Crackling tweeters KG 5.5

[Aj72]

Hi

Ive got a pair of thirteen year old KG 5.5. I still love these speakers but lately Ive noticed that the tweeters in each speaker are starting to crackle a little bit. I think they're telling me they need to be changed. Ive read that the titanium tweeters (crites?) are a good fit for an improvement on the old ones. Is this correct? Will this solve my crackling issue? How easy is it for a novice to perform the changeover? Im sure these questions have been asked before but couldn't find any thread. Thanks in advance. I live in Australia so whats the best place to obtain replacement parts taking into account postage to Australia.

[moray james]

Bob Crites is your go to man for ti diaphragms. As for the cost of post and duty you will simply have to suck it up because it is and that is notgoing to change. Have you checked to seeif your drivers are still snugly mounted to your horns and the horns are snug to the cabinet? Worth checking. If you have to switch out you should be good as new. Now would also be a good time to buy some new caps for the crossovers and ship together and save on double postage. Go take a look at Bob's site and you will find lots of good info. Swapping diaphragms takes very little time andis easy just don't touch where you should not touch. Simpe rule. Best regards Moray James.

PS: welcome aboard.

[djk]

I would investigate the internal speaker wire push-on terminal clips before investing in new diaphragms.

The size is 0.205" x 0.020" if you need to replace them.

[moray james]

Thanks that is a very good point. Some times the bare wire in the the crimp end can oxidise if the crimp becomes loose. Cutting the ends off and installing new connectors is a good plan. I like to solder my crinp ends on but I do take care not to get any sloder in the connector. Best regards Moray James.

[Aj72]

Thanks guys. I've been in touch with Bob Crites and have decided I will "upgrade" all six of my tweeters with the titanium ones anyway. Seems like they give an overall benefit to the sound and haven't read anybody saying they weren't happy post titanium replacement. At $52 per pair sounds like a cheap way to get more life out of some great speakers. Thanks again I'll let you know my thoughts once Ive done the modification......

[djk]

Please replace the clips while you're in there.

[beeker]

Crites are awsome. Great people and honest. You might also check your crossovers with them while your at it. kg 5.5's are good but with a little more than 200usd he would make them sound amazing[]

[beeker]

sorry double post

[Aj72]

What do they look like? Where do you get these clips from?

Cheers

AJ

[djk]

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kobiconn/159-6205/?qs=XvXsANjzvCN8hJfeTf9dWA%3d%3d

http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/449/KC-300026-202318.pdf

I use the non-insulated version.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Molex/19016-0045/?qs=R7/ZKp6KZ2YR4WQ5ejuqfQ==

In those places that are metric it is sized 5.21mm x 0.51mm

Do not buy from Parts Express, the ones they sell are the wrong size (for .032, not the .020 required for speakers).

[Aj72]

Thanks mate. Just ordered a couple dozen. Do you need a crimping tool? What else could you use (pliars?). I know these aren't top of the range speakers but I absolutely love them. Cant wait to fit the new parts.

Cheers

[lucky5115]

Swap speakers and see if the crackle dissappears. Swap amps etc and test. Much attention is given to speaker components when there actually ok. On older gear you can acheive a totally new sound dimension by upgrading upstream as older units usually have bad caps, transistors, tubes etc

Sometimes crackling in a speaker can be caused by faulty transistor(s) in the upstream tuner/pre/amp etc. Also, it's a good idea to faderlube the controls/pots.

ron

[beeker]

Thanks mate. Just ordered a couple dozen. Do you need a crimping tool? What else could you use (pliars?). I know these aren't top of the range speakers but I absolutely love them. Cant wait to fit the new parts.

Cheers

actually kg5.5's are top of the line. without a doubt keepers to pass down to your grandkids. my suggestion of sending the networks to crites would yeild great results although in stock form kg5.5's will stand up to any speaker on the earth.

luckys suggestion is a good point in situations when you are troubleshooting.

You would only be able to use a crimping tool. yes you could use pliers although in the middle of the pliers crimp you would need to take a center punch and hammer to the center of the new lead. another great solution would be to soldier the wire. soldiering is the best way to attach it. to test it you could simply strip the wire, wrap it around the lead and put a piece of tape on it. this is highly not recomended for permanent use and many would not test in this manner.

as i recomended to send to crites sounds like a lot of money but will result in perfection as well as help with any issues down the road. they are the most highly regarded klipsch experts in the world.

good luck

[McMiRA]

I have (3) pairs of kg 5.5s. Only one pair has the ti tweets and crites crossovers. Well worth the investment. I agree with solder, but if you still want to use terminals and know how to solder Buy non insulated connectors. Decent solder and some heat shrink. I've built many many wiring harnesses for hot rods over the years and can tell you crimped connections tend to fail but when your able to crimp and then solder them there's very little room for future issues. Slide some heat shrink over the entire connector to insulate it and you have a solid connection that will not make noise or oxidize at the crimp. They look nicer also. As for a crimper, I prefer narrow tooth terminal crimper. It leaves a nice divot in the middle of the crimp.

