Krispy Kirk

I'm stunned that nobody has mentioned the late, great Songbird herself Eva Cassidy. I'll take her with my number one pick. Dusty Springfield is my number two. And let's go with Shelby Lynne at number three. Pat Benatar is my top Honorable Mention.

I just want to know whether that old Fisher sounded better on the Forte II or the Chorus I seen in that last pic....

There is almost never any good reason to run a High Output MC cartridge through a phono preamplifier set to "MC". Find the switch that controls your phono input setting (might be hidden on the back panel or even as a DIP switch on an internal circuit board) and switch it to "MM". This should give you a bit more breathing room with your master volume control. Good luck!

This one's easy because I've only ever owned three Klipsch speaker systems*: 1) Forte II 2) Promedia 2.1 3) Synergy SP-1 The first one is the finest full-range speaker I've ever owned. The second is the best computer speaker I've ever heard. And the third was my prize in the "Klipsch Storyteller" contest that the company held back in 2002-2003 and are the first and only true home theater speakers I've ever owned. The runner-up prize was supposed to be a pair of Heresy but I was just getting into home theater at the time and had no budget to get the subwoofer I'd need to use with the Heresy in an HT set up. The SP-1 (with a powered sub in each tower) was exactly what I wanted but production had just ended! So I asked pretty please can I have a pair of SP-1 instead of my Heresy prize? What do you know - they restarted production and cranked out one more pair just for me. Yes, I own the last production pair of SP-1 on the planet (a fact that nobody cares about since it was a speaker nobody seemed to want). Still, it's a story I enjoy telling (pun intended). *Other brands I've owned besides Klipsch: PSB, DBX, ADS, JBL, Bose, Design Acoustics, Polk, AR, Scott, Minimus, Advent, Fisher, Pioneer, Technics.

More advice on restoring/maintaining classic Dual turntables: http://www.dual-reference.com/Troubles/maintgen.htm

Does it do HDCD?

Here's a very similar thread from a while back that you might want to read: seems like new members come here, talk about their Chorus speakers, and then ask what's the best amp for them with regularity. Do a search, there are doubtless many more threads just like this one!

First of all welcome to the forums and congratulations on owning one of the finest speakers that Klipsch has ever put on the market! That said, I feel I must be "that guy" and point out that you have set yourself up for years of frustration. How so? You are trying to make a speaker designed for stereo (aka "2 channel") reproduction fit into a modern home theater set up. You're already feeling some of the pain too: what center works best with the Chorus? what surrounds? do you need a different receiver? should you try tubes? and on and on. I totally understand if you only have space for a single system and have decided to make it one with a screen and lots of speakers. This is a fun way to watch football games and concert DVDs, play Xbox/PS/etc, or get a thrill out of movies with lots of explosions. After all, we are on the Home Theater part of the Klipsch forums. About 20 years ago I was in your shoes: I had a nice stereo in my (one and only) living room. So I decided to just live with my TV hooked up to my stereo. It was OK. Then, as I slowly got into DVD and Dolby Digital/DTS, I decided my stereo (including my Klipsch Heritage speakers) needed to have their own room. First it was a bedroom, then it was a basement, then I moved to a house with two living areas and set up a dedicated two channel system in the smaller of the two. The Synergy speakers I decided to use in my home theater simply do movies/sports/concerts in a more convincing way than my Heritage speakers (which, alas, never found their matched centers or surrounds). Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing critical listening to stereo source material on my home theater rig. That's not what it's designed for. And I'm not alone. I would venture a guess that a slight majority of members here keep a separate 2CH system in a different room that is optimized for just music. I have heard hundreds of audio systems in my life but I've never heard a system that excelled at both music and movies. I will say that a rig that is optimized for music will do better with movies than a home theater system will with just 2 channel music. There is a psychological effect in play here too: some people can't maximize two senses simultaneously. I am one. Sit me in front of a 50+ inch hi-def screen and I will see everything. The accompanying audio almost fades into insignificance. But turn off the screen and I am suddenly aware of the audio. Better still: pick that TV up and completely remove it from the room. Now you've relaxed the visual cortex of my brain (it is no longer anticipating something to watch) and my hearing becomes very acute. I am totally unable to do "critical listening" when there is a screen in the room. From my experience, this is not at all uncommon. You walk into a room with a big screen in it and your brain says "Goody! What are we watching?" That's not conducive to effective listening. Consider the option nobody has yet mentioned: put those mighty Chorus speakers into their own stereo system and stop stressing about finding matching center and surround channels and AVRs and such. Just get a nice 50 watt tube amp and a high quality source (CD, vinyl, or HRA player). Keep the screens out and use that system for LISTENING. I predict you will quickly find yourself caring a lot less about trivial things like bass "slam" as you let beautifully lifelike and dynamic stereo sound produced by vintage Klipsch speakers wash over you (eyes closed for best effect!) Meanwhile, get whatever 5.1 speakers-du-jour are recommended to you here. Hook them up to your Yamaha AVR and fire up that big screen with a good flick. Be binary. Be happy. Good luck!

