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KG 5.5 Upgrade?


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Jim Cornell:

What do you mean when you said "what you thought was better really wasnt"? Could you elaborate. I hate doing mods because sometimes I only hear what my ears want to hear and it drives me crazy. I just want to knwo what reallllllly works. BTW, WHY DID U SELL THE KHORNS FOR CORNWALLS? Money? You can live without food for like 40 days i hear.

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LOL i had 4 klipschorns in a 2 bedroom modular, with wife and 3 children, i shouldnt have to say more, i still have my favorite set of k-horns!

The 5.5s to me were just as boomy, what i did in the end was just drive screws thru the sides, and painted them to match the color of the speaker!

Ive come a long way since then, after buying those 5.5s new i was determined never to buy new again, not just klipsch, but anything else as well.

The cornwalls, heresys, klipschorns are built like stone houses, very solid, and long lasting, my Klipschorns are 28 years old and still kicking, same as my heresys, both 1975!

My cornwall 2s arent built as good, but at 16 years old still looking like new!

I really caint see a KG 5.5, at 28 years old, i just dont think it would make it that many years, without falling apart!

Now if there was a set in tip top shape at 28 years old, they will be worth a fortune, im sure!

I was going to glue 1X2s inside the cabinet, for side back, side front internal bracing, do this instead of screws!

Leave the port alone, this will change the internal volume.

Regards Jim

9.gif

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On 9/20/2003 10:25:43 AM clspruiell wrote:

also, I stapled the foam to the sides and back. and I added about 3.5 inches to the port. I found a pvc pipe fitting that extended from the factory port and taped it on. My conclusions. I cannot tell if the bass is deeper or not. I do think it sucked some midbass out. It does not seem as punchy.

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Just as I predicted in my post that I made in May of 2001. Adding length to the port is not a good idea because you are only trying to make the speaker play lower than it (efficiently) can. If you want more low-end bass then build subwoofer like mine! 10.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...
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This is a depressing thread. I own a set of KG5.5's that I bought new in late '95, and so far they have been problem free. I have never really cranked them for an extended period of time, but they still sound great to my ears. Cosmetically they are like new. Maybe my set will be the ones that last 28 years :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

The KG5.5 crossover is a lot more than one coil and one resistor. IIRC, the LP section (which is 2nd order) has one cap and one coil and the HP section (which is 3rd order) has two caps, one coil, and one resistor.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Did you know that my KG 5.5 came with different crossovers? I removed the lower 10" woofer and saw that the crossovers are not identical. No wonder, they seem to have sounded different. I think the old crossover has the resistor and coil on one side, caps on the otherside. While the other side has Coils, Caps and resistor all in oneside. Any thoughts on this?

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A good friend of mine had a pair of these, he really abused them and they took everything it had. So I bought a pair. To this day I haven't found much that compete with these. My system is pretty old prolly gonna get a Krell amp but I truely stand by these as both my friend and I have a same problem with them. We each blew out our windows, now I have triple pane steel frame windows I feel confident I have solved that problem. I have zero problems with these and stand by them fully as they take everything that my old carver gives and begs for more. Though I usually do not rod on them, if need be, after they are warm they can truely take it if proper equipment/set-up is used IMO.

My old system:

Carver HTR 885.1

Boston Acoustic VR 2000 (250 watt powered sub)

Klipsch RG 5.5 Mains

Polk CS350 LS Center

Polk LS-FX Rears

Max 1000+ Line conditioner/surge protector

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  • 3 weeks later...

I recently upgraded my Klipsch KG5.5 crossover with Hovland caps. A new pcb had to be created because of the size of the new components. I also upgraded the internal speaker wire with flat copper wires and soldered them directly to the drivers. Some people liked to use Auricaps or Solen which is slightly cheaper than the Hovlands. I will give it a few more days before I start doing critical listening.

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As promised. I have done a few listening tests on my upgraded KG5.5 X-over mod. As you

might expect with Hovland caps, the mids now have superior timbre, texture and

musical naturalness. Highs are more natural and clear. The wire is flat

copper made by Goertz I think.

I have upgraded speakers wires and cables in the past that costed more than

the x-over upgrade but this mod seems to have more value and noticeable

performance. I highly recommend this mod for older speakers.

http://www.pbase.com/image/23906747.jpg

Levi

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On 12/6/2003 11:00:03 PM Dylanl wrote:

I am sorry for being so uninformed. I have never done this before. Due all of the numbers you posted relate to Caps. I saw the brand Hovland on the web site but could not figure out what each number meant like 1.0mh,25ufd, ohm etc. I will keep looking.
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If you looked closely in the picture or opened up and looked into the actual x-over parts, you will see those values in micro-farads. Those values will only make sense to you if you will be replacing x-over components. You would like to stay close to the original values. I figured them all out...enjoy them.

post-12683-1381924533982_thumb.jpg

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In conjunction with Hovland caps x-over upgrade, I bumped the Klipsch performance to a higher level with Deflex Panel by Spectra Dynamics. I removed the foam stuffing that comes with the speakers and installed Deflex Panels right behind the drivers.

The panels are Made from an advanced polymer, they reduce

unwanted cabinet distortions to a minimum. This gave me an even more livelier sound.

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I also own KG5.5s and I most say (so far) my front pair have held up very well. I bought them new back in 94. Recently, I purchased two more pairs (used) for a future 7.1 setup. The third pair, for now, is in my bedroom hooked up to a second system.

With 5.1 music like DVD-A and SACD, it was a night and day difference between them and my older Yamahas I used as surrounds. About the only mod I have done to mine was to add a bit more damping material to the insides. I did notice a bit more "oomph" in the low end, but I was more surprised with how much better the midrange and lower treble sounded. I have thought about adding 12awg wire to the insides, but I'm not really confident with my soldering skills.

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