Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 I set out looking for some stand mounts to restore over the holidays - just some cleaning, sanding and staining. A guy on FB Marketplace had some KG1.5s in pretty rough shape but he assured me they sounded great and he cut me a deal on the asking price. After hooking them up I noted one speaker sounding different, the highs were a bit off, and one of the motorboards was poorly fastened to the box. Turns out the rail which the board attaches was blown out around the screw holes. Further examination indicated the woofer had come unglued from the spider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 A phone call to Klipsch proved worthwhile since they have replacement woofers. I inquired about tweeters and they provided updated part numbers, resources (this forum being one), and sources for parts should I need them. I needed them. While I had them apart a cap was pulled off the board and it tested out of spec, greater then the specified 10%. I came to this forum looking for help with the electronic side of things. Many of your were happy to assist giving this hobbyist invaluable information. I can't thank you all enough. Since replacement radial caps in the factory rating and tolerance were unavailable, I was able to find some axials in polyester. I had no idea I was about to try and put beer cans on a network board. While it was successful in implementation, I ultimately opted for a more sane arrangement of electrolytics in parallel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Out of curiosity, more than anything, I put my meter on the tweeters since they were laying free on my bench. More good news - no impedance! The replacements came from Simply Speakers, per Klipsch suggestion, and since the factory tweets have ferrofluid that was replaced as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 New woofers, tweeters, caps...now that that's sorted, to the original cabinet refinishing project. I wanted to make a small Klipsch stand mount look like a Heresy IV in distressed oak since I'm currently too cheap to pony up the cash for the real deal. I sanded, sanded, and sanded some more; patched areas, built up corners, and made every attempt to get a flat and true surface for new oak veneer. I found both a color of stain that resembles the distressed oak color of the Heresy and some speaker fabric that wasn't too white or too heavy in weight. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 (edited) The maiden voyage with them hooked up to my Marantz PM6007 was less then thrilling. The sound was all mid, super forward vocal stage, minimal bass. I almost ripped them apart to make sure I didn't wire the woofers out of phase with the tweeters. So it turns out break-in (run in, conditioning, etc.) is a real thing. I kept them playing for a few hours, changing up the music styles and varying the volume level. At some point I came to be playing "Let It Be" and a change was noticed. The low end started to come through, the soundstage moved back, and it was notably better. I'm happy to report they are getting much better after the lightbulb went off (and they rocked some Techmaster PEB). Sorry for the long read. I know it isn't Heritage related but I thought if someone was inspired to attempt a similar project they could reference this. I also felt that I needed to give the lessons back to the community since I received so much from many on this forum. Edited January 16, 2023 by Jhakobe Duplicate photo 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicroMara Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 they´re gorgeous ..a job well done ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 40 minutes ago, MicroMara said: they´re gorgeous ..a job well done ! I appreciate your saying that. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hron61 Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 You sir...Have skillz. Well done. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 1 hour ago, hron61 said: You sir...Have skillz. Well done. Very kind of you. Thanks. I’m enjoying them regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikekid Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 We have a set too.....the work you did looks as good or even better than the perfect (new-looking) medium factory oak we have. Nice job! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 11 hours ago, Mikekid said: We have a set too.....the work you did looks as good or even better than the perfect (new-looking) medium factory oak we have. Nice job! Much appreciated. Thank you. Far from perfect but happy with the result - both visually and sonically. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikekid Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 Well, I was thinking....🤪 If you could refinish all of our current speakers to distressed oak and change all grills to matching lambs wool....sure would appreciate it if you'd get it done! A reasonable price? 🤣 Man, you really did a great job. ~Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 these look like brand new speakers . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 1 hour ago, Mikekid said: Well, I was thinking....🤪 If you could refinish all of our current speakers to distressed oak and change all grills to matching lambs wool....sure would appreciate it if you'd get it done! A reasonable price? 🤣 Man, you really did a great job. ~Mike If I could be a stay-at-home doggie dad and refinish speakers I’d get everyone lined up! Thanks, man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 1 hour ago, OO1 said: these look like brand new speakers . Thanks for saying that. Took some work but it was enjoyable. I think I need some complimentary stands for them now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hron61 Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 Maybe some blose 901 speaker stands for these. Paint em any color you wish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 7 hours ago, hron61 said: Maybe some blose 901 speaker stands for these. Paint em any color you wish. I’m a fan of MCM and tulip bases are cool. I don’t think they’d work with a small box speaker unless they were somewhat taller. Just one guys opinion. That said, I feel like this could be inspiration to look at repurposing retro-mod items as stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 On 1/16/2023 at 12:05 PM, Jhakobe said: I found both a color of stain that resembles the distressed oak color of the Heresy and some speaker fabric that wasn't too white or too heavy in weight. What stain did you use? I have some oak cabinets that I want to refinish and like your results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhakobe Posted March 2, 2023 Author Share Posted March 2, 2023 2 hours ago, tigerwoodKhorns said: What stain did you use? I have some oak cabinets that I want to refinish and like your results. It’s an oil base stain - Varathane brand, premium fast dry, in Briarsmoke. I also used two coats of Polycrylic satin water based clear. I wanted to keep a matte finish while offing some protection. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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