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can titanium K-79 diaphragm be used in K-76 tweeter?


Lasz

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Hi, I'm thinking of upgrading the tweeter diaphragms of my Herey II's.

 

I was thinnking of Bob Crites's tweeters, but unfortunately the shipping costs to the Netherlands are a bit much.

 

I found a more local place for me in the Netherlands, where they sell silk replacement tweeter diaphragms for the K-76- tweeter, but they also sell titanium diaphragms for the K-79-H tweeter. They are stated as both being 6 Ohm, the titanium is stated as being flat over 20Khz.

 

I was wondering if these tweeter diaphragms are interchangeable and so whether I can use the K-79 diaphragms in my Heresy II's K-76 tweeters.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Laszlo

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Ok, the titanium diaphragms just arrived in the mail and I immediately installed them.

 

My first impression is: the highs seem a lot softer. Maybe a bit more refined as well, but definitely a bit toned down, it seems.

 

Is this normal for titanium diaphragms? I didn't buy them from Critesspeakers, but from a webshop in the Netherlands. I understand that the K-76 and the K79 both use the same diaphragms, right?

 

I wonder what other people's experiences are when they replaced their phenolic tweeter diaphragms for titanium ones.

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strange, I read that they both (amongst others) use the same diaphragm, so I figured it should be ok.

 

I checked with the original diaphragms again and it sounds way better with the originals. The titaniums are definitely way too soft.

 

So I guess either the K-79 uses a different diaphragm than the K-76 or the diaphragms I bought are way out of spec.

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the ti diaphragms are perfect fits for your motor does not matter the size of the magnet. The ti are going to be smoother and more extended if you give them time to break in. What you are experiencing is that your old phenolic diaphragms simply distort more and you have become accustomed to that distortion (edge) and when it is removed you notice it missing. This phenomenon has been well studied many decades ago. Put the ti diaphragms back in and give them a couple of weeks just play a lot of music and play as loud as you can/want. As you listen you will begin to appreciate the smooth open extended response that the ti diaphragms are capable of. The ti diaphragms (especially in the mid horns) take these loudspeakers to a level of performance just not possible with the phenolic diaphragms. If you just don't like them I am sure someone will be happy to purchase them at a discount used. 

 

my comments were based upon the belief that you had installed the Crites ti diaphragms (which I prefer to the Klipsch unit). To bad you wasted your money on a knock off. No saving there.

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Yes, they are much smoother. The k-79 and k-76 use the same exact horn lens and diaphragm but as pointed out the magnets are different sizes. I'd give them a little time and see if you settle into them as Moray suggested before giving up on them.

 

Since you did not buy Crites versions or OEM Klipsch replacements (I'm assuming?) you may have just got some cheap crappy knock offs that possibly don't sound as good. I know there were some really cheap versions available on eBay awhile back that I just didn't trust.

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No, I didn't buy the Crites tweeters or an official Klipsch replacement. I bought them from a speaker repair shop in the Netherlands. They do look quite similar to SS Audio tweeter diaphragms, from what I've seen around on the internet. Same leads, same messy solder work.

 

http://speakerrepairshop.nl/index.php?item=diaphragm-for-klipsch-k-79-h-tweeter&action=article&group_id=10000063&aid=3025&lang=en

 

I really do think there's something wrong with them. When I installed them, I was missing all the air, the openness and spaciousness and detail I had with the phenolic diaphragms. Isn't that what Klipsch speakers are supposed to be? I thought I'd wait for a few hours, maybe I just needed to get used to the new sound. But the word "muffled" just kept coming up in my head, like someone turned down the treble knob a few notches. The moment I placed back the old phenolic diaphragms, it made a huge difference. I was like: "yeah, this sounds like it makes sense again"

 

Maybe I should get a multimeter and check the resistance of the Ti diaphragms. If it turns out to be higher than stated, then maybe that could be an explanation as to why it might be less efficient, thus softer in volume.

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I wouldn't expect there to be such a drastic change like that unless something is wrong somewhere.

 

I still remember the first time I tried the TI tweeters in my Chorus II's, I swapped one out and left the other stock to do a side by side comparison. Really, at lower volumes, I thought they sounded very similar. Where I thought the TI really shined was at higher volumes, they just stayed smooth and clear when the stock tweeter got harsh sounding and bright.

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_DSF8976 1280PX.jpg

 

The results of a day and a half's work. My first time building crossovers. I was pretty nervous but I'm happy to say that nothing exploded upon installation. :) All magic smoke still contained.

 

Maybe I'll use a slightly smaller gauge wire next time instead of 4mm speaker wire, but that's what I had laying around...

 

I was slightly concerned I might had damaged the caps because I was heating the joints for quite a long time, but everything seems to work ok.

 

My first impressions are: slightly brighter sound, maybe more detail, even leaner bass than before, but than may just be a direct result of the perceived increase in brightness.

 

I may try the titanium tweeters again later, but for now I'm happy to have my speakers working again.

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Funny, I've had B&W speakers for a lot of years, cdm7nt and later the cdm9nt and they never sounded this open and dynamic, even with a Krell integrated amp. Only thing I miss about them is a bit of lower bass, but even then, the Heresies have a punch the B&Ws can't surpass.

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