I have old Heresy's that need tweaking...

[austin422]

Hi. Just found this forum... I have some Klipsch Heresy's that I bought in 1982. They are begining to sound a bit tired. There is one audio dealer in town that sells them. Would I start there to find someone who may be able to work on them? I really am quite protective, so how do I make sure I can find someone who really knows what they are doing? Thanks. I am in Austin, TX.

[dbflash]

Austin,

Welcome.

Can you explain what you mean by tired?

You will get alot of good advice.

Danny

[austin422]

Hi, Thanks. Actually, the speakers just don't sound like they used to. There is a little vibration, and sometimes they fade in and out. Maybe occaisionally "scratchy". Sorry, I don't have any technical terms... Hopefully that gives you an idea?

[michael hurd]

Scratchy ? Are you sure that it isn't your volume control giving you grief ? I would start with the basics first such as checking rca cords and speaker wires / connectors before ripping the speakers apart. The rear panel on heresy models come off really easily - they couldn't have made it any simpler. You may also have a ruptured diaphragm on the midrange driver or overpowered the speakers, causing a voice coil misalignment ( woofer voice coil ) rubbing inside the magnetic gap. I would start there personally.

[JohnA]

Fading in and out and scratchy sound more like problems with the electronics. Check all of that before pulling off the backs of the speakers.

You can do most any tweaking needed yourself. Normally nothing is needed, though. Without turning them up too loud, get close and listen to each driver. You should not hear anything odd. A damaged woofer voice coil will cause a static-like sound and can be heard and felt by pushing gently on he cone when the amp is off. The woofer can be reconed or replaced if it's damaged. A squawker with a rubbing voice coil will have a ringing sound and will be quieter than a good one. The squawker diaphragm can be replaced for about $75 + labor. Generally, a tweeter works or it doesn't. They have a continous rating of 2 watts, so if anything happens to it, it usually burns out. A new tweeter diaphragm costs $24. You should also check the crossover network for leaking capacitors. They are oil-filled, so it will be obvious. Finally, you could remove and clean/sand the connections to the crossover. This has never been a problem with my '81 La Scalas, but it can't hurt.

A good pro audio tech can replace the diaphragms or Klipsch will. A recone will require an outfit that specializes in reconing or Klipsch will do it. The woofer was made by Eminence just for Klipsch.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

Try checking the speaker wire connection post. I have a set of heresys that needs new ends put on (just have not gotten around to it yet)The sound can be "turned off" by wiggling the post.

Take the back off and look at everything. Check for loose/worn wire terminals, wires hanging by a thread or anything else obvious. if that does not reveal the problem, do all of the tests mentioned.

Chris

[austin422]

Thank you everyone. I will try to check what I can and print what you've written as well. Some of it sounds easy, some of it is greek to me!

Lisa

[Invidiosulus]

Hi,

Just some of my thoughts.

Check the speaker wire connections at your amp and on the terminals on the back of the speaker.

Some copper speaker wires will corrode over time and the green build up is pretty non conductive.

Making sure all of the electrical contacts would be my first plan of action.

Try and see if you can borrow some other electronics(amplifier, CD player, etc.) this can rule out the possibility of your other equipment being the problem.

As for the crossover leaking, if you carefully open the back of the speaker(just remove the screws around the edge and it should come right off) and take a look inside everything should look pretty clean. My heresies are from 1981 and though the outside is pretty beat up(they look as if they were dropped on their corners a couple of times) the inside is pristine. If there are any stains on or around the crossover block that may be your problem. Also check the connections inside the speaker if you have it open, the crossover has a strip of screw down terminals on it that should be clearly labeled as to what goes where(woofer- +, squawker- +, tweeter- +).

As mentioned I would try the stuff outside the speaker before you go opening it up.

Keep us posted as to what you find out.

Peace, Josh

[cc1091]

I agree that this sounds like an electronics problem with the Amplifier or Receiver. My old NAD from about 1985 has a mechanical switch that is pitted and would be extremely hard to replace. When the switch was in the wrong place on the speaker selector, it would eliminate much of my treble through my 1981 Heresys. Also the sound would be much less crisp.

The problem could also be the speaker wires, etc.

I also found that my Heresys from nearly the same era benefitted from resoldering all the connections on the crossover network. Though I am not sure why it made any difference since all the connections seemed to be secure when I started (I was trying the mod to the crossover that was suggested on this board a year or so ago, but found it wasn't to my liking, so had to resolder one connection..which lead to resoldering all connections).

Also, if you are looking for a small project, I would suggest replacing the speaker connecting block with a more modern connector. If the wires secured to this narrow little mounting block (and I am assuming that your mounting block is similar to mine) get too close to one another, and your system has some power, any crosstalk between the wires could create a scratchy sound, or worse, blow out your amp.

If your certain that your amp is fine, and the speaker wires are properly connected and in good repair, then I would consider looking at the drivers to see if there are problems with those.

Good luck

[HDBRbuilder]

If you can prove to yourself that your amplification etc. is NOT the culprit...there is another possibility.

The standard terminals found on Heresy backs from that era are secured to the backs by two screws INSIDE the speaker backs that run THROUGH the terminals of the leads to the crossover network, then run through the speaker backs, themselves, then into the terminals on the outside of the speaker backs...thereby securing the outside terminals to the backs AND securing the leads from the crossover network to the terminals from the inside of the backs.

On occassion...over time...one of these screws may loosen some...and eventually back itself out due to vibration from normal use...when/if this occurs, the lead from the crossover network to the speaker back is allowed to dance around on the shank of the loosened screw...thereby making crappy contact...and causing poor performance.

This is an easy fix....just carefully remove the heresy back, being careful NOT to jerk the leads out as you turn it over(the leads are NOT very long!!)...and tighten up these two screws...problem SOLVED! Then when replacing the backs...having the speakers FACE DOWN...gently apply pressure to the center of the back...while turning the back mounting wood screws ONE AT A TIME...COUNTERCLOCKWISE until you feel them "SEAT" into the threads they formed in the wooden blocks when they were first installed, then carefully snug up the screw...this lessens the chance of "stripping out" the wood those screws go into...and applying that hand pressure to the back keeps the screw from having to "pull the back tight" to those blocks...which can also lead to stripping out the wood. Be careful NOT to overtighten the back mounting screws...just take your time, and you will "FEEL" when they are tight enough!

How can you easily check to see if this may be the problem? Simply look at the terminal on the problem speaker/speakers...and see if it is loose....it may appear snug...but you can see the ends of those machine screws from the outside...if one end appears farther inset than the other...then one is obviously loose!...and needs tightening!