Model 26 crossovers and tweeters

[musicallowb]

Hi Alll,

I'm a neewbie to this forum, so bear with please. I have a beat up (cabinets) pair of KLH Model 26s that were given to me some years ago. The woofers are in great shape, but the crossovers have busted caps, and the tweeter dust covers are very dented. They still work, though. Does anybody have a schematic or photo of the crossover? I have decent electronic repair skills (I hot rod my bass guitars all the time!), because the caps look a little different from any I've seen before. They are all but disintegrated, so I can't read much about them, but it looks to have a total of 3 leads, two lead wires coming out one of the ends, one of which is wired to a resistor. I'd like to repair these guys, but I don't know what my parts replacement options are, including the tweeters. Any help would be appreciated. Since I first got introduced to audiophile hi fi as a kid, I've always, always loved Advent/KLH/Boston Acoustics/AR speakers, so this is an old passion revisited. Thanx in advance!

[JKent]

Hi and welcome to the CSP

I am not familiar with the Model 26 but you may very well have the infamous Callins exploding craps. See this thread:

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Boar...?showtopic=5005

I also mention where to buy caps there.

The 3-lead cap is just a combination of 2 regular caps. See if you can find the value printed on the shell. It may say something like "2 x 2MFD'. Or it might just be marked with the value once, such as "2 MFD" Member RH posted a photo of his 3-lead cap and it is marked "N.P. 2UF 50v" There are plusses at both ends to show it is bi-polar or non-polar (also idicated by the NP). You just replace it with two 2uF (MFD) caps. You can twist one lead together for the common end, and the other 2 leads go to the points where the 2 leads went.

DON'T play them with the busted caps or you will damage the drivers

(see johnieo's comments on that topic here: tp://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Boar...amp;#entry76807).

The tweeter dust caps can probably be sucked out or pulled out--use a small pin, then fill the hole with some Elmer's glue.

How about some photos?

Good luck. Ask questions here--lots of help is available.

Kent

[musicallowb]

Hey Kent,

Thanks for the reply. Here are some pics of the speakers and the cap. Someone obviously replaced the rca jack panel in back with a banana plug panel (looks like Radio Shack). The cap brand is Temple, and the values are visible on the unbusted cap.

[JKent]

Nice speakers!

The smaller speakers are, from the looks of them, the mids/full range used in the 21 radio as well as the 5, 12, 14, 19, 708 and probably some other KLH speakers. The smashed dust cap is no problem but you can "try" to suck it out, or as I mentioned use a straight pin then plug the pin hole with Elmer's Glue.

edit: those are tweeters, not mid/full range. Sorry.

So just replace that busted capacitor with one 8uF and one 16uF. Do both speakers of course. If you use Daytons, 8.2 and 15 is close enough:

http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-metall...-capacitors.cfm

or Carli, use 8 and 15:

http://www.madisound.com/manufacturers/carli/index.php

Solens also come 8 and 15. Make sue those banana jacks are wired in correctly. I added a similar cup to my 2os, but left the RCA also.

Kent

[musicallowb]

Thanks Kent,

You have been mindboggigly helpful! I will let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, trying to decide if it's possible (or even feasable) to fill in the chipped particle board and put new veneer on the cabs. I'm a decent woodworker, so it's a lingering thought. I haven't seen this model for sale online anywhere, so I don't know if I'll ever run across a pair that's in any better condition. Any suggestions?

Thanks again for your help!

[JKent]

Thanks Kent,

You have been mindboggigly helpful! I will let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, trying to decide if it's possible (or even feasable) to fill in the chipped particle board and put new veneer on the cabs. I'm a decent woodworker, so it's a lingering thought. I haven't seen this model for sale online anywhere, so I don't know if I'll ever run across a pair that's in any better condition. Any suggestions?

Thanks again for your help!

You're welcome. I have received MUCH help here and figure the appropriate thing to do is pass it along! 99% of what I've learned about xovers came from members johnieo and Roy C.

Regarding re-veneering: "yes, but..." Modern veneer does not look like the stuff on these 40-year-old speakers and it is MUCH thinner. I have re-veneered a KLH radio and it looks nice but not original. Have also used veneer pieces to patch old veneer and it is a very poor match.

How bad are the cabs? I'm currently working on some very beat up 17s, using a trick I learned from johnieo (aka John O'Hanlon, the editor of the AR Restoration Manual)

btw--if you have not done so you should download the manual and read it. Much of the info is applicable to other classic speakers.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library...ring_the_ar-3a/

Anyway, John eschews Plastic Wood", especially for corners, because it breaks off. Here's his formula: Use epoxy (not the 5-minute kind). Mix it up and add 1 drop of Mixol tobacco brown pigment (from art store). This makes a filler that will be hard as a rock and last forever. What I do, since it is very runny, is make a little dam out of masking tape. Pour the filler in, wait a day and sand. Great for corner bashes. Attached is a couple of pics of tape dams. I'll see if I have a finished repair to photograph. Also attached is a pic of a KLH mid that had a bashed dust cap. I pulled it out with a dental pick, put a tiny piece of yellow mailing envelope over the hole, glued it on with Aleene's Tacky glue and then coated the dust cap with thinned Tacky glue (consistency of skim milk). That may have been over the top . All you have to do is seal up the pin hole.

