New Klipschorn owner here! I have some questions....

[annt]

Just picked up a pair of Klipschorns built in the late 1970's and I have a couple of questions.

Is it really worth updating the crossover and/or the caps?

The speakers sound good to me with the stock crossovers, I'm just wondering, realistically, how much of a difference will the update make?

Second question: Obviously these come with the old style spade/screw binding posts. What do you guys recommend for updating to a more modern binding post that takes banana plugs? I want something that is non-invasive without having to do much modifying/drilling/cutting.

Thanks!

[Brac]

40 year old capacitors are not doing their job, there will be a huge difference. At this point you are not hearing the sound as the artist intended. Next) A screw down binding post is always gonna be a better connection than a "modern" type convenience plug, unless you need a quick connect (planning on moving your k-horns often?)

[jhoak]

As capacitors age many if not most of them do not change value much in terms of their “capacitance” but they become more “resistive”. This is expressed as their ESR value. More resistance means that less signal is getting through them and thereby reducing or “muffling” the output of the driver that they’re attached to.

As a rule changing out old capacitors for new results in a much “brighter” treble and/or midrange wise from the speakers. Some folks do not appreciate or enjoy this BUT what you would be hearing after the capacitor change is much more in line with the original sound or character of the speakers.

My general “rule of thumb” about capacitors is if they’re more than 20 years old replace them. Period. There is simply no harm in doing so and a LOT of potential good.

[TheEvan]

If you're loving the sound, don't touch a thing. After you've become thoroughly inured to their sound, say after a year, you'll really notice the improvement when you freshen or upgrade your crossovers.

[Budman]

If you're loving the sound, don't touch a thing. After you've become thoroughly inured to their sound, say after a year, you'll really notice the improvement when you freshen or upgrade your crossovers.

couldn't have said it better

[DizRotus]

I agree. Leave them alone for at least a few months. Then consider new caps. Bob Crites, BEC on this forum, is a good source.

Also, as was said earlier, use the existing screw/spade termininals. They work. Anything else is a compromise for speed and/or fashion, not performance.

[annt]

Thank you for the advice everyone.

I've decided to change the caps and keep the old binding posts.

[gnatnoop]

i'd like to hear what you think when you get the new caps installed, let us know. [Y]

[annt]

Ok, so I ended up buying a set of used Type AA crossovers by Bob Crites instead of simply upgrading the caps.

It ended up costing me about the same as caps only in the end.

Small complaints about the Crites Crossovers. The way the components are laid out on the board, makes it impossible to drill matching holes that will work with the old screw threads that held the old crossovers. I noticed that this issue is consistent with most of the other crossovers Bob Crites sells on his website.

Another issue is that the Crites crossovers have the wire terminal shifted a couple of inches to the right, which makes it tough to use a couple of the older wires for the squacker and tweeter which were cut perfectly for the old crossover. I'm not an electronics expert, but I dont see any reason why these boards cant be configured similarly to the original crossovers.

First impressions upon listening:

The highs and mids are definitely a bit more pronounced with the new crossovers. Not sure how I feel about this yet, but in general the sound of the klipschorns is better than my old Cornwalls (and far better than my Heresys).

My second observation so far is that the bass sounds pretty good when the speakers are placed out in the open, sans corner walls.

I was surprised by this, because I've heard so much online about how these speakers ABSOLUTELY need a corner.

I placed them in corners and while there does seem to be a very slight improvement with the bass (a bit tighter) I'm really not understanding why people go crazy building false corners or sealing the backs for these speakers when they dont have corner walls.

If I didnt have corners to place them in, I could definitely see myself enjoying these speakers out in the open just the same.

[DizRotus]

I believe Klipsch just attached the crossovers by hand without precise measurements or a jig. In other words, now two were attached in exactly the same spots. If that's correct, it would be impossible for Bob Crites to provide holes that aligned precisely with the old holes.

In my opinion, you shouldn't worry about reusing the exsiting "threads" (holes). In fact, I deliberately avoid the old holes; preferring new wood to screw into. If forced to use the old holes for the networks or drivers, I first insert wooden toothpicks in the holes to give the screws a good bite in that old and dry wood.

If you ignore the old holes, you can then mount the networks in a space that provides access to all connections, while avoiding the possibility of stripped screws in the old holes.

[Marvel]

I was surprised by this, because I've heard so much online about how these speakers ABSOLUTELY need a corner.

I placed them in corners and while there does seem to be a very slight improvement with the bass (a bit tighter) I'm really not understanding why people go crazy building false corners or sealing the backs for these speakers when they dont have corner walls.

If I didnt have corners to place them in, I could definitely see myself enjoying these speakers out in the open just the same.

When I lived in Memphis some 30 odd years ago, a coworker had some SK horns. He had them out from the corners a good three feet, and they sounded pretty amazing.

You you use some velcro to hold in the crossovers. It will hold them in place well, but allow you to remove them more easily if you want/need to.

Bruce