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Klipsch MCM Advice


AlmostGod

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On 6/30/2021 at 4:10 PM, AlmostGod said:

Thanks everyone for replying! I picked them up today, there are Eminence drivers (Unknown which) in one pair, and Eminence LAB 15 in the others. There's the Gauss HF4000, and a pair of Eminence BETA 10A which are in the 10" cabinets. And the Klipsch K55 in the mid/high cabinets. I don't know if any of the drivers work, I'm going to take out the drivers and terminal to give them a thorough clean and test the drivers.

 

I saw there's a pic of a pair of MCM's and the cabinets have carpet on them? Is this original? I liked the look! Also going to brush the aluminum strips to make them look better and maybe paint them? It's going to be a long term project haha.  

Does anyone know how and if they sound good without a HF on them? How high does this midrange go?

 

Two things.  First, that carpet stuff is generally known by roadies as "rat fur".  I don't know how its presence affects the price of the speakers.

 

Second, those aluminum edges are anodized, but the anodizing is very thin, so you have to be careful not to use anything that could scratch or scrape them, or their finish will be ruined.  Other members can suggest how to clean them without causing any problems.

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On 6/29/2021 at 9:51 PM, Marvel said:

How tall/high are your ceilings? Mine are about 10 feet. I can't move the MWMs into the corners, but have them leaning back on a side. I use the mid and tweeter from my LaScalas.

 

 

20200123_224516.jpg

Checked your fillings lately?

 

Do you find they provide enough bass for your liking? Or are you running subs with those? (That's a joke, but was hoping you would post a threat: Help, can't get bass out of my MWM's). 

 

That rug between the LSs really pulls the room together, not kidding about that.  I keep staring at it trying to figure out the symbols. 

 

I like the photos on the wall, a man with his priorities in order. 

 

You are a good egg Bruce.

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8 hours ago, dwilawyer said:

That rug between the LSs really pulls the room together, not kidding about that.  I keep staring at it trying to figure out the symbols. 

 

The rug mostly shows the speakers are too close together. It was a gift from a friend who was moving and unloading stuff. It's a beautiful small rug.

 

 

20210702_070423~2.jpg

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On 7/2/2021 at 6:35 AM, Islander said:

 

Two things.  First, that carpet stuff is generally known by roadies as "rat fur".  I don't know how its presence affects the price of the speakers.

 

Second, those aluminum edges are anodized, but the anodizing is very thin, so you have to be careful not to use anything that could scratch or scrape them, or their finish will be ruined.  Other members can suggest how to clean them without causing any problems.

I think the anodized effect is already ruined, they're very used looking! I like the rat fur, thinking it's expensive to have done, or difficult to do myself?

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Alright, a small update.

 

I've started to take the cabinets apart (Just the drivers and the grips), I've so far tested the two 10" Eminence Beta drivers which both work, and I've tested four of the K-55 midranges which also all four work.

 

I've purchased a active crossover with the whole setup but it turned out it wasn't an active crossover so he offered to take it back. I still might go the traditional passive crossover way. I read that the cheaper active crossovers will have static playing through them, and I don't want/can't spend a huge amount on an active crossover and another amplifier and cables etc before hearing the setup.

 

If anybody has any info on the rat fur/carpeting situation I'd really like to hear about it!

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7 minutes ago, AlmostGod said:

If anybody has any info on the rat fur/carpeting situation I'd really like to hear about it!

Rat fur is common on professional PA systems.  It is used by many manufacturers, such as JBL, mainly for protection when moving speakers from/to/across a stage. It is glued on to the (usually) MDF frame, so not easy to remove. If you want to replace it just search for "speaker rat fur."  It is very inexpensive and available everywhere.

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I've not seen the big cabinets with carpet on them, but it may have been added. Genuine MCM stuff is birch plywood. Here's some that a forum member got, which were in black with aluminum trim. He stripped everything and refinished them.

 

 

MWM_refinished.jpg

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5 hours ago, Marvel said:

I've not seen the big cabinets with carpet on them, but it may have been added. Genuine MCM stuff is birch plywood. Here's some that a forum member got, which were in black with aluminum trim. He stripped everything and refinished them.

 

 

MWM_refinished.jpg

I have never heard of rat fur covered ones nor seen them.

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23 hours ago, AlmostGod said:

If anybody has any info on the rat fur/carpeting situation I'd really like to hear about it!

 

As others have mentioned "rat fur" is an industry term for carpet covering.

 

It's about $13 a yard and available at, you guessed it, Parts Express

 

https://www.parts-express.com/Speaker-Cabinet-Carpet-Covering-Charcoal-Yard-54-Wide-260-765

 

As to whether that's original or not I think you would need @thackmate or @Ram Sound to give you an answer on that if Hunter or Bonehead didn't know off top of their heads. @bhendrix might

 

Professional (WWR).offered the K-Pro "C" series which were all rat fur, but those were smaller PA systems, the carpet went over OSB.

