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Jon B

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Everything posted by Jon B

  1. My heart is still broken over the Yamaha M-60. I feel like such an idiot. BTW, I doubt the creative wiring was done by Klipsch. Because the soldering and wires did not come close to the original work and was plain as day once I hit it with a strong flashlight. Let's just say the only thing done right was using solder instead of wrapping in with electrical tape or using foil to make the connection - as I have seen applied to fuses......
  2. Thanks for the great info! I am not going to move forward on these speakers. Too many projects in progress to mess with them since this sounds like an uphill sale. I am currently reconditioning a pair of KP-320's, selling or parting out a KP-450 lower cabinet, and reconditioning two sets of 80's Cerwin Vega speakers.
  3. I have a buddy that wants to do some bartering for a pair of Mirage 5si speakers in great condition. I will need to trade some gear that is worth no less than $700 to me to get them, so that is what I will consider their value to be. Local pickup only and I would also be happy to trade them for an amplifier and something else. I am looking for a Adcom 555 or a multi-channel amp to pair up with my Parasound AV preamp. But I am wide open to suggestions and offers that may go in other directions...... What do you have, let's make a deal? Speakers I have, but I could sure some quality components. Jon
  4. It just so happens I opened them up this weekend and found the cause - a comedy of errors.... more on that in a moment. I bought a used Parasound HCA-1000 Saturday and I wanted to see how it sounded with the 301's. It sounded good, but the first thing I noticed is that thing hums like an old barber cutting hair! I disconnected everything and I am positive it is the amp humming through the speakers at idle. I tried different power cables, power outlets, and a power conditioner - it just kept humming like a fluorescent light - not as loud as that, but you get the idea. It is just frustrating that this latest addition is not 100% is all. The Yamaha M-60 I killed by being stupid was quiet as a whisper in the same situation. So what happened to the Yamaha?!? *I* happened to it! When I changed the crossovers from the mismatched 301 crossovers to the Crites Chorus I crossovers I went from a HF and LF input to a single input. Which means there was a second connection I did not need so I just left it tacked up in the case. THAT WAS A MISTAKE and I should have just diked them off and soldered them back in if I ever wanted to go back to stock crossovers. You can probably see where this is going....Apparently the prior owner had done a little "creative wiring" inside the speakers and bridged the LF and HF connections internally, which I did not notice. And of course the connectors that were buttoned up inside eventually touched each other and definitely shorted my amp and possibly a receiver I tired later. I feel SO stupid and know better. Moral to the story, don't trust a used speaker to be in a stock configuration! Test it and take reasonable precautions - it may save you a fine vintage amp! Jon
  5. I'm glad I did. I virtually lived in the Base Exchange so for me it was a natural. I built an incredible sound and video system that required special insurance when I sent it back to the States. But that all evaporated in an ugly divorce years later..........sigh. If I shot her, I would be out of jail by now with all my stuff! LOL Just kidding, not serious. JOn
  6. I found myself in a similar situation after bartering my way into a pair of KP-301s that now serve as my garage speakers. Mine were a mismatch, although both were series ones but had a mixture of series 1 and 2 drivers and crossovers. The woofer differences were not significant and I simply replaced the mismatched crossovers with a fresh pair of Crites crossovers and I am extremely happy with the speakers! Jon
  7. Hey folks, Had a bit of a disaster on this one...... I took my Crites crossover equipped 301s to a pre Christmas event at work to do a little sound reinforcement for some vocalists and piano player at the event outside. I used the 301's, my Yamaha M-60 amp, and an 8 channel board supplied by a friend. I set the gear up the day before for a rehearsal and everything went just fine, but the day of the event when we powered up the amp it smoked right before my eyes. We pivoted to an AV receiver we had in a workshop as a last second backup but it would not make a sound. The receiver would not go online when connected to my 301's and we had to use a large powered speaker cabinet the piano player had for something to amplify the event and performers. Thankfully it was a small show.... Anyway, I took the 301's home and put them back up on the shelf in my garage and have been too depressed to even touch them after they were involved in blowing up my favorite vintage amp. Any thoughts on what may have happened? I heard something moving around in one of the speakers as I was loading it in my SUV and it was an hour each way to get there. But I have not pulled the woofers to take a look inside. Guess I am too depressed to even look and it is a bit cold in my garage this time of year.... Thanks, Jon
