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Need Help Installing an AK5 Network


thebes

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I recently bought from the Garage Section an complete AK5 network and could use a little help.

 

Currently my network is an AK2, which is a split network that has two fuses and two binding posts. It's a split network with the high and mid circuits up in the tophat and the woofer only inside the doghouse.  Woof woof!

 

While I have the instructions for the kit, I think they assume by Khorns would have either 3 or or 4 sets of binding posts on the dog house door, hence my confusion. 

 

So here's a rundown on what I think I already know and what I don't know:

 

The wires from the mid horn and tweeter go to what should be labelled on my new binding posts as "HF Out" and "Mid Out"

 

The lead on one side of the xover board just has a plus and minus sign for the wires and I assume this should be attached to a binding post that will connect to the wires coming from the amplifier and labelled "Audio Input".

 

On the other side there are four sets of wires:

 

"W + and -" which connects to the woofer

 

"M + and -" which I presume connects to a separate biding posts for the mid horn

 

+ and - HFIN which I take to mean High Frequency In and would go to  binding posts for the tweeter

 

+ and - LFIN  which I take to mean Low Frequency IN and I have no idea if I should need a fourth binding post for that.

 

So do I need four sets of binding posts and how do I hook this all up.  Also since I won't be bi-wiring these, do I have to run jumper wires between three sets of binding post (in other words everything but the posts for the audio in)

 

I have new doors so I can simply drill holes for the new posts. Which leads to another question where do I get some one-sided foam or thick tape to use as a seal for the doghouse door. Woof woof!

 

Confused-As-Usual Thebes

 

 

 

 

 

There are five leads coming from the xover

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I'm confused, too, because my AK4 (supposedly identical to AK5, except for one resistor) came with a new dog house door with the network attached.  No drilling.  There was a gasket on the door that came with the crossover.  Woof.  Or, as we say in Berkeley, Steppenwoof [sic].

 

 

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27 minutes ago, USNRET said:

Here is my AK5, what's the question? The top wires are labeled -T and +T. These are outputs from xover to tweeter speaker terminals (green/ black)

Hey is your picture my picture?

AK5 Tweeter terminal.JPG

More than likely.  Did not realize that was a T. On mine the wires obscure the "T" Thought it was just the crosshatch for where the wires should be installed.  So now I'm even more confused.

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12 minutes ago, bkwa1959 said:

I would call Klipsch and see if you can order the binding post that is now installed on the cabinet of current speakers.

Then I'd have to find somebody to scroll cut the new hole for the whole thing. The last time I used a scroll saw, I not only ruined the project, I forgot to wear hearing protection and damaged my ears.

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You might want to contact @LarryC -- I believe he had experience with both the AK4 and the AK5, and went back to the AK4, because the AK5 sounded a bit "hollow," to him, but there was something weird about his Khorns:  I think the slot directly in front of the woofer (woof!) was the old size.  

 

The AK 5 assumes you have a tight seal with the wall, with both vertical and horizontal rubber seals (bark).  The vertical ones go up both sides of the tail (wag) board, and the horizontal one is obvious.  Pipe insulation will do.  The AK 4 underwent a metamorphosis into the AK 5 because of the addition of the horizontal seal (bark) after having awakened as a bug.

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1 hour ago, garyrc said:

You might want to contact @LarryC -- I believe he had experience with both the AK4 and the AK5, and went back to the AK4, because the AK5 sounded a bit "hollow," to him, but there was something weird about his Khorns:  I think the slot directly in front of the woofer (woof!) was the old size.  

 

The AK 5 assumes you have a tight seal with the wall, with both vertical and horizontal rubber seals (bark).  The vertical ones go up both sides of the tail (wag) board, and the horizontal one is obvious.  Pipe insulation will do.  The AK 4 underwent a metamorphosis into the AK 5 because of the addition of the horizontal seal (bark) after having awakened as a bug.

At the time I looked into it, not long after the 5 came out, I recall the 5 was done by was a minimal, easily made change in each x-over.  I didn't care for the outcome, as it intruded an audible, slightly excessive "bump" in the lower middle range/upper bass, as I recall.  I think it was suggested to me that the change was because of the new enclosed backs (I'm not sure after all this time).  Anyway, I thought it detracted from the smoothness and changed them back.

 

The change was small and easily made, so I suggest you do the same thing and see which you think sounds flatter to you.

 

I don't think there was anything weird about my bass horns by the time I got the AK-4's.  I think you are referring to my earlier discovery, of factory-placed inserts in the throats of the bass horns of my 1962 B-style K-horns.  I discovered these in trying to find out why they sounded so strange in the bass after I upgraded the drivers.  The inserts were definitely Klipsch-installed, but were definitely non-standard.  Things got much more normal after I removed them.  Subsequent upgrading to the AK-4s was an excellent change IMO.  

 

Everything else is now standard, so far as I know -- the slot, dimensions, etc. The sound is fine except for a certain bass weakness, which I have always understood to be an OTL amplifier issue.  A trial of VRDs produced powerful, almost excessive bass, perhaps proving the point.

 

But, I could be wrong, of course...

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The lead on one side of the xover board just has a plus and minus sign for the wires and I assume this should be attached to a binding post that will connect to the wires coming from the amplifier and labelled "Audio Input".

I believe it has already been pointed out that there is a "T" next to these and they are the wires going to the Tweeter Binding Post for the crossover.  To confirm this you should see that the (-) wire which should go to the (-) Tweeter Binding Post should be electrically connected the 100 ohm 25 watt resistor on the network circuit board.

