Jump to content

LorneG

Members
  • Posts

    31
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by LorneG

  1. Glenn - thank you so much. This was my favorite restore so far. I was just listening to Stan Getz + Charlie Byrd this morning - sounds so magical on this system. I haven't had good luck finding my next speaker restoration project. The vintage ARs, KLHs, or Original Advents I've been finding locally are either in horrible shape, have been disastrously repaired, or are really expensive; often all of the above. I reluctantly passed on two different but local pairs of KLH 23s, as both had so much water damage to the cabinets. I have been up to my eyeballs restoring turntables (1965 TD-150, 1978 Micro Sekei DD-40, and now working on a 1971 TD-125) and I also picked up a Fisher 500C that needs the insides worked - something new for me to learn. I have been considering pulling the trigger on a pair of Tannoy 15" Gold monitor LSU/HF/8 Dual concentric with crossovers (no cabinets) that are local, in great shape, but pricey. I also have a line on a pair of Altec 604-C Duplex drivers, with no cabinets or crossovers. The cabinet building + tuning, and crossover (re)building aren't a problem for me, it's the size of the boxes that these take just isn't practical, and I don't see a good local resale market.
  2. Glad I asked. Thanks guys for all the help!
  3. QQ to the Advent crew - I'm looking at picking up a pair of OLAs that look by the listing to be in excellent shape and all original. They are a couple of hours away. These look to be newer models, but I'm waiting for the seller to provide serial numbers. The seller said they are in Utility cabinets. I know some of the NLA Utilities were vinyl veneer, but did the OLAs ever get vinyl? I am not interested in the plastic. Please advise.
  4. Those are amazing. I wonder how many were made?
  5. Glenn - awesome job as usual. This makes me want to restore a pair of 3's.
  6. LorneG

    KLH Model Four

    @dxho oh I get it. I often pass on early Sixes, despite my love for their 15-ply marine plywood and military-grade oil caps, when they are relatively cheap and somewhat close by. But Fours are just really rare, which makes them collectible. If you're only in it for the sound, yes then purchase and refurbish late-Sixes (see my thread on that) or better yet, AR3a or AR2ax (also in my quiver). All three will probably sound a lot better, but then again we may never know how many people have ever heard a Four? This is my collecting dilemma!
  7. LorneG

