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cjgeraci

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Posts posted by cjgeraci

  1. The K-55 (all of the varients) is a nice sounding driver. Just because there are better drivers out there doesn't mean it sucks. And here's the best part -- just because a driver is "better", doesn't mean you're going to like the sound of it.

    Agree in part. Some really dislike the K-55, but I would not go so far as to say it "sucks." With a really nice horn on it and its upper end limited, I have heard some pretty decent sound coming out of K-55s.

    I would not, however, go so far as to call it a nice sounding driver. YMMV.

    Carl.

    P.S. Anyone want to buy a pair (K-55V)? Just sitting on the shelves collecting dust......

  2. Not that I really NEED any more speakers.........

    Scored a set of Phase Linear Andromeda IIIs for real cheap. These are the ones with 24" x 63" x 5" speaker panels, and a subwoofer module. The speaker panels each hold two 8" midbass drivers, two 4" midrange drivers, and five 2" cone tweeters. The subwoofer module has two floor-facing 12" bass drivers, and the claimed frequency response is 24Hz to 20K Hz.

    The speakers are in pretty decent condition. I have ordered replacements for two of the cone tweeters. I decided to go mostly solid state with these as opposed to my tube pre and am running them off of my Classe prepro. Biamping them with a QSC PLX amp for the panels, and a Dayton amp for the subwoofer module.

    Not as dynamic as my big modded horns, but pretty nice sounding until you really really step into it. Different cup of tea than I am used to but these speakers present well.

    More tweaking to come, and I will keep you posted.

    post-13160-13819465675984_thumb.jpg

  3. It's a different kind of bass, amazingly natural but never overblown. It may sound lacking compared to a direct radiator bass especially if you like slamming rock & roll. If you love pipe organ & orchestral music , Khorns are king of the hill in bass.

    I think that this sums it up. It's dependent on the type of music you listen to...

    I've never listened to rap on Khorns, but I would imagine there are better speaker choices if this is your musical preference.

    However, orchestral and organ music sounds awesome (my father in-law loves listening to this music on his).

    Agreed. If you love classical or organ music, the bass of the Khorns cannot be beat.

    As a rock lover, I found the Khorn bass to be lacking a certain "slam" as compared to some of the direct radiators or even as opposed to the Lascala/Belle bass. As a result, I had to supplement my Khorns to get me where I wanted to be.

    I expect that a tighter and/or more impactful bass sound with the Jubs is what many have commented so favorably on. I will confirm that once I hear a pair.

    Carl.

  4. Greg, it is not your ears but rather the Beymas. They do not like a highpass that low, and my experience with that tweeter indicates the higher you cut them on the bottom, the better they like it. The only reasonably priced tweeter that I would cut as low as 4500 hz would be a pair of Bob Crites (using the Eminence supertweeters).

    Carl.

  5. Daddy and Dave provide good descriptions of chip amps vs. tubes. I am also a big tube fan yet I am very fond of the tripath amps.

    They do sound "somewhat" like tubes, but perhaps a smooth solid state amp is a better description. I have found that if you upgrade the power supply with the small guys (8-12 watts per), they do sound a bit more like tubes than the stock tripath variants. In fact, I now run a Sonic Impact Super T (mentioned by Daddy above) with the stand alone PSU from KingRex for the upper end of my Klipschorns and the sound is pretty amazing. Too bad there are not a lot of great choices of these chip amps for those who wish to run higher power and full range.

    Thanks for your impressions Daddy. Curious to hear about the high noise of that amp. Most of the tripath amps I have heard are virtually dead silent.

    Carl.

  6. In a tube and SS mix, it is usually the preamp which brings more tube flavor to the table. So the conventional wisdom would be to use a tube pre and SS power amp. Of course, the units still need to complement each other well.

    I agree 100%

    Nothing scientific here or objective, but I tried (two times) two ss pre's with two Push/pull tube amps and hated it, both times. Im not sure if it was an impedance mismatch or what. The opposite, for me, occured with the Tube pre and SS amps, every time. The amp adds a little signature and the pre-a lot of signature. Most people that I've discussed this with agree that it's about a 70/30 sound signature split between a pre and an amp. No offense to those in the other crowd: so don't hate on me...

