Myhamish

Has anybody tried doubling up or running two sets of Klipsches with separate power amps ( so impedances will stay the same ). Way, way, back in the old days, it was popular to run double Advents ( parallel so the impedance dropped to 4 ohms ). The theory was that more 'violins' sounds better than 'bigger violins'. Right now, I'm driving a set of Cornwalls with the pre-amp out of a vintage Marantz 2238 receiver into a vintage Harmon Kardon Citation Mk. 12 power amp. ( 60 wpc @ 8 ohms ). I 'y'd the pre-amp out back into the receiver power amp ( 35 wpc )and am driving a pair of Heresy's on top. The Cornwalls always put out amazing bass and a great overall sound. With the Heresy's on top being driven as well, everything has perked up that much more. Nice natural fluid sound with no strain anywhere. Just curious if anyone else has tried it?

Rigma, you must be my long lost brother. What a setup. Great thing about Crown is it's here for the long haul. I've had some of mine for over 20 years. From the pix, I could see a crossover, what kind and how do you have it set up. Take care. Hamish

Up in the attic, I've been running a pair of Cornwalls with a Harmon Kardon Citation 12 power amp (mid '70's pawn shop find at 60 watts per side with a dual power supply) using the Marantz 2238 preamp outputs send the signal. With the Cornwalls in from the corners a bit on a 1:2:1 ratio, the sound was nice, bright and full with deep bass that don't need subs at all ( unlike Heresy's and LaScalas ). Before I got hurt, I hauled the Heresys up out of the living room to make room for the LaScalas and just parked them on top of the Cornwallsin the attic. Then it dawned on me, that I could 'y' the pre-amp out back into the Marantz to drive the Heresys as well as the Cornwalls basically with separate power amps. Well, I tell you, the theory of more violins being better than bigger violins works here. The clarity and definition just opened up the room with no strain or muddiness at any frequencies. If anybody else can double up on power amps, and speakers, try it and let me know what you can think. All this is relative right now anyway, as I'm anchored to the main floor with a crotch to ankle brace and walker. By the way, I run Crowns all the way with my main system and have no complaints other than the lights going dim. Hamish

Here's the hardware in the living room presently driving a pair of black LaScalas and one of the subs. Luxman T210 cassette deck on too, then a Luxman T230 tuner, a Soundcraftsman 2215 graphic equalizer, Crown IC150 pre-amp, Crown DC150A poweramp, a storage cabinet, power bar, Crown VFX2A crossover and Crown DC300A strapped in mono for the bass. Crossover point is set for 120 Hz. And everything works- lights just kinda dim when you turn it on.

Some interesting ideas. I've got a pair of LaScalas and am using subs right now because they are deep bass shy. I've saved your diagram ( wonderful by the way ) and text and might try it when my leg is better. Just so happens I have some beautiful Baltic birch plywood in the garage from an old primary school cupboard. Should do the trick. Has anybody done or tried this mod.? Any measurements or listening tests? Thanks. Hamish

http://www.plus-america.com/papers.html Is the link for video projectors by Plus. I saw one of these set up last winter in a ht soundroom at 5:1 sound in Edmonton ( lots of Klipsch & Mc's too ). This front projector was amazing and the price of it is way below others out there. Check it out and let me know how you make out. Hamish

Hi, It's not a blend, it's a single malt. Just kidding, I built 2 of the subs with KEF B300 drivers about 17 years ago ( before subs were cool ) to go with some kit KEF 104's. 12 years ago, I switched to Heresy's and have been using them with a Crown crossover and bottom end Crown amp with a stereo signal still going to both subs. I've always kept the speakers close to the subs to stay away from phasing concerns. So from listening and experience, these are my conclusions. Heresys and LaScalas are both bass shy. They need some bottom end. However, the LaScalas can open older recordings and reveal stuff that was never there. Like the brush of a high hat or sharp attack on a snare. Vocals float in the room, unblurred by anything else. The added bottom end when not overdone makes it complete. Thanks for the comment. Hamish

Here's one of the LaScala's sitting sideways on one of the subs. The subs are KEF B300's ( 12" ) in a custom crossbraced cabinet. I put the LaScala on it's side to keep the horns at ear level & haven't heard any real differences in vertical vs. horizontal dispersion. It's a very small room. I usually have Heresys in here. Thanks Klipsch. Hamish

