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Older Model H question


Labalish

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Just picked up a pair of older Klipsch Model H's from a local estate sale.

I'm trying to find more information regarding the year of manufacture (1961?), etc.

They are s/n 276 and 277 with model number: H-WO-12

 

Here are pictures of the labels on the back.

 

 

 

276a.jpg276b.jpg

277a.jpg277b.jpg

 

Edited by Labalish
Pictures in wrong order
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It has no badges on the front.

The fabric has gold speckles (which doesn't show up in the pics).

I haven't seen any with fabric quite like this so not sure if its original.

 

Here are some more pictures.

The cabinets are in good shape, but torn if I should leave them in the original condition, or refinish with a layer of danish oil.


Also, not sure if I should crack the back open to take a look inside, or leave as is.

I don't want to 'ruin' a good thing, as these appear to have been stationary for quite some time.

fronts1.jpgfront2.jpgSide.jpgrear.jpg

Edited by Labalish
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I would use a brush attachment, crevice tool (around the grill), and vacuum to get dust off.  Then use "lemon" furniture oil on a Walgreen's facial buff pad on the walnut followed by a paper towel.  Be careful not to get the oil on the fabric or black paint.

 

I did some Internet Quartets and this was a good first step.  I never got to the next step which would be a varnish.

 

The buff puff can't hurt anything.

 

WMcD

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I would second Gil's recommendation.  Pop those backs off!  Can't hurt.  If you haave leaking caps you'll want to replace them. 

 

Technically, they are at least the second generation of Heresy, and they should have K-1000 squawker horns (fairly short and the mouth is a narrow slot).  The woofers are likely painted brown and have AlNiCo magnets that will be sized something like 2 cigarette packs stacked.  The K-55-V will look like the .Vs used for the next 20 years.  And your (AlNiCo) tweeter will have a round cadmium plated cover.  If they don't look like that, we want to see the innards! 

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John, these may even have the older chrome throat, screw on terminal 16 ohm K-77's in them like my 1962 Cornwall's.  How incredible that the paperwork is still stapled to the back with the exception of some water marks on the top they are in beautiful condition for being close to 60 years old.  Pictures of the internals will be the definitive proof.  Yes to the K-1000 midrange horn.

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Both shipped on 11 Oct. 1961.  There is no indication of destination, but the grill cloth is referred to as "Chicopee 5247".  Good thing you didn't get the next two.  They were "B" versions, meaning no squawker or tweeter.  Just a 12" with whizzer cone, and meant for upgrading when customer funds became available. 

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There seems to be a little "Marketing license" in this advertisement (imagine that!).  The 1956 date is a year too early (musta needed "30 years" in 1986), and it was not PWK's "second speaker".  There were several generations of the Rebel, as well as the Shorthorn ahead of the Heresy.

 

The Cornwall and Heresy both started life with the K-1000 diffraction horn.  In January 1963 the Cornwall went to the K-600.  It was not until May 20, 1966 that the Heresy changed to the K-700.  However, the K-1000 still appears in many Heresy's after that date until at least 1967.  

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On 10/20/2019 at 9:15 AM, Labalish said:

It has no badges on the front.

The fabric has gold speckles (which doesn't show up in the pics).

I haven't seen any with fabric quite like this so not sure if its original.

 

Here are some more pictures.

The cabinets are in good shape, but torn if I should leave them in the original condition, or refinish with a layer of danish oil.


Also, not sure if I should crack the back open to take a look inside, or leave as is.

I don't want to 'ruin' a good thing, as these appear to have been stationary for quite some time.

fronts1.jpgfront2.jpgSide.jpgrear.jpg

If/When you remove the rear panels to look inside of them, here is what you SHOULD FIND! 

 

First of all, they should be extremely clean inside, with no build up of crap over the years because they are "more or less" sealed cabinets.

Second, you will notice that the grille cloth is not mounted to a separate grille panel attached to the face "one way or another" of the speaker motor-boards, but the grille-cloth was INSTEAD wrapped around that motor-board and stapled to the back side of it.  This actually produced a slightly less "sealed cabinet" intil they stopped the way the grille cloth was wrapped around the motor-board and stapled to its rear....and started gluing the motor-board DIRECTLY to the glue blocks inside around the inside perimeter of the cabinet.

Another thing is that the motor-board is SCREWED to the glue blocks from the outside, most likely, instead from the inside.  Doing this required getting the screws started through the grille cloth and before totally tightening them, gently separating the cloth so that the screw-heads could get through it so that they would remain unseen, because they are now UNDER the grille cloth.  I have seen this type of motor-board screwed in from both front and rear, though!...until they went to grille panels attached to the motor-board after assembly.

