KLF-30's

[LCSeminole]

Moray,

I just want to thank you for your response. I did in fact just get off the phone with Bob Crites and he recommended to start with new crossovers for my KLF-20's and KLF-C7, as well as the titanium diaphragms for both the 20's and C7. He's making me the crossovers, and I've also ordered the titanium diaphragms, so hopefully I'll have these parts before the weekend, so I can start my speaker upgrade. Hopefully the OP doesn't think I'm hijacking this thread, as the diaphragms are the same for his 30's, so hopefully I can add to this discussion and give my thoughts after installing the titanium diaphragms. Just curious what everyone here thats done these same upgrades have thought of the end results. I will also visit the archives and dig up previous posts on the subject. Thanks again......................LC

[stormin]

Did you really think about what you just said? I just gave you an explaination as to why it matters but it should be obvious, he said a large portion of the throat was covereed by the gasket and you think that is fine? Best put the grills back on so you don't have to think about it. Best regards Moray James.

What you forgot is that I am the one that just sold them to him and there isn't actually an 1/8th of an inch difference from one side to the other. I know the speakers very well and talked to Klipsch about them many times on the phone. The gaskets are orange so they stand out like a sore thumb and you can tell that they are just a little different from each other. If it was covering half of the throat of course there might be an issue.

I had no intentions of being rude but to make a comparison as you did was rude.

Some like Legends other not so much. There are many speakers in the Klipsch family to choose from all with their own strengths and weaknesses. The way some people chop up the original design I think they should just build their own speakers because sometimes you can no longer call them by the manufacturers name.

[moray james]

Stormin: I stand by my comments. If the color is your biggest cocern change them but if that is too much trouble then take a sharpie to them and all your troubles will go away but your idea of just playing them withthe dust cover in place really is the easiest answer.Anyone who tell you that a gasket sticking out 1/8 of an inch on one side of the throat (and probably resulting in recess on the opposite side of the throat). Any protrusions or gaps caused by a gasket out of position beterrn the driver and the throat of the horn will cause distortion (remember this is a compression driver) at the throat which is 100% totally unnecessary and avoidable. I don't see why you would want to argue this point?

I like the legend series and their flaws are minor and easily corrected. I decided early on in my quset for Klipsch to buy and try so I would know myself which models I liked. I have purchased two sets of Heresy, Forte, Forte ll and two sets of KLF20 and the parts for a set of CF3 (my best purchase I think) all so I could know for myself how the each sound and what they can do. I have enjoyed each pair and do not regret the purchase of any of these. I might add that all of these speakers were purchased and shipped and I accept this as part of the cost of learning about the product line. All my Klipsch are mine to use and to modify as I choose and see fit, I appologize to no one for what I do withmy speakers. The represent a wonderful learning opportunity and they all respond to care and attention none have been a disapointment. Right now I am running my KLF20 dual tens running off of a CF3 crossover. The Horn I am running is a Peavey CH-1 with the stock CF3 compression drivers. I don't care what you call this, I call it brilliant. I see no rules or boundries as far as modification go each new idea tried and found valid is available to past and future projects. I don't buy speakers to keep stock for a lifetime. I respect Klipsch and I do my very best to leave each speaker I modify better than when I bought it. That is my hobby. Best regards Moray James.

[moray james]

I would make one suggestion to you. Make a pair of fiberglass disks to fit inside the Ti diaphragms. When you remove the stock poly diaphragms you might even find a pair of fiberglass pads in there re use them if they are there. Bob C. will likely tell you to leave them out. For your information Klipsch use these in the Heresy3. I have listened to tweeters and mids alike with and without the pads and much prefer the sound with pads. They are simple and cheap to make and the help a lot. You can be your own judge. You are in for a treat and I hope that you get your parts for the weekend so you can hav some fun. Runnig Ti diaphragms for both tweeter and mid driver tak your speakers to a whole other level of performance you will be impressed and delighted with them. Best regards Moray James,.

