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KLF-30 Rebuild Questions


SnorkelfaceSS

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I have one pair of KLF-30's that have already been rebuilt with reglued and reinforced baffles, Crites crossovers and titanium tweeters.

 

I have 4 more more KLF-30'S for my side and rear surrounds and am about to start matching upgrades on them. My big question is that, if the baffles are still nice and solid, should I still remove and reglue them? I'm still going to add 1"x2.5" bracing either way. 

 

Also, I read in one post something about wrapping the "squawker" in self-adhesive tape. I'm not sure whether that refers to the mid or the tweeter, but has anyone else done this?

 

Also, I was considering adding a thin gasket to the drivers to seal them up. Any reason not to?

 

Thanks for any help!

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31 minutes ago, SnorkelfaceSS said:

Also, I read in one post something about wrapping the "squawker" in self-adhesive tape. I'm not sure whether that refers to the mid or the tweeter, but has anyone else done this?

The "squawker" refers to the midrange horn.

 

I used very thick foam tape. (You can also use a tube of silicone as well)  I did this on several speakers, including my KLF-20 and CF-3's (I had 2 sets of CF's, so I could do a side by side comparison...one with and one without)  It makes absolutely no audible difference when you are listening.  The only difference is that it sounds less hollow when you tap your fingers or knuckles on the horn.  I know a lot of people say that they can hear a difference, and maybe they can.  But, most likely it's the placebo effect.  These are the same people that swear that bi-wiring(unless your using 22 gauge wire in the first place), expensive fancy isolation spikes on your equipment, unnecessarily huge power cables and pucks to keep your speaker cables of the floor actually makes an audible difference as well.

 

As far as the speakers go, I agree with Preston Tom, if it ain't broke...don't fix it.  If you want to add some corner bracing with some Loctite PL 3X, that never hurts.  But to take everything completely apart is a waste of your time.  I don't know if they added front to back bracing between the 12" woofers...if not, this might help.  I know I did it to my KLF-20's because that seemed like a week point. I don't know why Klipsch wouldn't have done this in the first place... other than to save a few bucks.

 

I hope this helps.  Good luck!

 

p.s. KLF-30's for surrounds?  Is your room the size of a stadium?

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Actually...no. It's somewhat small but for Atmos it's best to have them all match and be at ear level...and the 30's were perfect. But hey, I know I have plenty of headroom if I do get a massive room in the future. 😅

 

Great info, thank you. How would I be applying the tape? Is it between the plastic horn and the driver to just kind of seal it up?

 

Yes, I'll definitely be adding front to back bracing as there is none from the factory. I'll think about the triangle corners too. Thanks everyone!

 

Any other suggestions I welcome!

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You apply it to the back of the horn (The plastic part).  I had pictures from when I did it, but it didn't really make a difference, so I deleted them.  I was going to share a "how to" lesson on here, but I felt it was pointless.  I'm sure if you search for horn modifications or "horn damping" something will come up.

 

Klipsch made the horns thin, I'm sure to keep costs down.  So, people like to add material on the back side thinking it will help. 

 

I just pulled this picture from the web, it's not what I did, but it shows the location you could put whatever material you want to use.

 

I hope this helps.

Smoothing" inside of metal mid-horns? - Page 3 - Technical/Modifications -  The Klipsch Audio Community

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5 hours ago, SnorkelfaceSS said:

Also, I read in one post something about wrapping the "squawker" in self-adhesive tape. I'm not sure whether that refers to the mid or the tweeter...

 

5 hours ago, Iteachstem said:

The "squawker" refers to the midrange horn...

 

Dear Snorkel,

 

As Iteachstem said, the term "squawker" describes a midrange device. Since it fills in the audio spectrum between the "woofer" and the "tweeter", Paul W. Klipsch thought "squawker" was a better word to use with those whimsical terms. Although I never had the privilege to meet PWK, it seems clear that his sense of humor was right up there with his technical brilliance. 

