KLH 17 Speaker Cones

[EasyWriter]

I still have the KLH 17s I purchased in college (1974) and am ready to put them back into service. They've been in a climate-controlled environment for all of this time and in a box for 20 years since we upgraded to something better.

The cabinets are in great condition. I'm going to freshen them up with some teak oil, but that's all they need. One of the grill covers was torn, and I've bought replacement fabric for that. I have the original badges.

I've read on this board and elsewhere about the capacitors, and I'll replace those.

My question is about the speaker cones. I read suggestions about redoping or something like that. This is for the ring around the speakers and not the speakers themselves, right? Should I do anything to the cones? What product(s) do you recommend?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[JKent]

Welcome EasyWriter!

The Seventeens are very nice speakers and well worth restoring. Yes--definitely replace the capacitors. The pic below shows a Seventeen crossover I worked on. Those black and red caps are prone to leakage but this one exploded!

As for the woofer surround (the ring around the speakers} they may or may not need re-doping. To test them: Once the speaker is all sealed up (be sure to replace the gasket behind the woofer) gently push in on the woofer by placing your fingers just outside the center dust cap. Push in and release. If the cone pops right back out there's a leak. If it comes back slowly there is no leak.

If there is a leak, the ONLY thing to use on the surround is a butyl sealant member RoyC cooked up. It is available from ebay seller Vintage_AR. But you may not need it.

-Kent

[EasyWriter]

Thank you so much!

I've got to do those capacitors first, though. ?