Reynard Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Good day to you all. I'm Reynard, I've been collecting audio gear for many years but I dove in more seriously about 5 years ago. I probably should have done a separate introduction post and knocked around here for a bit and gotten to know folks before jumping in with a technical post, but I've finally gotten a pair of Klipsch speakers and I felt I didn't want to delay learning about them. After considering various KG4 versions and a few others I settled on these KG2. The appearance was diminished but the drivers appear intact, and the price was right. I've not yet plugged them in, as my listening room is in disarray, and I'm out of speaker wire, but while I get that straightened up I have questions for you regarding these. 1. The KG2 brochure mentions oiled walnut and oak veneers. These speakers are in the generic and typical black ebony that every other manufacturer defaults to. Are my speakers a discount version, a special edition, or what? 2. The afformentioned black ebony finish is pretty challenged, and I'm being kind. Even if it was in better shape I'd still like to change it, as I already have several pairs of speakers in ebony and I'm really over it. I can either shed the veneer and put proper wood on there (walnut or cherry), or else fill them with epoxy primer and do something unique like a piano gloss finish. Has anyone here done either approach? 3. Are the crossover diagrams available? I'm no stranger to crossover refurbs but I'd like to see a diagram before I pull anything apart and get a feel for the circuit. And don't worry, I'm not going to jump into parts replacement until I get these settled in and I'm used to them. 4. Are there any forum-advised mods for this speaker? I see Klipsch has done several updates so I would think you folks have some favorite changes to recommend. 5. I see Crites offers a crossover parts kit, but for some reason it's $1000, whereas the rest of their kits are between $100 and $300. Is there something special about this speaker or is that a typo? 6. The dustcaps on the PRs have been pushed in. Do I replace them, or leave them alone? 7. The speaker grille cloth looks like it's been vandalized by hyperactive meerkats. Is there a particular cloth I should consider? If not, I was provided some leftover cloth from a professional installer that I could put to use. Many thanks to all of you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 On 6/22/2024 at 1:15 PM, Reynard said: 3. Are the crossover diagrams available? I'm no stranger to crossover refurbs but I'd like to see a diagram before I pull anything apart and get a feel for the circuit. And don't worry, I'm not going to jump into parts replacement until I get these settled in and I'm used to them. Welcome @Reynard This might be the one you want… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 On 6/22/2024 at 1:15 PM, Reynard said: 6. The dustcaps on the PRs have been pushed in. Do I replace them, or leave them alone? Just you tube “how to fix dented speaker dust caps for some video examples of repairs. Depending on severity I have used various sticky tapes with great results. I have also used the vacuum cleaner method but the key here is to somehow control the amount of suction which is easy with my particular vacuum cleaners hose because it has an adjustable opening on the hose to adjust the vacuum pressure. miketn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 (edited) 10 minutes ago, mikebse2a3 said: Just you tube “how to fix dented speaker dust caps for some video examples of repairs. Depending on severity I have used various sticky tapes with great results. I have also used the vacuum cleaner method but the key here is to somehow control the amount of suction which is easy with my particular vacuum cleaners hose because it has an adjustable opening on the hose to adjust the vacuum pressure. I wish I could do that, but the two vacuums we own are gold medallists in the "Inches of Mercury Olympics". Thank you for the Youtube advice, I'll check that out. I thought I was going to have to order some caps from Simply, glad I can put the money towards gas instead. And also, thank you for the welcome and for the schematic. I'm glad you jumped in the thread. Over 50 views and no one responded after two days, I was wondering if it was my mouthwash. Edited June 24 by Reynard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 22 minutes ago, Reynard said: I wish I could do that, but the two vacuums we own are gold medallists in the "Inches of Mercury Olympics". It just takes a little thinking outside of the box… 🙂 I’ve used PVC “T”s and “Y”s to create an adjustable vacuum suction hose where I could use tape or fingers over the created bypass opening of the “T” or “Y” to tweak the strength of the suction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 I bow before your DIY thinking skills Mike 👍 I could use this on my car detailing vac to limit the suction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SergioKlipsch Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 On 6/22/2024 at 7:15 PM, Reynard said: . I see Crites offers a crossover parts kit, but for some reason it's $1000, whereas the rest of their kits are between $100 and $300. Is there something special about this speaker or is that a typo? I think it's a typo. Call to check. Greetings Sergio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 4 hours ago, mikebse2a3 said: It just takes a little thinking outside of the box… Ouch...man my brain hurts..you mean I have to think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMurg Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 kg2 were my first Klipsch speakers as well, except I bought mine back in 1984. 