  8. Hey Islander, I have listened to L&F many times, before Covid I planned to go see them when the came through Vegas - sigh. As a former guitar player (who not played with any purpose in more than 20 years) I absolutely adore their accurate reproduction and tribute to the outstanding guitar work of Terry Kath on 25 or 6 to 4. It is just about perfect to my ear. They are outstanding musicians indeed. Jon
  9. Jon B

    WTB K48-E

    Papa, Where are you located? I have a couple K-48s in a Klipsch cabinet I am going to salvage and will be happy to sell you one. Tough part would be shipping if you are not in Southern California. Jon
  10. Ok, you talked me into it - no mouse fir - it will be a Duratex finish for the 320's. Unfortunately I don't have a big paint booth and the thought of using a roller it on is not that appealing after looking at the results you can get with a sprayer. Sigh Sorry Dave, but I really love my 301's with the Crites Chorus crossovers. I got quite a bit of advice HERE, prior to making that change. And you may not be aware of one important decision point - my 301's are a series 1 pair but they had two different crossovers in them when I got them. One crossover for a 301 series 1 and the other for a 301 series 2 due to a prior owner's tinkering. When I got these speakers I knew they would need work and I did so with the intent to please one person - me. They do a great job in my workshop and will never see the redline with my amp because I really like my neighbors. Due to their power efficiency it doesn't take much for them to make the SPL uncomfortable just the way they are, so they are a match for me. I currently have 5 speaker projects robbing me of space, and the motorcycle season is over so I just moved the bike into the shop, so I need to get to work. I have the KP-320's, the bass cabinet to a KP-450, a pair of Cerwin Vega AT 15's and a pair of AT 12''s and a pair of Infinity Monitor 2b's all needing my attention to bring them back to their prime. The 301's are finished and up on the wall in my shop where they are going to stay - note the big fat grin on my face. Trading a pair of reconditioned Cerwin Vega AT-12s for them was best Hi-Fi deal I ever made - even with the mismatched crossovers. Now if I could only stop staring off into space when listening to the 301's and get some work done - I would be in great shape !
  11. Good to see you Randy, and I really love your shuttle pic. There was so much incredible tech in that machine for it's time! True story, I routinely sold shuttle maintainers from Palmdale Ca old school MFM hard drives back "in the day" for their bench test systems because they were that old and could not be re-engineered unless the equipment they serviced was also changed. So they left them alone and sourced spares from computer refurbishers like myself back in those days. It seems like a lifetime ago now. That's a great suggestion. Unfortunately I am definitely not going to keep these speakers, so mods are probably off the table. And I like my 301's in my garage workshop far too much to replace them, plus I don't really need another pair of pro speakers for the house. So the 320's will be leaving my workshop once I finish up with them. I would love to sand and coat them with Duratex, but there are some serious chips and gouges that would need to be filled for satisfactory finish. I would think that filling would be a disservice to the next owner because I have no doubt it would not stay, or at least crack and eventually ruin the finish. Have you had a different experience with Duratex? Isn't that a textured coat that dries hard (inflexible). There's nothing worse than buying a classic car with a beautiful finish only to find it is full of filler when it loosens up and ruins the beautiful finish. Been there, done that - I use a magnet to test for filler on classic prospects now LOL.
  12. I may consider covering them with the fuzzy stuff that deals with blemishes and the finish all at once. My 301's has that covering and it is pretty clean. Opinions? I then want to replace the corner and edge bumpers, binding posts, and fuse holders. That will be it for the cabinets. Then I need to refresh the crossovers with new caps, test the drivers and repair or replace where required, then seal the cases for the passive radiator and then they will be for sale. I'm not a 2 way speaker fan, but I'm sure there are some folks out there that will love them - hopefully in Southern California. Sound like a plan?
