Recommendations on HIP Crossovers

[jjptkd]

OK, so I have an old set of original Heresy HIP's that I really like and want to upgrade / restore. I'm thinking Crites tweeters and, at minimum, refreshed crossovers. Has any one here switched crossovers or modified them for home use? I guess what I'm asking is should I just leave them stock and re-cap them or is there other options that have been tried?

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

 

Jesse

[moray james]

your HIP are crossed to permit high volume output so bass was given up to achieve that. If you install a H2 style crossover say from Bob Crites then you will have turned them into more of a H2 sonically than a HIP but remember that the HIP woofer is not a Heresy woofer. Why not just upgrade the capacitors in the HIP and retain their value as a HIP? The additional efficiency of the HIP is a vey nice quality and you could match them up with a pair of subs and have fun with them. If you want a set of Heresy size speakers why not take a look at the Crites CS two way? If you want to stay with Klipsch then consider a used set of H3 if you can find them. Best regards Moray James.

[jjptkd]

I actually had the H3's and did not care for them that much. They just seemed veiled and really toned down, no where near as pronounced as my Chorus II's. In fact I had a pair of H2's with titanium tweets and new Crites crossovers and thought they sounded better than the H3's. I have a set of KP-250 II's and these HIP's and actually think that both sound much better than any of the "home" versions of the Heresy.

 

 I'm kind of in the middle here as I really don't need max output of 125db but don't think the H2's at 115db would be enough either. Plus the H2's don't use any of the same drivers that are in the HIP's.

 

 I thought I remember reading about someone using Cornwall crossovers in the "Super Heresy's," wonder if that would work in stock HIP's? And if "stock" Cornwall crossovers would be an improvement how about upgraded Cornwall crossovers like the ALK 600 universal?

 

 Just wondering if anyone has been down this road and what their experiences were before I do anything.

[moray james]

well You have seen what efficiency does, it is very addictive. Heresy is not going to have the efficiency of a HIP and the Heresy won't sound as real and life like as a result though it will have more bottom end. Better to stick with a recapped HIP and add the bass you want with a sub or two. Best regards Moray James.

[OO1]

The HIP were made in 2 versions  = the tweeter had  the K77M square magnet - the mids -the K55V or K55M - in the woofer - there is the EVM12L musical instrument or the K42 from Eminence -

 

-the KP 250 was an evolution of the HIP with twin ports at top instead of the lower one on the HIP -I prefer the HIP versus the KP250 - as the EVM12L , the K55V-M and the K77M combination is unbeatable and extremely  expensive high quality components -

 

-these are a ported Heresy cabinet  versus all the home Heresy cabinets that are all non-ported - you are giving up bass but adding a lot more power handling -

 

-the crossovers look like an AA for the scala with Zener diode tweeter protection for the precious K77M - updating the crossover to the late specs capacitors will give you an even better sound than the old caps ever did - as a matter of fact , the ESR readings of the old caps were way off even when new -

 

-so for a win win situation- just ;like Mr Morey James said it earlier - upgrade the caps and enjoy the truly well built HIP -

Edited January 11, 2015 by Randyh

[JohnA]

The smarter way is to re-cap the HIP crossover.  Klipsch took advantage of the rising HF response of the EVM-12L to run the K-55 at 104 dB and the K-77-M at 105 dB and have a fairly smooth, but rising HF response curve.  That works great outside and the HIPs shine there.  You'll need to do a lot of crossover work to make them sound good any other way.  I doubt if another crossover from something like an HII or HIII would sound anything but bad. 

[jjptkd]

Thanks for the input guys! I think I've decided to just recap the stock crossovers as suggested, will probably just send them over to Crites for the rebuild. I was honestly surprised at how good these HIP's sound as they are. I hooked them up in place of my Chorus II's basically just to make sure they worked and to see how they sound. Well, they ended up sitting there for over week as I just scratched my head. With my Subwoofer compliment these HIP's can really hold their own against the Chorus II's. Of course, take away the subs and there's just no comparison which, really makes me appreciate what the Chorus II's are capable of.

[JohnA]

Yes.  I've used 2 HIPs with 2 KP-480s and an electronic crossover for indoor music performances at church and the results were just SWEET. 

[OO1]

The smarter way is to re-cap the HIP crossover.  Klipsch took advantage of the rising HF response of the EVM-12L to run the K-55 at 104 dB and the K-77-M at 105 dB and have a fairly smooth, but rising HF response curve.  That works great outside and the HIPs shine there.  You'll need to do a lot of crossover work to make them sound good any other way.  I doubt if another crossover from something like an HII or HIII would sound anything but bad. 

this info is great - The crossovers from the KP250 - and KP 250 II would be the only crossovers that could work with the HIP cabinet and woofer  -but the mids and tweeters would have to be changed as well - the woofer is the Eminence K42 that is an equivalent to the EVM12L -

 

- so yes - the cheaper solution is to upgrade your caps -

Edited January 18, 2015 by Randyh