PrestonTom

If you are worried about extending the HF range from 17k to 20k, let me add some perspective. Between 17K and 20K there is not much music there, and if you are my age there is not much hearing there either. There certainly may be other reasons to make this swap however. If you have old alnicos they may need to be re-magnetized also the lower end looks better (although you may need to re-configure you crossover to capitalize on this). Good Luck, -Tom

There are good deals on the Denon & Harman Kardon players. This is esp true if you don't get the bottom level ones, but rather the ones that are a notch up (2nd from the lowest priced). Good luck, -Tom

What else is on the circuit that feeds those outlets. If there is something with a large motor (i.e., compressor on a refrigerator etc) sharing that circuit, that could be causing the pops. Other possibilities include marginal tubes or a marginal cap on the power supply. Have you ruled out a pop on the CD itself (if it were, then it would happen consistently on re-play). Good Luck, -Tom

I am confused. Are the tweeters working and you are afraid you are going to fry them?. If they are working, then do not replace them. If you are worried about frying them, then put a fuse in the circuit. Good Luck, -Tom

There is some ambiguity here. As I mentioned on the first page of the thread, a variac or series of bulbs should be used when bringing up an old tube amp. Others have agreed. I also mentioned the reason/mechanism was to reform the caps on the power supply. This is still true. I also mentioned that this should NOT be confused with voodoo about "reforming" caps when installing new ones on crossovers etc. I agree, on THAT application it is nonsense. However, you have been very negative about the need to slowly power on an old tube amp. Perhaps this is the source of confusion. I reiterate this because I think you are unintentionally giving some very bad advice. If you find an old tube amp in the attic, bring it up slowly. Several methods have been outlined. If you have not done this in the past and had no ill-effect, then consider yourself lucky. Good Luck, -Tom

IN South East Connecticut we got about 9-12 in. Could have been worse, at least that is what I keep telling myself - I just came in from shoveling for the last 45 min. Good Luck, -Tom

Andy, I am intrigued by this discussion. Are you interested in taming the speakers or some room acoustics? If it is the latter problem then a EQ may be a limited solution (certainly some room treatments should be used along with it). In my case, it would be some tweaking on my K-Horns. I have always been leary about putting extra things in the circuit (one reason I use a passive pre-amp). However I have been intrigued about taking the digital out on the CD player This would eliminate an extra A to D conversion, which can sometimes be tricky to implement & get the levels for full resolution (number of bits). There are a number of stand alone signal processors that might accept a digital input and then implement the filter and finally use their D to A conversion. This may be more complicated then you are willing to deal with. But it is a thought.... Good Luck, -Tom

Neil, I guess the least expensive way to do this would to substitute resistors/pot for the autoformer. How critical are the sonics? Good Luck, -Tom

Capt, I am sorry to hear about your loss. I cannot even imagine the headaches & heartaches that you are going through. I agree with Scooter about using K-Horns. However I suspect he must be a very smooth talker to be able to convince the better half that the K-Horn will actually be better WAF. Scooter, what is your secret? Good Luck with the re-building -Tom

By all means use a variac! I certainly question why someone would negate that idea. For those who are unaware, large capacitors in the power supply may need to be "reformed" if they have not been used for a long time. By bringing up the voltage slowly (hence the variac or even light bulbs in series) the capacitors will "reform" and not send a large amount of higher frequency AC to the rest of the unit (the power supply rectifies then low pass filters the electrical from the outlet to give you DC power). A common mistake would be to remove a tube that is the rectifier (the rectifier may or may not be a tube). This would negate the procedure. If the amp is in any way suspect, certainly fuse the speaker or better yet place a load on the output with a radio shack power resistor (10 watt / 10 ohm & it costs about a dollar). Reforming the capacitor is not to be confused with the audiophile nonsense that has a similar name. Good Luck, -Tom

Gregory, Congrats on the house and the K-Horns. Certainly the false corners are going to help. Don't be put off by how they look. There are a number of variations on the design and with a bit of creativity you can get them to have a compatible look with the rest of the room. Good Luck, -Tom

Jacob, I currently run my K-Horns with a TFM 15. The combination is good (not necessarily great). If there is a "C" in the name, then the unit is bridgable (the early ones were not). I am surprised that they have 4 ch ones, that might be a misprint. There will be plenty of head room and they can drive loads that need current (have a low impedance). Although this should not be a problem for most Klipsch speakers. They are also a quiet amp. Frequently the VU meters are dead. At $180 this would be an average price, they sometimes sell for about 125-150. Good Luck, -Tom

DM, Thanks for your response and diagram. The measurements for the EN 15 look a bit bigger than what I measured. That is why I was guessing it was an EN-12 (although those measurements seemed a bit off also). Have you ever had a chance to hear this series? Good Luck, -Tom

DM is certainly correct. This is a point that many folks ignore or avoid. You really do want to be on axis with the face of the K-Horn so that the cabinets are at a +/- 45 deg angle with the listener. It does make a difference. I appreciate the mods at "toeing out" the cabinet top in order to mimic this. In my case the set up would look to funky... Good Luck, -Tom

