t.r.o.d Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Hello Everyone! I recently purchased a pair of Kg4s from their original owner who was only parting with them because he was downsizing his belongings so that he could move to Africa to continue work with an NGO HE had set up (truly a great guy). It was a four-hour drive for me, but I didn't mind given the fact that they're in prisitne physical condition (like new, in their original boxes since he has had them in storage for the last 15 years), and the price we agreed on was great compared to what they're going for on eBay in that condition... He even threw in a nice looking Luxman CD player and tape deck! When I drove back home however, and finally got the chance to test them out, I saw that the tweeter horn was dead in one of the Kg4s. I quickly went online to find assistance and found this wonderful forum, filled with great information and referrals to great sources for parts (including Mr. Crites). After some research, I found that the problem is most likely the diaphragm, since the problem follows the horn, even when plugged in to the other cabinet. I called Mr. Crites, expecting to leave a message since it was Sunday evening. Instead, I was soon on the phone with Mr. Crites himself (amazing customer service) who explained that the titanium diaphragms are out of stock at the moment since the manufacturer produces only limited quantities, and that there is no way of knowing when more will be available. He suggested I write an e-mail to be placed on a notification list so that I could be informed when they become available... NOW to my actual question... Since I can't wait to start enjoying my new speakers, I browsed around other speaker parts websites trying to see if anyone else offered a replacement. I found one site (simplyspeakers) that offered a replacement for as low as $18. I'm assuming they won't measure up to the work Mr. Crites does, but would it be okay for me to purchase one of these replacements to hold me over 'till the titanium ones are available from Crites? I ask becasuse I haven't seen any reviews on them. Is there any chance that one of these diaphragms may damage the speaker in the meantime? I also called Klipsch which offered an OEM replacement for $30, but I figured, since I'm going to replace them both soon anyway, I can go for something cheaper in the meantime. Any suggestions or experiences with these and other third party replacement parts websites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Welcome to the forum. People here are very dedicated. The fact that you drove so far shows that you are like us. Smile. I would buy a Klipsch unit, or maybe even two. A spare is sometimes handy. Klipsch has excellent service and support. It is impossible for me to predict what you get on the Internet. Saving $12 for so does not make sense to me. There are people who get $20 worth of enjoyment out of saving $5 and that is why they will pay $10 to do it. Smile. The following is based on my experience replacing a diaphragm on a tweeter on one of my Quartets. Your task is probably very similar. Take pictures and make notes. You will have to take the tweeter out of the box. Putting the box on its back makes things easier. Good lighting can help too. Watch for a square gasket behind the mounting of the front of the horn. You'll have to get that back into position upon re-assembly. There will be two wires attached to the tweeter assembly. Note which one goes where. One may be black and the other another color or striped. There may be a red dot on the tweeter near one of the connections. Once out of the box you should be able to see how the tweeter comes apart. In my case, Klipsch supplied a sheet of instructions. It looked like a 10th generation photocopy. Hopefully this has changed. There may or may not be ferro-fluid in the ring shaped gap. It will look like a brown blob. Leave it there. There may be an issue putting it back together. The front board of the speaker box may be fiberboard or MDF rather than plywood and it may be a bit insubstantial. That is to say the threads created by the screws are delicate. I used some clear nail polish to harden up the edges of the hole. Of course let the nail polish harden. No, you will not hurt the tweeter by making the replacement. But. you'll see that you have to get the cylindrical voice coil on the diaphragm assembly into the ring shaped magnet gap. So be gentle. No coffee for you until you complete the process. Smile. WMcD The connections are probably small push on connections which can be pulled off. Have some masking tape at hand to prevent the wires from falling back inside the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Trod, Welcome to the forum. In time or even at this moment, you will see what a great bunch of people are members of this community. We are always willing to help in any way we can. Place an ad in the "Garage Sale" section titled "WTB Original KG4 Tweeter Diaphragms or Titaniums". Don't be surprised if a member responds with an offer to ship you original phenolic ones for shipping cost only or for no $$$ at all. I have seen it many times. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t.r.o.d Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks so much for the information! I’ll try the Garage Sale Forum and see if any originals are available there… I guess I’ll have to be patient. If there are none available, I’ll just go ahead and purchase new from Klipsch… Mr. McDermott has a point… not really worth placing a subpar component in a high quality speaker for $12 savings… And now I feel confident with doing the switch myself… Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachuckster Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I contacted Mr. Crites looking for a set, and he notified me in a week or two when they came in. I paid for a set and they were sent out right away. He was very quick with responses to the few questions I have and the install took about 15 minutes. Quite happy with the sound, not night and day differences, but very nice sounding. Thank you Mr. Crites! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson4 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hi there. i am new to the forum. Have a set of Klipsch kg4s. They sounded great but now one of the tweeters is almost silent. There is still a little sound coming out. Tried swtiching the tweeters and the good one plays good in the other box so it must be the tweeter. Who is this Mr. Crites that you talk about and how do I get in contact with him? Thanks for the help. Did you have any luck on the garage sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skally Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Hello J-4 and welcome!! Bob Crites repairs, rebuilds and offer's replacement & upgrade parts for Klipsch speakers.... great guy by the way!! Anyhow, here is the site to contact him..... www.critesspeakers.com I have a pair of Klipsch KG 5.5's as I used him for the upgrade of my tweeters & crossovers. Do you have the KG4's or the KG 4.2/4.5's ? The reason I ask is because the KG 4's have the K-74-K tweeter as the 4.2/4.5's have the K-85-K.... smae as the KG 5.5's I have. If its the 4.2/4.5 I do have the orig. pair you can have in which are still good, just orig. is all. To be honest thou, I would reccomend the new Ti-tweers over the orig.'s as they are not that much... if Bob has them in stock that is?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson4 Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have the Kg4s with the k-74-k tweeter. I found Bob's web site and have a pair of diaphragms on order. Thanks for the help. This was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skally Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Sounds good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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