Model 6 tweeters make me sad

[Beltway]

Not because they don't sound good, but because the ones in my speakers don't work!

Two pair of em turned up at one of the local thrift shops. They have vinyl-covered cabinets and dark brown grills, with serial numbers in the 609xxx somewhere, which I believe indicates they are from later in the production run. My neighbor (and fellow vintage speaker lover) picked em up for $55 a pair, with a mind to use them in our workshops. Sadly, the tweeter in only one speaker worked. Assuming we had a batch of bad caps I ordered new caps and resistors for all 4.

Just finished recapping my pair and was greatly saddened to find that my situation has not improved.

the working tweeter measures 4 ohms. The other is infinite. No continuity.

it seems to me that my options are limited. I would love to find another tweeter or three for me and my friend. otherwise, we've got 4 good woofers, 1 working tweeter and 4 workshop or dormroom grade vinyl cabs for sale.

Any advise? Did I miss an option?

Thanks so much!

Mike

[JKent]

That IS sad. Maybe another option is this: See if anyone here (probably Andy) knows what other speakers used that tweeter. KLH tended to use the same drivers in many speakers. The Six tweeter "looks" like the one used in the 17 and 20. It also looks a lot like the tweeter used in the Five and the Twelve. If you can find out which other models used that tweeter you can broaden your search and maybe turn up something on ebay. Just a thought.

OTOH, you could sell the woofers and one tweet and start over looking for a suitable pair of workshop speakers. Driver prices are a bit dicey. There are "ebay stores" currently asking $50 and up, EACH for Model Six woofers. Ymmv. I hate to see good classic speakers parted out, but you may want to cut your losses.

One other option: Zilch is a proponent of the "econowave" mod (details are on AK: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthrea...light=econowave ). You'd have to buy horns, drivers and crossover components, so your thrift store find cost would start to escalate, but it could be a fun project with potentially very good results.

Good luck

Kent

[Beltway]

Thanks, Kent, for the reply.

I found a thread at AK that suggested Models 5, 6 and 17 all use the same tweeter. If someone in the know could confirm that it would greatly aid my search for a replacement. The post is number 3 in the following thread:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2411776

Given the condition of the woofers and the time/money invested in the new crossovers, I'd really like to keep these KLHs. I love the sound from the fully-functional unit, and they would be wonderful in the basement paired with my Nikko receiver. The vinyl cabinets, which I would not use in my main system, are actually a good thing for their intended use.

I took a look at the AK thread you linked and, while it might be fun to try someday, my plate is a bit too full at this point. I've got a pair of EV 4s I'm going to recap in the hope that the midrange will lighten up a bit. The horn-loaded highs are great, and the bass defies belief, but the mids are a bit muddy. It is probably unfair to compare them to the recapped AR 2axs currently in my main system, as their beautiful mids are a big part of the east coast sound we all love so much. Still, I hope the EVs get a bit closer. If anyone reading this knows anything about the EVs, please let me know. I can't find much about them at all.

Cheers,

Mike

[JKent]

Mike

The Six in that AK thread was the earlier model with the nice walnut veneer and the dreaded epoxied drivers.

If in fact the 5, 6 and 17 all used the same tweeter, then I think you can add the 12 to that list. AFAIK the 5 and 12 used the same drivers but the 12 was a much bigger box. And somewhere in these pages it was established that the 17 and 20 used the same tweet. Used to be the 17 tweet commanded higher prices than the 20. The 20 was a 4 ohm speaker and the 17 was an 8 ohm but it turned out the tweeters were identical (4 ohm), as were the crossovers. The only difference was the woofer: 4 ohm in the 20 and 8 ohm in the 17. So used 20 tweeters or even entire 20 speakers may be your best bet.

Good luck.

Kent