I am a little confused by the term "polish". Check the sticker on the back of the cabinet to get a hint of what the finish might be (Oil, Lacquer, or Raw). If you have an oil finish then BLO would be the right thing to use for re-oiling the cabinet, but please follow the directions since it take takes more than just a couple of minutes of effort. If you just want to get a bit of shine on the cabinet then furniture polish will suffice. However, please avoid any product with silicone! If the cabinets were Raw, they may have been refinished at one time. You can determine the finish by seeing what it will dissolve with (talk to someone knowlegible at the hardware store). Good Luck, -Tom

First serious speakers were Vandersteen 2Cs. Then I went to K-Horns. What a jump! -Tom

Thanks Chris. You might be right about the tone Brilliance & Presence knobs. I remember there were 2 holes in the back and the wires came out of one of them. These in fact may have been holes for the knob shafts. Inwhich case it may have not been set up for a outboard cross over. At the time I did not have a flashlight handy to check the front openings. I don't recall seeing a slot in the back, but I was in a hurry. Thanks, -Tom

Good Luck! -Tom

Please advise. I was out shopping yesterday and stopped by a used furniture place. Tucked away in a corner was Mahogany cabinet about 30in high by 21 wide and close to 21 deep and labeled "University" on the grill. The overall shape (looking down) was similar a "homeplate" (tapering in on the back). The only ID on it was a sticker labeled "EN 1 something". Apparently it was for an outboard crossover since there were 3 pairs of lamp cord wires going into the back labeled "tweeter", "Common" (and soldered together). " woofer", and another that had lost its label. Safe guess this is a 3 way cabinet. The guy wanted 175, but would take 125. He claimed the cabinet was from his Dad's house which he cleaned out when his parents died, and that the drivers seemed to work. I would have the option to return the cabinet if they did not. It was not a simple task to open up the cabinet (I assume it is accessed by puling off the front). So by feeling through the grill cloth, I think it is a 3 way although one of the holes may have been a port. His dad was a hi fi nut back in the 50s and this cabinet was first set up back in 1956 I already have enough speakers in my house (more than enough) and cosmetically this cabinet would need some TLC. I checked the WEB, and it looks like it is a EN 12 (although this measured deeper by several inches) so I am not sure. Any opinions, would this be a fun project (if the drivers do in fact work). I would need to do some restoration on the finish (unfortunately mahogany is tricky to work with) and it does not look like a candidate for veneering. I would also need to assemble a cross over. I am guessing that if it needed the woofer to be re-foamed or if the tweeter needed a new diaphragm then the costs could add up. Given that I have not completed my kitchen renovation and that I already have a pair of K-Horns, a pair Cornwalls, a Heresy, a pair of Martin Logans, a pair of Vandersteens, a pair of Maggies etc, you can imagine what my girlfriend's opinion was ..... What are thoughts? A bad idea or an intriguing notion? -Tom

Gil is correct, this is the displacement (read amplitude) required. Actually it is this order of magnitude and must be under some rather specific conditions. What is interesting is that if the sensitivity were any better you would now run into displacements produced by Brownian motion. Our ears really are a remarkble system. Good Luck, -Tom

Paul, I would take Colin's advice. Your choice will be determined by the levels that you need. One of the issues is how to avoid distortion and this is in turn will influence how large of an amp you will need. You are also correct to bring up the issue of matching the amp to the pre-amp. Since you bring up the possibility of a Cary, it sounds like you are willing to spend some money. There are a number of choices out there. However let me suggest a different prioritization. There are many amps that will be more than adequate. When you get into the more expensive stuff, then the differences will become more subtle. Let me suggest that far bigger gains will be realized by paying attention to issues of speaker positioning and room treatment. There the differences are very real and very noticeable. Much more so than choice of amp & pre-amp (assuming you are at a baseline of decent equipment) Good Luck, -Tom

Paul, I agree that you should listen to a pair of K-Horns in advance (making sure that they are properly positioned in the corners of the room). The speakers are very efficient and do not present a very low impedance to the amp. As a consequence you need not worry about an amp that is high powered (loads of watts) or that is high current (for low impedances). However, you need to find an amp that has a very clean & undistorted sound at low levels (less than a couple of watts). Also the unit/system must be free of any hiss or hum. The K-Horns are very revealing - they can be ruthless with mediocre electronics. These above criteria are not easy to discern from the manufacturers specs. Additionally what works with a friend's less efficient speakers may not correlate with the K-Horns. You really need to borrow and test a variety of amps. As for the tube vs solid state issue: they are both good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately there is also a great deal of religious fervor on this topic. Good Luck, -Tom

The Carver amp is an okay one (not necessarily great). I agree that the price is around $100-125. The wattage is about 75-90 and that version is bridgable. The VU meters and their lights may be a bit flaky. -Tom

Actually, these are not all that far from me, but the price is too much. They appear to be the same year as my KCBRs (1982). The seller makes a big deal that these have the alnico magnets. But I think he is wrong on that point. I don't think they were doing that in 1982. Mine are ceramic, I am pretty sure. Good Luck, -Tom

Congratulations! Those appear to have an interesting horn up top (although it is hard to see). How did you come by them? Have you had a chance to hook them up? Good Luck, -Tom