Dull Quartets - Crossover Problem? - Possible Guides?

[DavisW]

HI everyone,

 

I have never repaired a crossover. After some unfortunate life circumstances, I had to let go of my Heresy IVs, which was the first pair of speakers that I really loved. I found some Quartets for 200 bucks on craigslist and went for them. The owner claimed they had a crossover repair at some point, but I'm not sure when. I noticed immediately that the Quartets were not nearly as lively as the Heresy's, which surprised me. I have found that the mids and highs on the quartet are very dull, to the point of needing correction from an EQ. Could this be a sign of a crossover issue, or am I just expecting the Quartets to sound similar to the Heresys? 

 

Possible secondary question - Does anyone have any useful guides or youtube videos on crossover repair? I do see that someone has posted the schematics, but I have no idea what I'm looking at. I'm not even sure what I'd be measuring if I took them out. I am fairly handy and competent, so I don't doubt that if I watched a guide, I could figure it out, but I thought I'd ask around for help incase someone thinks I'm just expecting too much from the Quartet.

[parlophone1]

There could be several reasons why Quartets sound dull.

Most obvious: speaker drivers not to original specs, internal wiring, crossover, connections at the back plate, room acoustics.

 

Try to troubleshoot the drivers first, not having to open the speaker boxes.

If you are driving the Quartets with the same amplifier as you were driving your Heresies, then the amp should not be the suspect here.

If you establish that the drivers and connections at he back of the speakers are OK, then you can consider getting inside the speaker.

 

The crossovers should look something like this in the picture.

If crossovers are bad, the safest route is to fix them to original specs. It can be done by JEM Performance (see the link).

 

Quartets are good Klipsch speakers.

Good luck with solving the problem.

 

 

[daviswinchester]

I guess I should add pictures. I decided to pull the crossovers. The original owner did claim the crossovers were rebuilt so I wanted to see if that was the case. Definitely not original, but I have no way to tell if this is the problem. At least I know that I am capable of pulling incase I do send them in. 

[daviswinchester]

On 8/2/2024 at 12:46 AM, parlophone1 said:

There could be several reasons why Quartets sound dull.

Most obvious: speaker drivers not to original specs, internal wiring, crossover, connections at the back plate, room acoustics.

 

Try to troubleshoot the drivers first, not having to open the speaker boxes.

If you are driving the Quartets with the same amplifier as you were driving your Heresies, then the amp should not be the suspect here.

If you establish that the drivers and connections at he back of the speakers are OK, then you can consider getting inside the speaker.

 

The crossovers should look something like this in the picture.

If crossovers are bad, the safest route is to fix them to original specs. It can be done by JEM Performance (see the link).

 

Quartets are good Klipsch speakers.

Good luck with solving the problem.

 

 

 

[billybob1]

Could be my eyes but, can see no labels marking on the capacitors. Since  both speakers dull, you likely have hit on the cause. They should sound more better than your description.

[Deang]

Yikes.

 

Will be a lot of fun tearing that mess apart.  

[daviswinchester]

29 minutes ago, Deang said:

Yikes.

 

Will be a lot of fun tearing that mess apart.  

my feeling the more i look at it is that the last owner actually bought one of the crites kits and had a local shop install it and the local shop may have botched something in this janky install. i could be wrong. i talked to someone that rebuilds amps who recommended a reputable place that does crossover repairs here in DFW. I may bring them in just so they can test it. 

[daviswinchester]

First assesment - maybe just positioning?

 

bad iphone mic comparison

 

for anyone interested in this saga - now after some time away and returning, i feel as if maybe i should give them a fair shot in the right environment after i move into a house. i am in a cramped space currently. i recorded a few poorly shot videos for a friend that i'll post incase anyone has thoughts. i mistakenly say "i didn't like the klipsch on the floor" - i meant the heresy - after lifting the heresy i enjoyed them infinitely more so i built them stands. 

 

no need for setup critiques 😜 it's been a rough year and all of the tube equipment had to go as well as my woodworking tools- the sprout and headphone equipment is all i have left from secondary systems. getting back on my feet.  i was resigned to having a poor sounding setup for a few years, and the quartets awakened the obsessive audiophile for sure haha. 

[parlophone1]

Even if your recording is bad, the Quartets show a hint of good tonality.

I would dare to say the most limiting factor here is a small room.

Bass is usually that floby because of bad room acoustics. I should know, I also have similar problem 😃.

Quartets have that big back radiator and in most cases benefit from placing them more away from corners, give them room to breath.

 

There was a nice tutorial on youtube but I can not find it now.

Anyway, a shortcut: turn on the stereo. It would be good if you can turn on just one speaker (left-right balance knob, but you can do it also with both speakers playing).

Take one speaker as it plays and move it around in small increments looking for the best sound (measured by your ears 😀;  Play also with toe-in/toe-out. When you find such a place, repeat the process with second speaker.

After that it is a matter of fine tuning.

Not the best method but the quickest and with zero bucks spent.

[Tom05]

Quartets sound very much like Heresy , but with an extended bass response. Quartet can sound on occasion a little bass thick , particularly when placed close to a wall or with certain  music . Adjusting the bass control knob can be beneficial with these speakers, or with any speakers  that are capable of providing deep flat frequency response . I would definitely recommend returning to the original stock crossovers . These are very good speakers in stock form . The ability to play flat at the listening  position ,35hz or even 20hz is a double edged sword ,  as a lot of music will sound a bit thick  at such a flat lower range, music in this case can certainly sound  different,  (good or bad) it is not what is commonly delivered to the listener.