# Budget Klipsch kg3.5 rebuild...Help me out!!



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

First off, i'm a poor college kid just trying to get by! I had a respectable system throughout high school, but sold out when i came into the dorm life. Now that i'm in my own apartment, it was time to get back in the game. Found a perfect rx-v1200 receiver on craigslist for 75 bucks, and a pair of klipsch kg3.5 towers (45 bucks) for my mains. No powered sub as of now, and i haven't decided if that is going to change or not. 

Anyway, both the woofers in the tower's have been replaced with ???. One of the drivers is busted, yet the other still works. I don't believe going directly to Klipsch for woofers is going to be in budget. 

So, here is my idea: Find some cheap and halfway decent drivers from parts express or other reputable dealer, and modify the cabinets/ports to fit the new drivers specs, and possibly the crossovers as well. Just give me some idea's! Like i said, as cheap as possible. I'm not some crazy audiophile, so it's not like things have to be exact. Like i said, it's a craigslist system so i will save the perfect system build when i have my own theater to build up :T

Here is some info i got when i posted at audioholics...



TLS Guy said:


> I have just brought up the specs on that speaker and the sensitivity is 94 db 1 watt 1 meter. So that will exclude most if not all current offerings. If the sensitivity does not match an already bright speaker will be insufferable.
> 
> I have just looked at every 8" speaker on parts Express. The speaker has an F3 of 36 Hz, so we are looking for an 8" 8 ohm driver with an Fs in the region of 35 Hz and a sensitivity of 94 db 1 watt one meter. There is no close contender on parts express.
> 
> ...


----------



## 1Michael (Nov 2, 2006)

"I think the chance of finding replacement drivers is slim to none."
+1 different drivers usually means different Xover.


----------



## torceador (Sep 8, 2010)

Dear poor college kid,

I want to answer your question in the spirit it was asked. Yes, Paul Klipsch always went for efficiency and was proud of getting a lot of sound from lower powered (read: tube) amplifiers. It is hard to find high efficiency (>90 dBSpl per watt) drivers in this day. But here's what you may consider:

A pair of either:

299-068 Peerless India W8-12T 12P 8" Paper Cone Woofer 12 ohm Fs: 43 Hz *SPL: 91.5 dB 1W/1m

or

299-913 JAMO 20418 8" Treated Paper Cone Woofer Fs: 8 ohm Fs: 48 Hz *SPL: 90 dB 1W/1m


Fact 1:

A difference of 3 dB in sensitivity requires a doubling of amplifier power to get the same SPL

Fact 2:

A difference of 3 dB is barely perceptable by the human ear 

So, what my recommenation is would be order a couple of either of these 9 dollar blobs (your choice) to put in place of the Klipsch woofers, TEMPORARILY. KEEP the Klipsch woofers and get a quote for reconing (not replacement) from:

1. Parts Express
2. Freeman-Tuell in Dallas
3. Klipsch

Play the blobs in the meantime. If they sound good to you, do nothing. If not, send your Klipsch motors in for a sprucing up from where you got the most meaningful quote, replace them when you get them back and you'll again have what the purists really want you to have. You'll also have a $25 dollar investment in buyout speakers that I am sure you can use elsewhere. You might even have fun in the meantime.

As for harming the value of what you have, you paid $45, right? If someone is really alarmed at you hacking on what you own, perhaps they will offer you a great sum to keep you from harming them. Don't hold your breath.

Enjoy the hobby.


----------



## Lucky7! (Jan 7, 2008)

buddy17 said:


> I don't believe going directly to Klipsch for woofers is going to be in budget.


I would strongly suggest before trying to adapt another driver to this system, which will require a xover redesign and associated costs, that you take a moment to contact Klipsch and see if the drivers are available as spares and within your budget. I was pleasantly surprised when I needed some drivers from them. Even if they are a bit over your budget, I would suggest delaying purchase and saving for them as no other driver will be a plug and play and will require quite a bit of effort to utilise and make a good result.