Someone mentioned they wanted to see more hardware, so here's my vintage setup in thefront parlour. It includes a Luxman T210 cassette deck, Luxman T 230 tuner, Denon DCD 695 cd player, Soundcraftsman 2215 equalizer, Crown IC150 preamp, Crown IC150 power amp, a hinged storage space, Crown OC150A meter and switching unit, Crown VFX2A crossover, and Crown DC300A strapped for mono driving the sub ( 300 wpc rms @ 8 ohms ). Everything works great. Right now, there's a pair of Klipsch LaScalas being driven by the IC150 power amp ( 75 wpc rms @ 8 ohms per side ). The subs are two KEF B300 12" woofers in a custom crossbraced cabinet similar to a B&W Matrix construction. Normally, I have the Heresy 2's in there with the sub which is a really nice setup but I wanted to see what the LaScalas would sound like( the significant other quotient wanted them out the dining room too ). I broke one placement rule and have one LaScala on it's side on a sub, so the horns are still at ear level but vertical rather than horizontal. I'm wondering if that affects the dispersion characteristics in any major way, but they sure sound good. Although they are physically stuffed into the room, there is an amazing amount of detail to listen to with a realism in the mids and highs in even older recordings. ( like 'Relish' by Joan Osborne, 'Famous Blue Raincoat' by Jennifer Warnes or Suzanne Vega's first album (" My name is Luka, I live on the second floor....etc". LaScalas do seem to need a sub to fill in the very bottom end. And finally about the Forum - I always thought of myself as an outsider totally focussed on gear and always looking for something better. When I found the forum, a few weeks ago, I've met and read about all kinds of people with similar interests. I've learned much and hope to learn more. The Forum is great. Thanks Klipsch. Hamish

Hi Arlku, One nice looking setup and I bet it sounds wickedly clean and wickedly loud. I'm into placement a fair bit and have a couple of observations. I agree with JT1 that the centre could be up higher more in line with the other tweeter horns giving an even dispersion across the soundstage. Other factor in having it too close to the floor is half the sound waves will bounce down and either get absorbed or reflect up a couple milliseconds later which diffuses the sound image. As for the sub. because the bass waves are longer and less directional, you might want to try moving it around for best placement. Real deep bass should be a fairly even set of tones from high to low without some getting obviously louder than others. That's called doubling and the room acts as a horn 'doubling' that particular frequency. Anyway, I'd love to hear some favourite pipe tunes on your setup. Take care. Hamish

Thanks for sharing such valuable information, Al. One of the greatest advantages of this Forum is the access to such great tips and info from the likes of you and Scooterdog. I'm not an audio engineer, but over the years of tweaking, playing and listening to different systems, I've found that active xover, amp and subs add a lot to my setup, so the theory is appreciated. I've added your info to a file on Klipsch mods and ideas that I'm putting together. All the best. Hamish

G'day, Scooterdawg. I've been copying the Forum text on your centre channels and downloading the pix to create my own little computer file. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on the great work. Hamish

Some interesting thoughts on subs in the Forum (isn't this great). Here's some of my own. Cornwalls have lots of deep clean bass when set up on an end wall a couple feet in from each side wall. A sub would be redundant. LaScalas (& Heresys)need a little more bottom end. With an equalizer you can put a little more punch in what's there, but it adds processing noise & uses up more watts. Subs really work well with LaScalas,if you have the room & a positive S.O.Q. (Significant Other Quotient - measured in +-db). For a stereo listening setup, it's been run with the same subs, active adjustable xover & power amp with different main speaker configurations for a number of years (processing noise & hum). Here's some observations. Right now, they're set up under the LaScalas which are on their sides with the horns pointing in ( some issues here ). Two subs are better than one because there is no "y" configuration, greater amplification power at critical frequencies and more sound radiating surface. To avoid phasing concerns, they are kept as close to the main speakers as possible, and follow basic placement guidelines (S.O.Q. again). Volume on the subs is conservatively set to augment bass to the main speakers without overkill. In listening, there's a clean bright soundstage with deep bass, vivid vocals & instruments that almost make the speakers disappear ( but not quite).

Absolutely brilliant. Good for you - takes some gonads to follow through on such a project. I've been toying with the same idea, ran it on the Forum and got some suggestions, including your insights and input. Easy way for me is leaning towards a single Heresy on a cookie sheet, but yours looks & probably sounds great, so I'm going to copy your specs down. Coupla questions for you. Are the woofers magnetically shielded so you don't have to use metal mesh inside as shielding? And for us Math challenged individuals, what are the crossover points in frequency herz rather than octaves. Thanks Scooterdog. Enjoy.

Thanks for the recommending the David Arkenstone cd. I'll look for it. One of the advantages of this Forum is to find out what others are listening to as well as system configurations and tweaks. One of my favourites is " Relish " by Joan Osborne of five years ago. As well as " What If God Were One of Us " ( which was played to death ), there are some great tunes that instantly create a mood picture with sound like " Pensacola ". And a rocking bluesy number called " Help Me ". If you haven't heard that in a while, give it a try. Take care. Hamish

Thanks everybody for the great advice, pix and links for the DIY centre channel. This forum really has an amazing knowledge base of so many people that are into this stuff. I'm enjoying it. Thanks again. Hamish

Hi. I'm thinking of a do it yourself centre channel to sonically match up the LaScalas on the front left and right. Has anybody any info on diy parts, suppliers, plans or has anyone done such a project. Thanks. Hamish

We're glad you survived and our hearts go out to those for those lost. I was in Edmonton, Alberta on July 31, 1987 when the Force 5 tornado killed 28 people - cut a 200 yard wide swath from the south end right through to the north, only saving grace was it was on the very east end and seemed to follow the hydro lines and green belt. Wrecked my car. I was lucky.