darkside Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I was just reading an old thread about Mcintosh stuff when I came across a post from oldbuckster that read: "anything from the 80's needs crossovers, or atleast thecaps changed, but don't believe me ask around here ....." So, not really knowing for sure, I'm asking. I have some old Infinities that, at the newest, are 22 years old. I haven't taken a look at them, but I would assume that the crossovers are still original. Would it be wise to at least replace the caps (which is something I can do myself)? Or should I look for completely new crossovers? I'm not trying to ask how they would sound (since this is the Klipsch forum after all), but would it generally be a good idea? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Old Infinites? What model? The most common problem with old Infinity loudspeakers is the woofer surround. There are a couple of Infinity web pages. Almost anything can be had for these except EMIM drivers, hard to find when I was looking. Try this site.... http://www.bobbyshred.com/infinity.html Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Yeah, I would be worried about surrounds before crossovers on almost any speaker, really. I have had some Altec cabs from the late 70's that sounded great, rotted woofers and all. New drivers is all it needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Yeah, I understand about the woofers, but luckily for me, the guy who I bought them from (last Friday actually) said he had the foam replaced in something like 2004, and I checked them out arnd they're basically new. Which is why I'm asking about the caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Oh and they're RS5s (the 1980s model), so even if the foam hadv'e been rotten, the 100 bucks I paid for the pair would've still been worth it I think. Here's a page about them just so you know... http://www.infinity-classics.de/infinity/models/Reference-series-1+b-2-10+A+B-1981-86/index-Reference.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 A cap refresh would probably be a good idea. That website has a pdf of the crossover . Spend your money on the 4.6 and the 19uF (some nice polypropylenes) and non-polarized electrolytics for the 50's and 600uF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Ok, thanks. While we're on the subject, part of the crossover is kind of an S shape labeled with 1 1/4 AGC. It's on the negative tweeter lead...what is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Another two questions I want to bring up...if anyone's looked at the pics on that website, each speaker has mid/high frequency attenuator on the crossover. I've actually messed around with these, but whenever I adjust them, the tweeter/mid gets scratchy. Would it be a good idea to clean these? I read somewhere about something called Deoxit that is supposed to be good, but I really don't know. The other thing, is there anywhere where I can decently priced replacement fuses? Stereophile did a review of Hifituning.com fuses and said that the high quality fuses do make a difference, but those suckers are expensive. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 The S-shaped component in the schemo is the 1.25 amp fuse. I would just get an inexpensive fuse, say at the hardware store, or you could buy online at various sites. Make sure you buy a fast blow fuse! Parts Express is good for pieces/parts. The scratchiness you're hearing is from dirty controls, and a good spray of deoxit will clean them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 Ok, I'll eventually get around to that. I think I can get Deoxit at Radio Shack and I'll check PE for fuses. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 22, 2008 Author Share Posted August 22, 2008 So I was just checking PE for caps, and all they have for the polypropylene caps are 4.7uf and 18 uf, for every brand!!!! Where can I find these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Those values are fine, well within tolerance. The original caps are probably still O.K. There is a difference between caps that are going bad and caps that are functioning properly but just don't sound very good. The issue with the capacitors in the old Klipsch networks is that most of them were probably between 10 and 20 years old before Klipsch even started using them. So, a speaker built in 1975 might have caps in it that are now 40 years old. As for the polyesters Klipsch used in the 80's -- they are actually fine. There's no real reason to replace them unless you want to use something that just plain sounds better -- a good Bennic or Dayton polypropylene is a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 Ok, and for the higher values, the 50 and 600uf caps, would an non polar electrolytic work, or would I still want to stick with polypropylene caps? I can always wire some in parallel to get the desired values, or is there a drawback to that I don't know of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Yes, for values that large you'll want to go with npe caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 23, 2008 Author Share Posted August 23, 2008 Ok. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Large value film caps can be very expensive if you can find them in the values you are looking for. You can probably find a 50uF, but not a 600 in a good quality cap. The other problem is size, they can be quite large and may not fit onto the existing circuit board, or you may have to completely modify the board to make it fit. Also, they are not usually as important to the sound as the lower value caps. That's where you should spend your money. Depending on what you paid for the speakers, that might influence how much you want to spend on the caps. No sense putting a Duelund copper VSF cap in a $500 pair of speakers. a 2.0 uF value will run you $180 each. Your speakers and probably your electronics wouldn't allow you to hear the difference. Type in capacitors into the search engine to look for some cap recommendations. Give it a shot, at least they will be performing up to original specs. Try and match the values as close as possible, 5% error is good with 10% being fine. Remember that the caps also have an error value within 5 - 20% depending on the type of cap and the manufacturer. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yeah, I acutally paid 100 for the pair, but how much they are really worth I have no idea. When I get the chance I'll order some of the Dayton 1% poly caps. For the 19uf, I plan on wiring a 15 and 4 in parallel which will work and then npe of course for the 50s and 600. So I'm looking at spending maybe 35 dollars, which compared to what I paid is a bit ridiculous, but with what I would like to assume to be the value of the speakers, that's not that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryO Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Just a little bit of advice on the Infinity crossover repair. The caps and boards are "glued" in to the panel. The boards are extremely fragile and utmost care and patience should be taken in working on these. I do them all the time and on occasion still damage a board. Pic attached of Infinity showing the glue. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkside Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hmmm, that's annoying. Well, can you remelt the glue? I am assuming that it's regular hot melt, just old, or would you recommend cutting the parts out instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryO Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 I try to cut out the Infinity. The crossover mounting is plastic and melts easily. The glue does NOT melt easily. DO NOT PRY ON THESE!!! The glue on some of these is spread everywhere and you can't get to most of it. That's what makes it so tedious to get out. Take your time, don't force anything, and particularly watch removing the attenuators. The solder joints are on the edges of the boards and the boards seperate and break very easily. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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