  13. So sad to lose the great ones and you are correct, he was an excellent songwriter and will be missed.
  14. The clarity of the Crites is impressive, and the speakers are now very balanced. The workmanship is also very good and I find they are quite clean when compared to the original crossovers that look a little sloppy to my eye. One of my primary complaints in the past is that speakers with horn drivers had a harshness to their sound. In my opinion a speaker should only reproduce the content and not flavor it with their own sound. For me, going back to the early 80's , the Cornwall was one of the few speakers I had ever heard that did not add it's own sound and the horns did not impact the sound at all. In the case of the 301's like the Cornwall's, the speakers are virtually invisible to me. But I also have 59 year old ears that spent their teens and early 20s close to guitar amps and PA systems that were far to loud, and then a decade in close proximity to operating jet engines. Thus I do not think my ears are any kind of reference standard. But there is no doubt a Polk, JBL, Bose, Infinity, Cerwin Vega et. al. from the 70's and 80's had their own "flavor" when comparing the same tracks played back using them. And few would accurately reproduce ANY content without "colorizing" it. In those days I recall folks saying, Vega's are for rock, JBL's are middle of the road, Infinity and Polk are better for Classical music and so on. To me, that is not the purpose for a speaker because you do not change your ear to listen to different content, you're stuck with the human ear 1.0 for whatever you want to hear and your speaker should accurately reproduce EVERYTHING or what is the purpose? These 301's can to that now for me and it doesn't matter what I play they are perfect! I have the Cornwalls I always wanted - in a smaller and I admit a less attractive package. The 3.6 was the only CX in my 301's that worked up to par when I got them. The 3.0b in the other speaker had a very weak tweeter and a hyperactive mid - it seemed very harsh to me and at first I thought the tweeter was damaged. It wasn't until after I replaced the domes that I realized the crossovers were the root cause - live and learn I guess. So the titanium domes I purchased were not required to fix the problem, but fortunate because they do sound very good with the new crossover. Bob Crites told me the titanium tweeter in the 301 II and Chorus is the best choice for their crossovers, but not the 3.0b crossover in the original 301. In that case the titanium tweeter would not be very smooth. IMHO he is spot on with that assessment in the case of my speakers. I'm a happy camper indeed!
  15. Upper left on the board. It is a 3.6A and not an M. I see that now that it is removed. Looked like an M inside the speaker.
  16. This is a picture of the 3.6 with soldered driver wires. The inputs are spade clips, but the red, yellow, and green driver wires certainly are soldered into the board with their common connections.
  17. The answers to the questions would be, Yes, I consider this my hobby so my time is my own to invest, and Yes. As for my impressions of my 301's with the Crites Chorus crossovers.....I absolutely adore them! The texture and detail they produce is astounding. When Mr Klipsch said that he built speakers to accurately reproduce sound he was telling the God's honest truth! The 301's darn near make me drool after the CX upgrade because they sound so good to me. I just sit in front of them and time almost stands still and I am serious about that. I just start clicking through tracks I have listened to for decades and I lose track of time because I get lost in the experience. To me, the tracks now sound like the artists, producers, and engineers intended them to sound. And they seem fresh and new to me because of the clarity and detail. As a former musician I can clearly hear every instrument and the notes from each. Back in the day when we were learning to cover other people's songs, these speakers would have made that task quite simple because each part is now plain as day! Just this evening I was listening to a couple Doobie Brothers songs that I got tired of years ago and said to myself, wow this song has a banjo in it - never heard that before. And on another I heard a steel guitar plain as day and did not realize it was in the track until tonight. They have changed my listening experience in my workshop!
  18. You asked for pictures.....here are the pictures. One from the front, and one with a woofer removed to get a picture of the crossover inside, with one showing the crossover number. Like I said, they are rough, but I have the time, patience, and ability to restore them if they are worth the effort. But I am sure I will not keep them, because I don't need them, and I need the money for other speaker projects. Thanks
  19. 37551163 I'll get some pictures this weekend and post them. I assure you, they are not very attractive, but I can fix that! My only question is - is it worth it to spend the time and money to make them pretty and 100% restored? Compared to my new Crites Chorus equipped 301's these 320's sound like a pair of 80's Fisher speakers LOL. Well, maybe not THAT bad, just not terribly appealing to me is all and I do plan on moving then along without any major updates like a new cross over or driver replacements. In the end I got them to sell so I can work on other audio projects.
  20. ********************** FOLLOW UP AND RESULTS ************************ The Crites crossovers arrived Monday, and I installed them Wednesday night. All I can say is wow. And that is a very emphatic WOW! I thought these speakers sounded good in the compromised state they were in when I purchased them, but I had no idea just how good they could sound, even to my 59 years young ears. And to those folks that suggested I purchase Chorus 1 crossovers instead of the original 3.0b crossovers.......I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. I have no idea how they could possibly sound better. With these speakers I am listening to music I have heard for decades and hearing it for what seems like the first time. The detail of the reproduction is absolutely astounding. And some of the songs I can't get out of my head because they are now so fresh and new to me. And if the music features horns, it is even better. For example the song "Your Latest Trick" by Dire Straits off their Brothers in Arms album which features a trumpet and saxophone is an epic listen. That entire album has always been one of my favorites to test speakers, well except for the lone pop tune on it "Money For Nothing" which is utterly forgettable, it is a fun listen with fine speakers or quality headphones. And of course any song by Chicago will shock you as well. No my 301's are not the Cornwall's I have always desired, but they are now close enough for me! And in some ways a better fit for my current needs and setting than the Cornwall's would be anyway. But in any case there is no arguing the superior design and reproduction of a Klipsch speaker - none at all. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your input and suggestions on this project. It is an absolute success and I am a very happy camper!
