jdyer

Hey Greg: you state you want simplicity and no unnecessary electronics and then go on to talk sbout two passive volume attenuators and the associated interconnects, I assume. Why would your preamp not control gain on the mid/tweet and why not get a bass amp with level controls? Once you dial in the bass, you're done. I'm interested in what you want to do---maybe I can improve on what i do. John

BTW, the horns are stunningly beautiful, as is the room.

I'm glad to hear some of you folks toe your khorns out rather than seal them in the corners. I have had the same experience as the original poster; my listening position is 16 to 18 feet from the horns and 45ing them in the corners really adversely impacts imaging and soundstage. So i toe them out until the soundstage is most dramatic. i guess i might forfeit a little bass by doing this, but it is more than worth the loss to me. I have ordered a Martin logan sub and intend to try that at about 30 to 40 hz down. I am also surprised by the number of khorn users who speak favorably on the use of a sub with their horns.

I have a stereo and a MC system in the same room and want to use a common sub. problem is, my stereo preamp is phase reversing. assuming that the sub will be in phase with one system and out with the other, which i guess is likely, what is the best way to reverse phase from one system? Using standard interconnects from preamp of stereo system and coax from MC system. , if possible, I would rather reverse phase on the coax. Thanks a lot for any advice. John

Hi Good folks: Is anyone using the 999ES universal player as a source with Klipschorns? I was told by a well-respected modder that the 999 might be too revealing to be a good match for Khorns and he suggested the 9000Es instead. Rest of my system is Cary 300B monos and Cary SLP-98 pre. I told him that sometimes I thought my system sounded a little bright. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks. John

Hey Erik: I certainly can't argue with the engineers--I haven't even won one with my wife in 20 years. However, when I bought my Khorns new in 97, I talked for several hours with the Klipsch regional rep, and he was absolutely convinced that bi-amping is the only way to go. I was never really happy with the "oomph" level generated with my ten-watt amps and I GUARANTEE you that relieving them of the bass-horn drag cured that problem. My SS amp has VU meters and it is amazing how many SS watts it takes to balance the bass with a couple of tube-generated watts. The Klipsch guy told me this would be the case. And BTW, I listen mostly to jazz and female vocals,not rock, do not like window-rattling bass, and hate powered subs. I just like natural and balanced bass, which is why I own Klipschorns. Best of luck with it---you're gonna like it. John

Hey Erik: Man, I don't know impedence from impotence, but I can tell you what you are trying to do will work and you'll never go back to a single amp. As you suggest, the key is volume control on the bass amp(s). I use 300b monoblocks on the mids and highs and a 110 WPC SS amp with level controls on the bass horns. I also own a Creek OBH-10 passive pre amp which works great as a volume control. With this option, you would have remote control bass level, which might be pretty cool. You can also solder your cables directly to the crossovers, which eliminates some wiring, binding posts, etc. Good luck. John

---------------- On 12/14/2003 2:56:14 AM stream wrote: Anyone ever heard of Nikko components? My mom bought an "audiophile" system in the 70's, all Nikko components, with Ohm speakers. She said she paid several thousand for all of it, and she's wondering if it has any worth now. The Ohm speakers are completely dead (burnt coils I think), and the amp (a 400w tube beast) is pretty much toast, but the tuner and pre-amp are in pretty good shape. Was this a good brand? Or was it the Sony of the 70's, or what? Thanks for any input. -Jesse ---------------- Your mom probably did pay thousands. I bought a Nikko Alpha amp (110WPC) and preamp in early 80's. I recall the pair being around $1500 or $1600. They were pretty well thought of and had the reputation of being built like a tank. Mine have never needed repair and I still use the amp to power the bass horns of K-horns. The amp has level adjustments on the rear so it is particularly well-suited to bi-amping applications. John

I have to agree with Dean above. I am under the impression that new K-horns are over $7000. Is that not correct? I bought mine in 98 for $4200 after beating every Klipsch dealer in the Southeast to death. Finally found a stereo shop which had just taken on the Klipsch line and he wanted to sell a pair of KH's his first week. Seems to me that a beautiful set such as these should be $3k at the very least. I wouldn't sell mine for $6k.

