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Capacitor log Mundorf Silver in Oil

I wished I could find a log with information on caps. I have found many saying tremendous improvement etc. but not a detailed account of what the changes have been. I have had the same speakers for many years so am very familiar with them. (25+ years) The speakers are a set of Klipsch Lascala's. They have Alnico magnets in the mids and ceramic woofers and tweeters. The front end is Linn LP12 and Linn pre amp and amp. The speaker wire is 12 gauge and new wire.

I LOVE these speakers around 1 year ago they started to sound like garbage. As many have said they are VERY sensitive to the components before them. They are also showing what I think is the effect of worn out caps.

There are many out here on these boards I know of that are using the Klipsch (heritage) with cheaper Japanese electronics because the speakers are cheap! (for what they can do) One thing I would recommend is give these speakers the best quality musical sources you can afford. There is a LOT to get out of these speakers. My other speakers are Linn speakers at around 4k new with Linn tri-wire (I think about 1k for that) and the Klipsch DESTROY them in my mind. If you like "live feel" there is nothing like them. In fact it shocks me how little speakers have improved in 30 years (or 60 years in the Khorns instance)

In fact I question Linn's theory (that they have proved many times) that the source is the most important in the Hi-Fi chain. Linn's theory is top notch source with lessor rest of gear including speakers trumps expensive speakers with lessor source. I think is right if all things are equal but Klipsch heritage are NOT equal! They make a sound and feel that most either LOVE or hate. (I am in the LOVE camp and other speakers are boring to me)

So here goes and I hope this helps guys looking at caps in the future. Keep in mind Klipsch (heritage Khorns Belle's and Lascala's especially) are likely to show the effects of crossover changes more then most.

1 The caps are 30 years old and
2 the speakers being horn driven make changes 10x times more apparent.

Someone once told me find speakers and components you like THEN start to tweak if needed. Don't tweak something you not in love with. Makes sense to me.

So sound
Record is Let it Be (Beatles)
The voices are hard almost sounds like a worn out stylus.
Treble is very hard. I Me Mine has hard sounding guitars. Symbals sound awful. Everything has a digital vs. analog comparison x50! Paul's voice not as bad as John's and George's. Voices will crack.

different lp
Trumpets sound awful. Tambourine terrible. Bass is not great seems shy (compared to normal) but the bad caps draw soooooo much attention to the broken up mid range and hard highs that are not bright if anything it seems the highs are not working up to snuff. I have went many times to speaker to make sure tweeters are even working.

All in all they sound like crap except these Klipsch have such fantastic dynamics that even when not right they are exciting!

Makes me wonder about the people who do not like them if they are hearing worn out caps and cheap electronics? Then I can see why they do not like them! If I did not know better from 25+ years of ownership that would make sense.

For the new crossover I have chosen Mundorf Silver in Oil from what I have read and can afford. I want a warm not overly detailed sound as Klipsch already has lots of detail and does not need to be "livened up" they need lush smooth sounding caps. Hope I have made the right choice?

When the crossover is in I will do a initial impression on same lp's. Right now it goes from really bad (on what may be worn vinyl) to not as bad but NOT great on great vinyl. (I know the quality of the vinyl because tested on other speakers Linn)

The new caps are Mundorf Silver in Oil and new copper foil inductors are coming. I will at the same time be rewiring the speakers to 12 guage from the lamp cord that PWK put in. PWK was a master at getting very good sound often with crap by today's standards components.

The choice of speakers would be a toss up now depending on what I am listening to. Klipsch vastly more dynamic but if the breaking up of the sound becomes to much to effect enjoyment the Linn would be a better choice on that Lp. If I could I would switch a button back and forth between speakers depending on song and how bad the break-up sound was bothering me.

volleyguy
undertow
1,033 posts
 
Well I will say this depending on the model of speaker who is to say the DCR was even correct in the first place. Like I said fact is that most manufactures of speakers under 5000 probably don't take account of it at all in the design, mostly looking for the mH, uF values to match as close as possible.

The last 10 years of Klipsch models have proven inferior with 2 dollar crossover parts anyway, I have virtually halved the DCR using Coils from North creek, and Alpha core with actually far better and more transparent sound. Of course this could make a Tweeter sound a little hotter, but then adjustment via the capacitor and or an "ADDED" L pad can tame this nicely even if the driver did not originally have a resistor in the circuit. Sometimes with horns its almost a must to pad them down a bit to smooth them out.

I have not done any heritage models myself accept heard a pair of Cornwalls with new crossovers. I have done the reference series and KLH series etc... And everytime adjustments in original design or values were needed to really compensate for the computer modeled basic crossovers used. Then again I have not dealt much with the "Autoformer" driven Klipsch designs.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Undertow

Mine are for sure the vintage Klipsch with foil capacitors (stock) and Alnico magnet drivers and wire wound wax paper inductors.

I can not agree more that Klipsch not really using anything decent anymore but many companies use garbage parts as well now and often in big $ speakers.

I am not saying changing the DCR will always be bad but it will change the sound. I guess that is why it is called a balancing network and changing DCR changes the balance.

I am curious of the pro's and cons of the Autoformer???
undertow
1,033 posts
 
Being you don't have much in the way of choice on speaker position as I assume your stuck in corners via K-Horns, and you are directly replacing networks with just the stock design and values you may have difficulty ever getting this full project exacly where you want to go. Almost everytime I have changed a Cable, a Cap, An inductor it has changed the Toe in - out direction of the drivers, the distance from the walls, the distance between them etcÂ…
To compensate for soundstage and frequency shifts.

If your locked into one spot with with something like K-horns its difficult to say how you can easily accomidate any acoustic changes which do occur with new crossover parts.
theaudiotweak
2,805 posts
 
If you put your K-Horns on Sistrum Sp101's while still in the corner it will change your life. Tom
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Just back checking strictly Silver Wire. The bass is the biggest difference. Much tighter with Duelund. The stranded plastic gives a mushy droning sound. There is a for sure echo with plastic.

One question I wonder though is the cost of Silver worth it? Why not just flat copper, Duelund? This might be a much better cost option for most people.

This drone/echo in my guess causes the big difference in dynamics in the two wires.

Is this the technical equivalent of wearing plastic from head to toe? We would heat up really fast! There has been many fans of cotton. Is silk just one step more? Where does the heat go with plastic wire?

I am not sure but would like to hear cotton wrapped solid flat copper. I bet you are a very good chunk of the way there at much less cost?

Is there actual numbers on heat retention of plastic vs. cotton vs. silk. I know regular people wear cotton not silk.
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