[stormin]

Well if your going to stand by your car comment I'll stand by mine.

As far as you and Frankenklipsch thats your business.

Do Klipsch a favor and buy a new pair instead of telling them all that they did wrong with their discontinued line. Thats just a suggestion nothing else. I think you can easlily lead folks a stray in your DIY world that is all about your taste. I won't ask you about Chorus II's cause I would prefer not to hear it.

As far as the OP I see his are for sale. That didn't take long.

[moray james]

As a matter of fact I have purchased a lot of Klipsch stuff including some reference series and they just don't spin my crank. I would believe it or not likely love to have a pair of K402 with who knows what for bass in a two way configutation. What people and companies do right and wrong is good to know, good for me good for the company good for you and all for that matter. Any suggestion that I make or you make or that anyone makes will be tainted by their opinions. That's why you need lots of opinions and that's why you lean good judgement and trust where it is earned. My contribution here is what I learn take that or leave it you are free to choose. All my speaker projects are 100% about my likes and my dislikes. As for the Chorus ll I see it as a better Cornwall, it's a Forte ll with a fifteen inch woofer. I like smaller dia. woofers over larger ones. We don't have to like the same kind of cheese to both like cheese. Lets just agree to diagree on a whole lot of things but we both like Klipsch so there is a point of interest in common and that is a point for celibration. Best regards Moray James.

[sthomas12321]

I went ahead and went inside the mid driver and corrected the gasket. Its even on all sides now, but I think what the problem really was is that this gasket is too big when you tighten it down. It fits perfectly until you touch and tighten the housing and then it kind of mushrooms bigger. Actually, it now looks exactly like all the other photo's Ive seen of the Klipsch klf 30....but in the other speaker I own, the gasket is almost flush with the throat of the housing(less then what photo's show). I guess it doesn't matter. I couldn't hear any difference from before and after I fixed these, accept for "possibly" a bit more mid range sound coming through. Hard to say for sure. I may take a knife and trim it down to match. Not sure yet.

I'm going to order the titanium tweeter diaphrams. Reason is because the thing I like least about these speakers is they roll off slightly too fast, and also the mid range driver is a slight bit harsh/horn sounding. Hopefully the titanium tweeter will not only give me extended range, but maybe even take some of the harsh mid sound away. If so, this is going to be one heck of a speaker. I already love it for what it can do that most speakers cannot.

[stormin]

Sounds like your on your way. Remember alot of folks like tubes on those horns. Just something else to think about. I find the KLF 30 mid to be very aggresseive on every pair I have ever listened to. You have some nice equipment there so I know its not that. I have heard them with tons of different gear. Alot of folks put a big SS on the woofers and a tube amp on the mids and highs. Best of both worlds.

[sthomas12321]

Just ordered the titanium tweeters after talking with Bob. I told him I was able to get the sound i was looking for by boosting the manual eq in my prepro by +2 db at 20khz. I know it's only 2db, but it makes a huge difference with cymbols, hi hats,and such instruments.Also the imaging is a huge improvement. Aso, the mids are so harsh. I had a feeling the roll off was the reason these speakers sounded a little dull and slightly harsh. If the new tweeters sound as good as the stock with a +2 db bump at 20khz I'm going to be thrilled!

Anyway, he did say the new titanium diaphrams would give me extended range I am looking for....just as Moorey james also stated.

I'll post back when I get them installed. Thx!

[SWL]

Aso, the mids are so harsh

Can't you lower the mids on your eq?

[sthomas12321]

If the new tweeter doesnt help, I may play around with the eq more.Would rather get the speaker smooth without eq if possible.

[moray james]

Your discription of the mids would not fit my findings of this horn even stock. I would question your findings, check to see if you are not shooting the messinger here. Horns tend to highlight any issues in your system or room..

Perhaps KLF owners would comment on how they find the quality of the mid horns in the KLF20 and the KLF30 (same mid horn same range). Harsh tweeters (poly) yes but the mids are phenolic and pretty smooth. Best regards Moray James.

