steve Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Hello all you knowledgable types.. I bought a pair of used Heresys a year or so ago..both type HBR serials 118W705/118W651 (I do have a pair of Khorns, bought the Heresys as supplementals and for sentimental value) Anyway..I never played them loud until the other day, and the woofers clipped..mostly one of the speakers, but the second one did too..but not nearly as noticeble. When I say loud, I don't mean ear bleeding, just squeezing the rock and roll out of them. I had two pairs of Herseys in the late 70's, and I played them MUCH louder than this..and they never ever clipped..so I suspect the previous owner(s) may have abused them..I tried two different amps..an 8 watt tube amp, and a 100 watt SS amp..both had similar results. So I don't think this is an electronics issue.. Here's my question(s) First off, what year would these be?? I suspect somewhere in the 70's..there are no speaker risers built in. Secondly, how do I go about ordering new woofers?? I can find anything physically wrong with the drivers, but I know that doesn't mean anything. Do I call Klipsch directly? I have ordered parts for my Khorns (two-three years ago, with the expert advice of Bob G) but those were other parts then drivers. Thanx all for your advice! Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 This won't help you much but the proper term for the speaker clipping (actually speakers don't clip, amps do) is maybe the woofer is "bottoming out". Meaning the cone is slamming into the magnet and/or basket. ------------------ Tom's Money Pit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted May 12, 2002 Author Share Posted May 12, 2002 Tom thanx for correcting me..you are right..I read that somewhere and got my terminology screwed up..amp clipping destroys speakers as you described..so that said..can anyone answer my questions about the year of the speakers/how to order new drivers?? Thanx! Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 Steve, You're Heresys are 1982. From what your describing, your drivers are probably not the problem and are likely fine. I'll bet you have air leaks in your cabinet, thus not allowing the internal cabinet pressure needed to keep the woofers from bottoming out. When dealing with acoustic suspension speakers, an airtight cabinet is a must. Most common area for leaks is around the back, second would be around the drivers. If the back is the problem, wipe a THIN bead of black silicone into the crack around the egde of the back. Seal it with the back on, or you'll never get it off again. Air leaks around drivers can usually be remedied by lightly tightening them. One last thing. Make sure you do not have any holes in the bottoms of the cabinets which could also be leaking. You said in your post these speakers have no risers. Are there leaking air holes where risers used to be!!!!!!!!!! Hope this helps, Andy This message has been edited by Klipschguy on 05-12-2002 at 10:26 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted May 12, 2002 Author Share Posted May 12, 2002 Andy thanx for the reply! It's sure be nice if that's the only problem. I'll check em out tonight..maybe the drivers have backed away from the mounting..I'll check that and the seal on the back.. also, how did you know they were 1982?? How is the serial number(s) deciphered?? Thanx again, Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 Klipschguy Good call on that one. I hadn't thought of that even though I found it hard to buy that BOTH woofers were damaged -not impossible but also not very likely. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. For steve's sake I hope you're right and if I were a betting man I would bet you are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted May 13, 2002 Share Posted May 13, 2002 Steve, Correction to my previous post: your Heresy's are 1981, not 1982. To decode Klipsch model years all you need to know is "U" is 1980 and also that the model years use sequential alphabet letters with the exception of "O", "Q", and "V" - which were omitted in the year sequences. Therefore by using our little formula we can deduce that T is 1979, S is 1978, R is 1977, P is 1976 (remember there is no Q), W is 1981, et cetera. Also, more importantly, did you find any air leaks????? Lynnm, Thanks for the vote of confidence! Regards, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 Actually, I did turn them over and sure enough, you were correct. They did have risers at one time, and no one plugged the holes! So I filled the holes with wood filler, from the inside and outside..and it seemed to help a bit. But they still do it, one a great deal more than the other. So next I'm gonna switch woofers, and see if the problem follows the woofer..if so, I'll know I have a bad one ..and of course if not, I'll know that cabinet isn't sealing properly. Also..is there a chance of a component in the crossover network being bad?? I did tighten all connections, and also all drivers to the cabinet! Thanx again for all the great advice! Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 Steve, Switching the woofers around sounds like a good idea. If the previous owner was allowing the woofers to bottom out excessively, the woofers may have been damaged, in which case replacement (or recone by a competant shop) may be in order. I actually like quality recones. A good shop will use factory parts and make them like new. I recently paid $60 to have a K33 done and it turned out great. Also, I doubt a crossover component is the problem - especially in the woofer section. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 Andy thanx for all the help on this matter- I'll swap woofers tomorrow, and post the results. These speakers aren't critical, as I run the khorns all the time..sometimes, when there's more than 2-3 people over they have to sit in odd locations, and I have the heresys on to supplement the horns i.e. filling in the areas outside the horn envelope..again that's not too often but I know what these little speakers can do, and I want the most out of them. I'd probably go for new woofers, as I live in a very small town, and there's no such speaker re-cone shops for hundred of miles.. Thanx again for all help- Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted May 16, 2002 Author Share Posted May 16, 2002 well.. I changed woofers, and the problem followed the woofer..not the cabinet. So I know I have at least one bad driver...the other one may be bad, but not near as pronounced as the other. Andy thanx for the tip on the sealed (or lack thereof) cabinet..I didn't realize this could be a problem. They're sealed up now! I will order a new woofer from Klipsch this week. Thanx all for the input! Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted May 16, 2002 Share Posted May 16, 2002 Steve, Glad you got it figured out! Excessive bottoming can definitely damage a driver. Funny, when the guy removed the stands, he probably never figured he would ruin a woofer. You could probably get the damaged woofer reconed by a local speaker repair shop for about $60. They usually use factory parts. Make a great replacement or a "back up." Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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