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Newbie Klipschorn owner here...


superfinemind

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Hello to the forum.  

 

Im a long-term LaScala owner (32 years), and have wanted a set of Klipschorns since I'd first heard them at Art Colley's Audio Specialties in Baton Rouge in the early 80's.  They've always been just out of reach of my "mad money", but today my wife was at an estate sale, saw "Klipsch" and emailed me some photos.   Klipschorns, a little scruffy, with a slight bit of water damage on one upper section, but $100 each as they were dusty and stuck in a corner of a warehouse.  I told her to "buy them now, buy them immediately!", as I tried not to hyperventilate.  

 

We brought them to my shop this afternoon and I cleaned them up, repaired a couple of solder connections, and fired them up.  As best I can tell, they work fine except both K-77's are blown (a huge surprise), and the sound is muddy and depressed because the speaker cables are green and corroded.  So tomorrow it'll be new Crites tweeters (these and new K55's already on hand in my LS spares), new wiring, and I'll order rebuild kits for the two AA networks.  

 

Ill need to refinish all the woodwork and maybe put some nice veneer on the fronts, but I think these will refinish nicely.  There's no real damage except for the rear of the base on one upper cabinet, which I can replace.  

 

I'm on Cloud 9.

 

I have a couple of questions of the forum, however.  These speakers are what I would call "bare" or "naked".  There is no evidence of any grilles having been installed, and the upper cabinets each consist only of the base, and a faceplate to which the tweeter and mid are mounted in conventional fashion.  No upper "enclosure" at all.  Is this an unusual setup?  Is it possible to construct frames for the grilles and have new cloth grilles made?  Does anyone have sources for these?  

 

Both Klipsch copper nameplates are in place, and appear original.  There are no tags anywhere.  Are there any identifying marks anywhere other than on an original tag?   It's not critically important, but I would like to know the date range in which these were manufactured.   

 

Finally, in terms of replacement components, can I possibly get some feedback about the relative merits of Crites vs. ALK Engineering?  Both of course have rebuild kits and new networks.  My LaScalas have Crites tweeters and replacement mids, which along with their new crossover, render 

the LaScalas pretty bright (I think the mids have metal diaphragms), and I am hoping to avoid that this go-round.  

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to completing this sympathetic restoration and enjoying many more years of listening enjoyment.  

 

Best wishes, 

Greg

 

 

Edited by superfinemind
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You just joined today?  Where have you been the past 32 years?!  :D

 

Lots of people here have restored Klipsch speakers -- some end up looking incredible.

 

I sent my old crossovers to Bob Crites and he replaced all the caps. I was pleased with the results.

 

P.S. Welcome to the forum and make sure to post some photos.

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Thanks all for the responses.  They could be "Decorators".  There is no space between the bass bins and the uppers, and the faces of the uppers are painted black, but this finish is not original as there are faint runs in the paint. 

 

I'll post some photos tomorrow.  Thanks again, and I'll try not to wait 32 years before posting again!   LOL

 

The LaScalas have been with me through thick and thin, and I've often commented that this was the best $900 I ever spent.  They were a gift for my 26th birthday.  Too many great parties to count, and several Baton Rouge St. Pat's parades later, they are still kicking.  

 

Best, 

Greg

 

 

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5 hours ago, superfinemind said:

 Are there any identifying marks anywhere other than on an original tag?   It's not critically important, but I would like to know the date range in which these were manufactured.   

 

Welcome to the forums @superfinemind.  Great score on the Khorns!  :emotion-21:

 

See if there is a number imprinted on the doghouse.  These are from my LS but the Khorn number is in the same place.  We can identify the birth date from there.

 

IMG_3130.JPG

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No numbers stamped anywhere, but based on the K77M/AA combo, I'd guess the date range at 1978-1982, which is close enough for me.   

 

Today I wired-in the new K77M horns, and in the course of this found the tweeter and midrange outputs reversed on both speakers.  Oy vey...    I then installed new speaker cable, wired everything correctly, and was greeted with absolutely amazing sound.  I'm going to live with them as is for a while, and put the upgrade budget toward a decent tube amp, as I'm using an NAD SS amp/preamp now.  

 

Im just so happy to be able to be the next custodian of these incredible loudspeakers, and will plan a cosmetic upgrade and some maintenance to keep them going for a long time to come.  

 

Thanks to all all of you on the forum who were so generous with your support.  

 

Best,

Greg 

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You might want to check air tightness of the bass bin air chamber. My 1972s had leaks....I found a pretty easy way to test it also. Those ones you got were worth about 500 each I think.

I never get that lucky......I got some what lucky on mine but put a lot of work into them....My son got lucky the other day got Forte II for free....

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