mcquicker Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I need to send my KHorns which I bought in 1978 for repairs. My multimeter is reading 3.8 ohms on each speaker apparently they blew out my McIntosh pre-amp and my McIntosh amp. Given that I live in a city with and have no truck, is there a way to disassemble the speaker so I can take the woofer to a repair shop? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Peter Bond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 3.8 ohms is normal....I don't see how your speakers blew out your pre-amp. where are you located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 I'm in San Juan, PR. I have had the K-Horns since '78 and love them. However, I confess I am a neophyte. Why if the speakers are rated at 8 ohms, will a multimeter read 3.8 and does it affect the extra power necessary from an amp/pre amp combination to drive the speakers? Thanks for your help. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Speaker impeadence is frequency related and the rating of the speaker at 8 ohms reflects an average that constitutes the best power transfer and performance. I would check the amp/preamp units first. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 Then having a multimeter reading of 3.8 ohms from the Khorn is ok? Thanks P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Are you getting that reading across the woofer terminals alone or the input terminals to whole speaker? In either case, it's no indication of a problem with the speakers. Do the speakers still work? Have you connected them to another source? The problems with your amp and pre-amp probably lie elsewhere. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 A DCR of 3.8Ω is correct for the Klipschorn/Belle/LaScala/Cornwall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 mcquicker, if removing a khorn woofer is necessary, there is no need to disassemble the speaker. There is a hatch on the side. Once open, the woofer space can be accessed to service the woofer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 After reading the posts from all of you out there who know more about KHorns than I do, I decided to wire the speakers with the fixed McIntosh Amp and the fixed Pre-amp, and frankly, I can't hear anything wrong. It has been years since I tested the speakers wtih a digital recording of the 1812 Overture - and the cannons sounded incredible. However, the bells that a few years ago sounded crisp and clean, seemed muted. I am wondering if, because I use the KHorns mostly to listen to classical music, perhaps I've become too accustomed to the metallic sound of the the cheap speakers on my PC which I used every day and constantly. Is there way to measure and test how well the KHorns are working? Also, with the speakers seat at about 40' from each other and the one farthest from the amp is about 45', what would be the right gauge for the cable? I'm trying to cover all the bases to once and for all set the equiptment so it works at maximum potential. Many thanks in advance. . . Peter ------------------------------------------------------------- 1978 KHorns McIntosh 2205 Amp McIntosh C-32 Optimus switcher box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieWoof Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 with the age of your horns I myself would look into upgrading the crossover as by now they have degraded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Is there a better than most source to get a crossover for the KHorns?How expensive is it? Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZombieWoof Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Is there a better than most source to get a crossover for the KHorns?How expensive is it? Peter ALK Engineering http://www.alkeng.com/klipsch.html he has his prices listed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Your KHorns are 40 feet apart ? I've gotta see a pic to get a grasp of that . It's a no brainer that the 34 year old networks need to be refreshed . Have you added any more furniture to that huge room and then noticed a change in sound ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Hi, Dont forget Bob Crites to for your crossover stuff,40 feet wide wow,,,must be some room.Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 to test your tweeters...you need to disconnect at least one of the tweeter connection wires on the crossover. you should get approx 6.1 to 6.8 DCR. if you try to test while connected, the resulting reading will be alot lower due to the influence of some associated parts on the crossoverboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 "you need to disconnect at least one of the tweeter connection" You can read the tweeter without disconnecting it, only the midrange need be disconnected to read the DCR properly. "However, the bells that a few years ago sounded crisp and clean, seemed muted. " Time for new capacitors, you need four 2µF and two 13F for the pair of AA networks. "the one farthest from the amp is about 45', what would be the right gauge for the cable?" I would suggest 12ga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I would, as recommended by RIck, upgrade the caps in the crossovers first. This won't be very expensive, but will get you back to the original specs. Upgrading parts is kinda like owning a boat (a hole in the water that you throw money into). If the caps don't bring back the thrill and high end, by all means cheack out the rest of the options. [] Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 The replacement caps did bring back the high end on my Cornwall plus low output on one of the K-horns. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 This picture was taken from on top of the 2nd KHorn. In the far end, one KHorn. And YES, I know there's a lot of furniture around it. I'm going to solve that in the next few days. Now, could someone please send me a pic of the "caps" so I know what to do? I've decided to take better care of my Khorns and will be moving them to my office where they will live happily ever after in a temperature control environment and with 40 feet between them. What about the cable gauge for the speakers? Many thanks for the help and suggestions! Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcquicker Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 I tried uploading a pic but did not work. How can I include a picture in the replies? Thanks, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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