I completed my Encore build today. Mine was slightly different from most you may have read about.
I started with a pair of old avast AV123 X-LS's. Cost was $50.00 plus $35 shipping. The speakers were in good physical condition with Grills in place. I gutted the speakers (saving the woofers) and removed the rag wool-like interior padding. The material was glued on liberally. It took a fair amount of time to scrape it clean. The Av123 X-LS box is well braced. There are four interior corner braces and two square cross braces. I Ordered the upgrade kits with sonic caps and mills resistors and no-Rez. The No-Rez was a full sheet and I used nearly all of it. The most challenging part was getting the no-Rez securely attached in the top and all around the port. Between the cross braces and the size of the existing holes, my big mitts were a tough fit. But with patience and fortitude I labored on. I did not put any on the bottom as I wanted a secure attachment for the cross-over. It is a pretty tight fit for the board width with the No-Rez in place.
Since I already had the woofers, I saved a bit $ on the kits. I used the original Torx T15 screws on the drivers and post cup. I had to use a router to reshape the tweeter cut out. The old tweeter had the connects on the sides and the Encore tweeter, T26SG, has the connections on the bottom, so additional room was needed. Once that mod was made, the new tweeters fits exactly into the recess for the old tweeters.
On the crossover, I got some great guidance here from MLundy and some photos examples. His crossover was laid out differently from Danny's but I was able to work it out. I have to admit, It caused anxiety. I used some project board from Menards ($3.50) that I cut down to size. I got a hot glue gun but ultimately decided not to use it. Rather than duratex, after cutting and drilling my boards I sealed the boards with Spray on Flex Seal. I Followed Danny's guide on how to attached them to the boards with Twist ties and then I soldered the connections. Smooth Sailing. I was nervous about the wiring and running out of Wire as one of the negative lines runs the length of the project, from source to Tweeter. I did not have much Black wire left over at all. I completely used all my shrink wrap and had to use some white on a positive line. I must have watched Danny's video #3 on the Klipsch upgrade four or five times for the cross over and wiring. The Klipsch circuit is different from the Encore but it is close enough that one gets a very good idea on how to wire and then solder all the connections. I found I need a third hand in the soldering process. Fortunately I have a helpful and patient daughter, who literally, lent a hand. Plugged them in with Banana plugs (just cant take the leap on the tube connectors) and slowly applied volume. Good sound from the start. I am looking forward to getting them broken in. I am not sure what to expect there. Tweeters and polycaps are what imagine will take some time.
So: special thanks to Danny for working with me over a fairly long time on getting me the kit. Thanks for Peter for demonstrating to me that I am not made to do wood working. Thanks to MLundy for guidance and photos. Thanks to my friend who loaned me his saw, router, and heat gun. I only burned my finger tips twice with the soldering iron. Fortunately, the house did not catch fire when I dropped it. Ideas I wish I had used: Ron B used a scrap piece of synthetic flooring for his crossover board. I like that because it is strong and fairly light weight. I wish I offered to pay Danny extra $ for a foot more of negative wiring. I wish I had a better soldering iron. Good luck to anyone thinking about the kits. The experience was positive and the confidence it gives me is pleasing.