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I have two pairs of 30's and over the years I experimented with I think most, if not all of the cheap tweaks that were easily reversible and found zero benefit from any of them. Mortite/Rope caulk on the back of the horns, lining a portion of the inside of the cabinet with acoustical felt, placing weight on top of the speaker for better bass response, adjusting different port lengths etc. etc.

 

The biggest problem with mine (and many others) was the loose baffles on the cabinet and the crossovers taking a dump at approximately 17 years old. If your crossovers are working properly and your cabs are solid, that will solve most of your problems right there and you can be done with it.

 

I went a few steps further and upgraded the tweeters/horn lenses and midrange drivers. Because I had two pairs I was able to compare side by side and my preference definitely favored the upgraded components. Without a doubt.

 

I also took a chance on on some Italian 12" woofers instead of the K-31's and K-31E. Reason is because the original woofers are very difficult and almost impossible to find.....and also to mention their build quality isn't the greatest to put it lightly.

 

I bought my first pair of 30's used about 11 years ago for $500 bucks. I've put about $1400.00 into them (under 2K total) and I was shocked how similar they sound to the new Cornwall IV's ($6000.00 new) I demoed about 10 months ago. Smoothness and lack of forward midrange come to mind as well as a richer sounding bass vs that boxie, cheap cabinet sounding bass I remember previously hearing.

 

If you do nothing else, at the minimum put Crites crossovers in there.....seal the cabs and put in some front to back bracing (a minimal amount). If these speakers are at least functioning properly, they're impressive. I've heard 30's sound bad many more times than I've heard them sound good because they're usually screwed up one way or another. Also, make sure the mid range drivers are not hooked up out of phase. Another common issue.

 

Good Luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

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Great info. Yes, I've already been enjoying the sound from the Crites crossovers and the titanium tweeters on my 30's and the C7. Still thinking about the mids. Woofers might have to wait since I'd need 12 of them 😳🤑. Since the cabs seem to be solid, I'll just do the bracing without pulling the baffles off to reglue them. Although maybe I'll put a bead along the edges while I'm in there. 🤔

 

Any particular considerations for the bracing? I saw Moray James talk about making them 1:2.5 ratio and mounting them on the edge (1") side. 

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I wouldn't go too crazy on the bracing. Just keep it minimal. It's been said that the cabinet volume is too small as it is.

I've been contemplating my next move to make bigger cabs to what they are supposed to be. Just need to find out exactly how much bigger they really need to be.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

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54 minutes ago, SnorkelfaceSS said:

If the cabinets are truly too small, wouldn't adding some polyfill help out??

 

I broached that topic here  a few months back and opted not to add any poly. It can cause negative results when too much is used, you would need to experiment to find your own happy medium.

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A couple questions for everyone:

 

First, if there is not enough volume in the cabinet, why don't people just remove a layer or two of the internal foam that comes from the factory?

 

Second, going through other threads on bracing, most people add a front-to-back between the woofers and between the woofer and mid. My cross support between the woofer and the mid looks to be lower than the others I've seen. Has anyone else seen the cross support being at different heights on these speakers? I don't think a front-to-back brace will clear the woofer unless I add a thick wood spacer on the front baffle. 

 

*How do I make the picture show in the post rather than be an attachment? 🤔

20201016_204743_copy_1512x2016.heic

Edited by SnorkelfaceSS
Question and typo correction
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4 minutes ago, SnorkelfaceSS said:

A couple questions for everyone:

 

First, if there is not enough volume in the cabinet, why don't people just remove a layer or two of the internal foam that comes from the fact

20201016_204743_copy_1512x2016.heic 566.34 kB · 0 downloads

The foam actually causes the speaker to respond as if it were in a larger cabinet so removing the internal damping would be a mistake. You could replace the factory foam with more effective foam but the difference would not be worth the effort in my estimation. Leave the foam alone it is what it is move on to more effective mods like your brace work and replacing network caps retuning the vents and damping the baskets upgrading to all ti horn diaphragms. Have fun and enjoy your efforts.

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