AndreG. Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 So I got a pair of KG 4.5s a while back. Turned out I got more than I bargained for... Since I didn´t ask the seller to give pictures of the speakers with the grilles off, I didn´t see that one of the woofers had been replaced. Since I´m from Germany this posed a little problem, finding matching replacements seemed hopeless to me, used spares as well. So in the end I decided to buy aftermarket woofers in the US. The "good one", original K 1005-K woofer. The "bad one", difference is obvious. Apart from the different looks of the woofers, I also got the impression that they sound different, if just a little bit. My guess is the difference in the cross-over frequency. Some of the mids seemed to disappear from this speaker and be heard in the original one. So, yesterday a big box from the States arrived with the new woofers. Time for a swap: The new one on the left looks a lot more "Kipsch-like". Look at those magnets, what a difference... The new woofer almost has double the weight. The motor-board got butchered when the former owner put in the spare, the diameter being bigger than the original... So, at least the motor-boards will have to be re-veneered. I wonder if there are aftermarket "covers" available to make the rim of the new woofers look like the original seen here. So I will try to post pictures of my progress from time to time. Still on my to-do list: – Refurbish the cross-overs. – Refurbish the cabinets. Will try to sand them down first and see how that works out. If I don´t like the results, I will re-veneer them. Right now I´m running in the new woofer and see if I can hear a difference from the non-Klipsch one I replaced. I will keep the original woofer in place for some time. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 Question @Travis In Austin : Can I post the source for the new woofers, or does it violate rules, since they´re not OEM Klipsch? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter P. Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 I would replace the Klipsch OEM woofer with another of the one you purchased, then they would match both acoustically and aesthetically. That should satisfy you until perhaps you find another Klipsch OEM woofer on U.S. eBay where you might have greater luck finding one. Rather than re-veneer the motorboard I would put small black screws in the visible holes left by the oversized woofer. Or, since it sounds like you have some woodworking talent, why not cut trim rings out of veneer to cover the holes and fabricate another one for the all-OEM speaker? Or, here's a company that sells trim rings in all sizes. Buy the size you need and a few extra to practice on before you in install them around the woofers. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 4 minutes ago, Peter P. said: I would replace the Klipsch OEM woofer with another of the one you purchased, then they would match both Ups, forgot to mention that – I did get a pair, precisely for the reason You stated Peter, thanks! I´ll come back on Your idea with those rings, if I decide that the original veneer is good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Yes Peter has good ideas about the looks. Know you are creative so yes. Not that much damage with the holes. Those grilles in decent shape. You probably want to run them with out them. I see very minimal to be done. Cool... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 3 hours ago, AndreG. said: does it violate rules dunno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 Hi Randy. My question is not as obviously answered as You might think. For us here in Europe it´s much harder to get used spares for Kipsches than in the States or Canada. So, while not cheap, my source is a viable way to keep these speakers pumping, but it´s not OEM. Let´s hear Travis´ opinion about that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 You are doing the best you can with what you have available to you and you aren’t aggressively promoting non-Klipsch products or services. I think you’re fine. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicroMara Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 I´m wondering how the preowner was so stupied to use a german Visaton Woofer , if I see the tec-specs from the woofer it´s no suprise to me that it sound different from the origin. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Hello @AndreG. Like the improvement you've made here! Make sure you let us know how they sound now. Know that you won't use the flowery language that some of the "professional" reviewers use! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 39 minutes ago, JohnJ said: Hello @AndreG. Like the improvement you've made here! Make sure you let us know how they sound now. Know that you won't use the flowery language that some of the "professional" reviewers use! Sounding better by the minute! First thing was I had forgotten that I had inverted the plugs of the speaker-cables when I first hooked them up, they sounded strange then. Now that I switched the new woofer for the old Visaton one I noticed that the stereo-image was wrong... As I said, I had forgotten about the cables. Back then I thought I had hooked that cable up the wrong way at my receiver, now I know that the previous owner wired the woofer wrong. That was part of the reason some of the acoustic information got lost... Now everything is as it should be, woofer wired correctly, cable wired correctly at the terminal-cup. Sound is much more coherent now. I will continue to use this combo K 1005-K and new woofer until the new unit has run in. George: As for why he picked the Visaton? My guess is, he just chose the cheapest option with the right diameter. Also, he didn´t know which specs the K 1005-K has, like I didn´t. I was lucky enough to have had a lucky search on Ebay to find my source. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 3 hours ago, OO1 said: dunno That's the 2nd time today that you "dunno" the answer to a question. Did someone steal Randy's login? 😄 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Full Range Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 Look at kitchen cabinet supplies They have small coin size self adhesive tabs in many colours They are used for times when one removes or replaces fixtures and screw holes are visible Just make sure it’s a flat surface 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 ok 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 Concerning the motor-boards, I remembered last night, I still have this structured paint left over from my Heresy project. I´ll putty-over the holes and use that on both cabinets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 19 hours ago, AndreG. said: Some of the mids seemed to disappear from this speaker and be heard in the original one. This is the Visaton W 250 S, it´s meant to be used in subs. Hence the missing frequencies, my guess. Specs here: https://www.visaton.de/en/products/drivers/woofers/w-250-s-4-ohm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreG. Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 Today I also replaced the original woofer with the replacement. The originals were 1001-Ks after all, which in the end makes no difference here. Some pics: As you can see, here too, the replacements (left) are beefier and heavier than the original. This seal was missing on the other woofer. Replaced on both sides with adhesive sealing-tape which was left over from the Heresies. Now the fun part - make some noise and listen! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.