Hi Pete: Try my post above. If you're not quite satisfied with the punch at concert level, consider bi-amping. I use a Conrad Johnson tube preamp and had a second set of outputs installed. I really believe the bass amp is less important than is freeing up the SET's to work their magic on the mids and highs. BTW, your system must sound fantastic.

Hey Xman: Could very well be a ground loop problem. If you have any interface between tv/cable components, unplug them. If you have interface between components on different household circuits, unplug them. If problem is ground loop, solution is ground isolator; try jensen transformers on the web. Good luck.

Hey Xman: Could very well be a ground loop problem. If you have any interface between tv/cable components, unplug them. If you have interface between components on different household circuits, unplug them. If problem is ground loop, solution is ground isolator; try jensen transformers on the web. Good luck.

Hi Brett: first of all, i don't know $@#& from wild honey, but maybe this will help. I bought a pair of new K-horns from Klipsch in 1998, special order and spent a great deal of time talking with the regional Klipsch rep about amplification. He recommended low mu SET power for the mids and highs and high-power, level-adjustable SS for the bass. The SET magic really is apparent only above bass frequencies. i ran the K-Horns for a brief period with only a pair of 300B monoblocks, 12WPC, and was not quite satisfied with the punch at concert levels. However, once I bi-amped them and got the bass drag off the SET amps, man did they begin to sing. So maybe you shouldn't be looking for one amp, but two. Any advice taken should be discounted by virtue of the stupid advice given and taken by this author in the past.

Bill: Thanks a lot. I'm certainly no expert, but they sure sound sweet to me. I power the mids and highs with Cary 300B monoblocks and the bass with a 220 watt SS Nikko amp with level controls on the back, so you can dial in the bass. I couldn't be happier, but I read about some of the systems folks in this forum have put together, and maybe it is just that ignorance is bliss. thanks again. John

Hey Paul: Thanks a lot for the technical help. I'm curious; it seems that an awful lot of folks are incorporating KH's into home theater. i use separate systems and only have a modest HT setup. I've heard it said that "why should you turn the best seats in the house into the cheapest." I don't mean to sound like a stereo snob, but I guess I am amazed you can get such a system balanced out. Do you separately amp each speaker? I'll bet you have to screw the roof down once you get it right. Thanks again. John

Hey Piranha: thanks so much. I am proud as a puppy with two peckers. Take care. John

Hey Marvel: That's very beautiful. I have a 1979 Alvarez Yairi, whatever the model is which looks like a Martin d41. The back is called Honduran flame mahogany, a very figured burl, with a rosewood vee. I tried to play for 25 years and finally broke my thumb which put me out of my misery. I posted a picture of my KH's below and the wood looks identical. Take care. John

Hi Bill, Let's see if this works. i'm a lousy photographer. I'll try to do better in the daylight. John

Hi Mink; I'm new to the forum as well. I've owned KH's for six years. I bi-amp them with Cary 300b SET's running the mids and highs and a Nikko SS amp running the bass. The Nikko is 220 watts per channel and has level controls on the back, so you can dial in your bass. One of my speakers is positioned optimally and one is positioned horribly-- two feet from back wall, side wall is glass. I have never been able to detect a difference in the bass output of the two speakers. I bought my amps from a really high-end stereo shop in Atlanta and the owner had a pair of KH's sitting in the middle of the room driven by a pair of 8 watt SET amps. The owner said he thought they were the best speakers he had ever heard. BTW, he was not a klipsch dealer and this pair of KH's was not for sale. Anyway, I am certainly no expert, and my ears are 49 years old, but I think if you put the correct type of power to them, they will sound fantastic out in the middle of a field. Hope this helps.

I have no idea whether or not there are zebrawood KH's out there, but the pair I own were made by Klipsch in 1998 for me and are an African wood called sapele. It is a mahogany color with dark vertical stripes.