Klipsch RF-7 I replacement crossover kit

Description

We have started with a recommended “baseline” for components. You may select upgrades or downgrades based on your preferences.

Recommendations:

Capacitors:  Our “baseline” offering is from the JB, JSX Superior line, which offers tremendous value as do all of the JB capacitor lines. The premium upgrade offerings are from the Obbligato Copper and Silver Series.

There are two in-line capacitors in the tweeter circuit and both are worthy of upgrade and should be the first priority. If budget only allows upgrade of one capacitor then priority can be given to the smaller capacitor which is the first in the circuit. There is also a larger shunt-position capacitor on the tweeter circuit which would be of lower priority for an upgrade.

The woofer capacitor is in a shunt position and is a comparatively small capacitance value, allowing for affordable upgrades. Several options are provided to allow you the flexibility of aligning with your budget preferences. Upgrading this capacitor should be third in line of priority, only after having upgraded the tweeter capacitors and selected a minimum of 16ga for the woofer inductor.

Note: Tweeter capacitor #1 is originally labeled as 5.0uF which is an un-common value. The more common 4.7uF value is being used in its place. This small variance is very acceptable, and is well within manufacturer tolerances. The provided capacitors will be measured and paired to ensure they are as close to 5.0uF as is available. In actual practice, this substitution with a quality capacitor is very likely to measure closer to the stated and desired value than the original 5.0uf that is seen to measure as low as 4.5uF.

Bypass capacitors: Small 0.1 uF bypass capacitors are offered from the Obbligato Copper and Silver Series . These are high-quality, fast, clean, and resolving capacitors, representing a great value at $3.50 each for the Copper Series and $4.50 each for the Silver Series. They are offered as an add-on. Priority of placement would first be for the larger in-line tweeter capacitor (12uF) and second for the shunt position tweeter capacitor (18uF), with the smaller in-line tweeter capacitor (4.7uF) as third priority.

Inductors: 16-gauge is proposed as a “baseline” for the woofer inductor but it really is already a premium inductor. 14-gauge is offered on the woofer as a top-tier upgrade but should not be viewed as “necessary”. Due to the small capacitance value (low cost), upgrading this inductor to 14-gauge would be the second priority after the two in-line tweeter capacitor.  For the more budget conscious an 18ga downgrade is also offered but not recommended.

The aircore tweeter inductors are defaulted to an 18-ga.  The tweeter does not benefit as much from a larger-gauge wire as the woofer does, and no further upgrade is needed for the tweeter inductors.

Resistors: We have kept it very simple here. High-Quality resistors are very affordable. We are providing GR-Research branded 10-watt resistors ($4 each) for all 3 resistors in this design. We don’t see a need for $30 boutique or even $10 versions in this design but if you feel that need, email us and we can modify a package for you.

Wiring: These are fairly large speaker cabinets. The crossover is easiest to install when splitting the woofer and tweeter circuits onto two separate boards. 20ft of each color is plenty for a clean install with all new internal wiring. For those with additional projects planned, or who desire additional flexibility in placing the crossovers, the 30ft wire option is also provided.  You may also purchase the kit without our wire.

We do think our wiring is the best value available. Premium wire without the traditional markups. Both versions are very similar, 16ga solid strand, high-purity OFC, Polyethylene insulator.  The “unbranded” is imported, the “Premium USA” version is not. Wire details are here.

Crossover boards & assembly option:

As a convenience we are offering you empty crossover boards, already sized appropriately for the size of components and cabinet. We use premium Baltic birch. It is an expensive material, and not everyone wants to buy a small $30 sheet when they only need much smaller pieces. Price is $15 for two pairs of custom sized boards (separate boards for woofer and tweeter circuits).

Complete assembly of your crossover boards is available. A $160 assembly fee includes the the assembly labor, crossover boards, and all small incidentals (zip-ties, heat shrink as needed), as well as the additional shipping costs associated (size & weight). This kit is assembled onto two separate crossover boards (tweeter and woofer) per speaker cabinet. Assembly capacity is limited, with a 2-week maximum turnaround time, and is only offered as an add-on. For details related to our assembly services, review this link.