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Belle ALK network\midrange speaker upgrade


jackb

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I have a older pair of Belles that I have put Als network in, the sound difference is unbelievable. Its like injecting Viagra into your favorite old pair of speakers. I am looking forward to the new design when they start to sell these speakers again. I have always thought that over the years there must be better drivers you could put in these big boxes and improve the sound. Al told me to stick with what they come with, he was right. If anybody is thinking of changing (and this is definitely a upgrade!) to the ALK network you have my word that it is worth every penny and that you will want to show the back of your speaker instead of the front! Anyway my question is I do have one sick midrange that has a buzz or rattle out the magnet you can hear if you listen behind the speaker. If you press your finger hard against the magnet it almost goes away. The sound out front is very good all though if you listen very close you can hear the buzz. Anybody had this happen? I have a new set of diaphragms that I got from Klipsch awhile back, should I dare try and change them?

This message has been edited by jackb on 01-27-2002 at 05:37 PM

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I would make sure all the screws and bolts are tightened up first. You can dope-slap me in the head if you want.

------------------

Tom

KLF-20 Mahogany (Hotwired)

McIntosh C33 Preamp

McIntosh MVP-841 CD/DVD

Rotel RB-1080 Amp

Yamaha PF-800 Turntable/ Sure V15 Type V Cartridge

Ortofon VMS-30 mkII Cartridge

Stanton P888SS Cartridge

Yamaha K-1020 Cassette

dbx 1231 EQ

H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer

Monster Interlink 400mk II

Monster Interlink 300mk II

Monster Video 2 (DVD to TV)

Monster Power HTS-5000

MIT Terminator 2 Bi-Wire Speaker cables

Studio Tech U-48RW Cabinet

Vibrapods

Enough empty boxes for a fire hazard!

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Thanks for the idea, that was the first thing I tried to do some time ago, I took the driver off the horn, removed the screws and cleaned what I could see and then put it back together. Result--same noise. I read today on the other message topic that another guy had the same problem and re-glued the black plastic end cap. His noise was gone so I might try that, It only seems like the noise is a rattle or vibration in the rear of the driver. I play my music loud and have always had good luck with these speakers. The new ALK networks really sound great but they will blow the fuse if you crank it up. I got a new Rotel amp so there is lots of power to be had!!!

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Jack,

That's the first time I have heard of a fuse blowing on one of my networks! You must really be crank'en that bass up! You can blow it on real deep bass easiest since the Belle woofer starts to unload below about 70 Hz. That could blow fuses. If that's what's going on, you need to cross over to a subwoofer below 70 Hz. That's what I did.

Al K.

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Thanks for the info Al. I'm careful but do play it loud. I'm lucky to live out in the country and have no neighbors to excite! Speakers sound real good, I'm ready to play with the midrange hookups to see how the sound changes. I do have a Klipsch KSW 200 subwofer in this system and will try to set the controls as you say. I've just got into DVD audio and when playing the new discs with all 6 speakers, I need to set the main level (the Belles) at -10db on the Yamaha pre-amp, if you don't the Belles are way too loud and you can not hear the other 4 speakers. I'm not completely sold on the DVD audio sound yet, some of the discs sound a bit odd and fake when you compare to the original stereo. Deep Purple Machine Head does sound very good as does the Doors and Alice Cooper. Santana Abraxas (one of my all time favorite recordings) sounds very strange. YAMAHA R-V1105 PRE-AMP\TUNER

ROTEL RMB-1075 AMP

REGA 25 TURNTABLE\SHURE V15VXMR

BELLE KLIPSCH

POLK CS1000P CENTER

BOSE REARS

TECHNICS DVD\CD\DVD AUDIO

TEAC X3MKII REEL-REEL!!!

KLIPSCH KSW 200 SUBWOOFER

AUDIOQUEST CORAL CABLE\MONSTER WIRE

PS: I always keep bass control flat, it is never turned up.

This message has been edited by jackb on 02-01-2002 at 11:25 PM

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Al,

I've been meaning to ask you about the fuses. I finally got around to trying your networks. I put one in a LaScala to do a listening test and the fuse blew. I took one out of the other network and put it in the network I was using and that blew no sooner then when I began to turn up the volume. I reconected the Klipsch network and the speaker is fine. Your networks are back in the closet. I'll have to go buy more fuses one of this days and see whats going on. Maybe I should just bypass the fuse.

Q.

------------------

Q-Man

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I have been using AL's networks in my Khorns for ~8 months. I listen to my music real loud (>100-110dB) sometimes too, but I have never blown a fuse...

I was having some heat/air installed in my basement a couple of months ago, and I decided to let the dude doing the work listen to the 'ole stereo while he worked (while I was at work). When I got home that evening I went downstairs and the Khorns sounded awful!

NO bass. The guy had blown the fuses!

------------------

Ed W

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Qman,

WOW! I think the fuse blowing is trying to tell you something. I would look at everything very carefully. Maybe you have some DC in the amp output. Do you hear a thump when you turn it on? Maybe try riging a fuse into the old netwrok to see if it blows then. Fuses can fail like any other part, but if it keeps blowing, something real is blowing it.

Al K.

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Qman,

I have a rather conservative sized fuse in there and you might be safe making it a bit biger. I use a 1 1/4 Amp fuse. Klipsch puts a 2 1/2 Amp fuse int the AK-3 network. Try that size and see if it blows.

You know, an equalizer that boosts the bass can blow out fuses or woofers. Could you have an equalizer in there that's set up too high on the bass?

Al K.

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AL,

Sorry to have opened up the can of night crawlers about the fuses! Up here in Gods country we rig boats for fishing and put 40-50 amp breakers on trolling motors that can be reset when they trip. Maybe that would work or the old auto mechanics trick you wrap the fuse with tin foil and wait for something to smoke to help locate the problem. Cutting edge no matter how you look at it. Someone should make a small traffic light for speakers, mount on top like an old Altec horn---green keep playing and turn it up, yellow be careful the thing is gonna blow, red you have sold the farm, please have credit card ready.

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Jack,

Don't worry about the fuse thing. The only way I can know obout stuff like that is if somebody tells me. This would be the right time to learn my fuses are to small according to Murthey's law, I just orderd a box of 100 of them!

One other solution was suggested by a friend:

Put two fuses in parallel, or maybe in sereis!

NOT!

8^)

Al K.

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An AGC 3A fuse in series with the woofer is about right.For a stock Klipsch network an AGC 1A fuse for the mids and highs inline with the 13µF is about right.Power is I^2 * R so 3A would be about 72W for an 8 ohm low end and 1A would be 32W for the impedance seen in the midrange and 8W for the impedance seen into the tweeter.The ALK network would probably need a third fuse for the midrange, an AGC 2A right after the 40µF would be 32W, and move the tweeter fuse right after the 2.2µF tweeter cap.

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djk,

Your fuse suggestions sound ok, but I have been on the fence about putting any fuses on my networks. Several have even been built with no fuses at the request of customers!

As to fusing tweeters, I think a tweeter would blow before a fuse would. I think it's a false sense of security. A better method is the poly-switch Klipsch uses. The best security of all is to take it easy with the volume and bass controls!

Al K.

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