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Picked up a set of KP-301 II's


jjptkd

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4 hours ago, hanksjim1 said:

Ended up going with Flex Seal, just finished applying the first coat:

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/FLEX-SEAL-FAMILY-OF-PRODUCTS-Flex-Seal-Liquid-Black-32-oz-Liquid-Rubber-Sealant-Coating-LFSBLKR32/301711448

 

I picked up 2 quarts and it looks like it will be enough for 3 coats.

 

It was the only thing in stock of its kind that wasn't in a spray can, seems to go on nice we'll see how it turns out I guess.

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Never heard Chorus 1s. Had a chance a couple years back to get a pair for $800 but I balked because the bass presumably “spec’d” too high for my data sheet liking. Facepalm (I have disabled my emojis).

 

I have since come to appreciate that the -10db bass on a 101db speaker is none-the-less substantial. And specs are for those without the wherewithal to put their ears where their mouth is.

 

The “ports” on these are just holes, lol. And there is zero acoustic foam inside the cabs. With a few inches of PVC tube or some insulation the bass should finesse nicely.

 

I wonder what the optimum size cabinet would be?

 

 

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On 5/11/2020 at 12:32 AM, geoff. said:

But these KP-301s, man! There is something about that K-48 and the steeper crossovers and filters in that pro cabinet that is special. In all my decades of listening to Rush I had never heard the definition in the opening drums on Lakeside Park like this before.

Re-reading this thread this morning and thinking of what you said. The pro line is engineered differently to have more headroom than regular speakers. What this has translated to for me is that I have at least the same fidelity as the regular speakers do but there is more authority in what I hear. The bass does not go just thump but boom too even though technically they may be playing at the same hz. I have really migrated to Cello music lately and it seems the resonance of the strings just comes through better with pro gear. Same notes same recording same amps I would rather the 301 any day. The pro speakers also have the ability it seems to me to have a wider sweet spot and also overwhelm a bad acoustic environment better.

 

I would encourage you to NOT replace the crossover but instead recap it. I would not worry about trying to duplicate a Chorus when I just might have something better in hand already.

 

 I need to find one of those old cloth grille sets. Talking about them makes me miss them.

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11 hours ago, geoff. said:

The “ports” on these are just holes, lol. And there is zero acoustic foam inside the cabs. With a few inches of PVC tube or some insulation the bass should finesse nicely.

 

I wonder what the optimum size cabinet would be?

There are a few threads on here about adding port tubes to the Chorus cabinet, I believe 7" tubes are the agreed upon port length.

 

 

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6 hours ago, 000 said:

 

What kind of finish does it have ----------flat-glossy , satin - ---or duratex like

 

It's a smooth glossy black-- not entirely sure I'd recommend using this product quite yet for one thing after the above pictures were posted I checked product spec's and apparently the Flex Seal Liquid is not paintable so I'm stuck with the black unless I want to sand it all off and start over again. I like and wanted the gloss black look but its nice to have options.

 

Cure times between coats seems like a long time, they recommend 24-48 hours, I'm coming up on 24 hours and while it's dry it still seems soft and some what tacky, going to wait a few more hours before adding the second coat.

 

Also as a side note the product does not seem to fill in even the tiniest of holes even after a fairly heavy first coat in fact it seems like I'm able to see holes that I did not notice before like the counter-sunk finish nail holes that were under the plastic corner edge rails. I'm going to add the second coat and if they don't fill in I'll add some filler before the final coat.

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42 minutes ago, jjptkd said:

It's a smooth glossy black-- not entirely sure I'd recommend using this product quite yet for one thing after the above pictures were posted I checked product spec's and apparently the Flex Seal Liquid is not paintable so I'm stuck with the black unless I want to sand it all off and start over again. I like and wanted the gloss black look but its nice to have options.

 

Cure times between coats seems like a long time, they recommend 24-48 hours, I'm coming up on 24 hours and while it's dry it still seems soft and some what tacky, going to wait a few more hours before adding the second coat.

 

Also as a side note the product does not seem to fill in even the tiniest of holes even after a fairly heavy first coat in fact it seems like I'm able to see holes that I did not notice before like the counter-sunk finish nail holes that were under the plastic corner edge rails. I'm going to add the second coat and if they don't fill in I'll add some filler before the final coat.

Never used anything but Duratex. You can even buy tintable base and have something besides black.

