HDBRbuilder Posted May 1, 2002 Share Posted May 1, 2002 Hey Folks, Alot of people talk about replacing their fine Klipsch crossovers with more modern units...as far as I am concerned...whatever floats yer boat!!..and there ARE some great other upgrade crossovers out there...with the excellent ALK being the most popular! In these forums I have read that some consider the Klipsch networks in the older speakers as "works of art" in their own right....that's fine too!! But, what alot of you may NOT realize is (at least while I was there from 1976-1983) that the crossovers were NOT built at the factory and also were NOT built by a normal sub-contractor company. In the cabinet shop there was an old hand-cranked lever press that had sharpened nails set into a form at different locations on it. "Scrap" from the sawing process for the loudspeaker cabinets was sawn to size for the network boards. These were then slid into the press, and a lever was cranked down producing pilot holes for the screws involved in attaching the components of the crossover network to the board. The boards were then put into a jig and pilot holes for mounting them inside the speaker cabinets were then drilled. After that, they were taken home by a handful of employees and former employees(retired), who would build the crossovers or whose immediate family members would build them at home. They were compensated more than fairly on a "per piece" basis for the completed crossover networks. All the wiring for these began life on a reel that these workers took home...where they would cut it to length, add connectors, etc...and then take the other elements and install them. When one looks at these old crossover networks, one must be able to picture family members sitting around the kitchen table after supper and/or on week-ends, with wire cutters, wire strippers, a few soldering pencils, etc....talking with each other as they crafted these "works of art." The one family member who worked at the factory during normal working hours overseeing the quality control as they all worked together...just as that one individual paid prideful attention to detail while at the plant during working hours. Funny thing is...I can't remember any of the crossovers ever being turned down, after testing, for a problem involving build quality....wonder why? ------------------ If you want to send a private message, or have already done so, be aware I have not as yet been able to retrieve them. Send e-maill instead, please...just note Klipsch forum in the heading so it doesn't get deleted. This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 05-02-2002 at 12:35 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyd9 Posted May 2, 2002 Share Posted May 2, 2002 HDBRbuilder, Thank you for your post concerning the crossovers. This background information gives meaning to the fact that I had already decided not to toss the original crossovers after the upgrade. I just retired after 39 years with a "family" business that treated employees with respect and achieved quality output in return. It is difficult to fully appreciate this bond unless you have experienced it firsthand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted May 2, 2002 Share Posted May 2, 2002 builder, Very interesting! You could say I am a family of one building them the same way! AL K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted May 2, 2002 Author Share Posted May 2, 2002 AL K., I kinda figured you would get a little "kick" outta that bit of history! ------------------ If you want to send a private message, or have already done so, be aware I have not as yet been able to retrieve them. Send e-maill instead, please...just note Klipsch forum in the heading so it doesn't get deleted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShapeShifter Posted May 2, 2002 Share Posted May 2, 2002 Wonder if mine were made while they watched 'Rowan And Martins Laugh-In' or 'The Flip Wilson Show' ------------------ "KLIPSCH IS MUSIC"f> This message has been edited by ShapeShifter on 05-02-2002 at 09:42 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemPharma Posted May 2, 2002 Share Posted May 2, 2002 I wonder if mine were made while they watched the Andy Griffeth Show. I wonder if mine were made while they all sat around passing gas on collards and fatback; or did the man who make mine have a beer gut and hemorrhoids; or was it a hot summer, wherein my were made by a big fat lady on the porch, sweating, with the baby powder caking up between her legs; or........Im out a control... I knew I should of put a methyl group on the alpha-carbon and started with a half dose This message has been edited by ChemPharma on 05-02-2002 at 08:03 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted May 4, 2002 Share Posted May 4, 2002 I understand thorazine is still out there.... might work for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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