Klipsch KG 5.5 Refresh

[Music Luva]

I've had my Klipsch KG 5.5's for a few years. I bought them off a guy who had taken great care of them. I've used them in a couple of roles: 1) 5.1 rears with KLF 10 mains and 2) currently as mains to my 2.0 Living Room.

Recently, I noticed a slight bumble bee vibration coming from one of the woofers at lower volumes. I'm always window shopping on eBay for Klipsch speakers. Mostly to look. I like seeing how well some vintage Klipsch speakers have aged over time. And I've been wanting to do the Crites upgrades to my tweets.

I figured I might have to repair the woofer or find some used replacements on eBay. But, during this particular search, I stumbled across a replacement woofer for the KG 5.5:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160962694691?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

I was intrigued by how this driver was built to replace the K-1023-K. It's looks can pass as a twin. And the magnet structure looks MUCH beefier. Throw in this is a new driver and I was ready to try one out. I emailed the seller about any discounts. They replied back and told me to shop their main website for quantity discount prices and better shipping rates. So, I ordered 4 from the retailer's website.

http://www.mawebcenters.com/midwestspeaker/ecommerce/home-audio/woofers/10/mw-audio-mw-5010-10-inch-woofer.html

Then I went to Bob Crites listing and ordered the tweets. I am looking forward to refreshing my KG 5.5s. I realize I could also get Bob's crossovers, but I want to see how much difference there is in the drivers using the old crossovers first.

I love my speakers and I've been wanting to do some upgrades. If this works out, I might be on the look for another pair of KG 5.5s in the future. I'll come back later with the results from my upgrades. I might even take some side by side pics as I do one tower, then the other.

[McMiRA]

I love my kgs. I have (2) kg5.5 with titanium tweeter and crites crossover and (4) km-2 completely stock ( military version of kg5.5). They are all part of my 11.2 setup. I have played both the crites and the stocks as 2ch and as centers. Right now the modded are running left and right and the other (4) are running center and wide. Seem to have a more detail and controlled sharpness to them.tad bit brighter. Sound great . Dont know if its the crossovers or the titanium diaphrams, never head The one without the other since i bought them already modded. I'm curious about the woofers you've found. Let me know how they work out.vmight be time to finally build that custom center I've been wanting.

[Arash]

today I just listened to KG 5.5 for the first time in my life and got disappointed how BOXY they sounded [] I was optimistic when going to hear them and I wanted to take them but turn out to be a creature from another planet than other Heritages I've heard so far (LS, CW, Khorns, Heresy)

[Music Luva]

While we all agree Klipsch makes the best speakers in the world, , finding the right speaker to match your listening tastes can also be a journey.

I was fortunate to find my KLF 10's as the first major speaker purchase of my life. I took 10 cds with me to the showroom when I bought them. I demo'd for over an hour with the patient salesman who eventually got his sale. I love hard rock and heavy metal. For me, there is no better speaker than the KLFs for me. Their response is perfect for my listening needs.

A few years ago, I decided I wanted to expand my hobby for music and movies and bought my KG 5.5s and a few months later, bought a pair of CF3s. For me, the KG 5.5s lack the fast bass response and high end when compared to the KLF 10s. The CF3s kinda disappointed me. But I'm learning to appreciate their sound. I also bought a KV4 to give me a 3 channel feel for them. And I'm warming up to them.

After I move, I'm gonna go with the CF3s and KV4 in one room and KLF10s, KLF-C7 and 2 pairs of KG 5.5s for 7.1

I have high hopes for my upgrades. If they work out, I'll do it to the next pair of KG 5.5s.

Frankly, even though I prefer the KLF10s to CF3s and KG 5.5s, I love all of my speakers. And I love Klipsch products. Frankly, I'd rather buy a vintage Klipsch speaker and refurb them as opposed to buying new everytime.

I still have a dream to own a pair of La Scalas.

[Music Luva]

I'm curious about the woofers you've found. Let me know how they work out.vmight be time to finally build that custom center I've been wanting.

I'll report back my findings. I just hope I can find a good enough way to test an upgraded speaker vs. stock speaker to give me a somewhat accurate comparison.

[Music Luva]

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back. I've got a long of things going on, but here's the pics:

Side by side comparison. The Left Speaker is the new replacement. The Right Speaker is the OEM Klipsch.

[Music Luva]

Top view of speakers. The Top Speaker is the replacement. The Bottom Speaker is the OEM Klipsch. Notice the beauty ring on the Klipsch vs. the layered paper ring on the replacement. Also, the replacement has more holes. Have no fear! They line up perfectly with the OEM holes. It's just a difference in appearance.

[Music Luva]

Installed front view comparison (excuse lighting). The Bottom Speaker is the replacement. And the Top Speaker is the OEM Klipsch.

