P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Newbie, here. I own a pair of KLF-30's going on 19 years and while they are functioning perfectly, I am concerned about driver life, xover life, etc. I've read many comments in this forum that mention Bob Crites. I have visited his website and see that he offers replacement parts for the drivers and a new xover. My question is: has anyone purchased the 12" woofer (CW1228) for a KLF-30 and if so, how does it compare to the original K-31? Better, worse. etc. Also, how do the replacement tweeter and midrange diaphragms sound as compared to the factory originals? Lastly, is the B&K KLF-30 xover a noticeable improvement? Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I can't comment on the drivers, but I can say that the B&K Crossovers are definitely upgrades over stock. I have Crites crossovers in both my Heresy I's and RF-3 II's, and both had a noticeable difference when the crossovers were added in. I imagine the drivers are at least as good as stock drivers - but I can't say for sure having never used them. O/T: P-51 Guy, eh? I have a cousin that rebuilt one and flew it for many many years. My first time flying was in that plane, and it was amazing. Quite the bird. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 1 minute ago, IbizaFlame said: I can't comment on the drivers, but I can say that the B&K Crossovers are definitely upgrades over stock. I have Crites crossovers in both my Heresy I's and RF-3 II's, and both had a noticeable difference when the crossovers were added in. I imagine the drivers are at least as good as stock drivers - but I can't say for sure having never used them. O/T: P-51 Guy, eh? I have a cousin that rebuilt one and flew it for many many years. My first time flying was in that plane, and it was amazing. Quite the bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 I haven't figured ot the way to reply correctly, sorry. Actually, the P51 is in place of Mustang (Ford). Thanks for your input on the crossovers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minermark Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 19 minutes ago, P51guy said: I haven't figured ot the way to reply correctly, sorry. Actually, the P51 is in place of Mustang (Ford). Thanks for your input on the crossovers. Welcome You will do fine here, amazing things are in your future. Glad you pointed out Ford is the meaning of the name. P.S. Good to start you out with your "First Like" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 19 minutes ago, P51guy said: I haven't figured ot the way to reply correctly, sorry. Actually, the P51 is in place of Mustang (Ford). Thanks for your input on the crossovers. Ahhh, I see. I think in the clouds. If I had an academy close enough to me, my focus would be Aviation History. haha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I have his crossovers, tweeter diagrams, and mid-range diagrams in my klf 30's. I believe the mid-range diagrams were more of a stock replacement (not an upgrade), but the tweeter diagrams are definitely an upgrade in my opinion. If you send your crossovers to him to be rebuilt, they will be back to stock equivalent, but if you buy his crossovers, they are an upgrade because he can put better/bigger parts on them because he doesn't use a circuit board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 12 minutes ago, dtr20 said: I have his crossovers, tweeter diagrams, and mid-range diagrams in my klf 30's Thanks for your reply! How did the crossovers change the tonal balance? I find the horns to be a bit strident on older recordings. Was that improved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 To be honest, my stock crossovers were shot, so I replaced out of necessity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 5 minutes ago, dtr20 said: To be honest, my stock crossovers were shot, so I replaced out of necessity. Okay, and thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantilope Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I have a set of KLF-30s too that are about that age (am I really that old, I bought new)... As said above, replace the poly tweeter diaphragm with a titanium ASAP, hand down best bang for your buck. Then go from there, I didn't hear any improvements with the Xover, but I had no way to A/B, maybe my originals were still in spec. I second that the phenolic mid-diaphragms are just a replacement not an upgrade. I also didn't care for the TT mid-diaphragms in my KLFs. They currently sit unused. Joe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, Cantilope said: I second that the phenolic mid-daiphrams are just a replacement not an upgrade. Thank you! I may purchase them and keep on hand so when the stock diaphragms fail, I have a replacement. Same with the crossovers. I suppose I'll have to buy the 4 woofers as well, as I don't want to wait until it is too late and they're not available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantilope Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 13 minutes ago, P51guy said: Thank you! I may purchase them and keep on hand so when the stock diaphragms fail, I have a replacement. Same with the crossovers. I suppose I'll have to buy the 4 woofers as well, as I don't want to wait until it is too late and they're not available. I wouldn't imagine any of these would fail for you, nor are they wear items... some of us on this forum have speakers 50 -60 years old (or more) all stock. I have a set of 1978 Belles all original and work like the day they were born that I use everyday. This is my very humble opinion but KLFs are not rare birds, I'd say save your pennies and go buy some music... Just treat them right and they'll last a lifetime. Besides, this forum may open you up to other Klipsch offerings that you might like better than the KLF-30s, like my Jubilees. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51guy Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 2 minutes ago, Cantilope said: This is my very humble opinion but KLFs are not rare birds, I'd say save your pennies and go buy some music... Just treat them right and they'll last a lifetime. Sensible advice. The replacement parts will cost more than I paid for the speakers new. I took advantage of the Klipsch employee purchase promo for the KLF series at the time and bought the pair for $450! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusaDude Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 On 01/19/2017 at 7:14 PM, P51guy said: Newbie, here. I own a pair of KLF-30's going on 19 years and while they are functioning perfectly, I am concerned about driver life, xover life, etc. My question is: has anyone purchased the 12" woofer (CW1228) for a KLF-30 and if so, how does it compare... Thanks for any advice. If the original 12" woofers are okay and functioning without any problems, then leave them alone. And though Crites offers a replacement, it's NOT a duplicate of the original. The original driver is not available anymore, so enjoy, but don't abuse them. Same goes for the diaphragms... They won't fail unless you're abusing the speakers on a regular basis. If you do change things, do them one at a time, starting with the crossover. That would put you back to essentially brand new. Change anything else and you'll change the "sound", which you may or may not like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 If something does happen to the woofers, you could always talk to a speaker service about rebuilding them like Midwest speakers or simply speakers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 On 1/19/2017 at 8:28 PM, IbizaFlame said: I can't comment on the drivers, but I can say that the B&K Crossovers are definitely upgrades over stock. I have Crites crossovers in both my Heresy I's and RF-3 II's, and both had a noticeable difference when the crossovers were added in. I imagine the drivers are at least as good as stock drivers - but I can't say for sure having never used them. O/T: P-51 Guy, eh? I have a cousin that rebuilt one and flew it for many many years. My first time flying was in that plane, and it was amazing. Quite the bird. I'll bet that was quite the thrill....best plane we ever built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.