  21. I just traded a Yamaha receiver for a pair of KP 320's and I'm on the fence when it comes to what to do with them. I have a pair of KP-301's that I will be installing a new pair of Crites Chorus crossovers into tomorrow night that are keepers! So I really don't need another pair of pro speakers in my garage because I am already refurbishing 3 sets of speakers (assorted brands) and this is the 4th set. These speakers have spent decades doing the DJ thing with a Klipsch 2 x 15 woofer cabinet (I will purchase that this weekend) and the mileage on them shows! The Good and the Bad GOOD - They seem to work fine, all drivers work, and are intact. I suspect the crossovers are original because I got them from the original owner that never messed with them. BAD - The cases have seen some rough treatment, the fuse holders are all loose and should be replaced, the woofer covers are definitely not original, and the trim and bumpers are pretty much done. I pulled off the back plate to look at the connections and there was no gasket. So I bet they are leaking all over. Which means the prior owner doesn't really understand passive radiators. When it comes to this pair of speakers - I'm in it for the money. I really don't like them all that much and I am very happy with my 301's lighting up my workspace for years to come. So what do I do with them I guess is the question. Should I: Fix them up a little and flip them? Part them out? Use the parts for a build project? And if so, what is possible? Completely restore them to sell? Thanks in advance. Jon B
  22. The new Crites Chorus crossovers arrived today and I will be installing them tomorrow night! I did some bartering tonight and got a pair of KP 320's for a Yamaha receiver that was only worth $150 to me! The 320's are pretty rough, but work just fine. So I think the next few nights are going to be fun in my garage!!
  23. The 70's and 80's JAPANESE solid state receivers and other gear were great - and built for the long haul. I absolutely love it and go out of my way to find it, repair it, and find new homes for it when I can. I just put a Sanyo JCX 2400 receiver on the bench I found in an estate sale a few years ago and fired it up. Yes, I know, you see Sanyo and really don't expect much. But I could tell by what this dude weighs, it is not the plastic dog crap from Hong Kong Sanyo gear! No BSR mini changer or 8 track here.... I powered it up and it came on, but the output was all over the place. The pots were all quiet with no typical noise, but the output was noisy with no gain on one side and way too much on the other. So I got started by cleaning the volume pot, because I honestly was not looking forward to a further disassembly at the time This is a beefy and compact unit inside with multiple component layers inside that looks like a long disassembly for sure! And what do you know, the cleaning was all it took! It sounds great with no noise at all. And the shocking thing was the dynamic power it has, although it is only driving my bench test speakers, a pair of Bose 201 III's. But it was very strong and surprising. The AM and FM reception were clear and very good for my somewhat remote area, and all the inputs worked flawlessly. I have seen the specs for this unit and I think they are far beyond conservative. Which is true for most of the Japanese gear in those days in contrast to the lies being told about the gear produced and sold in the big box stores today! That unit is over 40 years old for crying out loud, so it is difficult to argue the design and build quality with that kind of result. And it is yet another example of the fine craftmanship from the 70's and 80's even in a lesser seen brand. And I am old enough to recall the "buy American" camp trying put down the Japanese build quality back in those days, but I these receivers have put those myths to rest. But the dirty secret is, Sanyo was an OEM for many different brands "back in the day" and we will just keep that little secret to ourselves......
  24. Time for an update. I reached out to Bob Crites last week and did not hear from him. So I gave him a call today and we talked for a good 20 minutes about my speakers and he looked up the details on my speakers, the drivers installed, and the schematic for the crossovers employed. He then said the following: Check your midrange drivers and verify the dome material. If they are phenolic, then I should leave them alone and he will build me a pair of new 3.0B replacements. If the domes were titanium then the Chorus would be the appropriate replacement crossover due to the characteristics of the titanium dome in the mid. I then asked about the titanium tweeter domes that I had already replaced. He told me that was a great choice and they would be fine with either crossover. He said, "titanium is excellent and what you want for a tweeter, but it makes the mids sound pretty harsh without the proper adjustments in the crossover." Bob is a great guy, and we have quite a few things in common from our past. It really was a great conversation for me - he even sounds like my dad on the phone! I lost my dad 4 years ago and it was great to talk with someone that was quite a bit like him - another wise southern gentleman. I also found out that Bob is recovering from some health issues, so let's all be thinking about him and wishing him good health to come. There are far too few good people like him, and so many more that are nothing like him. So we should truly appreciate him while we can, instead of waiting until we can only miss him.
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