🙂 There was a finish option on other models at the time called something like "black lacquer". This finish was black on top of real veneer. The cabinet under that may be either be MDF or lumber core panels. I don't think they ever used birch plywood on the kg series. It should be easy to verify by removing a driver and looking. I'm not sure what species of wood the veneer was for that finish. Perhaps Klipsch added this as a finish option for the kg2 as well after the brochure was made. Does your finish look like that or more like textured black vinyl wrap? If it's vinyl wrap, then it was added later as that was not a finish option at time. If it's black over veneer and the veneer is in decent shape, you could try just stripping the black lacquer off and refinishing it as you like. Just be careful with the sanding as it's not a thick layer of veneer. If the veneer is too damaged, then most people who re-veneer just put the new veneer over the old. As far as the grill cloth, I doubt you would be able to find an exact match since that speaker was made so long ago. Either use what you have or find something else that you like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted June 25 Author Share Posted June 25 On 6/24/2024 at 3:39 PM, MMurg said: kg2 were my first Klipsch speakers as well, except I bought mine back in 1984. 🙂 There was a finish option on other models at the time called something like "black lacquer". This finish was black on top of real veneer. The cabinet under that may be either be MDF or lumber core panels. I don't think they ever used birch plywood on the kg series. It should be easy to verify by removing a driver and looking. I'm not sure what species of wood the veneer was for that finish. Perhaps Klipsch added this as a finish option for the kg2 as well after the brochure was made. Does your finish look like that or more like textured black vinyl wrap? If it's vinyl wrap, then it was added later as that was not a finish option at time. If it's black over veneer and the veneer is in decent shape, you could try just stripping the black lacquer off and refinishing it as you like. Just be careful with the sanding as it's not a thick layer of veneer. If the veneer is too damaged, then most people who re-veneer just put the new veneer over the old. I believe it's black lacquer over veneer. It's not worth trying to sand that off because I'll never get the stuff out of the wood grain. There's a few scratches in the wood that I'd have to fill no matter what, so it's too much labor for something thats never going to look proper. Now i have to decide between doing some new veneer work, or doing epoxy primer over the wood followed by some high gloss paint. I haven't done veneer work, but I've laminated countertops and the process is very similar. Veneer is a lot less forgiving since it's not very strong. I'll have to check with a cabinet builder friend of mine and see if the tools are the same, because I think I still have everything here. I saw someone on YouTube who redid a pair of KEF 104/2 speakers with high gloss piano black paint, and it turned out as good as anything I've ever seen in home audio. The finish rivaled my old Yamaha baby grand piano.He used a Harbor Fright HVLP gun so it doesn't take a lot of money to do it. Paint is a lot easier to work with than veneer - with veneer any error means stripping off some very expensive material. Paint just means let it dry, sand it down, do over. On 6/24/2024 at 3:39 PM, MMurg said: As far as the grill cloth, I doubt you would be able to find an exact match since that speaker was made so long ago. Either use what you have or find something else that you like. I have some stuff here that was used in a local church for the PA system, probably 5 yards worth at least. It's a really neat mustardy yellow-green color that would probably go nice with some dark walnut veneer - if I decide to go that route. However it's not the flat weave I'm used to. This cloth is covered in tiny balls that look a lot like fabric pilling, except it's uniformly covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 I put the speakers into service over the weekend using a Carver amp and preamp. I expected them to sound bad because they're in rough physical condition and I'm happy to report they sounded as good as the Polk Monitors next to them. The bass is a little thin but I run into that on vintage speakers and I've solved it with changing capacitors. I'll pull out the woofer in one cabinet and verify the parts values so I can order some new ones. I was just looking at the drawing, something jumped out: the tweeter is wired out of phase? Why is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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