Kent

[Andy]

Ill just add some model twenty six history......these speakers are from the phono only system (no radio)of 1968-70 and they're really the same as the models 22,24 & also very close to the models 31 & 32. I've found them to be a tough little speaker with solid performance, sounding better then most other two way units having an 8 inch woofer. I thought the pair I had sounded as good as my AR 4x's.

I say that the 26 is a tough speaker because back in high school 35 years ago I gave the pair I had much abuse and they never let me down! You know, Deep Purple at full volume, that kind of thing.

Andy

[musicallowb]

You're welcome. I have received MUCH help here and figure the appropriate thing to do is pass it along! 99% of what I've learned about xovers came from members johnieo and Roy C.

Regarding re-veneering: "yes, but..." Modern veneer does not look like the stuff on these 40-year-old speakers and it is MUCH thinner. I have re-veneered a KLH radio and it looks nice but not original. Have also used veneer pieces to patch old veneer and it is a very poor match.

How bad are the cabs? I'm currently working on some very beat up 17s, using a trick I learned from johnieo (aka John O'Hanlon, the editor of the AR Restoration Manual)

btw--if you have not done so you should download the manual and read it. Much of the info is applicable to other classic speakers.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library...ring_the_ar-3a/

Sounds like a plan! Although I don't mind the look of them now...you know...well used vintage. Mostly they are missing pieces of veneer, one more than the other. I'll keep it all in mind. First priority is to get them up and running again. Thanks for the epoxy tip :-)

[musicallowb]

Ill just add some model twenty six history......these speakers are from the phono only system (no radio)of 1968-70 and they're really the same as the models 22,24 & also very close to the models 31 & 32. I've found them to be a tough little speaker with solid performance, sounding better then most other two way units having an 8 inch woofer. I thought the pair I had sounded as good as my AR 4x's.

I say that the 26 is a tough speaker because back in high school 35 years ago I gave the pair I had much abuse and they never let me down! You know, Deep Purple at full volume, that kind of thing.

Andy

Hi Andy,

The reference to the 22s and 24s helps a lot. I am now armed with more info than a vintage speaker lover should be allowed to have! Man, I love this place!

I should get all things up and running by next week, depending on how fast PE or Madison ship. Have't decided which caps to go with from the choices Kent suggested. Probably the Daytons cause...well...I like the way they look (?!) Nobody will see them, so go fig.

I will post the results ASAP. Thanx again guys :-)

[JKent]

Here are 2 examples of finished veneer repair. In the closeup, you can see about half-way down the front corner edge, where it was filled with John's epoxy formula. On the bottom left of the front edge is a veneer piece. The piece is from a little stash I keep that was peeled off of a KLH 200 radio. It is thicker and more golden in color than modern walnut veneer.

As you can see, although the repairs are visible in the closep shot, they are much less so from just a foot away. Under normal circumstances they are virtually invisible.

The closeup also shows the need for cleaning the faceplate and knobs! This is a big, heavy, powerful vintage Sylvania (yes! ) Quad receiver made right here in the US of A (Battavia, NY). Sylvania made some audiophile-quality acoustic suspension speakers and high-quality receivers--not just the consoles we old guys can remember from the 50s-60s.

Since my AR amp is going back to the shop , I'm trying to get the Syl ready to take its place, and maybe bi-amp my AR2ax speakers!

Stay tuned.....

Kent

[RoyC]

Here are 2 examples of finished veneer repair. In the closeup, you can see about half-way down the front corner edge, where it was filled with John's epoxy formula. On the bottom left of the front edge is a veneer piece. The piece is from a little stash I keep that was peeled off of a KLH 200 radio. It is thicker and more golden in color than modern walnut veneer.

As you can see, although the repairs are visible in the closep shot, they are much less so from just a foot away. Under normal circumstances they are virtually invisible.

Kent

Hi Guys,

I'm going to weigh in here, as I don't agree with my good (and more ambitious) friends, John and Kent, on the epoxy repair issue...given the "epoxy alternatives" ! First of all, 5 minute epoxy is still tougher than any cabinet material or piece thereof, and works just fine. Secondly, I do not see any reason to mess around with dripping, slow drying epoxy and dye when hardware stores sell epoxy putty of various colors. Here is a website that shows a nice selection of epoxy putty. Colors can be combined to create more shades.

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_br....asp?ictNbr=113

It is MUCH easier to work with, and dries to become significantly harder and more durable than the cabinet itself.

Sorry for the intrusion, Kent...I'll go back to AR land now .