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2 hours ago, jjptkd said:

There are a few threads on here about adding port tubes to the Chorus cabinet, I believe 7" tubes are the agreed upon port length.

 

 

You can't go wrong with the 7" tubes. I have never experimented with them but heard Chorus 1 without the tubes and then those with the 7" tube added and like the results. A little shorter, a little longer may make a slight difference on a graph somewhere but doubt it is noticable.

Good luck with your project and have fun with it. These seem to fit right into your normal "sweet spot"!

 

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4 hours ago, Dave A said:

Re-reading this thread this morning and thinking of what you said. The pro line is engineered differently to have more headroom than regular speakers. What this has translated to for me is that I have at least the same fidelity as the regular speakers do but there is more authority in what I hear. The bass does not go just thump but boom too even though technically they may be playing at the same hz. I have really migrated to Cello music lately and it seems the resonance of the strings just comes through better with pro gear. Same notes same recording same amps I would rather the 301 any day. The pro speakers also have the ability it seems to me to have a wider sweet spot and also overwhelm a bad acoustic environment better.

 

I would encourage you to NOT replace the crossover but instead recap it. I would not worry about trying to duplicate a Chorus when I just might have something better in hand already.

 

 I need to find one of those old cloth grille sets. Talking about them makes me miss them.

I cannot seem to find a 301 schematic anywhere but from what I've been able to see the 301's are almost identical to the Chorus; same cabinet volume and porting, same drivers and crossover points only thing I can see added is protection circuitry for the horns therefor its it seems odd that there would be a dramatic difference in sound? 

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1 hour ago, Dave A said:

Never used anything but Duratex. You can even buy tintable base and have something besides black.

 

Yeah probably should have gone this route but I'm impatient, had a few days off this week and wanted to get this phase wrapped up in that time. Looking into it I guess Flex Seal Liquid has a clear version so if one was set on using this product paint first then clear coat seal maybe? Overall I think they're turning out nice, I'm reserving final thoughts until they're done.

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3 hours ago, jjptkd said:

I cannot seem to find a 301 schematic anywhere but from what I've been able to see the 301's are almost identical to the Chorus; same cabinet volume and porting, same drivers and crossover points only thing I can see added is protection circuitry for the horns therefor its it seems odd that there would be a dramatic difference in sound? 

I have asked myself the same question and it would not seem that a ceramic resistor would change things but look at the watt ratings. I can't explain technically why but I can share my experience having owned all these variants. The cabinet is the same volume but not the same exact shape and that along with the crossover are the only two things different that I see.

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Making some head way on these, got the final coat of Flex Seal on, spray painted the grills and washed all the plastic parts including all the horns. I haven't ordered any new parts yet just going to put them back together 100% stock for now and give them a listen see how they sound.

 

Once I get them all back together I'll take some pictures and post them and maybe add some comments on listening impressions. I can't compare them head to head with my modified Chorus II's but I do have a nicely modified pair of RF-5's that sound pretty darn good to compare, which I actually think sounded at least as good as the last pair of forte II's I had.

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OK my curiosity was aroused this morning and I decided to double check the CH 1 crossover. There are differences and it is not just one thing and this is true with the CH 2 and 301 2 also. I had forgotten how much difference there was. These crossovers have been downloaded here and elsewhere and if my memory serves me well when I have had actual crossovers in hand they agree with the schematics.

 

 

chorus I crossover.jpg

Chorus II.jpg

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3 hours ago, Dave A said:

OK my curiosity was aroused this morning and I decided to double check the CH 1 crossover. There are differences and it is not just one thing and this is true with the CH 2 and 301 2 also. I had forgotten how much difference there was. These crossovers have been downloaded here and elsewhere and if my memory serves me well when I have had actual crossovers in hand they agree with the schematics.

 

Thanks for posting these I searched for a bit for the 301's and came up empty. The schematic confirms a couple things for me; one, I don't think I've ever seen an accurate set of spec's for the original 301's and two the published crossover points for the Chorus 1 and II were switched, which I've long suspected but never knew for sure.

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11 hours ago, jjptkd said:

 

Thanks for posting these I searched for a bit for the 301's and came up empty. The schematic confirms a couple things for me; one, I don't think I've ever seen an accurate set of spec's for the original 301's and two the published crossover points for the Chorus 1 and II were switched, which I've long suspected but never knew for sure.

Getting info on the early pro speakers can be a real job.

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