HELP PLEASE - new Belles have arrived

[Chris Robinson]

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On 3/19/2005 10:58:17 PM richieb wrote:

OK, so I am deaf. Disconnected the squaker wires from the networks. Nothing, nada. Both fried. S..t. As you can well imagine, I am not real happy. Do I order the diphrams from Klipsch? Estimated price. I honestly do not think the seller had a clue. I hate to call and rip him but S..t, 1000 miles and now this. Not how I wanted to settle in for some good listening.

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I feel your pain. On my first pair of Cornwalls, both tweeters were blown. On my second pair of Cornwalls, one tweeter was blown. On my Klipschorns, one was blown. All were sold "as is", so I knew what I was getting into.

If you have a ranging voltmeter (very handy pocket tool), set the switches to test for continuity (with a tone). Unscrew each tweeter lead from the crossover and touch each probe to each lead simultaneously. If you have a tone, the tweeter isn't blown. The resistance test is best though because it will tell you if it meets spec.

The good news is that replacing them is straightforward. You just need to take a little care that it's done right. I keep a pair of diaphragms on the shelf just in case. I don't listen to music too loudly so I haven't blown one myself.

_______________________________

Music Hall MMF-7 Turntable w/ Goldring Eroica H MC

Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CDP with 24 bit/192 KHz Upsampling

Wright Sound WPP-100C Phono Stage

JF Lessard Pantheon 6SN7 SRPP Preamp w/ RCA 5R4GY & Sylvania 6SN7

JF Lessard Horus Parafeed Cobalt 2A3 SET Monoblocks w/ Tung Sol 5687 & AVVT 2A3

1976 KCBR Klipschorns with ALK Crossovers

Gear Online: Two Channel & Home Theater Systems

[Chris Robinson]

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On 3/19/2005 10:13:39 PM richieb wrote:

Just completed 995 mile roudtrip with Oak/Cane Belles in tow.

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That's very cool. I've driven as many miles for a few pairs of Klipsch speakers and I've always enjoyed the road trip as a fun adventure. Taking along a good buddy, it's 12 hours of quality catch-up time.

[scott0527]

Where do you live again? I'll be happy to pay you what you paid for those terrible things! Belles with cane in good condition are pretty rare from what I can tell. Tweeters are easy fix.

[joessportster]

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On 3/20/2005 5:42:35 AM heresy2guy wrote:

That could be the case.

Then again, he might have picked them up from somebody or someplace (that had little knowledge of their true value) as a broken and/or defective set of speakers and he quickly turned them over on Ebay for a big payday.

I've heard similar stories by those unfortunate enough to have befallen such a scam.

On the flip side, I've heard of people getting good speakers at average prices too (can't say I've seen all that many good "deals" on heritage speakers on Ebay to be honest with you).

It just seems like the scammers on Ebay have targeted the high-end audio/video buyers and are pulling quite a number of "fast-ones" on them. There was even an article in the Wall Street Journel on this very issue some months ago.

Spending $750 to $2000 plus for Cornwalls on up to Khorns on Ebay, sight unseen and, more importantly--sound UNHEARD--is really taking a gamble.

And if you get burned, what then? Most people just put them back on Ebay and sell them to the next unassuming sucker in order to try and break-even, although they usually wind up eating their original shipping costs. And those shipping costs can be $200 to $400!

I just think it's sort of like throwing darts at a board. Playing a game of darts when the bet is $50 is one thing. Playing a game of darts blindfolded, when the bet is $750 to $2000, is something altogether different.

Still...some people get lucky.

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sure ebay may be a gamble but you have to take in account that new the sspeakers are 3 to 4 times the going rate on ebay and if some minor repairs are in order you are still getting one heck of a deal, i know i have had 2 sets now that i bought where the seller was either a liar (scammer) or blind, but as with my recent la scala'a for 838.00, even with the veneer needed, and thge crossover upgrade i will still be less than half of new cost. scammed or no they are still worth the money after the repairs IMO Joe

[triode]

Rich,

After you get the tweeters fixed, I can just hear your next post.

OH MY GOD THESE BELLES SOUND FABULOUS!!!!

If you could even tolerate comparing them to the Cornwalls without tweeters, they will simple blow the Cornwalls away when you get the Belles Fixed.

[DizRotus]

Tweeter diaphragm replacement is easy. I did it many times without a problem.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I know this is heretical, but in the mid 70s I used four Speakerlab SK-Horns powered by a Dynaco ST-400 for a mobile DJ business. Tweeters were regular victims of 600 watts (300/side into 4 ohm load). I had an open account with EV. Id call them on a Friday and have new diaphragms by the following Tuesday. As Chris Robinson recommended, I always kept spares on hand.

Since switching to more realistic power and decibel levels, Ive never blown a tweeter in my Hereseys or Cornwalls.

[merkin]

I would like to say that Richard sold me his forte II's on his trip. I would like to thank him for excellent speakers and a easy transaction. I set them up with my forte II's for fronts with an academy center and tried them out with Lord of the Rings volume 2. They sounded great.

Thanks again Richard for a nice set of speakers and a good price. I know this should be on the HT forum but I saw this thread and wanted to let Richard know. I have bought my academy and these speakers through the forum and have been happy with both

purchases.

thanks again

Keith

PS hope you get those belles working and let us know the result.

[heresy2guy]

I guess it depends on the price and to what extent the speakers need fixing Joe. Your price wasn't bad. It was below the going rate typcially found on Ebay. What if you had paid $1200 to $1350 for them instead and then had to replace diaphrams and re-veneer? Diaphram replacement seems like a do-able job to me from what I've read, but I haven't done it so it's simply speculation. Re-veneering a La Scala seems like a monster of a job. I've got two pairs of La Scalas made in the early 90s and they're both in black. I was thinking about refinishing one pair in cherry but when I look at the innards of the base bin and see how tight it is in there it seems like I'm opening up pandora's box. Perhaps with some helpful instruction a novice can tackle the job, but starting on a La Scala seems like trying to teach a 3rd grade science student quantum physics. A Heresy or Cornwall seems like a much better learning template. Still, the value of a purchase is in the eyes of the buyer. You paid 800 bucks for yours and they needed some work. If the work didn't cost much in terms of parts and you saw the veneering as a learning curve then no harm, no foul. And you're right - they're still way cheaper then a new pair. I paid $600 a pair for mine (1200 total) and they didn't need a thing done to them. Still, my wife frowns a bit at their color. They definitely stand out in our home. A friendlier finish might be in the cards down the road .