jhawk92 Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 All- I will be sending my '68 K-horn x-overs and drivers off to BEC for his refurb/diaphragm work in about a week or so. I was digging around in the top sections, and it looks like the tweeters are mounted from the outside? To get at them, do I need to remove the grills, and can this be done easily? I see a couple screws which might attach the grills (from inside the HT section), but before I start "screwing" around, I wanted to get a bit of advice. I'll be sending the entire K-77 assembly, but will just unscrew the K-55s and pack them up. It is hard to get the drivers off the K-400 horns? Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 The tweeters are screwed onto the baffle from the inside. You need one of those short 3" phillips screw drivers to get at the screws. The K-55 driver just unscrews, turn it to the left. It's not that hard to replace the diaphragms yourself, but by the questions that your asking you sound like a rookie . So, maybe it is better for you to send them to BEC. What makes you think that the drivers need work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 To make tweeter removal easier, look inside the top sections. There are 4 screws on the upright side panel glue blocks, 2 on each side facing the rear of the enclosure. Remove those screws and the nut on the K-400 bracket and carefully slide the front baffle out of the enclosure. While it's apart it would be a good time to damp the K-400 horn if you haven't already done so. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 If you choose to remove the tweeters without removing the baffle (the way I've done it), I suggest an electric screwdriver using a long shank Phillips bit. It makes it easier to reach all the way in there and still keep the driver seated in the screw head. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 What makes you think that the drivers need work? Because like everything else, things get old and worn out. Imagine going in and out a few billion times, coupled with the 30 years or more of expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature and humdity. They are easy to replace, and relatively inexpensive. Considering the great impact they have on the sound, I think it's reasonable to replace them after a couple of decades of use. Hell, the way I'm going -- I might replace mine every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 1, 2004 Author Share Posted July 1, 2004 Q- I'm at work right now, so don't have access to the K-horns, but I seem to remember there are nuts showing on the inside of the cabinet, which, to me, means they have been mounted from the front. I'll check again tonight and see. Not sure if I can get any good pics from the inside, but we'll see. While I am not a total rookie, I haven't done much work on these, so I don't really want to screw anything up, especially unhooking everything and unscrewing the drivers. My thoughts on the drivers...a few weeks ago, I was playing some CDs and turned off a ceiling fan in the same room. There was a loud "pop" from one of the speakers and I think the output on one of the tweeters has been impacted. I still get sound from it, but it doesn't seem to be nearly as clear as the other one. I chatted with BEC about this and since they are 36 years old, they could probably use some work. I'm not really sure what goes into the process of replacing them, so I figured, this first time, I'd let Bob take care of them. He mentioned he was interested in seeing what 36 yr-old K-55 diaphragms looked like. At some point, I'll probably go out and get a soldering iron, but for now, with a 6-month old, I don't have tons of time. Rick- I'll check around the insides and see if all that makes sense. I just remember all the screws seem to be facing the opposite direction, with the nuts on the inside. I had given some thought to damping the horns, and I have a pair of the K-401s I may try out, but, truthfully, I can't hear any ringing on the horns, and they have had some good workouts. John Albright, in another post, mentioned that if you grip the K-400 horn at the throat while playing something with female voices, if you don't feel any strange vibrations, you should be ok. That's not the best description of what he said, but I can't find his post right now. I've tried "ringing the bell" while they are mounted, and they seem to be pretty solid; just a "clunk" when I rap on the horns. Larry- Thanks much, I figure a long screwdriver will be a requirement reguardless of how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 ---------------- I figure a long screwdriver will be a requirement regardless of how it goes. ---------------- I've found an electric easy to hold in place in tight spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Look again, I doubt that they are screwed in from the front. I never have seen it done that way, but then my pairs of Klipschorns arn't that old. Most things are made to be taken apart and fixed, without having to tear them up. When you design and build something you make it so you can take out and repair or replace parts that wear out. I don't think klipsch would have made you take apart the grill clouth back then, but you never know. Let me know if your right. If you have some 401 horns put them in. I could never hear the ringing that everyone was talking about untill I started A/B'ing other horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Would'nt it be easier to just unscrew the 6 screws holding the top panel on and pop the top off? The nuts(what are they, 3/8")on the tweeter are right there. The baffle can still be a bear to get out even after taking out the 4 screws if it has never been removed. Take out the 2 screws going through the top of each side panel and the 2 into the mounting/support blocks at the rear and voila! Anyway, that is what I did when I needed to get at the drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 A nut driver is great for removing and reinstalling nuts if that's what you're dealing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 Rob I am a marksman with Klipschorns, ive rebuilt a set and sold them to Marksdad. I could swing by, do the dissasembling with you if youd like, maybe Thurs night 8ish or Friday Morning, let me know, its the least i can do. Im ok here as far as room issues, i made the wife happy, thank God. 3 loads to the dump, and 1 load giving things away was enough. Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 2, 2004 Share Posted July 2, 2004 ---------------- On 7/1/2004 12:14:11 PM AK-4 wrote: What makes you think that the drivers need work? Because like everything else, things get old and worn out. Imagine going in and out a few billion times, coupled with the 30 years or more of expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature and humdity. ---------------- I don't know, John Holmes is holding up OK.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted July 4, 2004 Share Posted July 4, 2004 John Holmes has been six-foot-under for quite some time now. Boogie Nights was a loose rip-off of his life, Wonderland actually shows footage from the crime scene depicted in BN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 6, 2004 Author Share Posted July 6, 2004 Well, didn't get any work done on these over the weekend, mainly because I was listening to them. But I will be working on them later this week, since I want to get everything sent over to BEC early next week. Q- I think I'll try the 401 horns, since, like you said, everything will be disassembled. Jordan- Not a bad idea. It's not like you need the top on for sound reproduction. And it would allow for easier swaping of the 400/401 horns. Larry- Yeah, I may need that nut driver after all. Jim- Thursday night is bad as my wife is having a "ladies night in" thing that evening, and I work on Friday. My plan is to start work on these Friday eve or Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 11, 2004 Author Share Posted July 11, 2004 Well, I finally got around to taking the K-horns apart. As it turns out, the tweeters are mounted from the rear, with the four nuts that thread onto the screws. I couldn't get at the top two nuts, and it was going to be a bit pain to get the baffle out, so I took Jordan's recommendation; pop the top off. There were a total of 6 screws, two at the top of each side panel and one into the support block. Once the top was off, it was a piece of cake to get at the tweeter and the x-over. Guess I really didn't need to be so paranoid after all. The K-55 driver came off easy as well. Everything is boxed up and will head to Bob Crites this week. Seeing how easy things came apart, I think I'll at least try one of the K-401 horns once everything comes back. I'll have to look at my set of the K-401s, which are in a box deep in the basement, but does anyone know off-hand if the rubber washer/O-ring is there? The ones I have on the original K-400 horns aren't coming out, and I don't want to destroy them, unless it is time for them to be replaced. Is there a part number from Klipsch, or will a local hardware store have them? Thanks again for all the help. Looking forward to getting everything back together and seeing how they sound. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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