russelldholm Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 I have a pair of corner horns that are at least 30 years old as an estimate. Recently when wanting to sell an old pair of 1980s vintage Pioneer HPM900s I took the covers off to take a picture and noticed the foam around the edges of the woofers in places had degraded away and it made me wonder if my Klipsch's have suffered the same fate. If probable how the heck do I get at them and is there a kit for that? A second question is should components in the crossover network be replaced after a certain age? I'm now retired and finally have time to enjoy my 600 plus albums and 1,000 plus CDs but I'm worried my K-Horns might not be in the best shape for optimum listening enjoyment. Thanks for your help. Regards, Russ Holm, Austin, TX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 5, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 5, 2020 Welcome to the forums Russell! I'm in Austin also, hope you and yours are safe and doing well. You will get a lot of great responses here. Have you updated your crossovers at all? That's seems to be the big hit for a refreshment. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 5, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 5, 2020 On the crossover update/refresh if you are a DIY type of guy there are many who can help you on here as what to do. If you are not, and want to keep your Khorns original here is the Klipsch authorized dealer who update them for you. For crossovers that we may no longer have available, you may be able to get them repaired through one of our authorized Heritage Dealers: JEM PERFORMANCE AUDIO (412) 401-6915 https://jemperformanceaudio.com/ 499 Limestone Dr Bethel Park, PA 15102 United States Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 .Your premise on the woofers is wrong. The surrounds aren't foam....but rather paper/cloth....something other. Unless they get ripped or something from hard use or (????) they ought to be ok. What you will usually hear someone recommend is taking them off and rotating them 180 degrees. I've had my LaScalas since 1979 and the woofers are still fine. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Welcome! The woofers should be fine... Would listen to the speakers.for a bit and then, with help here you can replace the capacitors your self or others can for you. What crossover do you have now? A pic of the crossovers may be helpful. Congrats! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 My woofers are 1965 and they are still fine. JJK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russelldholm Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 Thank you everyone for your comments and for setting me straight on the woofers. To be honest, I haven't given them much use in the last 25 years. I traveled a lot for my job and fell victim to the convenience of the MP3 trap. My DIY efforts have historically resulted mostly in destruction as opposed to making something better but I can handle a screwdriver and wire cutters with reasonable competency. Concerning the crossover network, attached in a PDF are pictures of both speakers along with the Klipsch labels which I see now are faded and stained. I'm already indebted to you all but would appreciate further comments and recommendations - thank you! Regards, Russ Holm, Austin, TX Klipsch - Russ Holm.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted June 5, 2020 Moderators Share Posted June 5, 2020 51 minutes ago, billybob said: Welcome! The woofers should be fine... Would listen to the speakers.for a bit and then, with help here you can replace the capacitors your self or others can for you. What crossover do you have now? A pic of the crossovers may be helpful. Congrats! He has the AA Crossovers based on the photos in the pdf he attached. Any thoughts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 minute ago, dwilawyer said: He has the AA Crossovers based on the photos in the pdf he attached. Any thoughts? Going to stick with the little bit I said as, there are more informed here than me. Going to look at his AA's though, think that part is nice... thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 From the photos, I cannot see any leaking of fluid from capacitors, if not, that is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russelldholm Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 If no leaking fluid - does that mean they're OK? What happens over time - does the sound lose its distinction at the crossover frequencies because it becomes muddled? How does "wear" manifest itself in speaker sound? If only a trained Klipsch sound engineer (I just made that up) can tell the difference then maybe it's not that big a deal but if there's signficant sound quality improvement to be had then it seems worth pursuing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 If no leak, just a good thing for safeties same as understand there are chemical PCB's present in the fluid. Have you listened to them? If happy with sound , no immediate need for recap, although others will say to do a refresh with new caps. If sounds muddled, then would say yes. The older caps can drift out of spec over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 While waiting on other response, you can do a search on your AA crossover networks, as there is a vast amounts of info here in the archives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, JJkizak said: My woofers are 1965 and they are still fine. JJK Yeah but you should see his kneecaps..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 26 minutes ago, russelldholm said: If no leaking fluid - does that mean they're OK? What happens over time - does the sound lose its distinction at the crossover frequencies because it becomes muddled? How does "wear" manifest itself in speaker sound? If only a trained Klipsch sound engineer (I just made that up) can tell the difference then maybe it's not that big a deal but if there's signficant sound quality improvement to be had then it seems worth pursuing. -your KHORN speakers were made in 1976 they are 44 years old , and , yes ,they are almost 45 years old --- it is time to get the capacitors replaced with newer ones , the changes should make a difference in the sound , as long as the woofers , mids and tweeters are not defective in any way which can be tested very easily with an Ohmmeter ------woofers are 8ohms , mids 16 ohms , tweeters 8 ohms - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, russelldholm said: Austin, TX 1 hour ago, dwilawyer said: He has the AA Crossovers based on the photos in the pdf he attached. Any thoughts? Yeah, just 5 words. Jubilees..... 5 words? Someone had to say it. (notice that comment is 5 words!!) 1 2 3 4 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Ok,. I'll go away now. (Boom, another 5 words!!) Man, I'm on a roll Boom again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russelldholm Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 Can I check the resistance right on the screw terminals or should I disconnect first? Are the caps the 3 cans in the center - 2 the same size? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 8 minutes ago, russelldholm said: Can I check the resistance right on the screw terminals or should I disconnect first? Are the caps the 3 cans in the center - 2 the same size? disconnect the wires for the woofer - mids and tweeter , one by one ----CHECK the DCR --------screw back in ------check thr next driver and so on - write the DCR on a sheet and post the results -we'll tell you if they are ok ------woofer is 8ohms - mids 16 ohms - tweeter 8ohms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, russelldholm said: Can I check the resistance right on the screw terminals or should I disconnect first? Are the caps the 3 cans in the center - 2 the same size? You should disconnect at least one side to get a good reading. Expect the woofer to show near 3.2 ohms, the squawker to show about 11.6 and the tweeter to show 7.2-ish DC resistance. But really, it they are all playing, without distortion, they are good. Capacitors don't wear, but their internal resistance and capacitance may change from chemical changes with time. Thirty years has been the age when the caps usually become suspect, though I had a 52 y.o. Heresy that did not need new caps. Those old ones were never all that great, compared to modern designs with better materials available, now. If they need replacement, the khorns will sound polite, recessed or distant instead of forward, out in the room and bold. Klipsch are rarely (never) reserved sounding. Replacement in kind is not hard, if you can solder. You will want to use a good to excellent film and foil capacitor. They will not be cheap. Metalized film caps are adequate in some places, but you have the Flagship and I would recommend against metalized. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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