Hardway1969 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 (edited) I found a very unloved pair of Quartets at one of the Goodwill's I frequent on Tuesday 11/29 for $20. They need a serious cleaning but all of the drivers and radiators work. They sounded much better than I expected. I am going to investigate the condition of the crossover as the highs sound a bit dull. According to the price tag they were put out on Sunday 11/27. I am sure the less than desirable purple stain and sheer weight of 52 pounds made a lot of people simply walk by them or give up once they attempted to move them. Getting them in my small sports car was definitely a challenge but worth it in the end. Despite the hideous color the cabinets are in pretty good shape with no major physical damage to the veneer. I have already been researching what it would take to restore the cabinets as well as the upgrades from Bob Crites. The serial numbers are non-sequential and are very far apart from each other. The tag indicates the original finish as BLK 19. I am fond of the natural walnut finish but since these are supposed to be black I will return them to their original color. I will also try to pull the cones of the rear radiators back out using a shop-vac and brush attachment. Hopefully with some patience it will return to its original form. A few questions. What is the best cleaner and type of wrag to get the mold off the woofer? I don't want to do any damage to it or leave a lot of lint behind. How much power do these really need to sound right? At the moment, just for testing I have a Yamaha 2ch RX-595 40wpc receiver hooked up to them but I feel its under powered for these. I have a larger Denon 2ch DRA-685 rated at 100wpc. Do I need more than that? Edited December 1, 2016 by Hardway1969 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Welcome to the forum and awesome find! We love project and restoration threads here so feel free to post lots of photos when you clean them up. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here as well to answer and questions on re-capping networks etc. I cant comment on the cleaner as I dont know much about what is best but as far as power, 40 watts is more than enough to drive them. Many forum members have 2-8 watt tube amps for these speakers. I suspect the capacitors have gone bad in the crossovers which is accounting for the dull sound. Here is a sticky page from the technical sub forum on all the crossover diagrams. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 See some good possibilities there...good find and welcome to the forum... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Good find for sure. I would pull all of the components out and work on them one by one. Start with vacuuming everything, including the inside of the cabinets. After vacuum, you could use a moderately stiff brush on the woofer to loosen the mold, then vacuum again. You could then use some old T-shirt material with a very light spraying of Simple Green (on the T-shirt, not the woofer), and then wipe gently. Lint shouldn't be a problem, you could then vacuum again if needed. You could use the same T-shirt and spray on the cabinets as well, then quickly wipe dry. Looking forward to photos when you finish your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Careful with that mold. I would not vacuum it. Looks like Vinegar will kill it: http://www.maids.com/blog/3-non-toxic-ways-to-clean-mold/ The speakers look like Oak. If you have an orbital sander you should be able to sand them to remove most of the purple. You will probably need to re-stain the speakers a dark color to cover it up (maybe not). I like a reddish mahogany color or walnut. Nice find but be careful. Don't get sick from that mold. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I was also thinking vinegar based cleansers would work on mold. Those should clean up nicely. You can probably make up your own cleanser or buy a retail product at Walmart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 A fine spray of Lysol from an aerosol can on the cone will do the trick, do not dampen. Use a soft paint brush to remove dust and cobwebs ETC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Welcome to the forum..... and yes that is a awesome find for sure... Please post more pics as the work goes on...... We do love the pics MKP :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzog Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Keep us updated on how this turns out! ...I do wonder how that much mold got on the speaker...was it continually wet and stored in a damp place? Wonder what the crossovers and other drivers look like... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardway1969 Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 Thank you everyone for all the information and encouragement. I don't know the history of them but based on the mold I can only assume they did not move for quite sometime, possibly in a storage unit or something. I will take pictures as I go along to document their condition and any interesting finds inside. Documentation and photos are my thing as I am a vintage car enthusiast and currently the caretaker of a 1971 Datsun 240z. I keep an going repair thread for it so this should be something interesting to have in the shop. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/49581-hardways-1971-240z-8011-build-and-repair-thread/#comment-451072 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Great car, I am a previous owner of that model....wish I still had it, of course.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 1 hour ago, Hardway1969 said: Thank you everyone for all the information and encouragement. I don't know the history of them but based on the mold I can only assume they did not move for quite sometime, possibly in a storage unit or something. I will take pictures as I go along to document their condition and any interesting finds inside. Documentation and photos are my thing as I am a vintage car enthusiast and currently the caretaker of a 1971 Datsun 240z. I keep an going repair thread for it so this should be something interesting to have in the shop. