Bulkogi

Here's a bit of an update. I decided to go with sanding the cabinets down with 220 and 400 grit paper followed by 0000 steel wool. Enough to remove some, but not all, of the underlying finish applied by a prior owner, and also to get a really smooth surface. I then went with the neutral Watco's Danish Oil instead of a refinishing or restoration oil. Here is a picture of one after three coats that's a good representation of how they look now, and I plan to do one more coat. I'm really happy with how lovely the birch veneer can look after such a basic approach. I had no idea. (Note that the oil has not dried in the picture, so the look is likely more representative of a glossier finish than when dried.) Now the question is, what next? I don't want to use wax, so my options appear to be (1) leave as is after the fourth coat, which is not a bad idea as Danish Oil has varnish included in the mix, so the finish is already smooth and hard (just not shiny or "wet" looking), (2) apply some coats of varnish, (3) apply some coats of poly, or (4) apply some coats of lacquer. I'm inclined to either do nothing or apply poly as it seems to be an easier option and long lasting. Then the questions would be, which kind of poly and can I use a water-based solution once the Danish Oil is fully cured (in a week or so to be safe)? I'd rather not have to do more than about 3 layers at this point as fatigue is setting in, lol.

I agree with wuzzer. Additionally, I don't think they are physically wide enough to even try.

Thanks. I didn't understand Dean's comments, but I'm certainly not considering moving the spacing of the holes. There's no way to do that in any event because the drivers are crammed in and fill up all available space. My point is that the motor board seems like a weak link and likely the main source of resonance. It's a possible design issue, though seemingly a benign one, and the only solution would seem to be bracing, but I'm not likely going to try anything. I really am not trying to criticize the sound or durability. As others have stated, they sound great and clearly hold up well over time. I was just surprised at how relatively frail they seem compared to the rest of the box. And I'm neurotic, LOL.

Those are beautiful, Gary! I'll do the same! By the way, are your risers also in Oak, but stained darker? Mine are birch and I'm thinking of staining the risers a dark chocolate for the contrast.

Wow! That looks amazing, but well beyond my abilities.

I'm in the middle of my Heresy II refurbishing journey and have posted a few related topics recently. I am about ready to apply Danish Oil having just finished a sanding of the cabinets with 220 and 400 sandpaper and 0000 steel wool. But today the motor boards leapt out and caught my eye. I am thinking of touching them up, perhaps with spray paint, and I am curious what others have done, but, but, but . . . I also have another question/observation: Suddenly I really noticed how thin the motor boards are. I don't just mean the thickness of the plywood in and of itself, but also the fact that the drivers are so close together leaving not a lot of board to hold them. In particular, the woofer hole gets within about an inch or less from the squawker hole with the result that there's a rather long and very thin arch (see picture). Has anyone done anything to reinforce the area around the woofer? It seems like a lot of weight is being applied to that area with not a lot of board. The Heresy I design leaves more board because of the internal mounting and, of course, the Cornwalls have much more space between the drivers, so the potential issue seems unique to the HIIs. And yet, a quick internet search doesn't seem to unearth this design as a topic of concern, so it's probably just my neurosis? I have no desire to replace the boards, and wouldn't know how or with what in any event. Thoughts?

Here's an update on my refurbishing project: Before and after pictures of the crossover networks in my 1989 Heresy IIs. I have to say the change is very noticeable. The speakers now sound smoother, which is nice, but they also sound more dynamic and much airier up top. Cymbals now have sparkle and sheen, and there is pretty good imaging. Even though the crossovers still looked fine when we took them out, 32 years is 32 years after all. I bought the titanium tweeter diaphragms also, thinking I'd need them to wake up the top end, but I dunno. I will at least give them a try, but don't feel like I need them with the improved top end from the rebuilt crossovers. So for now they're still in their boxes. Thanks to the amazing people at Crites Loudspeakers. I sent the old ones in on Monday and the rebuilt ones came back with the diaphragms by Friday!

Thanks, Andre, Mark and Dean! That's amazing. Will buy some . . . right . . . NOW! 😁

In my Heresy II refurbishing project, I would like to replace the gaskets that go between each driver and the motor board as well as the gasket that goes between the speaker input/crossover assemblies and the back openings. I asked the fellow I spoke with at Crites Speakers if they carried those, and he said they didn't and he wasn't aware of anyone who does. He suggests forming new gaskets from from weather stripping material, while a friend suggest doing that from a gasket kit. Sure enough, I don't see any on Simply Speakers. Any suggestions? Separately, someone on this Forum suggested in another post that I replace the gasket between the midrange drivers and their horns, whether or not I replace the diaphragms. How about between the tweeter drivers and their horns? Are those commercially available? Those are all the gaskets I can think of. Am I missing any?

