DrCharletta

Thebes, The clear cover is a bad idea. That Yamaha is a poorly assembled, mass produced electronic item. Why would anyone want to see such a bad example of manufacturing? I suggest you purchase a well made piece of equipment and put that under gless... but not the Yamaha-ha-ha-ha. -Manfred Charletta

"I would think that any improvement would be due to mass loading and reduction of Doppler distortion." ----------------------------------------------------------- Before you start throwing phrases like this around, I suggest you read PWK's audio papers on the subject. I talked to my friend with the newer Klipschorns, and he agreed to remove his K401 plastic horns and bring them over for a comparison to my damped horns (and I didn't even have to offer the bottle of Chevis to him!). Now I just have to get the 'little woman' out of the house for the afternoon. Report to follow in a few days! -Manfred

DaddyDee wrote: >And BTW, you have to remember that to the general culture, that is what audiophiles do... waste their time. There are even some married guys on this forum whose wives think that is what they do on reading and posting on this forum ------------------------------------------------------ DaddyDee: Yes, the 'little woman' has a problem of my hobby, especially now since I'm retired and have more time to play (I just retired last month). She doesn't appreciate my interests, but she does enjoy the music, and loves the Klipschorns. She was involved in the decision to buy these speakers and the electronics, but now doesn't want me to upgrade the electronics (and money isn't an issue for us), but she says "it sounds so good, why mess with perfection?". I actually took out the K400 horns while she was out of the house! My Khorns and Belle are oiled walnut with cane grillcloth. She likes the 'fine furniture' look.

"That would be a huge waste of time and energy (and Chevis)." --------------------------------------------------------- Many people here do 'tube rolling'; substituting different brands of tubes in a piece of equipment. Comparing a damped aluminum horn to a ribbed plastic one would be something I'd be interested in doing. I'm retired, so what might be a "waste of time" to a busy person as yourself would be worthwhile to this curious soul. -Manfred

I did an experiment with my K400 horns. When I hung them on the old clothes pole to spray them, I first lightly tapped them with a small hammar. They literally rang like a bell! When I completed the 8 sprayed on coatings, they were inert... no ringing when tapped. They look very nice too. As for the rope caulk, this stuff eventually dries out. Have you ever used it around the house? I'd be concerned that all of it was in good contact with the entire horn. My method works very well. I have a friend in town who has newer Klipschorns with the plastic K401's. I'm going to try to convence him to remove them (the K401's) and bring them over for a direct comparison by installing them in my spaekers (using my alnico K55V's). It will likely take a bottle of Chevis Regal to get him to do it (LOL), but it will be worth it. Has anyone done a direct comparison? Happy listening to my fellow Klipschorn enthusiasts! -Manfred

No Dodger, I don't know him. We only moved here last winter. I can't believe anything can be better than my 'new' K400 damped horn. The articulation is scary. Has anyone ever tried this on the metal horns?

Thank you for the information. Is the K401 a drop-in replacement for the K400 in a pair of 1977 Klipschorns? I have the K55V midrange drivers with the solder lugs (upgraded in 1982). Do I have to contact a dealer or go directly through Klipsch?

I neglected to mention to let the material totally dry between coats. Also, be sure the material has thoroughly dried before placing the K400 back in speaker cabinet. Here in New Mexico, it's very warm and it dries quickly.

Hello fellow Klipsch lovers. After several improvements to my AC power feed to my music room, I decided to try several mods suggested by forum members. I tried the rope caulk on my K400, but it didn't stay in place. I've also seen this material dry out over time. While at the auto parts store Saturday, I found a spray can of 'rubberized underbody spray'. I thought this might be worth a try, so I bought it, and carefully disassembled the midrange horn from my 1977 Klipschorns. I carefully sealed the throat and mouth of the horn, hung them with a rope from an old clothes pole, and sprayed them with the material over a period of several days (the 'little woman' thinks I'm crazy by the way). I gave them a total of 8 thin coats. When I got through, they didn't "ring" like before when I tapped them with a small hammar. I just installed them in my speakers, and am amazed at the improved articulation of the vocals. As an opera enthusiast, you can imagine how sensitive I am to the human voice. If you do try this, please post your impressions here. -Dr. Manfred Charletta, retired

