Scott M Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Hi, I recently inherited a pair of Klipsch Heresy II speakers (left in a home I purchased) and I would love to get them working correctly. They appear to be in great shape. However, when I hook them up to a onkyo amplifier & onkyo turntable, the treble/high end of one speaker sounds very muted with almost no output. The low-end seems ok. The other speaker sounds normal. I switched the R/L inputs and outputs and the same speaker has the issue, so I don't think it's an amplifier problem. Tweeter/crossover issue? I am a novice with regard to analog speakers. Two repair questions: 1) Are they, in general, worth repairing? and, 2) If so, does anyone have any thoughts? Do they need to be brought in somewhere, or are there some easy things to check? My electrical repair knowledge is negligible. Thank you, Scott 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Well, you have done the right first step in isolating to the speaker rather than the source/amp. They are definitely worth taking the time with. There are three drivers. Use a pillow to block the sound and determine which drivers are not working (IOW, is it just the tweeter etc)? Do you or a friend have a volt meter (it does not need to be fancy)? A picture of the cabinets wold help. Is the back of the cabinet screwed in (otherwise you may need to remove a driver to gain access)? You will need to do some electrical measures of the crossover and drivers. Keep us posted and good luck, -Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 @Scott M, Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a tweeter issue and yes they are worth repairing. If you have the skills, you can try the diagnosis with a volt meter. You could just replace both tweeter diaphragms with "Crites Tites" https://critesspeakers.com/klipsch_tweeters.html For the tweeters used in the Heresy II, Forte, Forte II, Chorus, Chorus II, KG series and some others, a different type of tweeter is used. We also have diaphragms for those tweeters. These include the following tweeters: K-76, K-74, K-75, K-76, K-79, K-83, K-84, K-85, K-88, K-90, K63, K74, K75, K76, K83, K84, K85, K88, K90 For these tweeters, we offer a new titanium diaphragm. For every case, the titanium is better. Smoother in response and extends much higher. The titanium diaphragms are very flat in frequency response all the way out to beyond 20khz. or just replace the "bad" one with a stock diaphragm. https://critesspeakers.com/prices-services.html Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 1 hour ago, willland said: @Scott M, Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a tweeter issue and yes they are worth repairing. If you have the skills, you can try the diagnosis with a volt meter. You could just replace both tweeter diaphragms with "Crites Tites" https://critesspeakers.com/klipsch_tweeters.html For the tweeters used in the Heresy II, Forte, Forte II, Chorus, Chorus II, KG series and some others, a different type of tweeter is used. We also have diaphragms for those tweeters. These include the following tweeters: K-76, K-74, K-75, K-76, K-79, K-83, K-84, K-85, K-88, K-90, K63, K74, K75, K76, K83, K84, K85, K88, K90 For these tweeters, we offer a new titanium diaphragm. For every case, the titanium is better. Smoother in response and extends much higher. The titanium diaphragms are very flat in frequency response all the way out to beyond 20khz. or just replace the "bad" one with a stock diaphragm. https://critesspeakers.com/prices-services.html Bill +1 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 It is quite possible that it is a blown tweeter. However there is also a possibility that someone has "worked" on the cabinet and there might be a loose connection. So I would not order any parts until it has been first diagnosed. Also, by the original description, it is not clear whether there is also a problem with the midrange. The wording is ambiguous. That is why I suggested that the OP verify which drivers are actually working (using the pillow technique). Until the basic diagnostics are performed, it is way too early to jump to a conclusion. We will get there in time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 10 hours ago, Scott M said: pair of Klipsch Heresy II speakers (left in a home I purchased) Awesome! The Heresies are nice speakers ... probably worth about $400 and well worth fixing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 Thanks! I will try the pillow, get my hands on a voltmeter, and upload some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glens Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Alternate method is using a paper towel core as a stethoscope. One end on your ear, other end in the horn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oicu812 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 44 minutes ago, glens said: Alternate method is using a paper towel core as a stethoscope. One end on your ear, other end in the horn. I dropped in here to give the same advice. Leaving satisfied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC39693 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 As offered, check all the connections first. If they are Heresy II then you have to go through the front taking out the woofer likely is easiest. Be sure all connections on the drivers and the crossover are all tight. If this does not solve it, isolate the driver not working and get out the voltmeter. Then, I'd contact Bob Crites. Absolutely worth the troubleshooting and you'll enjoy the results when you are done. Best wishes and post your progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 @Scott M, Where is your location? Maybe a well versed forum member is near by and can offer a hand. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlthess40 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 I have a set of coils for the tweeters ,if you want them for cheapDollar for dollar Klipsch has no equals Name one other speaker company that can build a speaker and keep working like new after 45 plus years of service. Answer NO ONE !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 Hi all, So I tried the paper towel method, which worked quite nicely. It's the middle driver that's not working. The tweeter/woofer sound ok. When I removed the woofer to look in the cabinet, it seems that all the wires are connected. I took a multimeter and measured the resistance across the mid-range driver (at the two tabs where the wires attach to it). I get 0 ohms. In contrast, the tweeter gives approx. 5-6 ohms measured at the same location. Am I doing this correctly, and do I need to measure elsewhere? Next steps? Thanks and much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Yes. What does the squawker that works show on the meter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pzannucci Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 8 hours ago, Scott M said: Hi all, So I tried the paper towel method, which worked quite nicely. It's the middle driver that's not working. The tweeter/woofer sound ok. When I removed the woofer to look in the cabinet, it seems that all the wires are connected. I took a multimeter and measured the resistance across the mid-range driver (at the two tabs where the wires attach to it). I get 0 ohms. In contrast, the tweeter gives approx. 5-6 ohms measured at the same location. Am I doing this correctly, and do I need to measure elsewhere? Next steps? Thanks and much appreciated. Make sure you have disconnected one of the leads to the mid horn before checking. If it still measures zero, the diaphragm needs replacing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 If mid driver needs repair....pretty easy to do but you can send it to Bob Crites and he can fix it for you. You can also get parts and more info from him on the phone he is a great guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Oh yea it just unscrews from the horn so easy to service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) You don't need to check the other mid-driver. As pointed out above just make sure the lead(s) are disconnected from the crossover. If it reads "open", replace the damaged diaphragm . The repair is not terribly expensive and it is certainly worth performing. Some of the leads are delicate so caution is advised (remember this driver is a huge magnet and can grab a screwdriver at the most awkward moments). Congratulations, you will have a pair of Hereseys up and running. They are a nice sounding speaker! Edited July 8, 2019 by PrestonTom typo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnKuthe Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 3 hours ago, PrestonTom said: You don't need to check the other mid-driver. As pointed out above just make sure the lead(s) are disconnected from the crossover. If it still reads zero (or "open"), replace the damaged diaphragm . The repair is not terribly expensive and it is certainly worth performing. Some of the leads are delicate so caution is advised (remember this driver is a huge magnet and can grab a screwdriver at the most awkward moments). Congratulations, you will have a pair of Hereseys up and running. They are a nice sounding speaker! Oh yes! Heresys sound like mini La Scalas! I have both! :-) John Kuthe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott M Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 So actually when I remove the leads from the driver, I get no conduction across the metal terminals on the driver... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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