[Aj72]

I know how to solder but have not done much. Is there a certain standard (quality) wire I should be buying? So after crimping which area do you solder? Sorry for the questions for what is probably a straight forward task but I want to make sure I get it right. What is a heat shrink?

Thanks

[Aj72]

Good advice. I just swapped out my mains for the rears and this confirmed that its probably not the speakers. I did just recently upgrade components. I am now running a pre amp and a power amp (see my signature for component details) instead of AVR. So far its only noticeable on one CD that I play ( Radiohead Amnesiac mainly Track 4 "you and whose army") but not really on anything else that Ive noticed. At this stage It's not worrying me enough but would like to know how to fix the issue.? I had already been thinking of upgrading the tweeters and this just gave me the reason to do it. I'm sure the benefits will be there anyway (hopefully fixes the slight crackle?). If it is the pre or power amp how easy is it to find or fix?

[Aj72]

Update:

I was just doing some exploring on this forum and found EXACTLY what I was hoping for with regards to the previous post. I started to think that because I'd only noticed some slight crackling on certain Radiohead songs that I'd play the same tracks through my T.V which is totally crap sounding but is in no way connected to my other system (someone may have suggested doing this). Nothing, not one crackle. Damn........ So I thought I'd eliminated the possibility that it was just Radiohead tracks (I cant remember any other CD's making speakers crackle). I then did a bit more searching on this forum for solutions and back in 2011 there is a carbon copy experience from somebody else with............... Radiohead! The strange thing is I find Radiohead CD's to be great recordings but I believe they have a very slight occassional flaw when expressed through the horns especially on Amnesiac. If anyone else has Amnesiac and plays track 4 about 40 seconds in the line "Holy Roman Empire" seems to be where its at its most noticeable. Doesnt stop me enjoying the song but its just noticeable even at low volumes. Interested if anybody else gets the same result (its just the standard CD). Looking forward to the crites arriving anyway!

[lucky5115]

Alright! New tweets.. woohoo .

Ron

[McMiRA]

I know how to solder but have not done much. Is there a certain standard (quality) wire I should be buying? So after crimping which area do you solder? Sorry for the questions for what is probably a straight forward task but I want to make sure I get it right. What is a heat shrink?

Thanks

took a few minutes to throw a little pictorial together for you. Here are my basic soldering tools. They are from left to right Terminal crimpers, strippers. gas torch, below the torch is a bare terminal, a peice of heat shrink, foam pad, and soldering iron, all sitting on top of a plywood board covered in stainless. This board is used when soldering in cars over carpet. solder has a nasty tendency to drip and embed itself into fabrics. It also gives me a place to lay down a hot soldering iron. The torch is used for soldering and heating the heat shrink. i only solder with this torch when i have larger wires ( battery cables) going into terminals. this is not something that should be used when trying to do electrical components, tedious work, or anywhere you will catch something on fire. The heat shrink can also be shrunk with a heat gun or a lighter. The soldering iron is a gas powered model, great for being free from the tangle of a cord. has many tip sizes for a range of projects. i use this on most soldering projects but never on IC chips or sensitive components. Then i will get out a corded iron that can be regulated. The foam pad has just enough water in it to make it damp, this is for wiping the tip of the iron on to keep it clean. The heat shrink is available in many colors, sizes, shrink ratings, etc. This is just cheap tubing from radio shack. The terminal is a very inexpensive one left over from a bulk purchase. Gold or silver terminals would be preferred for audio due since they tend to not corrode.

[McMiRA]

I used some basic speaker wire that i had in my electrical box for this. Wire has been debated over and over in this and many other forums. The solder is rosin core 60/40, there are better quality solders out there. i prefer high silver content, but i am out of it at the moment. The wire has been stripped back approximately a 1/4 inch. this makes it long enough to pass through the crimp area but not to long where it would interfere with the workings of the terminal. the connectors im using have a wire stop built into them which can be seen on the terminal to the right at the end of the wire. The crimpers leave a nice divot in the connector. when i am building GM weather packs, or Ford body connectors i will use the flat area in the crimper and do a second crimp on the terminal to bring this area closed together. On the left terminal you can see the area I solder. I apply the solder to the tip of the gun first and then lay it on the terminal at the exposed wire. I only give it a second or two and then feed in more solder and as soon as it has wicked it into the braids I remove the heat and let it cool. Soldering for any more then a few seconds means your gun is either too dirty or not hot enough. I did not clean the connection since i am using rosin core, but you can use a small wire brush and electrical cleaner or rosin to make sure everything is clean before you assemble. Be careful not to add to much solder or it wil get inside the wrong parts of the terminal and not allow it to connect. If this happens you heat it up and then tap it to get the hot solder out.