rjsilva Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I just got a pair of Heresy's, HD BB. As I understand it, they were made in 1976 (serial# 26P258/9). Looks like the K-77 Alnico tweeters. I plugged them in to have a listen and they were incredibly heavy in the midrange, very low in the treble and moderate bass. Compared to my RB75s they sounded muffled and a bit thin and lifeless. I think only one of the tweeters is working (I don't know if it's blown or if there is some other problem) but even in the speaker where the tweeter appears to be working I would say it still is extremely mid-range heavy with very little treble. I've attached a photo of the crossover. I've read that recapping might be useful (I do have experience recapping amplifiers), but looking at the enormous weird-shaped caps I'm not sure what to replace them with I'd prefer the best low-cost option with no modifications. I really don't know where to start. Please give advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 to test if the tweeters are working stuff a bathroom hand towel into the midrange horn. this will block off the sound and make it easier to put your ear up to the tweeter. as far as the crossovers you need to losen and retighten each screw on all connections and yes the P stands for 1976 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Bob Crites, a member here sells cap kits on his website. http://www.critesspeakers.com/crossover_repair_kits.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 to test if the tweeters are working stuff a bathroom hand towel into the midrange horn. this will block off the sound and make it easier to put your ear up to the tweeter. So if I don't hear the tweeter does this definitely mean it's toast? If so, what would be the lowest cost option for repair/replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 tag to identify and then clean every contact that you have there as in all of them then you can re assemble and torque the screws tight you will then likely be good as new. A set of Bob's CT125 will sound a lot better and drop right in. I would suggest that you buy all new caps at the same time to save on shipping. These speakers don't go south all that often. Please dont say the contacts look fine (even if they do) remember the age and that nickle oxide is what makes them look shiney. Clean them, they will need it no natter what is wrong. If cleaning does not set the world right get back to us and we can take it from there. Good luck best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 to test if the tweeters are working stuff a bathroom hand towel into the midrange horn. this will block off the sound and make it easier to put your ear up to the tweeter. So if I don't hear the tweeter does this definitely mean it's toast? If so, what would be the lowest cost option for repair/replacement? As steted earlier, Crites Speakers sells tweets, too. If the wires are good, connections are good, and no caps are blown apart, and you don't hear the tweeter when there is a sock stuffed in the midhorn, then the tweeter is toast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 to test if the tweeters are working stuff a bathroom hand towel into the midrange horn. this will block off the sound and make it easier to put your ear up to the tweeter. So if I don't hear the tweeter does this definitely mean it's toast? If so, what would be the lowest cost option for repair/replacement? if you don't hear anything then they need to be rebuilt. i send all my stuff ( tweeters/crossovers ) to bob crites and have him rebuild them. 1st best option is to send them to critesspeakers. website is listed below 2nd best option is to buy some tweeters from somebody here on the forum. 3rd best is to buy some on ebay http://www.critesspeakers.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Thanks for the replies! I cleaned all of the terminals (with Deoxit) and no change. After blocking the squawkers I hear sound out of one tweeter but not the other. I feel like it's important to say that the speaker with the working tweeter is still insanely mid-range heavy. Not sure what that means. It looks like someone replaced or repaired the one tweeter which works(ish) - the K77 plate appears missing off the back of that tweeter (or was maybe never there) and the wires are soldered quite differently. Is there any chance a bad cap could cause a weak and/or non-existent tweeter and extremely heavy mid-range? I'm going to replace the caps regardless, but I would not be able to replace the tweeters right now. I'd love to support Bob Crites but have almost no funds to allocate to these speakers right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 most likely problem with tweeters is that the diaphragms are blown. Bob Crites can help you with replacement diaphragms. It's not an expensive proposition. Are these tweeters with the round back or square backs. The older alinco (round back) sometimes lose some magnet power and sound weak, but no sound at all seems to be the problem and it wouldn't be possible yet to know if that is an issue. after all is restored to factory spec (new caps will essentially accomplish this) and the mids are still forward, you can change the mid tap on the autoformer and drop the squawker output by 3db. I have done this (in some rooms) with pleasing results and to my ears more balanced sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 The plot always thickens. Do you have a meter? Do you have a real soldering iron meant for electronics and if so can you use it? It would seem to me that smartest thang that you could do would be to send your crossover and tweeters directly to Bob Crites and have him check them out and repair what needs to be repaired.Have Bob rebuild your networks at the same time. Your tweeters may only be out of alignment but from the information given who knows. If you can solder then I would suggest that you solder flow all the connection of the wires to ring connectors. Disconnect them from the barrier strip first solder the connections to the ring connectors and then re clean them (the connectors) before you re connect to the strip. Crimp on ring connectors can be a problem at this age. If you want to check your theory about a bad capacitor being the issue then swap the tweeters and see if the problem follows the tweeter or stays with the crossover. Be very careful when soldering the tweeters and mid drivers make sure that you use a very good iron with a brand new tip. Go in hot and don't stay there any longer than you need to with your iron. Do not use a soldering gun.Best regards Moray James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Thanks guys for the ideas! I'll go ahead and order capacitors because I'd do that regardless - maybe it'll make a difference. Good idea about swapping the tweeter Moray. And yes I can solder, but I only have a basic multimeter. I did see some diaphragms on eBay for $20 shipped, so if the one tweeter doesn't come back to life that might be an option. Although I'd really love to have Bob Crites do the work I'm just not able, and I'm too impatient to wait until I can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Don't just buy one diaphragm, buy two, and replace both of them. The Heresy was designed to sit on the floor. People often elevate the speaker and then complain about the midrange being too forward and the bass being on the weak side. If you are going to elevate the speaker, you might consider a different network design. We can help you through this, but we need to know how you intend to use the speakers. So, don't buy any caps until you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 the $20 diaphrams only on eBay are very fragile and difficult to work with. You can buy the part preassembled and mounted (so all you do is slip the quick connectors on) from Klipsch. I highly recommend repairing them so that every thing works, then LISTEN, then and only then consider making modifications. It amazes me how many folks charge right ahead without giving the speaker a listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Yeah, what Dean said too. [:$] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 Thanks guys! I don't intend on elevating them at this point and I'd prefer not to modify them. Though I already bought some Solen replacement caps simply because I know that a capacitor's performance deteriorates over time, and since I have a very limited budget to troubleshoot this that seemed like a good place for a Heresy novice to start. I don't mind the leaner bass (my main speakers are RB75s with no sub and I'm quite happy with that), but when I say the midrange is heavy, I really mean the midrange is heavy - it sounds like a squawker with a side order of bass and a sprinkling of treble I will probably end up hooking them up to my daughter's Yamaha micro-system (she does ballet and I've been slowing trying to upgrade her audio system). I'm sure they'll remain the floor. This is my first experience with Heritage speakers so I don't really know what to expect. I'd love for them to be smooth and easy to listen to, and having a more pronounced midrange is fine as long as there is some bass and treble to go along with it. Is that enough info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Be sure to check polarity on the speaker that looked like it has been workid on. If it's wired out of phase you'll have some cancellation. The easiest way to tell if a tweeter is toast is to disconnect the wires from it and check it with an Ohm meter. If it reads open, you know it's bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsilva Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 I installed the Solen caps today and there is a nice improvement! Still heavy in the midrange but better, and the sound is smoother as well. The one tweeter is still not making any sound. I did test it and the multimeter is not reading open - does that mean the problem could be elsewhere? Also, I didn't have time to verify but it really seemed like the working tweeter got weaker after I put the back of the cabinet back on - does that make any sense? Daddy Dee, I'd be very interested to know about changing the mid tap on the autoformer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.