PrestonTom

I get confused on this issue. When folks talk about rotating the top to better align them, are they referring to the model "B" K-Horns (the ones with the "collar" between the top & bottom). I have model "C" horns (without the collar). The piece between the top and bottom is actually the bottom of the top section. Rotating them would leave the "top" of the bass bin naked and look very amateurish. Incidentally, I believe the cabinets should not be merely near a corner. They should be snugged into the corner. There have been various threads on this, along with some refs to DFH. Good Luck, -Tom

Fantastic!

Gee, this has gone on for 5 pages. Here is one synopsis. 1) Some guy does a nice turn by offering these for sale to Klipsch-minded folk. 2) There is one winner 3) There are multiple non-winners (I carefully avoided phrasing this differently). What happens: First, the nice guy (# 1) is is not congratulated on his courtesy, rather people (mostly & understandably the disappointed # 3s) beat up on him. This is not right. Then, the #3s (and I understand their disappointment) start to whine ('fess up, this is whining..,) Let's not discourage the # 1 from doing good deeds. They are to be encouraged! Let's not bring up legal terminology either. Let's share in the good victory for #2 (I hope you enjoy your new addition, I don't begrudge you) Good Luck, -Tom

Of course it is difficult to diagnose via the internet.... However, if it is truly muffled at lower volumes (I mean very different sounding) then go slow before you spend a lot of money on new crossovers. The theory, with some data also, is that old capacitors provide an increased DC resistance to the drivers. This would be like adding a resistor in series with the circuit - not a good thing. Why this would vary as a function of level is pure speculation (if it is in fact the problem). Given that, go slow before you spend your money on fancy crossovers (although there are other reasons why you may want to eventually do this). IMO statistically it is more likely the electronics that are driving the speakers. Amps can be notorious for "not opening up" until you reach a certain overall level. Perhaps you could swap/borrow another amp and have a listen. The amp does need to be fancy since the speakers are efficient and do not present a terribly low impedance. However, the amp does need to provide a clean signal since Klipsch speakers are ruthless in revealing any hiss, hum, or distortion. In fact your impression may be the result of hearing relatively more distortion at lower levels (a characteristic of some solid state amps) Incidentally, most speakers sound "better" when they are louder. This is an old trick that many stereo salesmen are well aware of. Good Luck, -Tom

Michael, I am also curious: what is the book. I was once told that book clubs were a great way to meet interesting & well-read women. Inquiring minds want to know.... Good Luck, -Tom

Do it! I was in a similar situation. I did it. I am happy about it. At the very worst, you can give these to a friend to enjoy. Good Luck, -Tom

You cannot get shielding at the point of contact (where the cable joins the connector itself). Since you are not using long runs, 95% (however that is measured) is probably good enough. -Tom

Let's have a dose of reality. The high priced stuff is a scam. You will not hear a difference and you are wasting your money. You should not have to spend more than $15 or 20 (even that is stretching it). If you you want to spend time & money, you should consider room acoustics. Real gains will be achieved by tweaking the speaker placement and treating the room. Treatments can range from simply moving furniture around to carpets & pads to full on absorption, diffusion and trapping. These are real effects. It takes some time to learn about them, but it is worth it. As far as expensive cables & wires: you are just making unscrupulous people wealthy. Good Luck, -Tom

You are asking some good questions, but difficult ones. Both these artists went through different styles as they evolved. So depending which style one likes, you can get very different answers. My suggestion would be to try "Kind of Blue" & "Sketches of Spain" for Miles Davis. The first is an absolute classic and has been nicely re-mastered for CD. These two will also show two very different kinds of sound from Miles Davis. For John Coltrane, I would suggest "Giant Steps" and "My Favorite Things" (these have mostly shorter cuts and can be more accessible for the new listener). I would also suggest "A Love Supreme". This later one has a different feel from the first two and it is considered by some to be his best. Most of the CDs I have just recommended are probably available at the public library if you want to demo them first. Good Luck, -Tom

Rudy, That is a very nice job. It is similar to some others that I have seen. The treatment on the sides is a very nice touch. By attaching the sides to the bottom piece, along with the brace/brackets on top I imagine there is very little vibration. I am a big believer in false corners as a viable solution to room issues. K-Horns really do need to be snug in a corner. If that cannot be done then false corners are a must. Many get discouraged by the how they look and what is involved in the construction. But you have nicely solved both those problems. Good luck, -Tom

re: "I would bring a cordless screw driver (phillips head) and take of the backs real quick and look to see if some goofball (i.e. like us) has been messing around in there.... " If these are Cornwall 2s then you will not be able to simply take off the back. Really, if these were your speakers, would you let some unknown person pop them open. I know that I would not. If they have already been opened up (you can tell by looking the screws and the possible discontinuities in the finish etc), you should ask questions -Tom

Dr, We are on the same wavelength about embedding the panels. I am cursed with an 8ft ceiling (empty attic space above). I had also wondered about panels between the joists. This way they could be fairly deep. They could be faced with some cloth to blend in to the ceiling with a small white frame to cover the edges. Ideally it would be a subtle "architectual statement". Otherwise it would merely be a great deal of work and depreciate the house by $5-10K. Good luck, -Tom

Pete is absolutely correct about the newer units. The technology and production on DACs, clocks etc has gotten much better. Unless there is some anomaly about output impedance or voltage, mid-price players will sound indistinguishable from the expensive stuff. Good luck, -Tom