 

Now...HOW TO REMOVE THE REAR PANELS CORRECTLY...and how to re-install them CORRECTLY.

First do this to ONE speaker at a time....you will understand WHY a few lines down.

Lay the speaker face down on a soft surface, like carpeted floor or towel....preferably on the floor.  Putting one hand in the middle of the rear panel and applying slight downward pressure to it, start loosening the screws until they are completely out of the glue blocks inside of the box, but leave those screws in the same holes you found them in.

Then take a FLEXIBLE putty knife or something, NOT A SCREW DRIVER, and work it in so that its leading edge can get under the forward edge of the panel and gently lift the panel to where it comes up...DO NOT TRY TO COMPLETELY REMOVE THE PANEL, yet, because the wires from the rear terminal are attached to the networks mounted inside by relatively short wires and you do not want them to come loose so just get it lifted up and rotate it where you can see inside the cabinet.

Once you figure out how everything is attached wiring-wise, then you can remove the wires from the rear panel terminals...be sure to mark them to show "hot/ground".THEN you are ready to totally remove the rear panel.  Mark it inside so that you know which speaker it came from.  And you are ready to do the same process for the other speaker rear panel removal, following all steps given.

 

While you are inside the box, you will most likely find that the terminal wires are screwed down using connectors at their ends to the network board.  First things first...ENSURE THE NETWORK BOARDS ARE TIGHTLY attached to the speaker inside panel.  As old as yours are they may have slightly loosened due to the thickness of the wood getting less thick as it lost moisture over the years.  So, GENTLY tighten them up using the screws that were used to attach them. The wires from the network board to the drivers are also connected in that manner.  But the wires at the terminals of the drivers are likely soldered on considering when the speakers were made. So, removing one wire at a time from the network, ensure the connectors are clean, no corrosion or crud build up...you can use rubbing alcohol to clean them with Q-tips.   Any corrosion or rust can be removed by using one of those green scrubbing pads.  Once the connectors on both the network board and the wires are cleaned, then use "di-electric grease" (you can get this at almost any automotive parts store!!) and apply a tiny bit to q-tips and ensure all connecting surfaces get coated, replaced to the CORRECT locations and screwed down.  This will provide a long-lasting good connection which also resists corrosion....HINT! HINT!

 

You will also need to do this routine for the terminals on the rear panels....both inside and outside of the panel.

 

Many also change out the capacitors of the networks early on if the speakers are already old.  If there are signs of leakage they DEFINITELY need to ALL be changed out!  Signs of leakage are seeing an oily substance either around the edges of where the cans are crimped and/or where the solder was used to seal "filler hole" in the can after it was filled with oil.

 

OK....so...now that you have done the necessary maintenance inside and whatever else stuff you wanted to look at or work on, it is time to replace the back panels.

 

Take the rear panel marked inside of it for that particular speaker, put the screws in until they have just their points sticking out a tiny bit...and gently lay them on the glue blocks around the rear perimeter of the cabinet.  Then wiggle them a little bit to "feel" the tips of the screws go into the previous glue block holes.  DO NOT just start screwing them in...but one at a time gently start turning the screw-driver until the screws make contact inside of the old glue block holes, and then gently back them out and do it again once you FEEL the screws going back in with little resistance to exactly where the threads in the wooden glue blocks start...then place one hand down in the center of the rear panel, apply slight down-wards pressure to the panel, and gently get them all snug but not yet tight.  Once that is done tighten them all up but be careful not to strip out the holes they went into...YOU SHOULD NOT SEE THE SCREW HEADS GOING DEEP INTO THE WOOD SURFACE OF THE REAR PANEL!...if they do you have tightened them TOO MUCH and will be stripping the wood out of the glue blocks underneath the panel!...which will create a new problem you do NOT want to deal with!  OK?

 

Now, hook them up and enjoy them...the electrical connections are clean and good electrical contact is now going on and they should sound great!

 

I reviewed what I have written and don't think that I have left anything out!  LOL!

 

 

 

Edited by HDBRbuilder
corrected typos
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Interesting!  They have the older K-55-V and a different woofer and crossover than I thought.  My '67 has a Type C network and E-V woofer.  I had expected yours to have an "open frame" (an open loop of steel with an ALNiCo pellet inside) AlNiCo magnet, though those are almost certainly AlNiCo.  There were lots of changes in those days.  Some Hs also came with the cast Al woofer of the H-700. 

Dope_610115_v2n1 Model H-2.pdf

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