When to replace crossover capacitors?

[Geodr]

How do I know if I need to replace the capacitors on ~40 year old Klipsch Chorus I's? The speakers are new to me and sound very good, but lack a certain "crispness", and I want to know that I'm getting the most out of them.  Does one assume the speaker age alone merits replacing the capacitors, or is there some listening test or test \ tones I can use to determine the need for replacement?

[The Dude]

@Deang

[OO1]

the   crossover  capacitors  are not the only parts that affect sound quality  ,   consider the  age of the tweeter and midrange diaphragms , the wear and tear  over so many years ,   gently remove the Mids and HF  drivers , remove the diaphragms , check the leads and contacts   , clean the contacts and  the voice coil area of the Mids and HF  drivers  .

[CWOReilly]

1 hour ago, Geodr said:

How do I know if I need to replace the capacitors on ~40 year old Klipsch Chorus I's? The speakers are new to me and sound very good, but lack a certain "crispness", and I want to know that I'm getting the most out of them.  Does one assume the speaker age alone merits replacing the capacitors, or is there some listening test or test \ tones I can use to determine the need for replacement?

Before anyone tries to answer I want to suggest trying at least one other amplifier. You might be surprised. 

[MicroMara]

1 hour ago, Geodr said:

How do I know if I need to replace the capacitors on ~40 year old Klipsch Chorus I's? t

To find out you have to remove the x-over, desolder the caps, discharge the caps and then check the values of the caps with a meter. If the meter shows the values indicated on the caps, they are in order and do not need to be replaced, then you can solder them back in.Once you have removed the x-over you can also measure the values of the coils, you can leave the coils on the board, the measurement is done at the solder points

[henry4841]

Try some new caps if curious but be sure to save your old ones just in case. 

[Marvel]

You only need to lift one lead of a cap to measure it.

[Deang]

@geodr I stopped responding to your emails because of your email spam blocker. I’m sorry, but I will not be filling out an online form request to send email to you. You either want to communicate or you don’t. 
 

40 years is a long time. Since the speakers are still operating, the capacitors aren’t “bad”, but they are aging out. You also need to be able to test ESR/DF to know whether or not you should change them. By the time you go through the trouble of doing that, you might as well change them out. 

[Geodr]

Unfortunately I am physically not able to disassemble the speakers and access the crossovers to test the caps, so wanted to know if there's a non-invasive way to assess the caps before I hire someone to take the crossovers out to send them out for capacitor replacement.

 

Hence my questions:

1. Have 40 year old caps most likely degraded to the point that replacement would make audible improvements?

2. Is there a listening test to determine if capacitor replacement would improve sound?

[Geodr]

@Deang - I will add you to my address book so you will not be flagged as spam

[billybob]

1 hour ago, Geodr said:

Unfortunately I am physically not able to disassemble the speakers and access the crossovers to test the caps, so wanted to know if there's a non-invasive way to assess the caps before I hire someone to take the crossovers out to send them out for capacitor replacement.

 

Hence my questions:

1. Have 40 year old caps most likely degraded to the point that replacement would make audible improvements?

2. Is there a listening test to determine if capacitor replacement would improve sound?

Yes they are around 33 years old unless someone has already recapped them.

Also, you may want to try a different unit to power them just to see.

Play some music you are familiar with. 

Welcome, thanks...

 

 

[billybob]

On 12/23/2022 at 5:58 PM, CWOReilly said:

Before anyone tries to answer I want to suggest trying at least one other amplifier. You might be surprised. 

Try this if can do.

[LTusler]

19 hours ago, Geodr said:

Unfortunately I am physically not able to disassemble the speakers and access the crossovers to test the caps, so wanted to know if there's a non-invasive way to assess the caps before I hire someone to take the crossovers out to send them out for capacitor replacement.

 

Hence my questions:

1. Have 40 year old caps most likely degraded to the point that replacement would make audible improvements?

2. Is there a listening test to determine if capacitor replacement would improve sound?

Where do you live, maybe someone could come and help you out.

[OO1]

1 hour ago, LTusler said:

Where do you live, maybe someone could come and help you out.

great idea 

[Geodr]

Oakland, California!

[OO1]

2 hours ago, Geodr said:

Oakland, California!

 @abettencourt   is in San Jose , that's what 1 hour drive , 

  @syndicationucsc        is in SF 

 

@svberger  is in the  SF Bay area 

[svberger]

I live in Oakland but I don't have the skills to change out caps.

 

I will say my experience of using various updated crossovers/caps has led me(and more then a few others)to understand that nobody can tell you if the result you get from changing the caps will be "better" or not. It very well will be different from what you're hearing now. The crossovers I have in my '77 La Scala's are not the originals, and I won't go into detail here(feel free to PM if you would like more info) as to what they are, but suffice to say that they too are different then the originals, and I I like them enough to continue to use them. For now. I still have the originals, plus 2 other pairs. Boredom alone is enough to take a couple of minutes to switch out if I want to hear something different.

 

My advice to you would be to get in touch with Dean and invest in a pair of his crossovers. Then you can hear for yourself and make a determination on what you prefer.

[Geodr]

Thanks for replies, will contact svberger for local help and deang