    KLH Model Four

    I was in Audio Lab (Garage in Harvard Sq.) in Cambridge, Mass on Sunday, and he had just gotten a pair of KLH Fours in to sell. I had never seen a pair before, so I spend a bit of time with them. We couldn't get the grills off to examine the drivers. He is waiting for his speaker guy to look at them before deciding on a price. The metal label on the back is horizontal and the badges are in the upper right-hand corner when standing vertically. The cabinets have some deep scratches, so they would need sanding. I know these are really rare, but I live too far away to drive them home. I would love to restore these but probably not going to happen.
  8. Just the card is 5.5"w x 3.25" h. Both attached are 9.25" h
  9. This is from my 2ax. My mail-in card was never removed.
  10. I finally finished these up. It took three weeks for the fabric to arrive, so I got to work getting the grills recovered. I used 100% linen, 20 count. After ironing, stretching and stapling, I wasn't really happy with the look, so I sprayed the wrapped grills with quite a bit of water and used a hair dryer on high to tighten them up. It worked great and the grills look awesome. I think the cabinets look amazing, and I'm glad I decided to sand them. I didn't like the look or sound of these floor-standing speakers on the floor, so I also decided to build some AR-style speaker stands. Experimenting with height, I found 8" sounded better than 12" or 18", but settled on 6" to match the console. The stands were a bit harder/more complicated than I thought to build, especially the doweling, but they came out fine. I made them a little smaller than the speaker footprint, and used Herbie's Fat Dots (small) for isolation under the speaker and felt pads on the floor legs. Here is everything completed and hooked up. The Sixes sound amazing, especially the mid-range but the bass is pretty strong too. Due to their efficiency, the Sixes are a great match with my 1961 HH Scott 299B tube amp and 1963 AR XA turntable - true New England sound and similar vintage. The next project looks like refurbishing a Thorens TD-150 with a SME 3009 II Improved tonearm and a Sure V15 III cartridge.
  11. I completed surgery on the second speaker. I should back up and say that the second cabinet came out really well with just some cleaning and sanding. This one had worse water stains than the first, but they came out on the first sand without having to use oxalic acid like I did on the first. Again I used mineral spirits, 220, 320, 440 mostly by hand except for the first 220 pass, and then three coats of Tried & True Danish Oil with 0000 steel wool burnish between coats. I really like the Tried & True oil vs. Watco. I remove the switch and terminals to make de-soldering, deoxit and re-soldering new parts/wires in easier. I replaced the caps, resistors and added some new wires. Soldering is fun and I still enjoy the looks of the ClarityCap CSAs made by good folks in Wales. I know Daytons probably sound the same, but I'm a sucker for aesthetics. A couple things I have discovered: The switch has a channel on the top of the treading to attach to the speaker. This certainly seems to be an air leak, so I put a circle of Mortite rope caulk on the inside, between the nut and the back of the plate. This should seal it. The existing shoulder washer doesn't seem long enough to completely shield the terminal screw from the plate, so I found new ones in the bulk bins at Ace Hardware. I put the new washer on the inside, and the old shoulder washer on the outside and got complete isolation from the plate. I also put a very tight-on-the-terminal-screw rubber washer on the inside to give it a better air seal and give it some height above the terminal plate. The existing wires that connected with wire caps had some oxidation on the ends, so clipped and re-stripped to get to nice shiny silver wire. Everything installed well and the first sound check was good. I had re-sealed the woofer surround and dust cap about a week ago (via RoyC's sealant), so back in went the original fiberglass insulation, woofer was spun 180* degrees and resealed with caulk rope. The push test on the woofer was not good enough, so on when another coat of sealant. I'm still waiting on the grill fabric, which was ordered three weeks ago! It's 100% 20ct. linen. I will try to put some pictures up tonight after sealant is dried and I get them hooked up.
  12. @JKent good catch. I ended up using the original nylon washers, as one of the two has a small shoulder and then putting rubber washers over both to get a bit more height. The new rubber washers have a same hole size but are just a bit wider. The original washer are very thin. I thought about using a nylon bushing to completely insulate the terminal hole, but I couldn't find one the right size (too tall). There has to be a better way of engineering these, as I agree, even with the original washer w/ shoulder it seems that the terminal bolt is susceptible to touching the inside of the terminal hole? The same with the switch in terms of being air-tight - I used some Mortite on the inside but it makes a bit of a mess, and the screw-on locking ring on the outside is hard to get tight. Lots of bad engineering on this plate. Also, de-soldering the switch is a lot of work, as the original has plenty of solder and the wires are wrapped tight. I was afraid I might harm the switch with all of the heat going into the switch terminals for a prolonged period of time in order to get the original wires off, but the switch seems to be working fine.
  13. I got all old capacitors and resistors de-soldered and removed and put in new, longer wires in for the two new 2.2uf caps. New caps and resistors were soldered in and all the wiring was soldered or connected. I put the terminals back, with new rubber washers and reinstalled the switch with some Mortite caulk to make it air-tight. First test of the new electronics, and it sounded great, with limited bass as expected. I now just need to refill the cabinet and caulk the woofer, then push test to see if the first RoyC sealant application is sufficient. I'm sure they sound the same as Daytons, but the ClarityCaps are sexy! Also, here my wiring diagram that helps me in the installation of the electronics. KLH Model Six (late) Wiring Drawing.pdf
  14. @RTallyagreed, I don't think brushing it off will do much good. I think it might be from flux that dripped down when these were originally soldered, as both speaker have the corrosion by the terminals? Do any of you rotate the woofer 180* when re-installing? I read a few people that do that, but with these woofers it doesn't seem necessary?
  15. Good reminder. I was actually surprised at how the rubber had deteriorated, so I think I will look in the Ace Hardware bins for some thicker replacements.
