gheth Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Morning, it sounds like the K-105 tweeter in one of my RF-3s has a problem. I noticed the highs were muted on a track (The Last of the Mohicans, track3) I know should make the horns sing. Checked the connections and swapped the driver into the other speaker and its equally muted there also. As final confirmation I installed the K-105 from my RC-3 center and the sound returned as it should. So, there's a good chance the diaphragm is on its way out and needs replacing. Both tweeters have the original 2001 diaphragms, so it seems like best practice would be to replace both to account for any slight differences. There seems to be no shortage of aftermarket diaphragms, but the replacements offered by Simply Speakers were recommended. Anybody here have any experience with the Simply Speakers diaphragms? And should I replace the furrofluid while I have them apart? Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 Anybody??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 Yes get the ones from simply. Talk I've read, go ahead and get a pair if available an just replace the one and listen. Ferrofluid maybe just to have on hand. Others here may chime in further. Would chat with simply about the situation also about the diaphragm. They sell Klipsch parts.@gheth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winglet Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 4 hours ago, gheth said: Anybody??? Just call Klipsch parts. Will be less expensive for the same replacement diaphragms vs simply speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 (edited) Thanks for the replies! Winglet, I was under the impression Klipsch discontinued parts for the RF-3s. If I'm wrong I'd prefer a genuine Klipsch part. Do you have a contact number for Klipsch parts? For some reason I've never been able to get through on the number I have. Unfortunately, Simply has gone totally internet sales and the only way to communicate with them is through email. (Maybe I'm old fashion, but still prefer dealing directly with another human!) I emailed them asking if there was any difference between my tweeters that meter around 3.2 ohms vs the 6.5 ohms they list on the specs for their replacements. They replied they've sold lots of them and never gotten a complaint. Midwest Speaker also sells a replacement, I wonder if there any difference between the two store's suppliers? I'm a refugee from the auto industry, you would be surprised how many OEMs components are all from the same suppliers. Any additional info or advice would be greatly appreciated! Add: Just got off the phone with Klipsch parts. All parts for the RF-3s and RF-3IIs are discontinued and deleted from their parts lists. So, aftermarket is my only option. Edited February 20 by gheth Add information 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 (edited) Pretty sure I texted with simply, maybe talked too. They like others did not have Palladium diaphragms was looking for. Edited February 20 by billybob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winglet Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 6 hours ago, gheth said: Thanks for the replies! Add: Just got off the phone with Klipsch parts. All parts for the RF-3s and RF-3IIs are discontinued and deleted from their parts lists. So, aftermarket is my only option. Try emailing Support@klipsch.com Whatever the current titanium tweeter diaphragm that klipsch uses in all those small 3 bolt tweeters should work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 21 Author Share Posted February 21 Morning all, I've solved the mystery! Yesterday I disassembled the tweeter again and had a closer look at its internals. Discovered the voice coil has detached from the dome. You can even see a loose string of adhesive between the inside of the dome and the coil. Guess during earlier inspections I was being too careful not to hurt the voice coil and didn't find the problem. Explains why its resistance was the same as the others, but was muted. 001, thanks for the Ebay heads up. The only other question I have is regarding the differences in DC ohms between my tweeters, the replacement diaphragms and Klipsch's specs for the speakers. All my K-105s are around 3.2 DC ohms, Simply's replacements are listed as 6.2 DC ohms, and Klipsch specs them as 8 ohms. A customer service rep at Midwest Speakers claimed mine are nominally 4 ohms and theirs 6.5 ohms, nominal 8 ohms, and wouldn't be compatible with my crossovers. Could there be any problems using the 6.5 DC ohm in my speakers. Even though the other plays as it should, the plan is to replace both just to insure they are identical. Sorry if I'm being wayyyyy OTT, but experience has shown me to always side with possibility of problems. Any members who are motor racing fans, let me tell you how one night we at Electramotive Engineering, the Nissan GTP racing team, blacked out the city of EL Segundo, CA! PG&E were not happy bunnies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 3 minutes ago, gheth said: 001, thanks for the Ebay heads up. All my K-105s are around 3.2 DC ohms, mine are nominally 4 ohms and theirs 6.5 ohms, nominal 8 ohms, and wouldn't be compatible with my crossovers. Sorry if I'm being wayyyyy OTT, but experience has shown me to always side with possibility of problems. The only real solution is to buy used off eBay. Changing to an 8 ohm driver will shift the crossover point and either leave a gap in frequency response or even worse an overlap of frequencies at the crossover point allowing the tweeter to play lower and risk damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 Morning, even at almost 70, your never too old to attend class! I'm associated with a local university and a facility advisor to the school's FSAE racing team. At our shop last night I ran into a fellow advisor who's not just an EE, but also a huge audiophile. After telling him about my quest to find the correct replacement diaphragm and my questions about the differences in ohms between mine and the replacements, we went into a classroom with a board and he explained resistance, inductance and the math. The upshot is, installing an 8 ohm with my current XO would move the crossover point much higher than with the 3.2 ohms. Even if they are 6.2 or 6.4, the crossover point would move higher where frequencies would be lost. He figures the vendors created a universal replacement that will satisfy the general public, figuring they'll never hear the difference. He agreed with jjptkd's suggestion, just find a good exact replacement on Ebay. I can't be the only geek here, any thoughts or comments? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Good morning... good hunting!☕ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 Think I found one, and its even fairly close to Dublin, VA https://www.ebay.com/itm/386554032549?epid=1104735114&itmmeta=01HPSQV4JGKJHGRB3950T2AYYC&hash=item5a006a71a5:g:B2oAAOSwMKxllIni&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwKgKnneF%2BGcaCkEqtPqjEo1jCpT1eDns2Iinya6oafm%2F8AFaBP%2FcrxjSm1jraU5BoBI4sZXjGoETTkhIF8J22NZydcRWoKoTJeeYuoDWuWU65doDuNf2pQWdm2dWxvreLx%2Fp3MDGmFlq4ZZOA3sm11CjvldkqKA%2FgJW8Bf1OYXWiRmFG%2Fsnaur8hCuFRXX90u6jE2bzSF5TC2LYHnH94x41CSlUAi5qQAgLICxWnYbyy97HNlp2Ks2IriRHO2Fxh8w%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6jJ7Le2Yw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gheth Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 Thought I'd drop a quick message to the group on the solution to my tweeter problem. The replacement K-105 tweeter arrived this morning. The first thing I did was put a meter across the terminals, read 3.3 ohms, good enough for me! Took my time, so it was installed in about 5 mins and playing a couple of mins latter. It sounds perfect, just like the one it replaced. I was surprised how replacing 1 tweeter put the whole system back in shape. I returned all the system settings back to where they were before discovering the damaged tweeter and it sounds as good if not better. I am thinking I might check out the drivers of the SF-1s I'm using for rear speakers. It never ends!!! Thanks to all who helped and guided me towards the best solution. 2 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.