I'm gonna need to see the binding posts on the back of that thing before I'll allow any "drooling". Hey. What can I say? I have a thing for nice big shiny metal binding posts!

I put Crites crossovers in my 1989 Forte IIs last year (I updated my tweeter diaphragms circa 2005). At first I was hard-pressed to quantify the sonic differences beyond one word: "louder". I'd guess I recovered a few decibels of efficiency (this is an off-the-cuff estimate since I was too lazy to find my SPL meter to confirm). But then I just forgot about them and listened... After a few weeks it hit me that my speakers didn't seem so finicky about source material, changes in amplification, cabling choices, or even location in my listening room (I move and switch stuff around constantly) as they had before. My Forte II's now seemed more "solid" which made my whole system seem more consistent with less day-to-day and hour-to-hour variation in sound quality. I found myself leaving my listening room in frustration less and less and staying in it playing music for longer stretches. This is not at all what I expected and is a very pleasant surprise. I was hoping for more and better bass, improved imaging, and smoother more "open" treble. I suppose I got some of this but not enough to blow me out of the room. Instead, my already awesome speakers just got better at being what they are: the easiest to live with and biggest bang-for-the-buck speakers in the entire Heritage line up. It was $260 well spent!

WWDD?* *"What Would Donald (Trump) Do?"

100th post! WOO HOO! (and it only took SIXTEEN YEARS)

So tell us Moray and NOSValves, where was your phone made? Where was your car made? Where were your clothes made? Where was your TV made? Where did that apple come from that you had with your lunch? How about the banana you ate for breakfast? Can you tell me where the shoes that are on your feet were assembled? You probably can't. But that's OK. We live in a GLOBAL ECONOMY and there is no going back. If you shop at Wal-Mart, or Target, or Amazon then you are also part of the "problem" and have no right to criticize my or anyone else's choice of Asian electronics. Yes, it would be nirvana if we all could afford to own the finest American-made electronics like (MacIntosh, Audio Research, Krell, Rogue, et al) to power our fine American-made Klipsch speakers (well, mostly American-made, that is). But like Jim pointed out, wage growth for the middle class has been stagnant for nearly two generations. My wife and I both work our asses off to live somewhat comfortably and I still consider (Chinese) Jolida amplifers to be just barely within my reach. Used ones, that is, forget about me buying anything new from Jolida, it's just too freakin' expensive now! "Buy USA" is a great sentiment...in theory. Good luck finding a US-made CD player that you can afford. Good luck finding a US-made turntable (or phono cartridge or phono preamplifier) that won't max out your credit card.

Yeah, I never understood the hate for Chinese-sourced audio products when so much of what we use each day (not just consumer electronics either) is made in China. Unfortunately Jolida is no longer an "entry level" brand but plenty of their (Chinese-made) products are out there on the used market. I've owned a JD302 and a JD502 and was always curious about their hybrid integrateds. Well I scored one a few weeks ago - a JD1701A - and I am simply stunned by how good it is. It's got a pair of 12AX7s ahead of a pair of MOSFETS pushing 50wpc. In the bass, it whoops the all-tube Jolidas and sounds more like a 100 watt amp. And I only paid $300 for it. Bottom line: don't dismiss Chinese amps. Keep your ears open when shopping for a tube amp, you might fall in love with a hybrid!

Is this a World Radio ad I wonder? They were the big chain all throughout the Midwest back in the 80s. Man, I had no idea the JBL 4312 sold for so much money back in the day. Let's see, if I were to put a system together from just this ad I'd grab the JBLs, that trio of DBX separates, and the matching DBX CD player. Total cost: $1909.80 (in 1989 dollars). That's almost FOUR GRAND in today's dollars! http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/electronics-ads

There is good advice on amp matching for Chorus speakers here. And a good explanation of the differences between the First Generation Chorus and the Chorus II is here.

