aabum Posted August 5, 2020 Share Posted August 5, 2020 Hi, I just picked up a nice set of Heresy II speakers in zebrawood, built in 1986, round binding post cap. These are my endgame speakers. They sound great, but I know updating the crossovers has the potential to improve the sound a small amount. I typically work on tube amps and have been under the impression that poly caps don't go bad, but I see everyone putting in new poly caps. Do poly crossover caps actually go bad or is this to modify stock sound? I see that the stock 68uf cap is electrolytic, and people replace that with a poly caps. What sonic difference will I hear between a audio grade electrolytic, I would use Nichicon, and a lower to moderate priced poly cap? Is it necessary to match the esr of the replacement 68uf cap to the stock cap? Assuming data on the stock cap is available. One nice little thing I have learned from working on tube amps is that Panasonic ECWF polycaps(about $1-$1.50) sound pretty dang good, to the extent that many people can't tell the difference between them and some boutique caps, circuit dependant. Has anyone used these Panasonic caps in their Klipsch crossovers? There's an inexpensive Wima polycap that also sound good to as a coupling caps. Has anyone used AudioCap Theta caps in their crossovers? They're the most expensive caps I've ever used in a tube amplifier and they do sound pretty good, though I don't know that they sound any better than the Panasonic caps. Will I notice a difference if I use larger gauge wire inductors? I'm going to mount the crossovers on a piece of wood attached to the bottom of the speaker so real estate will not be a problem. I would like to update the diaphragms to Crites titanium. Should I do this with both horns? Thanks for any and all input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davecv41 Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Electrolytics can dry out after 35 years. If you can measure all your caps, including the ESR, that'll give you the answer if any of them have gone bad. Every other thing you've asked is subject to opinion. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 since you say they sound great , why not save your money and look for another pair , 2 pairs of Heresy speakers are a blast ---Titanium parts would be great , but if the current are still in excellent condition ---why change anything -------stock diaphragms are excellent quality - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Zebrawood?? Post some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aabum Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 Thanks for the welcome. I realize that answers to my questions are subjective, as is anything audio, but general consensus is usually close to correct in my experience. While the speakers sound good now, I'm going to replace the 68uf cap now as I would any older electrolytic cap. While I'm in there, I would just as soon make all the crossover upgrades so I don't have to worry about anything later. Regarding the Crites diaphragms, everything I've heard/read about them is that they make a significant difference to the good. I'm not clear if folks are mostly hearing the improvements from updating the mid horn or the tweeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aabum Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 Here's a couple pictures. They're on one of my work surfaces, which isn't a spot for good pictures. It's somewhat difficult to get good pics of the zebrawood without washing out some of the color. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff. Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Thanks for the pictures! Love the zebrawood. Hope the cat is declawed... New caps WILL make everything sound brighter, for better or worse. Imaging should benefit though. The titanium tweeter diaphragms are almost a no brainer on the Klipsch tweeters that accept them. I have a pair of H2s that(I think) sound amazing with just the Ti diaphragms, but I still dream about upgrading them to H3s with the factory kit. New woofer, crossover, mid and tweeter diaphragms. It was still available last October when I called Klipsch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aabum Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 No declawed cats in this house. Where I live you would be hard pressed to find a veterinarian that will perform the procedure. Haven't had a problem with the cats clawing my grill yet, knock on zebrawood. I know I'm going to update the diaphragms, just not right away. I think I'm going to replace the 68uf cap with a Nichicon UDB cap. Not sure if I want to install inductors with larger gauge wire. I know the H3s are supposed to sound better, but I've always liked the sound of the Is and IIs, so I'm content with the IIs. I haven't heard a set of IIIs. One of my secrets to audio happiness is to not going to high end audio shops and listening to gear that's more expensive than I can afford. As it is I have three or four solid state amps that I like the sound of and an equal amount of tube amps that sound better than the solid state amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
absolve2525 Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Parts Express has good quality, inexpensive higher value electrolytic caps for speaker crossovers. https://www.parts-express.com/68uf-100v-electrolytic-non-polarized-crossover-capacitor--027-356 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 54 minutes ago, geoff. said: I still dream about upgrading them to H3s with the factory kit. New woofer, crossover, mid and tweeter diaphragms. It was still available last October when I called Klipsch... The klipsch original Titanium diaphragms are exceptional quality and they last quite a lot of years -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aabum Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 I thought the stock diaphragms are phenolic, the Bob Crites diaphragms were the only titanium ones you can get. Am I incorrect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 --Yes klipsch manufactures in-house the mids K53 -and the tweeters K76-75-79 etc ,all use the same diaphragms , they are made in 2 types , phenolic and titanium ---- the Titanium or phenolic diaphragms sold online through various sources are aftermarket parts ----Klipsch parts are Factory made parts - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbelluso Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Is the Heresy II to III conversion kit still available from the manufacturer? Maybe a link? (www.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 The kit to the III is designed for the Heresy II with the square input panel you will have to cut the hole out in the back to use the HIII kit on the round input HII. I wouldn't. The gains are not that substantial. I would replace any caps with high quality film and foil not another electrolytic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 5 hours ago, mbelluso said: Is the Heresy II to III conversion kit still available from the manufacturer? Maybe a link? (www.) they were last year -------300$ per speaker ------woofer-crossover( square )Mids-HF -------no link ---------klipsch parts only ---they are closed for the pandemic , or at least this is the info we have at this time- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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