 

My understanding is that Pro was first to use carpet in regular production and they had to farm out initially until they learned right contact cement, etc. But that would mean that when Klipsch took Pro back from WWR they probably would have been familar with that as a possible option.

 

It would certainly be an "off the menu option" as the official options were -BB, -BT and -BG all of which were birch with textured black paint and different trim, corner reinforcement options.

 

The one thing I do know, depending on how it was applied, it's a nightmare to remove and if you manage to remove it and you discover birch, keep in birch.

 

ohms
CABI
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On 6/29/2021 at 9:51 PM, Marvel said:

. I use the mid and tweeter from my LaScalas.

 

On 6/30/2021 at 3:27 PM, Marvel said:
On 6/30/2021 at 7:17 AM, Islander said:

Did you have to really dial down the MWMs to level match them with the Scalas' HF sections?

 

Not much... I can really hear clean, low bass, though. I have yet to get a umik to get the response in room, but they actually sound great at the lower levels at which I listen.

 

I know that sounds good Bruce, to me I love the MWM with a LaScala top. I probably listen to this combination more than others here, mostly because they are are where I spend the most time when working. I have never heard a full stack but I could imagine.

 

Sorry for the tool in the way, and the dust which affects nothing.

image.jpeg

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8 minutes ago, Gnote said:

I'm getting ready to do a pair of MWM bins with Duratex , I believe many here have used it with good results . 

Everyone claims that it is very easy to apply with a roller .

Can I just use duratex over it? I love the birch look but that's a LOT of work. And I'm not even sure how long I can stay in this big apartment haha. 

 

Let's get everything working first. After that I can think about the looks!

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10 minutes ago, Gnote said:

I'm getting ready to do a pair of MWM bins with Duratex , I believe many here have used it with good results . 

Everyone claims that it is very easy to apply with a roller .

Gary, I believe there are videos on the parts express website, or the Duratex website with tips and tricks on how to apply it. If you want a somewhat smoother finish but still a bit textured you can add a bit of water to the Duratex.  Apply it in one direction, and make sure that you do it fairly quickly as it dries very quickly.

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25 minutes ago, AlmostGod said:

Let's get everything working first. After that I can think about the looks!

Exactly right. I used brown tinted Duratex on my Super MWM bin and like it a lot. This was on raw wood though and I would stay with black on yours. Wipe it down with a moist rag, let it dry and roll away.

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On 6/29/2021 at 2:37 PM, AlmostGod said:

My room is about 16.5/17 feet wide, so I might be lucky, or unlucky haha. We'll find out. How far away should I sit from the speakers, and how much room do they need behind and next to them?

I had an MWM stack in my basement with 7 foot ceiling and 12 x 24 deep. I sat about 8-10 feet from them.

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8 hours ago, Dave A said:

Exactly right. I used brown tinted Duratex on my Super MWM bin and like it a lot. This was on raw wood though and I would stay with black on yours. Wipe it down with a moist rag, let it dry and roll away.

 

I really like the original birch look! But will use my money on getting them working. Going to see if i can save the aluminum strips, since taking them off is going to be difficult since a lot of the screws have been ruined already. Were the aluminum strips standard? Or do they also came without the strips? 

 

Would LOVE an original MMTM or MTM as tweeter, hoping I can get the tweeters from DaveA, but thinking shipping and customs is going to make it very, very expensive..

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3 minutes ago, AlmostGod said:

Were the aluminum strips standard? Or do they also came without the strips? 

They came in 3 different options: No strips, strips, and fiberglass protection. I listed them up above. There was corner reinforcement/protection with one of those options.

 

Back then there was a few items on the standard menu, as well as many items off the menu. The big sound guys could ask for what they wanted in terms of hardware, handles, connectors,  crossovers and a lot of other things.

 

The manifold tweeter design was done by Paul Klipsch himself, there is some great history around all of that.

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1 hour ago, dwilawyer said:

They came in 3 different options: No strips, strips, and fiberglass protection. I listed them up above. There was corner reinforcement/protection with one of those options.

 

Back then there was a few items on the standard menu, as well as many items off the menu. The big sound guys could ask for what they wanted in terms of hardware, handles, connectors,  crossovers and a lot of other things.

 

The manifold tweeter design was done by Paul Klipsch himself, there is some great history around all of that.

 

Hoping anyone on the forum has a pair of either I can buy. Were they any good? The MTM and MMTM? And are they worth it or is it easier/better buying a different pair?

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