WTB pair of 12" mid bass hi eff, SoCal preferred

[mikeford]

I bought a pair of Klipsch heresy speakers with kicked in woofers. Originals are K-22, K-28 works fine, so apparently would most good paper cone non subwoofer high efficiency type 12" drivers. I'm looking for a pair, but even one K-22 might work if I patch up one cone. Its a budget project, so local to SoCal preferred, but open to suggestions. I'm on the Klipsch forums, so obvious sources already known.

[Ed LaFontaine]

Well, I'm not in SoCal. I'm @ 40403.

However, I do have a pair of Eminence Deltalite 2512's if they would fill the bill. They have been mounted and used for ~ a year...low mileage. I could send them in their original boxes. PM or e-mail if interested.

[terranigma]

Take a look at B&C 12PE32

[mikeford]

Both of those drivers have a lot of appeal, was going to say sound interesting, but don't want to suggest thats how they sound, just that they look good on paper. Both of them blow my budget out of the water though, these are speakers I picked up the pair for about what one of those drivers costs. Still a tempting idea, but my instinct is that I should restore them as original before trying any modification, and that doesn't seem like water you can dip a toe in, its jump or stay out.

[infinia]

Yes you should keep them original. Either contact Hope Ark , or explore speaker reconeing by far the best bet (cough cough lowest cost) in keeping the perceived value of a classic/
contact Orange County Speaker Repair or similar

[infinia]

Originally Posted by mikeford

so apparently would most good paper cone non subwoofer high efficiency type 12" drivers.

Why do you come to this conclusion. The fact is, it's most probably a custom spec'd unit more towards Hi-Fi than the usual suspects built for PA and stage wedges etc.ie lower bass in a sealed box 94 dB/W/m and 4 ohms.

[mikeford]

Originally Posted by infinia

Why do you come to this conclusion. The fact is, it's most probably a custom spec'd unit more towards Hi-Fi than the usual suspects built for PA and stage wedges etc.ie lower bass in a sealed box 94 dB/W/m and 4 ohms.

Heresy speakers were widely used commercially, in everything from churches to Chucky Cheese, kind of a PA/hifi crossover speaker. They don't make a lot of low bass, down 3 db I think at 80 hz, starting to roll around 100 hz.

During the very long life of the Klipsch Heresy speaker a variety of suppliers were used to source the drivers, and the current driver as supplied as a replacement by Hope is the K-28 (around $200 a pair shipped).

Bob Crites, the mavin of all things Klipsch, sells a Eminence made to his spec for around $200 shipped, said to be suitable as a replacement for k-22, 23, 28, klf30.

Some early version I think used the EV SP12B.

Now the sensible thing of course is to match pairs, but a 12" mid base high efficiency driver for a two or three way system was a VERY common design, generally with simple crossover networks, so substitution was common.

Good original drivers are also not too hard to find for around $80 a pair. I just haven't found any local, and once shipping gets added on, other options start to have more appeal.

Reconing so far looks like $64 each plus shipping, and if ever sold recones tend to have a lower market value due to problems.

[infinia]

Chucky Cheese LOL
well if yer going to sell them, do what is best 100 ea shipped from the factory is reasonable even though Crites probably has a better match. If you are going to enjoy them yerself modify them as your budget and ears allow. ie new spec'd driver, added reflex port low tuned, more BSC inductance and pad the horn a little more.
PS hoping to get an original matching pair for 80 is questionable in my mind and I'm sure no guarantees there apply

[mikeford]

Heresy's weigh like 50 lbs each, often have rough looking cabs from commercial use, so sad to many get parted out for more than the whole speaker sells for, with the horns and crossover going for the most dollars, cabs the least, and woofers one step up. I've found two sellers at the $80/pair price for originals, one as far from SoCal in the NE as possible, and the other in FL, so shipping is as much as a driver. If I hadn't bought a NICE set of Forte's before the weekend was over I was going to buy a set despite the shipping, but now I am willing to wait a few swap meets to see what turns up local.

When SPL meets SQ, things can get pricey fast. I need to listen and think before I start to consider where I might want to go. Stepping up the SQ might not have anything in common with the original speakers.

BTW one of the Klipsch guys posted back to me that the B&C 12PE32 in a Heresy cab would roll off at 208hz, a bit thin on bass.

[infinia]

sounds like you buy and sell more
shoot if stuff is that cheap i'll grab up a pair and redo the crossover and horn bits myself and trade a little loudness for SQ, swap meets and audio where?