    Ask Mark Deneen, there's probably a reason he made pre-amps before his amps, but that could be speculation, as well.

    And if you have a variable out on your CD player: hook it up straight to your amp. It'll make you wonder, a bit. At times, this sounded the best to me.

    Bingo. Totally agree with Daddy and BS. I have run plenty of SS pre/ tube amp combos and did not like one of them.

    Tube pre and ss amp - ahhhh......different story. In fact, even though I run all tubes in the rear, my morphed pseudo-Khorns get the tube pre/SS amp treatment.

    Carl.

    P.S. Also agree that CDP straight into an amp can be a special thing. That's my outdoor system, which rotates speakers between Klipsch and JBL.

    Source is 80s CD player (would you believe Radio Shack) directly to Trends chip amp.

  7. I guess that I am one of the few in here who has tried the 902s with Khorns. I also owned Trachorns at the time of my 902 purchase and was shocked at how good the Trachorns sound with 902s - having also compared the Trachorns to 511s and 811s that I also own.

    Carl.

    I'll back you up on that, Carl. I went from the 902/511 combo to gothover's tractrix, and the sound was much improved.

    How did you mount them? All of that blocking is in the way. I thought about getting longer bolts. Did you make a new mounting plate? Could you post photos?

    Thanks,

    tc

    Terry, not sure what you mean about the blocking being in the way. I have always mounted Altec drivers on Trachorns (902s and some 800 series) by removing the square mounting plate from the Trachorn, attaching the drivers to the mounting platform and then reattach the mounting platform. Not sure if it is the right way to do it, but it has worked for me.

    Carl.

    post-13160-13819446482136_thumb.jpg

  8. So........What I'm hearing, I think, is that it can be done. Will probably sound better. And the 902's wont go up in a puff of smoke[:'(] . I am contemplating the trachorns with the 902's. I am also contemplating Jubes, but one thing at a time. It doesn't sound like any of you who used the altecs actually used them on the the stock klipsch mid horns. Is it doable? Will the ALK universal network I have get me in the ballpark?

    I have read enough from you guys to learn that the k55 driver works very well if you just upgrade to the trachorn or 511. But I do know that the 902's are a very nice sounding driver, and I already own a pair, so...........

    I hope this isnt something that has been discussed to death already. So at risk of being a pain I ask those of you who have used the 902's on khorns, how exactly did you do it, and in your opinion was it a good upgrade?

    Thanks, Marty

    Marty:

    I guess that I am one of the few in here who has tried the 902s with Khorns. I also owned Trachorns at the time of my 902 purchase and was shocked at how good the Trachorns sound with 902s - having also compared the Trachorns to 511s and 811s that I also own. The Trachorn/902 combo has never left me wanting to reinstall tweeters up front. Some people are still skeptical about the Trachorn/902 combo, but that is only because they have never heard it.

    I use an active crossover with my 902s, crossing them over at 450 hz and 500 hz with no problems. I now cross them over at 800 hz because I have another midbass solution for the 300-800 hz range for my Khorns (Forte drivers...[:D])

    I have also owned ALK universals and I believe that Al crossed over the squawker with a 12 db slope at about 400 hz with that network. That should mean that you will be ok. The only caveat that I have is that I would listen carefully with your ears for straining if you are inclined to lay into the volume (similar to my listening habits). Good luck.

    Carl.

  9. Mine were GPA clones as well, bought new. There was audible distortion at anything approaching loud levels, crossed at 600Hz, 1st order. Not across the whole range of the driver, but like a hash or break-up on the low end. I remember reading Shawn's comments to Al, saying he crossed them at 500 1st order, played loudly with no problem, and Al replying that that might damage the drivers, and at the least, would not sound good. My experience bears Al's comments out. On the other hand, I'm sure your and Shawn's experiences were that they sounded fine. I can't explain that. My drivers were properly burned-in, and most certainly were not faulty in any way. I guess the only way to find out if they'll be suitable is to try them out and see.

    BTW, I agree, they are very nice sounding drivers and work quite well in a two-way set up with a bit of EQ (at least to my taste), although I'm not a big fan of the 511.

