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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
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Sorry Duelund

I am sure you will get another mate to the inductor.

I just want to be sure it sounds right. I probably should have just ordered two but last time after I heard the VSF I ordered CAST.

Are you getting into Autoformer's? I seen on a website what looks to be transformers coming? Would it be a simple process to make an Autoformer the same way as inductors?

I might be interested in one of those as well. (or should I say two at some point)
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Undertow
I have heard that about vintage. The voltage used to be much lower than today.

The vintage thing turned out to be kind of a fluke. I have never been into vintage. I am not sure I am even going to stay there.

When I was selling my speakers the guy turned up to buy my speakers with an old Fisher tube amp. I was kind of chuckling. He hooked it up with crappy (and I mean crappy) wire and my jaw hit the floor. Those speakers though not perfect were wayyyyy more real sounding than with my gear or my new gear with the new speakers. I had also heard some mega dollar new tube amps and systems and never really thought much of them. Nice but never felt like real people were in the room.

Really I was ticked right off. This $300 amp and and ratty speaker wire was kicking my systems ass. So I bought the amp and that is where I said I have to know what is going on?! One thing that system had by nature was virtually no plastic. All foil caps in the amp and speaker crossover. I knew it was flawed yet it still had some magic that the new gear did not.

That is where I had to find out what was going on part by part. Even that article I posted (from Linn) that claims that 50% of the signal is lost in the crossover. That is a mind boggling number when you think about it.

So I have went from a crossover (Linn speakers) of cheap electrolytics, cheap caps, cheap circuit board, cheap iron core inductor to this in the Klipsch.

I am coming to Steen's conclusion the crossover is an area of almost unlimited weakness but I have had to go through it part by part.

Which comes back to Duelund I hope you can make Autoformers?
face
516 posts
 
Where do you have an autoformer, in the HF circuit? Is there any schematics/plans out there to replace it with other parts instead? I wouldn't imagine an one-off autoformer being cheap at all.

My Tannoy's originally came with an autoformer, but I eventually replaced it with a resistor and inductor...and now it even measures flatter.
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
Face

The Autoformer is a step down voltage change as I understand? It is the first part that the signal runs through. The look of the part is very similiar to the woofer inductor. There are taps out of it to the different drivers.

http://www.critesspeakers.com/autotransformers.html
volleyguy OP
789 posts
 
In looking for SET amp info I stumbled across this site.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ivol/audio/other.htm

Still debating SET or EL84?

Of interesting note he thought the EL84 EICO fantastic. (for sure with NOS tubes) But more interesting he had the same speakers owned by Dennis Had of Cary Audio used in 89-'90 at the CES audio show. Showing off 300se mono blocks.

What is more interesting is
"Yet, I have to admit, they were immediately thrust to backup duty after 10 minutes with the vintage Klipsch Cornwalls"!

What I think the owner does not realise is he thinks it is all ALNiCo magnets or horns as did I. What I found out beyond a shadow of a doubt is it was the mosty the foil in oil capacitors. When Sonicaps went in the speakers sounded VERY cheap!

One of the coming tests I am going to do is ALNiCo tweeter vs. ferrite. I have both. I have always understood ALNiCo (known as the singing magnet) coveted by guiter guys the world over for tone, to be better. but I have never heard a direct comparison. The vintage Klipsch ALNiCo certainly go for much more $ used always a good indictator.
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