cristphoto Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Brand new member here. First post. I am the original owner of a pair of Klipschorns that were made in March 1981. They still sound great but I was wondering how long the speaker crossovers last. They will be 40 years old in a few months. I've never abused the speakers or had any electrical thumps, pops, etc. hit the speakers. The only thing different on them is I changed out the the internal wiring with Monster Cable. I also stapled vinyl floorboard molding to the back of the speaker to get good corner sealing. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted December 24, 2020 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2020 Welcome to the Forum! They could probably use a refresh on the caps. This is Klipsch's authorized source for crossover repair and refurbish: https://support.klipsch.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036957831-Heritage-Crossover-Repairs JEM PERFORMANCE AUDIO (412) 401-6915 https://jemperformanceaudio.com/ 499 Limestone Dr Bethel Park, PA 15102 United States If you are handy with soldering their are some DIY parts kits to do it, and a lot of information here on the Forum about doing this and I am sure you will get plenty of ideas. Travis 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted December 24, 2020 Moderators Share Posted December 24, 2020 Do what Travis said with the crossovers, the rest of the speaker will outlast you. Sorry but it's true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubo Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Life of the Capacitors by the Manufacturers is between 20-30 years Yes it is time to replace them. If you or a friend knows how to solder, there are lots of options to source the caps. Gaskets on the threaded horn drivers are probably dry rotted and should be replaced Also check the wiring for day rot, I had to replace wires. Wipe on some watco natural oil, if you haven't done it already. MC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Or.. Drop in replacements https://critesspeakers.com/crossovers.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 13 hours ago, cristphoto said: Brand new member here. First post. I am the original owner of a pair of Klipschorns that were made in March 1981. They still sound great but I was wondering how long the speaker crossovers last. They will be 40 years old in a few months. I've never abused the speakers or had any electrical thumps, pops, etc. hit the speakers. The only thing different on them is I changed out the the internal wiring with Monster Cable. I also stapled vinyl floorboard molding to the back of the speaker to get good corner sealing. Thanks for any help. BTW I have some Crites crossovers I am going to list soon in the Garage Sale section. PM me if interested and I will figure a price 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 careful about using watco on your finish if you have a lacquer finish! I'm not sure you should do that. look on the tag on the back; e.g., WO = Walnut Oil, while WL = walnut lacquer. -- Larry 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted December 25, 2020 Moderators Share Posted December 25, 2020 11 hours ago, tromprof said: Or.. Drop in replacements https://critesspeakers.com/crossovers.html @Youthman recently got some kits from them of his LS L, C, R and did a Youtube video, I think he mentioned he had option to send them in to have them do it; or a get to DIY which is what he ended up doing. I can't remembered if they had drop in replacements as well. From their website: NEWS RELEASE: WE ARE NOW THE KLIPSCH FACTORY AUTHORIZED CROSSOVER NETWORK REPAIR CENTER. WORKING WITH KLIPSCH CHIEF ENGINEER ROY DELGADO, WE HAVE THE CORRECT NETWORK CAPACITORS FOR VINTAGE KLIPSCH HERITAGE SPEAKERS. WE KEEP YOUR VINTAGE KLIPSCH SPEAKERS SOUNDING JUST LIKE PAUL W. KLIPSCH INTENDED. CALL US AT 412-401-6915 FOR INFORMATION. A FEW TESTIMONIALS: "AK-3 recap kit does make a difference in my system. I had an AK-3 network made by a popular vendor and always felt something was missing. Now my system sounds full and correct. This is what I wanted to hear!" CT Md. "Bought caps from the popular vendor and my Cornwalls never sounded right. Bass peaks and shrill treble. Installed your caps and I can say the popular S caps aren't right. The Cornwalls are now balanced with excellent tight bass and smooth treble. My Cornwalls are back! FANTASTIC!!" KM Ga. "Spectacular. Crisp, clean and so full! Beside myself..." DD Pa. SOLID KLIPSCH ENGINEERING. NEED WE SAY MORE? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cristphoto Posted December 26, 2020 Author Share Posted December 26, 2020 Thanks for the responses. This sounds like a winter project to tackle. Lookin through my old Dope From Hope sheets they should have Type AA crossovers. I'm handy with a soldering iron - built an old Dynaco 400 amp many years ago. Will the above listed dealer ship specific components or do they only do the repair in house? Do you have to remove the crossover from the top box or can the changeout be done with crossover in place? How many capacitors involved and approximate cost. Has anyone done this? What is the audio impact with new caps? I'm 71 so my ears aren't as golden compared to my youth but I still know good sound when I hear it. Again thanks for any help. New to this forum and its very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 I own 1978 Klipschorns and they sounded fabulous even with 30 year-old crossovers. I sent the crossovers to Bob Crites about five years ago to give them a once over and he replaced all the old capacitors. It was very quick -- I had my crossovers back within a few days -- much faster than I expected. He also sells the kits if you want to replace the capacitors yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 On 12/26/2020 at 4:49 PM, cristphoto said: Thanks for the responses. This sounds like a winter project to tackle. Lookin through my old Dope From Hope sheets they should have Type AA crossovers. I'm handy with a soldering iron - built an old Dynaco 400 amp many years ago. Will the above listed dealer ship specific components or do they only do the repair in house? Do you have to remove the crossover from the top box or can the changeout be done with crossover in place? How many capacitors involved and approximate cost. Has anyone done this? What is the audio impact with new caps? I'm 71 so my ears aren't as golden compared to my youth but I still know good sound when I hear it. Again thanks for any help. New to this forum and its very helpful. the schematic for the AA network is attached here are the instructions on how to rebuild the AA -it's pretty straight forward - 3 caps need to be replaced -13uF and two 2 uF - you have to check the inductor on the top left of the XO, if the screw is magnetic , you have to replace it with a non-magnetic screw , otherwise , leave it all as is if the screw is non-magnetic - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmalloy Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Can someone explain the purpose of the Zener diodes at the tweeter? Protection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmalloy Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 As a side question - what are the audible symptoms of crossover caps in need of replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch Employees Chief bonehead Posted December 30, 2020 Klipsch Employees Share Posted December 30, 2020 It’s pretty simple and it’s not very complicated. It’s just not “Roy” endorsing JEM, it Klipsch. And for the umpteen time, crites and alk or anyone else and the products they sell, are not Klipsch approved. Most people who modify a part on their network have no idea how it might affect the overall voltage transfer, which affects the spectral balance of the speaker. But it’s your speaker....do what you want. If you want the original intent, then replace with original specified parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted December 30, 2020 Moderators Share Posted December 30, 2020 On 12/26/2020 at 3:49 PM, cristphoto said: Thanks for the responses. This sounds like a winter project to tackle. Lookin through my old Dope From Hope sheets they should have Type AA crossovers. I'm handy with a soldering iron - built an old Dynaco 400 amp many years ago. Will the above listed dealer ship specific components or do they only do the repair in house? Do you have to remove the crossover from the top box or can the changeout be done with crossover in place? How many capacitors involved and approximate cost. Has anyone done this? What is the audio impact with new caps? I'm 71 so my ears aren't as golden compared to my youth but I still know good sound when I hear it. Again thanks for any help. New to this forum and its very helpful. They sell DIY kits, with everything you need. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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