Jump to content

can someone please let me know what is + and what is - on the AK3 crossover?


klipsch1

Recommended Posts

Hi all. I need some help finding the positive and negative connections on the AK3 crossovers in my klipschorns because I want to change the mid drivers  to k55v alnico and I think the previous owner played around with the wires and since they are not marked red or black on the crossovers I was hoping someone can tell me where exactly is the red and black for mids and tweeters on the crossover.  since they are soldered  and not marked, I don't know what wire is positive and what wire is negative. thanks

31423155198_91ddc3e557_k.thumb.jpg.9d27e5f8ad70b4d01751aefdfb9788ce.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1074681790_AK-3schematic1.thumb.jpg.7cfe673ada7129b05d67adda3a2bc5e5.jpg

 

There is a tin plate with a bunch of wires going to it which is the central - or earth point. You can see a bunch of black wires soldered to it, also the - (negative) from both the tweeter and squaker.

The tweeter + goes to the junction of the middle 2uf capacitor.

The squaker + goes to the upper tap on the autotransformer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Khornukopia said:

 

In your picture and other pictures I have seen, it appears that the insulation has white letters and numbers printed on the positive side of the twin cables. 

Yes I’m aware of that , but I think the previous owner may have altered the cross over and that is why I wanted to confirm. So that when I change the mid k55m to the older k55V ,  I don’t switch the + and - by mistake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On my AK-3s the Monster Cable to the speakers had gone a delightful green in places and the insulation had gone very sticky, so I replaced the cable.

 

In another thread https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/179946-crossovers/ Deang has a picture of a cap meter measurement of one of the 2uf caps that has gone way off spec. I replaced the caps on my AK-3s with a Bob Crites replacement kit, and then went on to completely rebuild the crossovers - https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/118361-k-horn-crossovers-from-ak-3-to-universal-to-es/

 

Another check is the squaker driver https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/130970-is-it-the-al-3-or-the-squakers/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

its amazing that the the k55m were soldered  backwards . the + and - were switched so maybe I was not getting the right sound out of them when they were on the horns? in any case the k55v dual phase plug mids sound very nice. I replaced the diaphragms with new ones from bob crites. the k55v also sound a little less harsh. maybe its because the k55m were connected the wrong way? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, you fixed a polarity issue, and replaced diaphragms. This would have a profound impact on the sound. 

 

Crossovers and wiring are next.

 

I’ve lost three customers in the last month after I explained what they would have to do to replace the crossovers. Seems people just aren’t as excited as working on their speakers as I am. 🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Deang said:

AKs are the worst. You have to deal with a mile of nasty green Monster cable - it all needs to be replaced. 

 

can you elaborate on why the wire needs to be replaced?  i have the ak3 with monster cable, i have seen pics of the cable turning green etc but does that actually affect the sound?  my monster cables are not green like ive seen & the insulation is not sticky.  if its shows none of those signs does it still need replaced?

 

also, can you explain "what they would have to do" to replace the caps in the ak-3 x-overs?  isnt it just soldering in new caps like any other x-over?  just curious fi something more is involved.  thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, EpicKlipschFan said:

 

can you elaborate on why the wire needs to be replaced?  i have the ak3 with monster cable, i have seen pics of the cable turning green etc but does that actually affect the sound?  my monster cables are not green like ive seen & the insulation is not sticky.  if its shows none of those signs does it still need replaced?

 

also, can you explain "what they would have to do" to replace the caps in the ak-3 x-overs?  isnt it just soldering in new caps like any other x-over?  just curious fi something more is involved.  thanks.

 

There is a now known off-gassing issue related to the insulation. It's what causes the copper to turn green and sticky. When it gets bad enough, it will increase the overall insertion loss of the system (adds resistance).

 

Any new network that is purchased, will come with a barrier strip. The current wiring is soldered to the network. Since all of the connections need to be cut, it makes more sense to replace it, as opposed to crimping spades to the old wire. 

 

Disconnects are crimped to the new wire, and then connected to the tweeters and midrange drivers. Nothing needs to be soldered.

 

The low pass section in the bass bin is normally bypassed or removed. However, I don't see why it can't be reutilized, and only the high pass be rebuilt. The capacitors in the low pass section are of higher quality that what is used in the high pass -- something I've never quite understood.

 

At any rate, it requires a little bit of work by the end user, and many don't want to mess with it, which is a shame.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...