cluless Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 I had a passive radiator on order for a KG4 speaker for a couple of months, and I found out today that they have "obsoleted" the part. Does anyone have a source for used parts or know of what I can use for a replacement? The scotch tape won't hold indefinitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Did you speak to either Matt or Trey at Klipsch Tech Support? They might have an idea... Doug ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Hey clu, The same thing happened to me. I was trying to get a passive radiator for one of my Quartets. No luck. They weren't available anymore. I wonder why? I wouldn't mind finding out where to get a suitable replacement. So, who out there has the low down on this? BTW. I used to fix cone rips with fingernail polish. It usually worked pretty good. ------------------ You should of heard just what I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 doug - the parts guy transferred me to one of the tech guys, I got his voice mail. Am waiting on a return call. You wouldn't want to trade passive radiators with me, would you? Your daughter probably won't like the KG4s anyway. A little birdie told me that kids these days really like those cute bose cubes....tee hee... DONT SHOOT! Please DONT SHOOT! I Was Just Kidding! Whew! that was a close one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtkinney Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Duct tape fixes everything else! ------------------ Jim Family Room: 1979 La Scalas (mains), SF-2 Center (pair), RS-3 Surrounds, RC-3 Rear Center, KSW-10 Subs (pair) Yamaha RX-V1 Reciever, Yamaha CDC-655 CD Player, Toshiba SD-1200 DVD, Toshiba TN50X81 50" HDTV Living Room: Yamaha RX-V590, 1978 Klipschorns Mainsc>s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 My guess what happened is they ran out of the part and decided that it did not make economic sense to order more for a discontinued line once the need to stock parts for warranty repairs ended. Passive radiators from Klipsch speakers show up on eBay from time to time. You could set up a canned search to alert you when ones for your speaker show up. Passive radiators are available from places like Parts Express. Don't know how close they come to matching the specs of the one in your speaker. FWIW Duct tape fixes everything except ducts. The usual grey stuff has a dismal record staying stuck to joints on ducts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 It seems to me that if a part like that is discontinued then I would see no problem with Klipsch releasing the name of the manufacturer so you could get one from them or someplace like www.PartsExpress.com . ------------------ Tom's Money Pit This message has been edited by tblasing on 08-14-2002 at 03:38 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Clueless, When using a passive radiator, the mass of the radiator is absolutely critical for proper sound. Get the mass spec of the original radiator from Klipsch, then either 1) find an EXACT replacement according to diameter and mass, or 2) find a lighter passive and add weight to the middle of it with silicone caulk. Note: it would be very helpful to weigh the caulk carefully before application to get the exact amount. The caulk blob can then be hidden with a voice coil dust cap (common practice done when tuning passive radiators). For the highest level of accuracy, also factor in the mass of your dust cap. Hope this helps, Andy P.S. What happened to your old radiator? Can't you have it repaired? Any qualifed speaker repair shop should be able to fix the old one - cheap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungkiman Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Try UL listed duct tape, as the generic tape is crap. Go to a heating/cooling distributor, and you will surely get what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted August 14, 2002 Author Share Posted August 14, 2002 Life is Good - Bottom Line Support Your Local Klipsch Dealer! WaHHHHHHH HOOOO.... To make a short story long - When I finally found my local dealership (Sound Waves - Northfield New Jersey - Jamie you are the best ), and decided to go with the Reference Line. My local guy suggested that I just order a new radiator for my KG4, and use them as "secondary room" speakers.. Duh, something that I hadn't really thought of ... Well anyway, the radiator didn't come, so last week I call Jamie, and he tells me that it's an out of stock item, and I will have to wait until they restock/re-manufacture.. Monday, I call Klipsch Parts and am told that the part will be available October 9th.. Today I get a voice mail from Jamie, and he tells me that the part has been discontinued... So, I call Klipsch parts, get the same guy I talked to Monday....and yep...the radiator has been "obsoleted". Tonight, I get another call from Jamie and he has arranged to have 2 (count'em 2) replacement passive radiators sent to me from Klipsch (not the original models of course - and the 2-fer is for matching), and he has done this with no contact from me. Get that kinda service from Tweeter's or your local internet e-tailer..NOT! Happy Happy Joy Joy... Wheeee!