Roy

[musicallowb]

Looks like a great touch-up job. Now I'll have to go and find myself a nice McIntosh or some such amp for my vintage system. BTW, has anyone ever heard of Utah speakers? Specifically there's a model called the Heritage HSC-1 I ran across for next to nothing. Didn't buy them yet, so are they any good as far as vintage speakers go? Do they compare to anything AR or KHL did in the early 70's?

Any info would be appreciated!

[JKent]

Hi Guys,

I'm going to weigh in here, as I don't agree with my good (and more ambitious) friends, John and Kent, on the epoxy repair issue...given the "epoxy alternatives" ! First of all, 5 minute epoxy is still tougher than any cabinet material or piece thereof, and works just fine. Secondly, I do not see any reason to mess around with dripping, slow drying epoxy and dye when hardware stores sell epoxy putty of various colors. Here is a website that shows a nice selection of epoxy putty. Colors can be combined to create more shades.

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_br....asp?ictNbr=113

It is MUCH easier to work with, and dries to become significantly harder and more durable than the cabinet itself.

Sorry for the intrusion, Kent...I'll go back to AR land now .

Roy

Hi Roy

Your input is ALWAYS welcome! Stick around KLH land--lots of good stuff here too

Yes--I've tried the putty and yes it is easy to use. But it is only available in "natural" in the local hardware & big box stores so THANKS for the link. I'll order some. I always forget whether it's OK to have more resin or more hardener. Those tootsie rolls are fool proof.

John's warning against the 5-minute stuff was it does not hold up to the heat generated by an orbital sander.

Kent

PS: Damn! $85 minimum order at that site

[RoyC]

Hi Roy

Your input is ALWAYS welcome! Stick around KLH land--lots of good stuff here too

Yes--I've tried the putty and yes it is easy to use. But it is only available in "natural" in the local hardware & big box stores so THANKS for the link. I'll order some. I always forget whether it's OK to have more resin or more hardener. Those tootsie rolls are fool proof.

John's warning against the 5-minute stuff was it does not hold up to the heat generated by an orbital sander.

Kent

PS: Damn! $85 minimum order at that site

Thanks Kent...I DO still have those KLH 23s in the restoration pile:-)!

Home Depot sells a black and a brown putty ("plumbers" epoxy...same stuff). The 5 minute putty sands easily, and holds up well, in my experience.

Hmmm, maybe we can combine an order for that website. I'll send you an email.

Roy

[JKent]

a google search for epoxy putty stick walnut yielded a few hits:

Light walnut but not dark here:

http://www.antiquehardware.com/product/208365/52029

or here

http://www.vandykes.com/product/208365/epo...ak-light-walnut

or here

https://www.richelieu.com/produit/detail.ph...530〈=An

MAYBE here

http://www.abbotpaint.com/itemdetails.cfm/...20-%20Call%20Us

or here. And these guys have Mixol too

http://www.rosiniantiques.com/catalog_i86625.html?catId=6331

[KenSeger]

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, musicallowb for the photos of the 3 lead capacitor and Kent for all the info.  I am recapping a friend's KLH 22A speakers and I have never seen a capacitor like that before.  The glue from the tape holding the coil, resistor, and cap together was covering the info in the 5th photo showing which lead was what uF.  I tried alcohol and Detachol[tm] to no avail, and I was afraid to scrape it off for fear of removing the print.  Thank you a bunch!

Ken Seger

[JKent]

Hi Ken and welcome to CSP!

This was an old thread, and re-reading I see I gave the OP some mis-information on the tweeter. It's not the mid from the KLH radios.

I've never been inside a 22A but many of the KLH 2-ways were VERY similar. I assume you are talking about the 2-section capacitor. They were made that way to save money but these days just use 2 separate caps of the correct values, either film or NPE. Any questions, just ask. Also look at the thread just under this one: 

Rob may be able to answer your cap value question or maybe one of the links there will help.

Kent

[Robthomp]

Recapping and redoping the Model 22's I just got (one is a 22 and the other is a 22a) is queued up to be my next project. I will probably get to it this weekend.  I will be sure to post pics and descriptions of exactly what I find inside. 

Rob

 

[Robthomp]

On 7/12/2017 at 11:20 AM, JKent said:

Hi Ken and welcome to CSP!

This was an old thread, and re-reading I see I gave the OP some mis-information on the tweeter. It's not the mid from the KLH radios.

I've never been inside a 22A but many of the KLH 2-ways were VERY similar. I assume you are talking about the 2-section capacitor. They were made that way to save money but these days just use 2 separate caps of the correct values, either film or NPE. Any questions, just ask. Also look at the thread just under this one: 

Rob may be able to answer your cap value question or maybe one of the links there will help.

Kent

The 22A I opened up has the 8 MFD and the 16 MFD, like this Model 26. The 22 is different and only has one 4 MFD. I posted schematics in the 22 vs 22A thread.