I was offered an original AR turntable in working condition for $150 this past weekend. I turned it down even though I know what a legendary device it is. The guy selling it runs a Linn LP12 Sondek in his (all Quad) main rig and said the only reason he had it priced so low was because of cosmetics. I'd love to get it and restore it...

Anybody reading this needs to be aware that Jim's offered price of $175 is approximately 30% off what this great cartridge normally sells for here in the US. Jim's ideal customer would be anyone with a mid- to lower end Rega, Music Hall, or Pro-Ject turntable who is ready for something different than the usual Ortofons or Sumikos that usually come mounted on sub-kilobuck turntables from the factory.

I'm sorry to hear that Jim. Here I was hoping we'd picked you a winner. "Too laid back" huh? I guess that's a positive for many of us - especially Klipsch owners - since our systems tend to push everything right out into our faces. Couple a "forward" sounding speaker like Klipsch with aggressive solid state amplification and I cry "Uncle!" Invariably, "laid back" is exactly what I'm looking for in my source components, that and some tubes sprinkled here and there. But that's just me. I don't suppose it would help if I told you that this cartridge was rather sensitive to VTA adjustments, huh? If you like to keep your arm perfectly parallel to the deck, the DL-110 tracks this as if your VTA was "tail up" slightly (or at least it sounds this way). Every arm I've mounted a DL-110 to has benefited from a few degrees reduction to a slightly "tail down" VTA. This fattens up the sound nicely and brings a "bloom" to the presentation that is very flattering to what is, otherwise, a very neutral-sounding cartridge. Too much and things get closed-in and dead sounding. It helps if your tonearm pillar lets you adjust VTA on the fly... But then I went back and researched your turntable and two preferred cartridges and realized you a running a vintage vinyl rig. My hat's off to you for sticking with the old stuff but maybe you should just stash the Denon away for that day if/when you buy a modern turntable. If I were lucky enough to own a Dual 701, I'd score a Shure V15 for it! (or at least a Shure M97xE in a pinch)

Welcome aboard! I dig your enthusiasm. One bit of advice (in the form of a maxim or truism): When it comes to Klipsch, bigger is better than smaller and older is better than newer. Since old big things can cost a lot of money, make your move sooner rather than later. A pair of vintage Klipschorns, LaScalas, Cornwalls, Heresy's, etc that you can barely afford today will be totally out of your price range in 10 or 15 years. Klipsch - especially the Heritage series - appreciate in value like all works of fine art. Ask anybody here if they've ever bought a pair of Klipsch "too soon". I'd bet that 100% of us would say "too late, more like it!"

Buying used phono cartridges has got to be the riskiest single activity in all of home audio. I can see the appeal if it's maybe something vintage, discontinued, or ultra-rare, but if you could still buy the same model new-in-box from an authorized dealer why wouldn't you?

You buy used phono cartridges? Isn't that the same as buying a used toothbrush? Or used underwear? Ewwww.

You can actually use bananas just like spades. Here's how: 1) Unscrew the nut on the binding post in question. If you remove it completely or as close as possible, you might see a hole through the post at a 90 degree angle to the "female" end of the post. 2) Insert banana plug through this "sideways" hole (warning: it might be a tight fit!) 3) Screw nut back down until finger tight. Your banana plug should not yank or fall out. For what it's worth, I've used single and dual bananas with all sorts of amps and speakers and have never had a problem with a banana that was "too long" for a binding post. Perhaps DefTech uses a proprietary design to meet European electrical safety standards (banana plugs are verboten in the EU since they can be plugged into wall AC outlets).

Here's another thumb's up for Audiogon. As always, just do a bit of research on the seller before bidding/buying. I am more likely to purchase an item if I can determine it is being sold by a brick & mortar store vice a private individual. In any event, Audiogon beats the heck outta eBay.

You guys like hearing random mutterings under music? Just put on a Keith Jarrett album...any Keith Jarrett album. Dude sings, scats, hums, mumbles and makes more rude noises than a Tourette's patient. Nice piano player though. For years, my personal test of low level bass detail was the 1990 CD reissue of Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Keep It To Ourselves". It's an intimate and well-recorded 1963 studio date featuring Matt "Guitar" Murphy and SBW absolutely cooks all through it. One of the tracks features a rather obvious truck or bus pulling up to a stop outside (or under?) the studio as the tape is rolling and then driving off. You can't hear it on mini-monitors or bookshelf speakers. But through big Klipsch floorstanders, it'll make you get up to see if what the UPS man has left on your front porch!