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Heritage Heresy Facelift


AndreG.

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12 minutes ago, ricktate said:

I would also put seal on the back panel also check the washer on mid driver.

Yes, i wanted to put a seal on the back-panel eventually. Haven´t thought about that gasket inside the squawker yet, thanks for bringing that to my attention. Being more than fourty years old, it´s probably time to change these too.

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It’s just my opinion, but to putty over the screws that hold the back in place sounds like a bad idea.  If you think that the screws are unsightly, well, they’re on the back side, so who cares if they’re visible?  You may want to access the interior of the speakers at some future point.

 

For example, it might be time to replace the original K-77 tweeters.  They weren’t great when they were new, since they rolled off around 14-15,000 Hz.  As well, it’s possible that their output no longer matches each other.  When I bought my 1974 La Scalas, they were 32 years old.  When I tested the tweeters (the same K-77 type), there was a 2-3 dB difference between them.  This could affect the stereo imaging, plus at least one of them would be out of balance with the squawked and woofer.

 

The cure was a pair of Bob Crites’s CT125 tweeters.  Their output matched to within 1 dB, and they could play up to near 20 kHz.  The vocals were also more clear.  I was very happy to hear the improvements.  Now there are CT120 tweeters, which are said to be even better.  I kept the old K-77s, in case a buyer would want them, but I’m really glad I upgraded to the CT125s.

 

As for the sealing of the rear panel, it’s important.  Closed-cell foam used for weatherstripping is ideal.  Air leakage around the panel badly affects the bass response, so a good seal is important.  Klipsch thought it was so important that starting with the Heresy II, the back panel is permanently sealed on, and everything is installed and serviced through the front, through the large woofer hole.

 

Happy listening!

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4 hours ago, Islander said:

It’s just my opinion, but to putty over the screws that hold the back in place sounds like a bad idea

Sorry, i was a bit misleading there... I don´t want to putty over the access-screws, just the ones that fasten the braces i put in.

For sealing the ports i was looking at foam-tape like the stuff You suggested.

 

I have also been looking at the Crites tweeters. In the future i might go down this path, the real problem are german customs that make this very expensive...

Thanks for Your input!

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This week i put sealing tape on the back-panels and i like to think that the bass has gotten a little tighter.

 

Now i´m starting to plan on the refurbishment of the cabinets and grills. I want to empty the speakers and sand them down a little, then oil them again. I hope to get out some little dents i the process. I also want to fill the missing verneer parts that are missing on one speaker with repair-wax.

 

I want to get rid of the velcro-pads that fix the grills to the cabinets and replace them with magnets. How do i want to do that? Straight forward, i could glue the magnets to the grill, drill some holes in the motorboards, put bolts through these holes and puty them over.

I could also  just drill "shallow" cavities into the boards, put either magnets or washers i there, putty and glue their counterparts on the grills. Somehow i like this option better than drill holes through the motorboard.

What are Your opinions?

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  • 1 month later...

Contacted Michael Cites today about fabric for my grills and gaskets for the mids.

 

Once i get the reply and order confirmation i will pull the Es apart and start renovating. The grills will be fixed with magnets and i will refresh the verneer after sanding it down lightly, when the new coats of oil are dry and i´m sure colors are permanent i will also touch up the chipped verneer with furniture wax. The black areas in front and back will get a new coat of structured paint.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Got email from Michael Crites the other day, my grill fabric and mid-horn gaskets are on the way. Once stuff arrives i can get serious in restoring the cabinets. While waiting i will make new shelves for my CDs, collection of which outgrew my old IKEA ones. I will use the same technique as for my gear rack, just taller and a bit lighter.

 

Finally bought a Blue Ray. It´s a Panasonic DP-UB824. Features are great, can watch Netflix on my big system now.. Still, i wish Marantz continued making BD-players, compared to the Panasonic, my DV7001 is a tank.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This week the grill-fabric and gaskets arrived, curtessy of the Crites family. Once i finish the first part of my new shelves, i´ll start the makeover of these cabinets. In the between time i will order structured paint for the motor-boards and the back.

I will sand the old oil finish down a bit and then apply the same oil & wax combo i´m using for the shelves right now. Let´s see how much lighter the verneer will get. This will also be the time to get rid of some minor dents  and stains.

Last step will be the touch-up of the spots where the veneer is missing some bits with repair-wax.

Now is also the time to think about how to use the magnets for the grills. Right now i´m thinking of burrying them in the motor-boards and glue washers to the backsides of the grills.

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Reaching out to the carpenters and experienced woodworkers in this forum! On one of my cabinets there is a spot on the forward rim where the verneer has splintered and broken off, but one piece is still attached to the verneer (To be faintly seen in one of the photos at the beginning of this thread.). What is the best method to glue it back into place? Just any old wood-glue and then apply pressure of some sort?

Thanks for suggestions!

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  • 2 weeks later...

IMG_20210725_150713.thumb.jpg.72d4cea5522c1ba01e33a64d93231e35.jpg

 

First i wanted to anchor it by simply having the rods push onto the floor and ceiling, but found the rods to be too flexible still.

 

IMG_20210725_150723.thumb.jpg.094faca4eaaeed2f206d1a4c5787a8dd.jpg

 

Had to use four of these wall-ankers as well. Not the nicest sollution optically, maybe i will come back later and change this for something less obstrusive.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So i´ve got this SW passive bass extension that i´m using with my KG1.5 right now. In the future i might use it with my Heresys. The box is black right now and the cabinet  got banged when it was shipped to me. At one point i would like to fix the damage and while i´m at it re-verneer the whole thing. So the Heresy tag says Walnut, but which one, does anybody know? I´ve seen differences in color, for example between pieces of european and american walnut.

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