[Music Luva]

Installed view from the side (excuse lighting). The Left Speaker is the replacement and the Right Speaker is the OEM Klipsch.

[Music Luva]

And here is the finished upgrade. One tower with 2 replacement speakers.

[Music Luva]

After replacing the woofers and tweeters on both towers, I've listened to them over 20 hours. I have not been able to give them the full battery of tests. These towers are in my Living Room. They are relegated to TV listening and XBox playing. I will also confess that I am using my TV as an audio switcher. My TV, DVD and Xbox 360 are connected to the TV. And I use the optical out on the TV to my Sherwood Newcastle R-965. It's a setup of convenience. But it does hinder my ability to give a good analysis.

What I do know is, even with limited sourcing, the upgrades have made my speakers respond much better. The highs are definitely crisper and clearer with the Crites upgrades. And the bottom end is deeper than previous.

I would like to return some day and give a more in depth analysis, but I honestly don't have the space or time to move these speakers into my theater room and crank them up for hours on end to truly break them in and audition the differences.

I wanted to get the pics up and give my initial review. I definitely think it was money well spent. Upon uninstalling my old woofers, I found several areas where the aged glue has lost its adhesion and parts of the speakers were coming apart. All in all, these speakers were needing to be replaced and the replacements are pretty darn good. The Crites tweeter upgrades really made the speakers sparkle and were an added bonus.

I did find 2 negatives with the replacement speakers. And I'm probably nit picking, but.....

1) They were shipped in 4 small boxes inside a larger box. However, the small boxes were "no nonsense" oem boxes with no writing or bracing inside for the speakers. Everything arrived as it should but I did notice the cheaper smaller boxes used. The double boxing helped.

2) On 2 of the speakers, the layered paper beauty rings were not glued correctly. I used double sided tape to fix the areas that were not connected. All in all, it was nothing functionally wrong with the speaker, just an annoyance. After applying the double sided tape, everything looked great and you couldn't see the repairs.

On the positive side, the speakers are much heavier and appear to be very well built. Cosmetically, there is not much noticeable difference to the average user. Those with more detailed tastes may not appreciate the loss of the OEM beauty rings, but that appears to be the only trade offs for getting a new recently manufactured driver.

I would rate the overall replacement speaker experience an 8.5 out of 10. The beauty ring defects and appearance difference are the only things I am detracting.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the upgrades. I hope this review was informative and helpful.

[Music Luva]

Well, here I am 3 months later. Last weekend I finally moved the KG 5.5's as the mains to my P-965 and A-965. I demoted the CF-3's to the living room.

On my separates, I can definitely notice the new drivers are started to break in nicely. I'm listening to Dave Matthews right now. The Crites tweeters are definitely a nice upgrade. I can hear subtleties previously I could not in anything I audition. The stock KG 5.5 tweets tended to shrill at higher volumes compared to my KLF-10s. Now, I don't notice it as I've listened to AC/DC, Counting Crows, Alice in Chains and others.

I always thought the stock K-85-K tweets seemed very metallic in sound. The Crites titanium tweets seem to almost breathe with the music. It's almost like the tweeter doesn't get in the way of the music. They are more subtle, soft and elegant. It's a nice tweak to some great towers.

In comparison, the KLF-10's seem to scream music. Which is great for rockin' out and staging for metal and hard rock. I like the Crites tweets, a lot. To my ears, they definitely shine in clarity, separation and warmth. I can sense that with tube preamp and amp, these tweets would almost make any room feel like a recording studio on softer songs. They really do highlight the absence of sound. Quiet passages are very noticeable between and during tracks. They are a definite and must have upgrade to any KG 5.5s.

The woofers I found seem to be great upgrades to the stock K-1023-K woofs. In a previous review, I felt the K-1023-K's seem to let bass roll off at higher volumes. They didn't try to wrangle the notes and hold on to them. They produce them loosely and let them go quickly. Unlike the KLF-10's which simply bare down, white knuckle and beat bass into submission. The KLF-10's have always impressed me with their ability to ground and pound bass.

The upgraded woofs are very punchy. They are a bit deeper and more controlled compared to the K-1023-K's. While they don't grip bass like the KLF-10's, they are very true to the notes and sound very taut. At higher volumes they perform similarly to the K-1023-K's as they allow bass to roll off. But not as loosely. Again, very tight and punchy.

On a last note, I've also been watching a few movies with the 5.5's as the mains on my separates. I'm using my KLF-C7 as the center with my KLF-10's as the rears. I have noticed vocals to be better staged, but the woofers seem to leave a gap in the front. For my taste, they blend a little too much with the KLF-C7's 8in woofers. The KLF-10's are all around champs and dominate the front stage in an excellent fashion. They blend seamlessly with the KLF-C7 on vocals but strand front and center on all bass passages. They definitely create an awesome movie experience. While the upgraded KG 5.5's seem to leave you expecting a little more in action sequences. I noticed this with the stock KG 5.5's. So I don't think it's a knock on the upgrades. I think the KLF's are simply much better all around speakers.