 

On the other side there are four sets of wires:

 

"W + and -" which connects to the woofer

Yes

 

"M + and -" which I presume connects to a separate biding posts for the mid horn

Yes

 

+ and - HFIN which I take to mean High Frequency In and would go to  binding posts for the tweeter

No..   These go to the HF IN Binding Post and are either directly connected to a second amplifier if Bi-Amping or are connected to the LF IN Binding Post via the external Jumper wire otherwise.

Note: you can hook these wires to the LF IN Binding Post if you never intend to Bi-Amp and save the cost of one set of binding post.

 

+ and - LFIN  which I take to mean Low Frequency IN and I have no idea if I should need a fourth binding post for that.

This would be the connected to the LF IN Binding Post which is were you will connect the Amplifier wires to.

 

So do I need four sets of binding posts and how do I hook this all up.  Also since I won't be bi-wiring these, do I have to run jumper wires between three sets of binding post (in other words everything but the posts for the audio in)

You need four binding post if you want the option to BI-Amp at some point in time otherwise you can get by with Three binding post by connecting the LF-IN and HF-IN to one set of binding post (For Amplifier Hookup) and thus eliminating the necessity for a jumper wire(if using a single amplifier) for the original BI-Amp option.

 

miketn

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13 hours ago, garyrc said:

You might want to contact @LarryC -- I believe he had experience with both the AK4 and the AK5, and went back to the AK4, because the AK5 sounded a bit "hollow," to him, but there was something weird about his Khorns:  I think the slot directly in front of the woofer (woof!) was the old size.  

 

The AK 5 assumes you have a tight seal with the wall, with both vertical and horizontal rubber seals (bark).  The vertical ones go up both sides of the tail (wag) board, and the horizontal one is obvious.  Pipe insulation will do.  The AK 4 underwent a metamorphosis into the AK 5 because of the addition of the horizontal seal (bark) after having awakened as a bug.

I forgot about the horizontal seals. I can get that at the local Home Depot. Also my new doghouse doors were made by the seller and do not have the seal. As far as the sound goes, I can always pull the extra resistor as an experiment once I have heard them stock for awhile.  I'll probably only do one speaker first just for comparison's sake.

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9 hours ago, mikebse2a3 said:

The lead on one side of the xover board just has a plus and minus sign for the wires and I assume this should be attached to a binding post that will connect to the wires coming from the amplifier and labelled "Audio Input".

I believe it has already been pointed out that there is a "T" next to these and they are the wires going to the Tweeter Binding Post for the crossover.  To confirm this you should see that the (-) wire which should go to the (-) Tweeter Binding Post should be electrically connected the 100 ohm 25 watt resistor on the network circuit board.

 

On the other side there are four sets of wires:

 

"W + and -" which connects to the woofer

Yes

 

"M + and -" which I presume connects to a separate biding posts for the mid horn

Yes

 

+ and - HFIN which I take to mean High Frequency In and would go to  binding posts for the tweeter

No..   These go to the HF IN Binding Post and are either directly connected to a second amplifier if Bi-Amping or are connected to the LF IN Binding Post via the external Jumper wire otherwise.

Note: you can hook these wires to the LF IN Binding Post if you never intend to Bi-Amp and save the cost of one set of binding post.

 

+ and - LFIN  which I take to mean Low Frequency IN and I have no idea if I should need a fourth binding post for that.

This would be the connected to the LF IN Binding Post which is were you will connect the Amplifier wires to.

 

So do I need four sets of binding posts and how do I hook this all up.  Also since I won't be bi-wiring these, do I have to run jumper wires between three sets of binding post (in other words everything but the posts for the audio in)

You need four binding post if you want the option to BI-Amp at some point in time otherwise you can get by with Three binding post by connecting the LF-IN and HF-IN to one set of binding post (For Amplifier Hookup) and thus eliminating the necessity for a jumper wire(if using a single amplifier) for the original BI-Amp option.

 

miketn

Mike, you are da man!  I understand now.  The first confusion was my misreading the tweeter wires. Believe it or not about 4AM this morning the logic of the hookup finally fell into place in my mind.  Navy Mike, your pictures were also a great help.

 

I think I'll go the four binding post route to preserve my options for the future.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well it took a little doing but the first network is up and running.  Had to order up a batch of binding posts, track down some small nuts and bolts, do some drilling, soldering etc., but I'm sure the second one will go faster now that I've done it once.  The Mikes' directions made it much easier to understand that the instructions written for the kit. I also labeled everything so a future Thebes will know what I did.

 

For the dog house door seal I ended up using Pipe Wrap Insulation Tape.  This is the foam stuff with the foil on top that you wrap around pipes. If you slowly remove the foil it takes the glue with it, thus the mating surface will not stick to the dog house in case you need to pull the door off at some future date. About $5 at Home Depot etc.  Binding posts came from Parts Express, $8 a pop so not cheap, but perfect for mounting through thick wood. I also bought some pipe foam to seal the doghouse from the top hat.

 

I'm going to spend a few hours listening to both networks before I switch completly over to the AK5.  I do believe this will help me in articulating the differences in a future report.

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Gack!

 

I searched for something like that on their website and came up with nothing.

 

Now Dean, we've discussed this before. Your not keeping close enough tabs on me. Sure you may have to abandon your family, and stop working, but in my mind anyways, I'm sure it's worth it!

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