How Much

[christjared]

I was wondering how much it would cost over all to have crossovers in my KG4's reworked, with different caps and such? I am working on a budget for this summer, and I hope this would fit in. I am running the KG4s off of a H/K 3480 right now.

thanks for any input

JC

[PrestonTom]

JC,

One course is to "refresh" the crossovers. This would require replacing the caps (which can be soldered by a DIYer). The most sensible version is to order some caps from Parts Express that are reasonably priced (or a kit from one of the forum members). I did this with my 24 year old K-Horns and there was an improvement (mostly an increase gain at the high frequencies). The improvement was not "dramatic" but it was noticeable. It was a good investment of $22 (Solen polyprop caps). The other version is to use "fancy" caps which can cost many times more. Personally, I am skeptical of the "added" benefit.

The other course is to actually change the topology of the network. This will also impact the sound. A severe change in design will have an even greater impact. This can also run into some money since all the parts will probably need to be changed and the folks that do this tend to use "fancy" parts as part of the package. My skepticism continues. A different topology is not necessarily a better one. Yes, it will sound "different" but it may not sound "better". This distinction is frequently ignored. My guess is that the engineers at Klipsch probably knew what they were doing when they first designed the crossover - given reasonable price constraints.

I would be wary of testimonials. Many times folks will change the "order" of the filter (degree of selectivity) at the high frequencies (a tweeter) and proclaim the usual stuff: "it really tightened up the bass" (the woofer which is many octaves away, and certainly not affected by such a change). There are strong expectations created when you spend even more money on a "tweak". These expectations can be powerful. Common sense should be used.

Good Luck,

-Tom