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/49581-hardways-1971-240z-8011-build-and-repair-thread/#comment-451072 That my man is a "clean" Z ....... didn't have time to go through your whole post at the moment but I will when I get in the house tonight. I've been working on Japanese cars for over 30 years.... love that old stuff... MKP :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cohoangler Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Another set of Klipsch speakers found at a Goodwill store! That's my favorite place to find great stuff at a bargain. And for just $20!!! Well played! It gives me hope that I can someday find something like Forte's, or Chorus, or Quartet's. I've only found a couple pair of kg's (kg 4 and kg 3.2). From your pics, it appears you're in Texas. That would explain the mold. Anytime I've been in the Lone Star State, the heat and humidity were impressive. And oppressive..... Best of luck cleaning and rebuilding those. I would recommend new crossovers, and likely new titanium diaphragms on the tweeter. Bob Crites website can help with that. I'm anxious to see the pics, as you go along. Best of luck, and thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mea2112 Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 On Thursday, December 01, 2016 at 10:06 AM, Hardway1969 said: A few questions. What is the best cleaner and type of wrag to get the mold off the woofer? I don't want to do any damage to it or leave a lot of lint behind. There's a good chance that the substance on the speakers is mildew and not mold. Mold tends to be a green or black color and mildew is usually a lighter color. Mildew is much easier to remove and less harmful if you accidentally ingest it. Either way, I would wear a mask to be on the safe side. I had a pair of Jensen speakers that were in a somewhat damp basement (not mine) for many years and with a similar looking light-colored substance on the cabinets. It came right off with just a little soap and water. I would try a mild cleaner diluted with water first. If it comes right off it's more than likely mildew. Odd how the speaker on the left had only a small amount of mildew/mold. It looks like possibly the middle section of the inside part of the grills fits snug against the front of the cabinets and prevented air from getting to the them when the humidity was high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardway1969 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 Since it was pouring rain outside and elbow grease is free I decided to clean up the Quartets. All in all they came out very nice. I was not able to get the centers of the rear radiators to pull out with my shop vac. I have a feeling they have been push in for some time. Of course, my cleaning started with vacuuming the bottoms out since I got a sneak peak of all the cobwebs when I was loading them in to my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardway1969 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 I pulled the crossovers out for a visual inspection and did not see anything out of the ordinary. The capacitor looked good and was not swelled up or busted open. Should I look in to buying whole new crossovers or could I repair what I have? Should I start with the capacitor and go from there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cohoangler Posted December 6, 2016 Share Posted December 6, 2016 Thanks for the pics. A couple observations….. They cleaned up beautifully! Nicely done. The pic of the bottom panel indicates it’s oak. As I see it, the grain and the pores say ‘oak’, but you might get other opinions. But if I’m right, the remainder of the cabinet is also oak. But the riser is not. I’m not sure what it is, but if you can push your fingernail into it, and leave an indent, it’s likely pine or other softwood. My guess is the risers are pine. The passive woofer might rebound if you just remove it, and gently press it back into shape from the back side. I’ve done this with other woofers. But I’m not sure if you can get to it. Just be careful if you do. If all else fails, passive woofers aren’t that expensive to replace. The crossover looks to be in great shape. But I would still recommend replacing the capacitors (the three yellow things plus the round green thing). Check with Bob. While you’re at it, consider upgrading the wiring to the components. 18 gauge speaker wire works great! Easy stuff all around. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardway1969 Posted December 7, 2016 Author Share Posted December 7, 2016 Thank you Cohoangler! Yeah, they definitely look a lot better. Luckily the stuff that looked like mold was in fact mildew. Next time I have them on their side I will look in to the riser. At this point they are definitely going back to black, just need to prep them and determine the best way to get them to as close to the black factory finish as possible. I will research Bob's parts and kits this week and look in to placing an order soon. I am excited! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P. Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 38 minutes ago, Hardway1969 said: Thank you Cohoangler! Yeah, they definitely look a lot better. Luckily the stuff that looked like mold was in fact mildew. Next time I have them on their side I will look in to the riser. At this point they are definitely going back to black, just need to prep them and determine the best way to get them to as close to the black factory finish as possible. I will research Bob's parts and kits this week and look in to placing an order soon. I am excited! I for one, can't wait to see the restoration, so don't forget to post them in-process as well as the finished cabinets. I wouldn't mess with the crossovers if there's no obvious damage to the capacitors if for nothing else, to keep the cost of your purchase and restoration down. The more you invest, the less of a bargain you got! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS121996 Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 7 hours ago, Cohoangler said: Thanks for the pics. A couple observations….. They cleaned up beautifully! Nicely done. The pic of the bottom panel indicates it’s oak. As I see it, the grain and the pores say ‘oak’, but you might get other opinions. But if I’m right, the remainder of the cabinet is also oak. But the riser is not. I’m not sure what it is, but if you can push your fingernail into it, and leave an indent, it’s likely pine or other softwood. My guess is the risers are pine. The passive woofer might rebound if you just remove it, and gently press it back into shape from the back side. I’ve done this with other woofers. But I’m not sure if you can get to it. Just be careful if you do. If all else fails, passive woofers aren’t that expensive to replace. The crossover looks to be in great shape. But I would still recommend replacing the capacitors (the three yellow things plus the round green thing). Check with Bob. While you’re at it, consider upgrading the wiring to the components. 18 gauge speaker wire works great! Easy stuff all around. Good luck! The passive woofer isn't pushed in, the dust cap on it is. Dust caps from PE are about $1.59 each when I looked the other day. You can't push the dust cap out because you can't get at it.Use a exacto knife and carefully cut the old cap off and glue the new one in place. 15" Passive woofers aren't easy to find replacements for and a recone on a 15" passive from The Speaker Exchange in Tampa was about $75 round trip to Chicago. EACH!! Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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