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Swapping KG 3 and KG 4 8" woofers


Loneshark

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I found a pair of KG 3 for sale near me for 70 bucks. It was a deal that at the least quenched my curiosity about the early KG line. Here's the bad....one of the 8" K-2-K woofers is in bad acoustic shape and I can't find the cause. To be brief (which actually will tell all I know) during the inward motion of the woofer the assembly makes a squeaking sound. It's a problem that is audible during playback and then that's all I can focus on. Anybody know a reason why I couldn't swap this K-2-K out for a K-8-K from a KG4? How different can they be acoustically? 

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I can't say for sure in this situation but I've found that speakers with dual woofers the drivers usually have a different ohm rating than speakers with single woofers. For example, instead of a single, 4 ohm woofer there may be two 8 ohm woofers wired in parallel to equal the same 4 ohm load. I know this is the case with the KG 5.2 / 5.5 models.

 

EDIT:

 

From what I've just been able to find looking on eBay at replacement parts the same is true with the KG3 / 4 models. Here's a link to a replacement driver for the KG 3:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-KG2-KG3-8-Copy-Woofer-NEW-STOCK-4-ohm-Speaker-MW5082-4-/150494160879?hash=item230a26a7ef:g:j1MAAOSwnLdWqBQe

 

The KG 3 "copy" is listed as "4 ohm," where the same seller offers a "copy" for the KG 4 and lists it as an "8 ohm" woofer.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-KG4-8-Copy-Woofer-NEW-STOCK-8-ohm-Speaker-MW5082-8-/150494161745?hash=item230a26ab51:g:T~oAAOSwoydWqBd~

 

So the answer would be no, the woofers are not interchangeable, at least not without some crossover modifications.

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I'm sure changing the woofer would change the response of the speaker.  Have you called Klipsch to see if they have replacements?  Have you looked on the bad woofer for a numerical code that would ID the maker and maybe the recone part number?  For instance, on the back of a K-33-E cone you will see 67-15142; 67 being Eminence and 15142 being the cone assembly number. 

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wow this is good to know that the ohms are different. I never considered factory wiring the dual woofer set-ups in series - I suppose because I've never had dual woofer rigs. On the replacements from Klipsch, I've called and tech support said they wouldn't be able to comment on anything that changes the original design of the speaker. That all makes perfect sense as I don't expect them to cover modification questions but I did inquire about the KG3/KG4 woofer swap with no answer other than "we can't comment". Replacements online and on Ebay seem to be in the range of 60 per woofer and these KG3s don't sound like something I need to dump more money in right now. So for the time being, it's looking more and more like they will be workshop speakers especially because I just picked up a deal on some 83 Heresys. 

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  • 6 years later...
On 2/27/2017 at 6:40 AM, Bossman said:

I have had a couple pair of KG3's that had a bad woofer.. Curious to see the input of this thread. The woofers look the same but different colors.. 

 

Does anybody know if my KG3s have same 8 inch bass driver as the KG2....or does Klipsch still have them?

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6 minutes ago, Fomoco69 said:

 

Does anybody know if my KG3s have same 8 inch bass driver as the KG2....or does Klipsch still have them?

They may have the same or equivalent. Someone will look at the specs and tell you.

What's up?

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9 hours ago, Fomoco69 said:

 

Does anybody know if my KG3s have same 8 inch bass driver as the KG2....or does Klipsch still have them?

 

 My eBay links above from 6 years ago still work that seller is the only source for replacement KG woofers that I'm aware of and he has sold hundreds now with excellent feedback. According to his listing the KG 2, 3, 3.2 & 3.5 can use the same woofer:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Klipsch-KG2-KG3-8-Copy-Woofer-NEW-STOCK-4-ohm-Speaker-MW5082-4-/150494160879?hash=item230a26a7ef:g:j1MAAOSwnLdWqBQe

 

Brand New in Box!!! 

Great replacement 4 ohm woofer for many Klipsch models. Fits KG2 (K-9-K), KG3 (K-2-K), KG3.2 (K-1002-K), KG3.5 (K-1002-K) and many more. The KG3.2 and the KG3.5 speakers say 8 ohms on the back of the cabinet, but the woofers actually measure around 4 ohms. 

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