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Even if you could get all the info, you would probably not be able to get one from the manufacturer or Parts Express. These aren't off the shelf items. They are built to spec for Klipsch. You would have to pony up the cost of a minimal production run to get the same product. It would be cheaper to buy a whole new speaker. Short of getting the right part from Klipsch or finding a good used one, your only home is to find something close and tweak it, or repair the old one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Well, Carol, tell Trey to get his butt down to Arkansas where they keep a pair of every model Klipsch speaker ever made and remove a passive and send it to you. I think it's the least he could do!! Doug ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundthought Posted August 14, 2002 Share Posted August 14, 2002 Excellent clu, Good help is definately hard to find. Sounds like that guy is taking care business. Congratulations are in order. Drinks are on you. Hurrah. I must now continue my search for the elusive Croco-stimpy. May your drivers not break while breaking in and may your cables' not go afray. he he he. ------------------ You should of heard just what I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InventiveAudio.com Posted August 15, 2002 Share Posted August 15, 2002 Is your old passive radiator torn or totally destroyed? Can't it be reconned? What am I missing here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpg Posted August 16, 2002 Share Posted August 16, 2002 The rubber surround had a tear in it, which was/is being held by scotch tape. ------------------ SoundWise / ProMedia Tech Support / 1-888-554-5665s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted August 16, 2002 Author Share Posted August 16, 2002 Jeez - You guys are having a "crab fest" here without me. Probably a good thing. Trader, TPG is right, I discovered a thumbnail shaped tear in one of the surrounds of my KG-4s, another long story. So I ordered a new passive radiator for my speaker when I went into my "Klipsch Feeding Frenzy", and was gonna move the KG4-s into the bedroom when repaired. Which brings me to my question. I found a number of websites (in my panic hours) that spoke of "re-foam" or surround replacement kits. A rather mute point at this time (just for future reference), but has anyone played with this? Is it a viable solution, or just a waste of time and money? Hmmm...crab cakes, sauted crab claws, crab imperial, crab norfolk, crab fondue, crab stuffed mushrooms, King Crab, Snow crab, blue crab,....Yum...Dinner Time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Posted August 16, 2002 Share Posted August 16, 2002 I replaced a fabric surround on a ElectroVoice SP12B once with one of those kits. With a little research and care, most folks ought to be able to do the same. Same goes for foam or rubber surrounds. Keep in mind these are aftermarket parts and are generic. They are not exact matches. Could be some change in parameters. My guess is not much. May or may not be audible. Better to use factory parts if they are available. If you have to replace the surround on one speaker, you might considering doing its twin to keep them sounding the same. But, then, I would recone both speakers if I were going to recone one for the same reason. Mmmmmm....Dungeness crab, crab puffs (watch how you pronounce that, my friend's wife was very finicky about correct enunciation of those words) Reminds me of the old radio public service announcement. Woman comes home and says to significant other "Honey, I have crabs." He responds "Great, I'll go down to the market and get some sour dough bread to go with them!" She responds "No, honey..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted August 17, 2002 Share Posted August 17, 2002 Clu- Maybe he was just so impressed that a woman would know so much about such good speakers that he wanted to become what was behind Door #3!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted August 20, 2002 Share Posted August 20, 2002 What about the passive radiators for Chorus and Forte? Did they discontinue these as well? That could be beat, the radiators on my Ex-Chorus II's were some frail bastards, and with no grill, they always made me nervous. So would body crabs be edible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted August 21, 2002 Author Share Posted August 21, 2002 jhawk - Isn't door number 3 where they kept the jackass? LOL. BTW - have you been off "satelliting"? haven't seen much of you in the last week or so. Mike - This message has been edited by cluless on 08-21-2002 at 07:59 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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