WD KLS9 Advice

[jazlichy]

Hi

I hope I've got the correct forum, I have a pair of WD KLS9's, standard spec, no mods.

Currently these are driven by a WD KiT88, recently overhauled & sounding very nice. The amp however is now revealing the limitations of these speakers. I'm at a crossroads speaker-wise, do I stick with the KLS9's or look at a new pair, probably commercially built?

To help make the decision, I'd like to know if anyone has or can suggest any tweaks or upgrades for these speakers?

I'm not sure these speakers are extensively discussed on here, I've struggled to find reference to them.

Attached are the the crossover designs & actual crossover pic. I was hoping someone might suggest component upgrades, given the parts are approx. 10-15 years old now.

The original HiFi World article can be found here: http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.ph...udspeaker.html

If anyone can offer any help, I'd be very grateful.

Many thanks

Regards

Jaz

[Greg.]

Jaz, your KLS9's have a simple crossover and you already have a Solen's cap fitted so that is pretty respectable. You could explore more esoteric polepropelyne capacitors but IMHO, they'll make only a slight difference. That coffin resistor certainly warrants replacement with a Welwyn ceramic or if you are willing to pay more, a Mills non-inductive replacement would be ideal.

Thereafter, based on my personal experience, the biggest improvement you could make would be to remove the crossover board from the speaker cabinet and mount it in a box externally, on the floor or certainly not attached to the exterior of the enclosure. IME, this brings a massive improvement to the sound.

Certainly I would do what I have suggested before contemplating moving on to alternative speakers.

[Phil Y]

Hi Jaz,

I would certainly agree with Greg about the Mills resistors. I recently fitted some in my speakers (first time I had tried audio grade resistors in speakers) and was very surprised how much difference they made to clarity/detail.

I also replaced some Solen caps with these to good effect.
http://www.hificollective.co.uk/comp...p_evo_oil.html
They are not super expensive.

In what way are your speakers letting things down?

Regards, Phil.

[jazlichy]

Thanks Greg, Phil

I'll try Mills resistors for starters, then consider a couple of capacitors for a shortlist. Thanks for the tip on Mundorf MCap's.

Also, it's interesting the suggestion of isolating the crossover from the speaker. One of the great benefits of these forums is neat ideas like this that I'd never have considered!

Will keep you posted, much appreciated.

Regards

Jaz

[jazlichy]

Hi Phil

Apologies, I realise I didn't answer your question on what's the issues with the KLS9's.

Well, it's only the highs & lows are fine, in fact great, but the mid are muddled and too distant in the sound stage. I wondered if I had the phase reversed on the tweeters and I was getting phase cancellation. I swapped the tweeter polarity & it sounded awful, so not that. The crossover is supposed to offer a good level response even in the crossover region, hence the idea to try new components in case the originals are getting on.

I've just received the Mills and MCap EVOs, so will experiment this weekend & let you know.

Regards

Jaz

[Phil Y]

Hi Jaz,

Let us know how you get on. It can be a little worrying recommending components because everyone has their favourites and what is right for your ears and system may not be right for another situation. That said, I believe you will find a good improvement in detail/clarity/smoothness with those parts. Also, don't forget they will, like all parts, need a little time to run in and sound their best.

Phil.

[Greg.]

Yep, completely second what Phil has said. If you follow his guide I expect you to get a great sound improvement, but be patient. As Phil said, these components will need to bed in and it might take up to 100 hours before you start hearing the sound that satisfies you. Just be resilient retaining expectation. I'm sure it'll all sound great in the end.

[Phil Y]

Hi again Jaz,
Another thought occurred to me. If you have not already checked, it may be worth making sure all internal damping and panel damping is still in place in the cabinets. If this has become detached with age etc and is all in a heap in the bottom of the boxes, it would mess up the midrange.

Regards, Phil.