My friends. One thing you are missing is the AC power to your equipment. My home was built in the 1940's, and the local power company recently was doing upgrades to the service in the neighborhood. They replaced the wires to my home, and I noticed an improvement in the sound, especially the bass (I have a McIntosh solid state system with 1977 klipschorns, Belle center). I also noticed my lights didn't dim as much when the freezer came on. I discussed this with the power people, and they suggested having the wiring in my home updated. I found an electrician (who was also an audiophile), and he installed a new breaker box and special 10 gauge circuit to my listening room, and also special AC outlets. When this was completed, it was as if a veil was lifted from my system. The highs and mids were better, imaging improved, and bass definition like I've never heard! The 'little woman' came home from shopping and immediatly accused me of buying new stereo equipment behind her back (you know how some women can be). After she calmed down, I showed her I hadn't changed anything. She couldn't understand how updating the power to the house would make such a noticable improvement to the sound. BTW, I convenced her to go for the wiring updates by telling her the old wiring was a fire hazard (she doesn't like to spend money). -Manfred

Hello, this is Dr Charletta. I have to defend myself and my position on this matter. First of all, anyone who believes that my real name is Dr Charletta must be very naive. My first name is Manfred, and my wifes name is Charletta. The work I was involved in at Telefunken was from 1968 to 1973, I am not a physicist (I didn't claim to be one), but an electrical engineer who worked with a team of scientists doing the research. I stated we worked at temperatures "that approached absolute zero". Please don't be so literal (some of you sound like my wife!). Believe me we worked at very low temperatures, but didn't try for "a millionth of a degree" from -273 C... nonsense. The results of our work was monumental. One of the members of this audio soundboard DID hear one of the machines. I also have some of the special red-label Telefunken tubes, and used them in a Marantz 7 peramp for many years. These tubes also have a much longer life than 'normal' tubes. I was involved in accelerated life testing. I hope this answers your questions. You may believe me or not, but I now understand tubes are treated cryrogenically, likely based upon our work at Telefunken over 30 years ago.

dubai2000: ja In response to the questions; yes, it is absolute zero, impossible to achieve, but we approached it. At Telefunken our group used inner tube assemblies of the ECC83 with a special plate material. We took the assembly and slowly took it down in temperature in a field of nuclear radiation. We tried many variations. Some permutations made the tube elements bery brittle and the filaments actually shattered when heated (all testing took place after many hours of this treatment, and then the elements being sealed in special glass casings and evacuated.). Several specimens actually would glow a deep yellow when voltage was applied, due to traces of radiated material. These tubes were extremely quiet and measure very linear. Telefunken also made some secret tubes for the US NASA program to track spacecraft in very deep space. These tubes were very small high frequency types, but our group wasn't involved with them. These tubes are still much better than any semiconductor for low noise receivers, and are used by NASA and the CIA. We also made some special ECC82 and ECC83 tubes with the red Telefunken emblem. They were very quiet for the recording device, which is the one Mr Dodger heard in Mendon NY. These tubes were tested in Audio Research preamps with fantastic results. They were better than any we ever tested. Thousands of these were made, and stored in warehouses in Germany. I understand some of them have gotten into the hands of audio people in the US. It is possible that they may go into production, but at a very high cost. Dr Manfred Charletta

Pleese excuce my English. I am one designre of recording machine in Germany using Telefunken red special tubes and design from US space program receiver converted to tube topology. This design very advanced and even now has bandwith into mHz regions. This project was funded by West German govenment and granted to Dr Studer and other companies. Several US companies also worked with us, and Mr Paul K was involved by small amont. There are 3 machines in US, and 83 in Europe. The special red Telefunken tubes were special low noise designs using a process that subjected the elements to 0 degree Kelvin. There was a 75% fallout, but tubes that worked were quieter than any others produced. The special transducers were produced in cleanroom environment, also specially treated at absolute zero. The technology was considered too expansive at the time, but may be put into production within 3 years. I am sorry this was prematurely released by an observer, but now you have more of the story.