Chris, Good luck and I hope it works out. The oiled walnut should look good. These are fairly bullet proof speakers. Loud bass is good to see if there are any rattles or damaged woofers. Bad diaphragms will be readily apparent when listening. I would check to see if the cabinets have ever been opened (look at the screw heads). If they have, make sure you get a satisfactory answer. I have a Volvo S70 sedan. One fit in the backseat and the other on the trunk (barely). Good luck, -Tom

I have 2 odd ball suggestions. 1) There was a map that was posted that users could indicate where they live (i.e., what city & not a specific address - that could be done with a follow up PM between individuals). Could this be "institutionalized" on the WEB site (accessible for forum members in good standing - I am not sure on the implementation). For those interested, this would make it easier for us to arrange local functions. For instance, hearing what our neighbors K-Horn sounded like after a crossover change etc. I am not sure if this would have broad appeal or not. 2). Perhaps an area where historic documents could be posted. This could include PWKs papers, old sales brochures, patent documents. There might be a snag if it included journal & symposium articles. Unless permission was obtained, there would be copyright issues. This would be a bit of a library and require some effort to build & maintain. So I understand this might be beyond your scope. Good Luck & thank you providing & maintaining the FORUM, -Tom

Well, you said to name only one. Ahhh heck, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix. Depends on what mood I am in..... -Tom

I am going to suggest something heretical. If the vinyl is too expensive, then try the same material on CD. The Blue Note (along with Impulse etc) had some absolutely wonderful recordings of some very important music and from important artists. IMO this was especially true for recordings from the late 50s through mid 60s. Some really great stuff that was well-recorded and nicely engineered. It really is worth listening to. The quality transcends whether it is on vinyl or not (however, there is variation on how well it has been re-mastered for digital - much of it has been done pretty well). If you cannot afford the vinyl, don't cheat yourself, get the CD. At least give it a listen - there may be a wealth of this at your local library for instance. Good Luck, -Tom

Good luck with the move and I hope there are no surprises. I also agree with your (and others) sentiments. I have always found HT to be a bit of a gimmick and typically not well-recorded. to 2 ch music over a nice set up is a very satisfying pleasure. Good Luck, -Tom

Philip, Before you get the stands, you might want to try a "mock up" stand first. If you raise the cabinets 24in off the floor, the bass response will be definitely compromised. I am not sure of the geometry you are dealing with but there are elevated risers (Factory or DIY). These will raise the cabinet just a few inches (modest effect on the bass) but nicely aim the high freq at the listener (about a 15 deg angle as I recall - don't quote me on the specific angle). Good Luck, -Tom

K-Horns from the early 80s still used AA crossovers (mine are 82s). By the 80s certainly the Mid range horns were composite (401s) and not metal (400s). I am not sure about the mid drivers (K55s) mine are K55V with soldered connentions. Some (not all) of the earlier ones may have had some difficulty with a frequency notch around 9KHz Painting with a broad brush, the A & AA crossovers will sound more similar than dis-similar. If you have a chance to get K-Horns don't shy away from them if they are not from the 1970s. They will all sound good. Proper placement & room treatment will probably have more of an impact than the version of the crossover or which version of the mid driver & horn. Good luck, -Tom

I think this opinion would be seriously in the minority. I believe that the general opinion around here is that the Cornwall is about the best Klipsch used bang for the buck you can get. It has a smooth, deep frequency response and is not terribly dependent on placement as many other cabinets. The only other Klipsch that come close in terms of sound value, are the ForteII . Michael I am not being argumentative and perhaps I am spoiled by having K-Horns in the house. However, the bass on the Cornwalls does have some problems and muddy is not a bad description. Remember this is on an absolute scale since I believe that Cornwalls are better than the vast majority of speakers available. Regarding the mid-range, I would not use the word "weak" but the mids are a bit "nasal' in their sound (listen to brass instruments). I am not down on Cornwalls - I own a pair. However, this poor guy is dealing with some room issues and some speaker issues and trying to sort them out. I will say it again, I love Klipsch cabinets; however, they are not perfect. Yes, the Cornwalls are a fantastic value (sound per dollar), but they are some problems. Good Luck, -Tom

No it wasn't me. At one time I was thinking of building one as a center channel. But I was able to find a Cornwall instead. Now I have a pair of K-Horns with an additive center (Cornwall 2). It is not bad. Treating the room acoustics is my next task. Ultimately, I have two dreams. One is to convert my KCBR cabinets into "B" style and veneer them. The second is to build a two-way corner loaded horn cabinet (not unlike a Jubilee) with a circuit to time align the drivers and provide steep crossovers. Someday .... Good Luck, -Tom

Robert, Those cabinets are absolutely stunning! -Tom

forgive me if I am going off-topic..... The picture shows a ported cabinet. I understand the woofer is different in the Industial cabinets. I assumed this was for more power handling. Can I assume the T/S values also differ, thereby allowing a ported design. Let me ask the question another way: why aren't the regular Heresies ported? Or is the Woofer (or Freq Response) that different in the Industrial version? -Tom

Jacob It is quite possible you have some issues with room acoustics. Prior to setting up the EQ, try moving the speakers relative to the rear and side walls. I bet this will change the the problems you have encountered. However, this is not fix, it will only shift the problems to a different frequency. If there is an appreciable difference, then you will need to investigate some room treatments. Using an EQ for this is of limited benefit. Good luck, -Tom