Bracing: Stain: Beefing up the bottoms: The final Product!

If anyone out there doesn't want to do all of the work, I have an extra set (Brand new) I built that I will sell for $175. Pick up in the Western Burbs of Chicago. 60511

Next, I bought some bolts and washers to mount the B&C driver to the horn. ...and assembled the unit to test fit everything... Then, I mounted the horn... and then align and attached the driver. Do not over tighten. and connected the wires. (You need to cut the OEM connectors off and replace with larger ones) Final picture: Cheap horns about $40 B&C Drivers about $100 Misc. parts less than $10 I hope this was helpful! So, for about $150 you can have a great upgrade to your speakers!

I wanted to document my upgrade process for those of you who wanted to take the tinkering/budget approach to installing the B&C DE 10 driver into your KLF20/30 etc. speakers. Feel free to ask any questions. I purchased these drop in fit drivers for $36 plus tax on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Paudio-PHT-409-Horn-Tweeter-Supertweeter-Klipsch-replace-K-79-K-75-K-76-K-84/372632527011?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 And the B&C Drivers: https://www.parts-express.com/bc-de10-8-1-mylar-horn-compression-driver-8-ohm-2-bolt--294-600 Then, I disassembled them as you will only use the horn parts. Remove the disc and cut out, dremel, sand, etc. these center phase plugs according to the pictures. The B&C Drivers already have a phase plug inside the housing. That concludes the modification of the lens assembly.

On a positive note, this is what they look like after I brought them back to life...

I don't expect sympathy, nor did I ask for it. I posted this simply for the benefit of other forum members so they may avoid any possible frustrations like I have experienced.

Can you please state an example of my name calling?

DTO why the name calling? Yes, I buy Klipsch speakers. Yes, I restore them. Then, I audition them against my current line up of speakers and if I like them I keep them. If they are no better than what I have, I list them for sale so other people may enjoy a nice set of Klipsch speakers that will meet their needs. I am honest about what I sell and I am confident that every pair of speakers that leaves my house will perform as described. So if this makes me a nut job, then so be it.

And here are the speakers he received. Cabinets in 9/10 condition, drivers, crossovers and grills were in excellent condition. Bracing was added between the mid and woofer as well as below the woofer.

I am the unfortunate one who traded for these. In retrospect, I would have avoided at all costs. DTO said these were in excellent condition when we talked. Look at the pictures and make your own conclusions. When asked he did say they have a little water marks at the bottom, possible do from mopping over time. Hmm... I don't think so. This wasn't going to be a huge issue for me because I knew they were black and I planned on refinishing them anyway. So, we traded, my beautiful pair of Forte II's in 9/10 condition for his rough KLF 30's (See pics) When we did the trade he did give me an out because the water damage was obviously more than he described. I felt bad that he drove the 2 hour round trip, so I agreed to the trade knowing that I will be in for a little more of a project to fix the damage. So, I listened to them at soft listening volumes in my garage to verify all of the drivers worked, which they did and we concluded our deal. Then, over the next week er so I removed all of the drivers, refinished and braced the cabinets and then put everything back together like I have done many times with other refinishing projects. This is when I found the issue. I connected them to my equipment for a final demo at reference levels before I put them up for sale...and noticed a crackling noise coming from one side. I did all of the usual checks and determined it wasn't my equipment and the noise actually followed the speaker when I switched sources, etc. I further determined it was the crossover... perhaps an issue arising from the moisture damage over time. So, I contacted DTO and said: “So, I just finished refinishing the KLF 30's and finally had a chance to connect them up to my good system. There is audible crackling going on in one of the speakers at reference levels, either a crossover or mid issue. This is totally uncool. You already know that you got the much better end of the trade. How are you going to make this right?” His response: “Hello im sorry to hear that. They worked perfectly here. Honestly you demoed these on your own equipment, in your own garage. When you had any appearance issues I offered to stop the trade right there and then. You’ve had the woofers for sale on Craigslist for the last eight days and you just reposted them. You have taken these a part and removed the wiring. I do not know what kind of damage may of happened there. I do not know what you want me to do ten days later with all these factors” My thoughts: It is true, I have the woofers for sale as I was going to buy 4 of the Ciare 12” drivers, so I listed the k-31-k’s for sale. However, the Ciare’s are on backorder, so I ended up putting the stock drivers back in. Also, I have done many refurbish/refinish projects, including the one he was trading for, and you can see by my work that I am not a hack! Look at my past posts…people leave positive comments on my work. So….I responded: “I am very careful, as you can see by the work I have done on the speakers I traded you. I pulled the speakers to refinish, and I was thinking of getting the ciare ones, so I listed them. However, the ciare speakers are on backorder, so when I finished the cabinets I replaced them today and then I tested everything. I am not a hack and I am honest.... unlike the whole water incident. You knew they didn't get wet from just mopping. When I pulled the feet they were very rusted, a sign that they have been wet a long time. I'm giving you a chance to make it right before I post a warning on the forum about the transaction. Also, yes, I got over the appearance because I knew I was going to refinish them. However, when I listened to them in the garage it was at a low volume. The crackling doesn't start until you turn up the volume.” His response: You demoed them in your own garage with your own equipment. you’ve already said you tried parting them out. I pointed out the bottoms to you and offered to cancel, you could of just said yes. The woofers alone you are trying to sell is worth the value of the trade let alone the other components. You can slander me on the forum but it will probably just be removed. Then he went on to call me a nut job and that I was slandering and extorting. My retort: Clearly I'm the nut job... because I'm the one that came to you to see if you wanted to make it right. I didn't just post a warning without giving you the chance to fix things. So, I know I won’t have any further dealings with DTO. I hope this helps out members of this forum.

Yes, they are for KLF-30's and the Jubilee.

Has anyone tried cutting out and adding a larger horn for the tweeter on The KLF 20/30? I was looking at adding the B&C ME15 horn: https://www.parts-express.com/bc-me15-1-exponential-horn-90x60-2-bolt--294-620 with the B&C DE10 driver:https://www.parts-express.com/bc-de10-8-1-mylar-horn-compression-driver-8-ohm-2-bolt--294-600 And I was thinking with a little cutting and creativity it will just barely fit between the top of the cabinet and the mid horn. All of the parts would be at around $150 with shipping. Has anyone attempted this or anything similar? Thoughts?

Sold!

Good luck with your build. If you're interested, I have 3 of the OEM KLF-30 ports...all you would need to do is find a fourth. The front is... according to my caliper...

I don't know if you're still looking, but the ciare hw321 is out of stock as of 12/4/2020. However, Beyma has a woofer ($125.99) that might be something to look at: https://usspeaker.com/beyma 12BR70-1.htm Otherwise, I do have 4 Original 12" drivers for the KLF 30 if you're interested.