I'd also recommend taking the published sensitivity figures with a grain of salt: I saw on test in recent years where a claimed ~99dB actually measured out at some 93 or so (from memory).


----------



## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

The KG 3.5, KG 3.2 and KM-4 speakers all used the same woofer which was the K-1002-K. You can try the audio forums, craiglist, etc. to see if anyone has "parts". On another note there's a pair of K-3-K's on ebay that appear to be a close match, maybe you can get them cheap enough.
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-Klipsch-8-inc...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item20b34fd0e1


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

thanks guys for all the responses!

i think torceador has it more along the lines of what i'm looking to do. Although i'm sure going directly to Klipsch will be the best option on paper, thats not really what i'm looking for. I found some replacement k-1002 drivers for 75 bucks a pop. I could put 150+shipping into a 45 dollar set of craigslist speakers and still have a 15 yr old set of towers. 

I'm more in this for the hobby. I like messing with things, changing things up. I wouldn't mind finding some nice midrange drivers and a couple 3 way xovers and really doing something different. That is why i posted up in the DIY section. I have the abilities to change the cabinets and ports, so i'm really just looking for some direction in some type of DIY set up. If it happens to be something i think will be worth it and within budget, i would rather spend my money on a DIY set up rather than bucking up for oem klipsch. 

i know this goes against what 95% of the people will recommend, but if it truly comes down to the best option being the oem set up, i would rather put 150 bucks towards a set of Infinity Primus 362's or something.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

oh and just in case it wasn't clear, both of the drivers i have are aftermarket/something other than the original Klipsch k-1002 drivers. If they were oem already, i probably would have done a recone.


----------



## torceador (Sep 8, 2010)

buddy17,

Thanks. I re-read your original post and see that I missed that the original drivers had been replaced by '???'. So my reccomendation is pretty much out the window. It's good to see you stick to your guns. I live in Arkansas, but if you want to make modifications, I don't see wood that was assembled in Hope, AR to be 'sacred' and untouchable. I agree with your assesment about spending the $150 on new stuff, if that's how much you are going to spend. In the meantime, you have two nice boxes you got for $22.50 a piece. I sure wouldn't toss them before I massaged a lot of ideas around them. 

Carl


----------



## Lucky7! (Jan 7, 2008)

buddy17 said:


> I'm more in this for the hobby. I like messing with things, changing things up. I wouldn't mind finding some nice midrange drivers and a couple 3 way xovers and really doing something different.


I understand the desire to DIY, but it seems from the way I'm reading your posts that you might be under the impression that a generic off the shelf xover will work with the random drivers you select: it won't. You will need to design one specifically for the drivers and this will require a fair bit of understanding and measurement of the actual drivers and calculating the xover from there. It is nowhere near as simple as plugging in some values to the online calculators available.

That's why I suggested getting OEM spares.

For a first build, someone else's developed design is a better idea to ensure success. Don't base a project around a 'special' you got if it's not going to get decent results for the work input.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

A9X said:


> I understand the desire to DIY, but it seems from the way I'm reading your posts that you might be under the impression that a generic off the shelf xover will work with the random drivers you select: it won't. You will need to design one specifically for the drivers and this will require a fair bit of understanding and measurement of the actual drivers and calculating the xover from there. It is nowhere near as simple as plugging in some values to the online calculators available.
> 
> That's why I suggested getting OEM spares.
> 
> For a first build, someone else's developed design is a better idea to ensure success. Don't base a project around a 'special' you got if it's not going to get decent results for the work input.


while i hate to admit it, you are correct. I have built a few boxes so i understand the importance of matching a driver to the cabinet, but i do not know much towards the xover side of things. That doesn't mean i still can't attempt though. Maybe adapt someone else plans to my cabinets and such. It doesn't have to be perfect!! I'm no audiophile, but i can barely use them now because the one rattles so bad...anything better than what i have now i will be happy with. 