Thanks! I even misspelled Bulgogi when I reregistered, and now really want my old moniker back, LOL!

Thanks. I'm going to test both the Danish Oil and Restoration Oil on the risers of one speaker. That way I can see which seems to work better and look better. I'm planning on stripping the risers anyway and either painting them black or staining them very dark. I like how the Heresy IVs look with their contrasting risers.

Sorry, Dean, you are correct. I don't know why I limited the title. I am actually asking about both. It's just that I already have purchased the Crites titanium tweeters and am wondering also whether anyone replaces HII midrange membranes and, if so, what differences they hear. The title is a bit misleading.

Thanks! Here are a couple of "before" pictures after some simple clean up with orange oil. I do like the existing color and general look of the finish. I'm leaning towards the neutral Watco Danish Oil. I understand it will darken the finish a little bit, but am OK with that. I'm thinking of avoiding the restoration type products unless the Danish Oil doesn't work out.

Hi Everyone, I posted recently about refinishing a pair of 1989 Heresy IIs I bought years ago that have mostly been in storage. This is a follow up post about internal refurbishing. The speakers sound really good for the most part. I'd forgotten how intoxicating these things are - pure fun! But they do lack top end sparkle, which surprised me a bit (but I see mentioned as not unusual in the forums here). And, of course, they are 32 years old. So, yesterday I sent the crossover / speaker input assemblies to Crites for their rebuild service and purchased titanium diaphragms for the tweeters (all will be sent back to me together). Here are my questions: I am not yet convinced that the titanium diaphragms will suit me, as I'm generally not a fan of metal tweeters and I really liked the factory tweeters in my KLF 20s. If I decide the titanium is a bit too bright, and the existing diaphragms are still too dull with the rebuilt crossovers, what would my options be? I see that Simply Speakers sells replacement phenolic diaphragms. Are they likely to sound more lively than the existing ones? Put another way, do phenolic diaphragms become dull over time, or am I likely just hearing how they've always sounded. My second question is the same really, but about the midrange diaphragms. They sound quite good to me, actually, but would replacement phenolic diaphragms likely sound better? Have people experienced a dulling down of the Heresy II midrange horns over time? Thanks for any input, Josh

Hi Moderators! I was a registered member here for a number of years, and then at some point wandered off and wasn't able to log back in when I came back. For some reason I never could re-register and gave up. Pretty sure I didn't do anything naughty! Anyway, I was JoshT, which I still am on AudioAsylum, but I forgot my password here and have since gotten rid of whatever email address I used back when I originally registered. So, I just registered as a new member with this moniker. Is there any way I can remerge my identity and continue again as JoshT after about, I dunno, 16 years or so? That moniker is showing as being used, but I assume it's because of me and not someone else? Josh

Hello Everyone, My situation is that I have a pair of Heresy IIs with a 1989 manufacturing date that came in raw birch. I bought them used years ago and they've mostly been in storage but I'm starting to restore them. One of the prior owners finished them in a blonde to light brown, and they look quite good, but they are faded in areas and do have a few small chips, mostly along a few edges and corners. I cannot tell how they were finished, including whether they ever had a poly coat or were oiled or waxed. I do generally like the color. I have cleaned the surface with a lemon oil type wood cleaner and they already look better, and was thinking of now sanding them very lightly with 300 or 400 grit sandpaper and then 000 steel wool, and then either applying Howard's Restore-A-Finish OR Watco's Danish Oil. I have used Watco's to great effect on a pair of Ohm Model Ls in walnut, but I'm just not sure if it's as suitable for birch. Howard's gets great reviews too. Do those sound like reasonable next steps, and which of the two products would you choose for a birch veneer with an existing blonde to light brown finish that's kind of a mystery? Thanks in advance! Josh P.S. It's been ages since I've been on this forum, but I actually used to be JoshT (and go by that on Audio Asylum). The thing is that for years I couldn't remember my password or the old email I used for that profile, so at least for now I've rejoined as Bulkogi.