No disappointments at all on my upgraded KG 5.5's. They got better in music and movies. But the improvement is more noticeable in music. It's just hard to listen to them and not know what the KLF-10's bring to the table.

Next up: The Crites KG 5.5 crossover.

I am ordering the Crites KG 5.5 crossover and plan to do the install sometime around early July. I'm looking forward to it.

[Music Luva]

I got the crossovers in and couldn't wait. So, I installed them over the weekend. During installation, I discovered I had blown one of the titanium tweeters. Well, technically, a blown stock crossover led to the destruction. Bob helped me diagnose the problem and responded promptly to my emails. Once we found the problem, I ordered another pair of tweets and they came in today. I've been listening to the completely refreshed towers for a few hours.

I am not completely done. My first attempt to re-secure the foam to the cabinet failed. Over time, the glue had dried and the foam was freely moving about in the cabinets. I'm going back this weekend with Gorilla Glue.

After replacing every component in the KG 5.5's with upgrades, I am very pleased with the outcome. Aesthetically, the upgrades are practically seamless except for the beauty rings on the new woofers. Musically, the towers seem to be less strained in sound. The titanium tweeters have completely warmed up the stage. The woofers are deeper and fuller. And the crossovers have added depth to the bottom end and a richness to the top.

They are not as "in your face" as the KLF-10's, but they have nice balance at all volumes and are a very warm sounding all around performer. I definitely am pleased with the results.

Here are some pics of the crossovers...

[Music Luva]

Crites crossover vs. Klipsch OEM crossover

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Crites crossover

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Installed

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Input Connectors

[Music Luva]

I'd like to finish by saying the Crites family make quality products and provide great and friendly service. I was thrilled to find their titanium tweeter upgrades. I was amazed to see the quality crossovers they produce. And I've always been appreciative of their fast and friendly service.

If you're thinking of taking the Crites plunge, you won't be disappointed.

[McMiRA]

After reading this it has re sparked my interest in building a kg5.5 center. Right now I'm running 2 of them for a center but I would like to move them to the rear and build a proper box with the horn and port centered between the woofers. I now just need to find a single kg, or purchase all the parts online. The hard part for me to swallow is I can find pairs of kgs for around the same price as the parts to build just one. Are the eBay subs around 100 each? The crites stuff is worth every penny, I wish every company was as wonderful to deal with as them.

[Music Luva]

The hard part for me to swallow is I can find pairs of kgs for around the same price as the parts to build just one. Are the eBay subs around 100 each? The crites stuff is worth every penny, I wish every company was as wonderful to deal with as them.

I'll be the first to admit, there was nothing economical about my approach. I did a complete refresh (woofers, tweeters and crossovers). If you do it, you'll never get your money back if you sell. In fact, the next guy would get one heck of a pair of KG's for half of what you paid if you do.

First off, I was bored, . My love for music and movies hasn't faded in over 25 years. I've gotten busy for periods of time and have to reintroduce myself to my passion. But every time I fire up my theater, I'm reminded why I love it so much. And wonder why I let things distract me.

I wanted to try the Crites upgrades out. For me, I want to keep my KGs and KLFs forever. And I realize parts wear out. At some point, any pair you own or buy will need refreshing. I'm not the type to recone speakers. I simply don't have the patience or work space. And I really didn't want to venture too far from the stock look. I considered Parts Express for the woofers, but I felt if I went that route, I wouldn't feel like I had Klipsch speakers afterwards. The woofers I found on eBay are almost identical in appearance and offer better sound reproduction.

I will say this, the Crites crossovers and tweets are the most noticeable change you can make. The tweets are spectacular. No, I'm serious, they are phenomenal compared to OEM IF you enjoy subtleties in your highs and mids. And the crossovers have a quality about them that almost makes you want to look at them all day. With the KG 5.5's he supplies replacement wiring. The whole kit is absolute quality top to bottom. Compared to OEM, you feel like you bought a small bookshelf speaker to put inside your floorstanding speaker. I can't say enough.

You might want to go that route first. Use Crites tweets and crossovers. Then, in time, address the woofers as they need replacing. Replacing the woofs is a 15 minute project that doesn't require anything but a screwdriver. If you do the tweets and crossovers last, you'll have to breakdown the entire cabinet.

Considering the center speaker is the most important part of your staging and the tweets and crossovers would be the most important components in the equation, I would recommend using OEM woofs until later. You'll appreciate the staging from Crites gear.

I'd like to see pics when you're done.

Good luck!