I still don't know if all this is enough to sway me to spend that kind of money on oem.......i guess i will check around for awhile and try and find some cheaper used ones. But it seems like this vintage stuff brings some big $$ when it does pop up. Who knows. I just appreciate the responses i have got! thanks all!


----------



## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

What's the internal volume and port diameter and length? It shouldn't be to hard to find a replacement sub that will work with the cabinet. The bigger question is how much do you want to spend.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

i'm not by them as of now, but these are the dimensions on the klipsch site:

DIMENSIONS 33.5" (85.1cm) x 10.5" (26.7cm) x 11.5" (29.2cm)

I would say 1/2" - 3/4" mdf construction.....

i will measure everything later on tonight when i get near them. But, just to check, you know these are not a sub, per say, correct? I guess more of a midrange woofer. Money is another issue....if i was going to spend 150 bucks on a super nice, proven set up, i would go for it. But i question the fact of spending 150 bucks on oem drivers.


----------



## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

Yes, I meant woofer.


----------



## 1Michael (Nov 2, 2006)

buddy17;290326but i do not know much towards the xover side of things. That doesn't mean i still can't attempt though. Maybe adapt someone else plans to my cabinets and such. It doesn't have to be perfect!![/QUOTE said:


> It sure will not be perfect. Not only will it probably not sound good but you will be throwing good money after bad.
> 1. find the oem drivers
> 2. build something that has already been designed.
> 3. buy something already made.


----------



## Lucky7! (Jan 7, 2008)

buggers said:


> It sure will not be perfect. Not only will it probably not sound good but you will be throwing good money after bad.
> 1. find the oem drivers
> 2. build something that has already been designed.
> 3. buy something already made.


Ditto. Re sell what you have and put the $ towards something that's going to give a good result. You can still learn a lot from building a kit at the novice level, especially if you ask some questions as to why design choices were made, and what the effects of them are.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

Mike P. said:


> What's the internal volume and port diameter and length? It shouldn't be to hard to find a replacement sub that will work with the cabinet. The bigger question is how much do you want to spend.




i will see what you come up with before i go to any other option. Here are my exact measurements....

inside measurements: 9.25" x 9.75" x 32.75"

port is 5" long and 2 7/8" wide (not 3" haha)


If you can find something cheap from parts express or something that you think would fit well in the cabinet, i will probably try it. Let me know if you come up with anything!


----------



## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

Whatever amount you're willing to spend I suggest you place a bid on the ones on ebay, if you win you have it made.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

THERE! These things better sound good! I got those 8's for 20 bucks+shipping....I wouldn't have been able to get anything aftermarket that cheap, so hopefully they aren't blown or anything. 

I never would have minded going with OEM stuff, i just wasn't about to spend 150 bucks to have oem speakers. Not worth it to me. But, for what i paid, these should be closer than just about anything else to working with what i have. Sorry you all had to put up with my stubborn attitude haha!


----------



## Mike P. (Apr 6, 2007)

With his 100% feeback of of 2947 transactions I don't think you need to worry about blown drivers. Yes, you got them for a song, and they are very close to the K-1002-K. Let us know how it turns out.


----------



## BrianAbington (Mar 19, 2008)

I have a pair of 4.2's that I am reworking, and from what I have seen there are drivers occasionally that come up on ebay, just search for Klipsch KG...also there is a klipsch forum on their website that is a good source for used parts as well.


----------



## buddy17 (Sep 7, 2010)

he did just email me and say that he was working on the center cone again and caused a small rip...i told him he should have just let them be, but i know he was just trying to help. He said if it doesn't work out, he would be more than willing to give a partial or full refund! great people! Anyways, they are shipping tomorrow so i should have them by the end of the week, can't wait to try them out. 

and yeah, i had been scrolling ebay, craigslist, and audiogon for awhile now. I looked at the klipsch forums a couple times, but it seems like people know what they have and like to ask a pretty penny for them. At 30 bucks total, i couldn't go wrong with these.


----------

