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Tightening K-horn screws -- lots of them!


Erik Mandaville

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I'm sure most of you have already done this, but in the process of nearly getting the big horns set up in the listening room, I checked each reachable screw, inside and out, for snugness.

A couple on each woofer took a few turns to tighten down, and even a few on the motorboard needed to be tightened a bit.

Again, lots of you are tons more familiar with these things than I, and I'm just sharing an experience more than anything else. We're looking forward to tomorrow evening! I'm tired of working on them, now, after doing so all day Sunday and every day this week. I wanna listen!

I still don't know what year they were made but they are consecutive serial numbers: 13S599 and 13S600 I have an idea based on the drivers and crossover, but not a specific build date.

Erik

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On 11/21/2003 8:25:56 PM Erik Mandaville wrote:

I still don't know what year they were made but they are consecutive serial numbers: 13S599 and 13S600 I have an idea based on the drivers and crossover, but not a specific build date.

Erik----------------

Erik,

The third digit (S) in the serial #s indicate 1978 production.

Anxiously awaiting your review vs the Lascalas.

Jeff

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Thanks for that information, Jeff! I was very roughly in the ball park of 60s and 70s, which was just a hypothesis. So I appreciate your telling me when the speakers were made. Man, looking inside those horns makes me really appreciate the amount of work that goes into constructing these large horns. Even with a good table saw it would be a challenge. We are trying these on the long wall, which is just around 20 feet from side to side. In this position, the horns look straight at the listening position.

I also took off the metal 'sliders' from the bases, and in their place put the same kind of rug grippers I used on the La Scalas. Having the speakers on a suspended wooden foolor the high density foam grippers really cleared up a little boominess we were getting.

Thanks again,

Erik

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On 11/21/2003 8:37:22 PM Erik Mandaville wrote:

We are trying these on the long wall, which is just around 20 feet from side to side.

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As I understand it, this is as PWK himself suggested.

fini

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Erik,

When I first brought my K-horns home I put them on the short wall as I had no place to put them in my 14 x18 living room, I just had no room with my Cornwalls and the corner horns.

Once the Cornwalls were gone I rearranged the room and put the K-horns on the 18' wall and it made a measurable difference in sound.

I think you'll find it will sound just fine being 20' feet apart, which is just not the case with most speakers.

Jeff

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Erik,

It's also important to unscrew the screws on the crossovers that hold down the wires that go to the woofer, squawker, and tweeter. These wire ends can corrode enough after 25 years to interfere with the sound. I haven't treated mine with DeOxit5, but it would be a good idea. Then screw down tight again.

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To add to what has been said about the year of production, the 13 is the week of production. Unless I am mistaken, the last three digits are the numbers for how many were made that year. Man, 40 something a week? I guess they were rolling them out back then.

update.

Went back and looked. The guide to serial numbers for this year only tells the year. The week and production number were all in my head. Other years had numbering about like I thought these had. Here is a link to the serial number guide.

http://www.progressive-engineering.com/klipsch/klipsch_date_codes.htm

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Thanks for all this valuable information. I'm totally new to Klipschorns, and need as much input as I can get from you all!

Good idea, Paul. As soon as my mom and law is awake, I'm putting in all new wiring and spade terminals. The old stuff looked ok, but as you said, did have a little bit of oxidation, and the insulated on the leads was stiff and dry. I have some 16AWG OFC fine-strand speaker cable that should work fine for the short lengths needed. This is something I was going to do later on, but things are apart now, so I may as well go all the way with it. I also installed a contrasting piece of trim on the bottom -- just clear coated pine -- which looks nice with the darker wood of the rest of the cabinet.

But sealing the back of the cabinet to the wall? I have no idea about how to do that! I was just going to put the cabinet as near to the corner as possible without actually touching it. But the suggestion is interesting argz -- what needs to be done?

Erik

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Well Eric the simplist way I found to do it was to use 3/8 inch pipe insulation. Its that stuff that is used to go around water pipes, you can find it at any hardware store.Get the 3 foot sections I think it cost about 3 bucks for 4 pieces. On the back of the k-horns slide the pipe insulation over both sides of the tail pieces, (you need no glue or anything the insulation will stay in place)then push your k-horns tightly against the walls, your done.Dont believe it will make a difference, try them k-horns without the insulation first and you might have about as much bass as a set of lascalas, seal them to the walls and those k-horns will eat the lascalas up in the bass department.Good luck and enjoy you new k-horns.

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Erik,

arfz28 is right it is VERY important to couple the Khorns to the corner. His method is very good if your corners are good. If the pipe insulation still leaves gaps other methods can be used. One of those (recommended by Klipsch in the instructions that came with mine in 1978) is to staple a length of carpet runner the length of the tail board with about 6" overhanging on both sides and then push the horns into the corner. I used that method for years until the clear runner yellowed badly and became brittle. On my downstairs concrete knee walls with baseboard heat . I now use a piece of 2" foam the hight of the tailboard cut around the heat and angled in the back to match the corner.

There are as many ways to couple your horns as there are days in the year. What's important is that the bass horns are allowed to expand without wave traps which and uncoupled horn becomes. As arfz28 says when coupled correctly there is no shortage of deep, crisp bass with no boomyness ( is that a word?) in a Klipschorn. Flap your pants leg bass! Thump your chest bass! Anger your neihbors bass! Make the kid in the Honda jealous bass! Did I say that you are gonna love it bass?

Rick

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A freind of mine bought some K horns off of a guy here in Indy because he had them about two feet from the back wall, pointing straight out, and nothing in the rears forming a seal touching anything let alone any wall. There was bass, just not heart pounding clear clean bass at all.

The best 600 dollars for the 1987 K horns he ever spent.

By all means, and this is a must, you need some type of seal and in K horn for the corners, wheather actual or false ones too. The pipe sealer foam is a great idea or others have used garage door sealers..(the plyable plastic bottom that is on most garage doors). This will help make a seal to the two sides in the rear of your k horns and produce "Incredible" results...

I also second the bigger the room width wise the better principle too. And a good say clean 1-5 watts in a K horn... 16 or more feet across...breathless extasy!!!

Let us know your findings too.!!!

Roger

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