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K55 Driver Upgrades - WOW!


soundog

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A few months ago I replaced the K77 tweeters in my Khorns with NOS E-V T35 "A" stock replacements. One of the original tweeters in these 20 year old speakers had a raggy edginess and thus I realized a very significant improvement (Im still procrastinating over replacing the diaphragms in the ones I replaced). I got these tweeters on the web from Layne Audio as suggested by someone on this site (thanks!). I had a long and interesting conversation with Layne during which they persuaded me to also order a pair of K55 replacements (which they billed as "very high quality}. It took them until this week to get their shipment and fill my order. The drivers had no name on them and had bigger magnets and were heavier than the K55Ms they were replacing. They are incredible! What clarity, what presence, what dynamics! And they only cost $69. each! If Klipsch is looking for a supplier of K55 drivers these are superb!

This message has been edited by soundog on 11-02-2001 at 08:31 PM

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I need to get a digital camera one of these days ... they don't look much different than the 55Ms except they are heavier with a bigger magnet ring and no brand name or other markings ... they screw into the horns the same as the 55s. Internally they dont have a screen over the diaphragm like the 55s. I installed one and A-Bed it with the 55 (set preamp to mono and rotated the balance control from one speaker to the other) ... sounded like a veil had been lifted ... not sure this is because of a bigger magnet or the fact that they are replacing 20 plus year old drivers.

This message has been edited by soundog on 11-06-2001 at 05:47 PM

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Funny how coincidence sometimes really surprises you. After posting the above, I left this site to visit the Audio Asylum site - High Efficiency Speaker section and there is a posting on removing "bug screens" from a driver. One comment stated that removing the bug screen was like "lifting a veil"!

This message has been edited by soundog on 11-06-2001 at 06:09 PM

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  • 2 weeks later...

Soundog, are you still pleased with those new squawker drivers? is the efficeincy the same as K-55M? and are you using them in your K-horns with Alk/networks? It sounds like a real bargain at that price if they sound better. Im interested in getting them.I see on Laynes websight that they are sold out of EV-T35A Too bad as I wanted to buy one to have on hand as a spare. How much did they cost anyhow? BTW I also have K-horns with recently installed ALK networks and Im experementing with different squawker tap settings (very nice sound) Thanks for the info. Ed

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I like them very much .... I use the same taps I did with the K55M (The 3-x combo as suggested by Al). Otherwise they are a little too bright. I am still not sure whether they sound better than the 55Ms because they are newer or because they have bigger magnets (or both or maybe the absence of the "bug screen" ??). The NOS EV T35As were around $100 each, I think.

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Soundog's HT Systems

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  • 1 month later...

Regarding removing the "bug screens"...

This is something you need to do *ONLY* after you understand the potential consequences. These screens are there to keep little bits of foreign fluff out of the compression driver. Small bits of lint, animal hair, little bugs, etc. can wreck havoc with the driver. Keep in mind that the voicing Klipsch does is with the screen in place. If the screen is acting as a low pass filter and knocking the extreme high end down a touch, the designers will compensate with the crossover settings. Removing the screen, in this case, will make the speaker sound, uh, different than the designers intended. Whether this difference is for the better or worse will depend on taste, but it will certainly be less "accurate" than what the designer intended.

Removing the screen can result in driver failure if you're living in a less than pristine environment (says the voice of said experience with the three cats and the dog.)

I took the screen out of my Epic CF4 speakers. When I replaced the (*EXPENSIVE*) mid/high horn on the speaker that had failed, I left the screens in place. Frown.gif

Ray, sadder but wiser and definately older.

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Music is art

Audio is engineering

Ray's Music System

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Here in Illinois farmers use imported Chinese ladybugs in their fields to cut down on pesticide use. The bugs are all over the palce in rural areas and with their hard shells can squeeze right through window and door gaskets. A friend lives in a rural area west of Chicago and was going to remove the bugscreens on his JBL compression drivers, he changed his mind when he saw a couple of ladybugs crawling down the inside of one of his horns. In any case I don't think removing the screens is beneficial; I have drivers with and without the screens, I hear no difference. One must assume that the likes of Hilliard, Lansing and Blackburn knew what they were about when they integrated the screens into the design, for all we know any acoustic resistence they might offer was figured into the diaphragm area to phase-plug to throat compression ratio, if so it's possible removing the screen would hurt performence. It would be interesting to see measurements of drivers with and without the screens.

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Uhh....I shouldn't mention this.Sometimes we stretch Saran Wrap over the front of the horns in floor monitors.You would be surprised how little it changes the sound.Dayton Wright put their whole speaker in a plastic bag filled with an inert gas.

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