    Sounds like our drivers are pretty much the same. I am not saying that you didn't hear what you heard, I just don't understand why. Might be interesting for us to trade drivers for a week or two.

    tc

    I'd be up for that, but unfortunately I no longer have the drivers. Also mine were the 8 ohm version, so we'd have to deal with the x-over issue as well (not a big deal if your active though). Yeah, I don't know - I wonder what Bill at GPA would have to say about our different results. My filter design experience is nil, so I rely on software. I also made the assumption that the driver is actually a nominal 8 ohms without seeing an impedance trace, but have no reason to believe otherwise.

    My problem is, I can't leave well enough alone. I now have a pair of JBL2470's with good phenolics, and an APT200 tweeter. I still need to mount the 2470's to the tractrix, and build a pair of crossovers. Anxious to see how this combo sounds.

    2470s with good phenolics? Have you popped the lids to confirm? If so, we are talking rare - rare.

    Let us know what you think.

    Carl.

  10. Me too, me too!!!!

    Terry set me straight a while ago about 902s, and I haven't looked back since. Its true that I am currently crossing mine over at 800hz, but I was running mine at 450-500 hz with 18 db slopes for a little while, without any "buzzing." The 902s do sound better at EXTREME volumes the higher you cross them over on the bottom (at least to my ears), but even at 450-500 hz or so on the bottom - they are no slouch.

    Carl.

  11. I just received my QSC PLX 1202 and it sounds very good. I have a question though, does the fan stay on all the time? Kudret

    Mine has been running since I bought it from Carl without a fan. Cabinet gets a little warm but that's about it.

    Same here. I thought about installing a quieter fan, but then I read an old thread over in the QSC forum where one of the QSC engineers said that it probably would not hurt the PLX I series for home use if the fans were disconnected. Of course, he also stated that he was not recommending that, and that would void the warranty, etc.

    So, about six months ago, I unplugged the fan. No problems since. The cabinet does get a little warm like Speedball says but that's about it.

    Carl.

  12. http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/74353/732487.aspx#732487

    Let me point out this thread that has been copied and printed and hanging on my wall for some time now. Check out what Duke Spinner has to say.

    I'm playing with a couple QSC's right now and they are a blast.

    Glad to hear that you are still diggin' that QSC PLX 1202. Now, take my advice and start running the Superloz mode of your Peach with those RF-7s.

    You won't regret it.

    Carl.

  13. I guess I should clarify no problems, I didn't experience any diaphragm failure although the 2380A

    seems a little to in your face! Could this be that it is really designed for large room apps?

    Although the 2380 has never been one of my favorite horns, I do not think that it is the 2380 that is screaming at you.

    I would put my money on those drivers (2445j). What slope are you using to cross them over at 350 hz? 6 - 12 (gentle) or much more extreme (24 or 48?)

    The steeper the slope the better. I personally would not cross titanium drivers over lower than 500 hz for extended periods. Sure, the dias may not blow, but the drivers won't like it - sonically - at higher spls. And then, there are the voicecoils...

    So, the eternal Khorn problem.....What to do to bridge the bass bin to 500 hz or having the driver go down to 400 hz. Tom notes the K510, which is a viable option if you can get to 500 on the bottom or cut that Khorn bass bin to a screaming stop (or sharp slope) at 500 hz.

    Personally, I would try Trachorns with stock K55s first and swap out the tweeters to 2404s before you try the 2 inch route. The 2470 phenolics would be better still but I always get paranoid about those drivers below 500 hz even though they should be fine - being phenolic. (2470s still with phenolics are like rare Ferraris).

    Are you planning on crossing the 2404s at 4500 on the bottom? Eminence tweeters would be fine that low (Crites tweeters), but I just don't know about the 2404s (unless they have the thicker dias).

    Carl.

  14. The question is how sensitive is the amp (or how easy to drive with consumer gear, such as a receiver or consumer prepro).

    Otherwise, 800 W of pro amp will not mean much if the amp is a bad match for consumer stuff.

    I would personally look at QSC is you want to go pro since most of their amps are pretty compatible with consumer gear.

    Carl.

    P.S. I tried a Peavey CS in my setup without any success. Either it was hard to drive or not functioning properly.

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