[stormin]

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/22768/186794.aspx#186794

few owners of both.

[sthomas12321]

Just installed the titanium diaphrams about a hour ago. So glad I bought these! Thanks so much to Moorey James for recommending the new titanium diaphrams. I have to say I had my doubts, but these are so much more improved then the sound I was getting before(not that it was bad, just that much better). Now they are extended as a speaker should be, and I also have noticed the harsh sound I was hearing is gone. Must have been the tweeters and not the mids after all.

Can't say thanks enough to Bob Crites. I feel like I am hearing these speakers how they were intended to sound. I am not a tweaker at all, but this has actually got me curious about crites cross overs,etc too. Couldn't be happier!

If you have been thinking about upgrading your tweeter diaphrams on these KLF speakers, trust me you won't be dissapointed. For anyone with critical ears, the difference is pretty big in my personal opinion.

Edit**

Left them play all day, just sat down and listened again. these are incredible. So smooth. I actually prefer the grills off now. I'm going to look into the ti mids (klipsch) and cross overs (bob crites). These are shaping up to being some of the best speakers ive ever owned.

[moray james]

Good for you. Wait for a few mor weeks (play them hard loud and long) and see how much better they will sound this is just the beginning.This will give you a taste of what Ti mid diaphragms will do,changing out the mids will have a greater impact upon the sound than the tweeters did. Drop some fiberglass pads into your tweeters and mids they only take minutes to make and install and they help to reduce reflections. Get some dynamat and treat your horns for further noise reduction. I do recommend you stiffen the mids first. Once you have the ti mids in place you will begin to understand why spending more on these great speakers makes sense. They will return your efforts and expenditure with finer sound than you ever imagined them capable of, it is in them just waiting to be released. Best regards Moray James.

[SWL]

So smooth. I actually prefer the grills off now

Me too. These are the only speakers I've ever had that the grill actually made a difference. They sound slightly cramped with the grills on in comparison. Not a "night and day" difference but a difference nonetheless. Room treatments will enhance every aspect of the speaker as well (as with any speaker system).

I'm curious to try the Ti mids as well so I'll be interested to hear your impressions if you get them. In the meantime, I do the "smiley-face" with the tone controls on my preamp so the mids aren't a problem.

These are shaping up to being some of the best speakers ive ever owned.

Glad to hear it. My experience as well. [Y]

[SWL]

Drop some fiberglass pads into your tweeters and mids they only take minutes to make and install and they help to reduce reflections.

MJ,

When powering my 30's with tubes it's not an issue but when I feel the need for more horsepower I go to my higher power solid state amps and let er rip. I'd like to experiment with the fiberglass pads in my tweeters that you mention in this situation. Can you go into more detail of what materials you use for this and exactly how you intalled them. I'm always up for trying "cheap" tweaks. If they work great....if not, then oh well.

[SWL]

Drop some fiberglass pads into your tweeters and mids they only take minutes to make and install and they help to reduce reflections.

MJ,

When powering my 30's with tubes it's not an issue but when I feel the need for more horsepower I go to my higher power solid state amps and let er rip. I'd like to experiment with the fiberglass pads in my tweeters that you mention in this situation. Can you go into more detail of what materials you use for this and exactly how you intalled them. I'm always up for trying "cheap" tweaks. If they work great....if not, then oh well.

[moray james]

I like to use the yellow high density fiberglass that you find used in flexie ceiling tiles to make my damping pads.Simply cut the figerglass into disks the same inside diamter as your diaphragms trim for thickness to fit it into the inside of the diaphragm dome and you are done. This will damp any resonances inside the cavity of the diaphragm. Some dome tweeters use exactly the same idea.. Klipsch Heresy 3 tweeter is fitted stock like this. I have not opened my H3 mid yet to check. This is a simple and effective mod to tidy up the sound. Hope this hepls. Best regards Moray James.

[rennoc442]

Moray- you have pm.