  16. I was able to get quite of bit of work done on these since the last post. I removed the 12” woofers, that aren’t even close to that size, and fiberglass dampening. Everything is as expected, except the woofers have some corrosion. I’m not sure how that happened as no signs of water damage, but I think I can just use a brass wire brush to remove the corrosion? I next removed the terminals, switch (mark the top), caps, resistors and marked all of the connections with tape. This will make it much easier to solder the new caps and resistors in place, which were ordered and received from Meniscus Audio, a local business to me, and they threw in some candy! Thanks @RTally @GD70and @JKent for the refinishing advice. After I cleaned the cabinet with mineral spirts, I decided to sand and use oxalic acid on the top water stains. I started with 220 with an orbital, then did 320 and 400 by hand. I'm really happy with the results. The water stains are no longer visible. There are a few nicks on the edges, but I decided not to try and fill them but to leave for vintage character. Again good advice from @RTally, as I chose to simply finish the cabinets with Tried & True Danish Oil, with no pigment. I’ve done one coat, and will do at least two more with a 0000 steel wool dry burnish before each. New 20ct. 100% linen cloth and used badges have been ordered. I do one at a time, so I hope to have the first one running this weekend.
  17. I've been looking for a pair of these for a while and have walked away from a couple opportunities to buy because of driver issues: non-original tweeters or bad sealant on the woofers. I'm pairing these with a restored 1961 HH Scott 299-B, which I am now the third owner, and a 1963 AR XA turntable that I restored, which I am the second owner. The Scott amp needs efficient speakers at only 21 wpc, but I'm playing this set-up in a small/medium size family room, so the Sixes, which arr very efficient, should be a good match. Klipsch are typically recommended with 299-Bs but are too big for my space, and I like keeping the geography and lineage together. I'm glad I was patient and was very happy to find these 45 minutes away at an estate sale company. The drivers all work and the sides of the cabinets are in good shape, but not the tops. Those have some bad water staining and scratches. So question to the cabinet experts here. I'd like to keep the finish as original as possible but don't know if that's achievable, as I like things finished really well. So should I give Howard's RaF a try on the tops first, and if that doesn't work then sand. Any thoughts here are appreciated. The other exterior issue are the grills, obviously different color, but I assume this is just from one being in the sun, so I found some 20 ct. undyed Permin/Wichelt linen to replace. I will also need to get some badges, as they are missing. I will open them up later and get to the capacitors and resistors. I still have some of RoyC's sealant left from my last project but might need some more. Thanks in advance for the help. Lorne
  18. Thanks Norman that's a beautiful restor. OMG my wife will be very displeased if I buy another amp or receiver. I just picked up a McIntosh MA5100 from the late 60's/early 70's to go with the speakers. I got it at a very good price, as the seller is a friend who is an audio engineer who was trying to get rid of some equipment. He was the second owner, and it's in great shape. I have a friend who is trying to sell his Fisher 500-C which has been restored, but I keep saying no. He also has a Fisher 600-T which is solid state and an amazing receiver that most people don't know about. The tonearm is going to Steve today for "the works". I'm excited to get it back and then do a few other restorations.
  19. Kent - thank you, I really enjoyed my first speaker refurbish. I really shouldn't add anymore amps, but you're right, if an AR comes up, at this point I would have to buy it! Yes, I am emailing with Steve and am going to have him do the tonearm. I am going to take on the new motor, pulley, suspension and dampening. I am also going to paint the top plate, then I need to get a some feet and a new dust cover. I decided not to mod it by cutting the sub chassis and top plate, in order to fit a Rega, although I really like that look.
  20. This is the AR XA turntable I picked up last night. It's in great shape physically, so I was really happy to save it. Now that rehab starts on AK.
  21. I am thinking about making a replica of the speaker stands (not the base) for my AR-2ax. I know someone who can make the wood shelving by gluing 2 1x8 maple boards, then putting through a planer on both sides. The legs are a bit harder, but I have sourced two options: (i) 3/8" round threaded metal pipe with flanges and connectors - use a 20" and 8" with the connector holding the shelf from underneath, then figure out something for the feet; and (ii) I have a friend who is an architect and designer for commercial spaces. He builds a lot for his spaces and has a fab shop. I showed him the picture, and he said no problem, but he's pricey. Has anyone else tried to build these?
  22. It's a wrap on these two. I finished the cabinets off with boiled linseed oil, which made them look amazing. Then I re-attached the badges and velco'd the grills back on. now I just need to figure out stands, I do plan to play them horizontal, and where to put them. I think they are gorgeous. I'm building a new system around them and have picked up a McIntosh MA5100 integrated amp to run with these. It's just a little bit later vintage (1975) but will pair better than my late 70's early 80's Pioneer and Yamaha receivers. I am also starting to restore/refurbish an AR XA turntable (1961 or 1962) that I saved from being discarded. It's in great shape, so I will do a Marc Morin restore.
  23. I've pretty much finished everything up this weekend. Here are some notes and learnings: Capacitors were very easy to replace - I used Dayton Audio grade Old pots were a mixed bag - one from each speaker were in pretty good shape, but the two others were very bad and I don't think they are salvageable (see pics). I ordered new pots, but I had two issues with those: the tabs didn't fit into the existing slots in the masonite because they are larger than the tabs on the old pots, and trying to create new slots caused me to put a hole into the back - really bad but tacky glue to fix it. The cure was to flatten the tabs and use a large lock washer around the base of the shaft. the threading on the shaft doesn't extend far enough to get the inside rubber washer and the outside washer/nut on to secure it. It's not even close. The solution was to sans the washers and use some of the putty for sealing the woofers to seal the base of the shaft on the inside. I could then secure the nut and gave it a healthy tighten. It seems to be air-tight. Rewiring the new pots inside the cabinets is hard and sometimes confusing. Take your time, double-check your work and take breaks. I made a color coded drawing which helped. I did not extend the original wiring or solder inside the cabinet, but used butt-end crimp connectors instead. This is not the easiest route in some ways, but also avoids additional wiring in other places like the terminals and doesn't add more wire connections. I tested the speakers at this point to make sure everything worked - all was good! Re stuffed the Later version with it's original fiberglass insulation but used new Crinoline fabric. The early version speaker had rock-wool insulation that I decided to discard and replace with fiberglass insulation. The Later version had 21.75 oz of fiberglass, but the rockwool weight was much more, so I went with about 20 oz. of new fiberglass insulation. Used putty to reseal the woofers and tighten them up. The push test worked on both. I hooked them up and they sound pretty good. Certainly not an overwhelming or precise speaker but very warm. Grills will get Velcro'd on tonight and cables will be fabricated.
×
×
  • Create New...