ClaudeJ1 Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Saw a pair of AA replacments with what looks like Poly capacitors for less than $300 on Ebay.....made in Arkansas, by, I presume a former Klipsch employee. My Horns and single LaScala (formerly 3 channel with passive mono bridge from PWK himself) now part of a hybrid 5.1/stereo setup. Anyway my AA networks are 1977, so should I be worried about the Capacitors??? Claude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Yes. You should get new XO. Show us the link From Ebay. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 depends- on budget, age of old xovers, if you want a change in slopes or are using any custom or non-original drivers that need xover frequency changed. Many people get by simply by installing new capacitors. So the answer truly is - it depends. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleJ Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 My guess the ones you saw on eBay are from Bob "BEC" Crites. He's a member here. He would be the first one I would go to get new ones. Bob also "refreshens" crossovers. He did a pair for me ad they made a world of difference. There are others on this board (Deang and ALK) that can offer other alternatives. JJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 Yes, you should be worried about the caps in the 77 xovers. Buy these crossovers, or have the same guy refurb your crossovers, can't go wrong. He supports diy refurbs, too. Any of the options would work fine. You will be amazed at the improvement in sound from having fresh caps in your crossovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 Yes, you should be worried about the caps in the 77 xovers. Buy these crossovers, or have the same guy refurb your crossovers, can't go wrong. He supports diy refurbs, too. Any of the options would work fine. You will be amazed at the improvement in sound from having fresh caps in your crossovers. I was always suspicious of the aging potential of capacitors in the Xover in the AA's vs. all the Poly caps all the "golden ear" tweak were touting as upgrades to any old tube or x-over stuff (electrolytics being the best upgrade candidates, I guess). I'm not trying to second guess PWK's engineering or the factory people's ability to verify my K horns were fine 29 years ago. However, chokes certainly don't wear out, my horns have never seen more than about 100 watt peaks (mostly alcohol/good caompany induced) and have cruised along at 1/4 watt power levels most of their life, so the woofer's suspensions have not been strained, no equalizers have ever boosted the low end, phenolic diaphragms are rugged and have probably never seen more than a few milliwats in the treble sections. So, it's strictly an age, not abuse, issue. Will I REALLY hear a difference if I just replace the Caps (which is all I want to do anyhow) or is it just a peace of mind thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 The caps in the crossovers age whether you are using them or they just sit on a shelf. I have never found an original cap in a type AA crossover that tested completely good. Usually they are bad when tested for ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) but still good when tested for capacitance. I think you could consider twenty years a good long lifetime for a crossover cap. Older than that, they should be replaced. Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Replacement-Crossover-Klipsch-Type-A-Pair-Cedar_W0QQitemZ110051967597QQihZ001QQcategoryZ14993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 OK, so what about an "A" network. Looks like a 1st order slope on the tweeter with no back to back zeners for protection. It's less than $200. Since I don't use high power amps with my Khorns (actually part of a 5.1 system with and integrated Onkyo receiver, so no RCA's between signal and power to come loose) I will never accidentally sledgehammer the tweeters with a disconnect. What do y'all think? Anyone tried an A network vs. the AA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 The AA's I was looking at are also from B&K sound. I'm new to this board but a Klipsch veteran, so forgive me if I don't know all the people here. I did spend a day with PWK at his home in 1985, however. It's an experience I'll never forget. He and Valerie were the most gracious hosts ever. Did a shot of scotch with PWK while he played me his own recordings of jazz and orchestra. Very impressive. Met Jim Hunter and went inside the anechoic chamber they built. I was 31 at the time (birthday present from considerate wife with Heresy's) so I was like a kid in a candy store for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 The type A replacement crossovers you saw on eBay are mine. Also the Type AA/A convertible ones are mine. Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 What about fancier chokes?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted November 9, 2006 Author Share Posted November 9, 2006 Bob, You do nice work! Aesthetically, it's almost a shame to hide those. Cedar looks better than plywood. Does it also keep bugs out of the back of the treble sections?? LOL. So, sonically, is there a much of a difference between an A and a AA? Everything I have read from the latest horn guru, Bruce Edgar points to fist order slopes being sonically superior. Read that elsewhere as well over the years, here and there. Also remember PWK being surprised that Jim Hunter had taken out the back to back Zeners in the AK or AL network back in 1985. Jim had put a higher order slope on the tweeter, but PWK told me that the reason they even had to redesign the network was to get around an anomaly in the EV-made midrange "mud magnet" mid driver. As far as he was concerned, their old K-55V driver suppllier was out of the business since their quality went to hell. I'm not name dropping to impress anyone here, but at about that time, I had turned my attention from "audio awareness" and my 3 channel stereo (same as PWK's) to raising a family. Now that my last one is in college, I'm becoming more audio aware (now 5.1) and waiting for the DVD-HD standards to catch up and standardize, but I digress......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 "...but PWK told me that the reason they even had to redesign the network was to get around an anomaly in the EV-made midrange "mud magnet" mid driver. As far as he was concerned, their old K-55V driver supplier was out of the business since their quality went to hell." Hopefully he was flashing his BS button when he said all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted November 9, 2006 Share Posted November 9, 2006 Bob, You do nice work! Aesthetically, it's almost a shame to hide those. Cedar looks better than plywood. Does it also keep bugs out of the back of the treble sections?? LOL. So, sonically, is there a much of a difference between an A and a AA? Everything I have read from the latest horn guru, Bruce Edgar points to fist order slopes being sonically superior. Read that elsewhere as well over the years, here and there. Also remember PWK being surprised that Jim Hunter had taken out the back to back Zeners in the AK or AL network back in 1985. Jim had put a higher order slope on the tweeter, but PWK told me that the reason they even had to redesign the network was to get around an anomaly in the EV-made midrange "mud magnet" mid driver. As far as he was concerned, their old K-55V driver suppllier was out of the business since their quality went to hell. I'm not name dropping to impress anyone here, but at about that time, I had turned my attention from "audio awareness" and my 3 channel stereo (same as PWK's) to raising a family. Now that my last one is in college, I'm becoming more audio aware (now 5.1) and waiting for the DVD-HD standards to catch up and standardize, but I digress......... Klipsch is back to Atlas now for the Heritage midrange drivers since EV stopped making the drivers. Now Klipsch calls the Atlas PD5-VH the K-55X. It is exactly the same driver as the old K-55V. Some like the AA crossover better and some like the Type A better. My AA/A convertible can be used as either with change of a jumper. Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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