Malcolm

I assume you want the usual center channel form factor with two smaller woofers on either side of the tweeter and squawker. I am in the process of doing something similar to match my Heresys. I am using all Heresy components with the exception of the woofers. The woofers are 10" 16 ohm units of the same manufacturer, design and vintage as the original woofer. Your project is certainly viable if you can do the woodworking and use the right components. IMHO your best approach would be to start with a Cornwall II and use everything except the woofer and cabinet. Then find a pair of smaller woofers with similar sound and efficiency that can be wired in parallel or series to give the same impedance as the cornwall woofer. You might have to use different taps on the autotransformer to compensate for any difference in woofer efficiency. If you do, some changes in capacitor value may be required, too. If you want to use a bit less expensive base to build from, a Heresy II might give a closer match to your Cornwall IIs than a Heresy. You might want to check with the Klipsch parts department. They may be able to supply the Cornwall II or Heresy II tweeter, squawker and crossover. Price will be higher than Parts Express parts, but timbre match will be much closer. Klipsch components and complete speakers can also be found on eBay. You noted you are not concerned about perfect timbre match. The difference between a Heresy II and a Cornwall II may not be a problem. The difference between a Kllipsch Heritage speaker and something built from different parts might be. Have you listened to a system with a mismatched center? Unless you are a very undemanding listener, IMHO you will find it very annoying. Even if it really does not affect you, you might as well build something that matches than something that does not if you are going to the trouble of building a center. Good luck and enjoy!

I would suggest you listen to them for a while before making any changes. If you like the way they sound, they are just fine as is. Most popular tweak is probably damping the squawker horn with Dynamat or rope caulk. Next is probably crossover tweaks. You can find information on all the tweaks in the archives.

IMHO Heresys are always worth buying at the right price. $450 Canadian doesn't sound bad. They seem to go for anywhere from $350 to $500 US per pair on eBay depending on finish, condition, and who is buying what on any given day, with the rare price excursion on either side. Buying locally can sometimes get you a better price. I am not sure there is anything in particular to look out for other than the normal things: condition, sound, right drivers, etc. They are good for music and for movies. But you will need a good subwoofer for either. Five Heresys and a sub make a nice HT system. That is what I have. Or make that three Heresys and the SS-1s if you prefer that type of speaker for the rears. And, A Heresy won't do for the center because you need the center channel form factor, you'll want an Academy, KV-4, or KLF-C7.

Go for it! Don't have the room for what you suggest. Would probably do something similar if I did, except a Belle or LaScala in the center. I use 5 Heresys with a good subwoofer. Not as efficient but pretty much the same sound with a little difference between 400 Hz and 700 Hz because of the difference in crossover to the woofer. The extended bass response of the larger speakers wouldn't buy me anything because I cross to the sub before it would be of any benefit. You'll need a good subwoofer even with the Khorns and LaScalas. And FWIW I would use a single Heresy for the center in your system. Using two can sound worse than one. Just bump up the center channel level appropriately in your HT setup to match the efficiency of the Khorns. You can always use the extra Heresy for a rear center.

You might be better off with Belden 89259.

Well, the folks into esoteric speaker cables will probably disagree with me, but IMHO a good, secure splice, soldered or crimped, is not going to cause you any problems. There are similar connections already in the amplifier, run from the amplifier to the speaker, and speaker.

Welcome aboard! K-77-M has slightly higher output at high frequencies than the K-77. Otherwise the two are sonically, and with the exception of the change from an alnico to a ceramic magnet, identical. IMHO ideally you want either two K-77s or two K-77-Ms. But then, you may not be able to hear a difference. Rebuilding is cheap if you can solder. An new diaphragm can be had for around $24 plus shipping from places like Simply Speakers. It will be more expensive from Klipsch. BTW it is also generally considered a good idea to replace the diaphragms on both tweeters at the same time to keept them sounding as much alike as possible.

Craig, These would almost certainly make you 1985 Heresys sound worse. The E2 crossover (I think that's what is in them) is designed for the components in your speakers. The HIE crossover isn't.

Don't know for a fact there were not any Mid Ts that weren't 16 ohms. But the few that have come through my hands have all be 16 ohms (12-13 ohms DC).

Ken, Even Nevada ain't what it used to be. You guys have to license your machine guns nowadays. And how I miss the days when you could do 140 on the open road and not be bothered as long as you watched those "Speed Zone Ahead" signs.

Boa, From what I hear, building inspectors only find out about most problems when a neighbor reports them. So, unless you have a neighbor who knows what you have done, thinks it is a problem, and is POed at you, you should have nothing to worry about About the only other way they would find out is if you were to get a permit for something else that required an inspection.

I don't think the issue is power from the amplifier. It is inherently current limited. Protection circuitry should kick in, or transistors should fry, before even a dead short would cause the speaker wire to catch fire. But then, I once read a report from someone who had telephone wiring catch on fire. I think the issue is that the type of insulation on the clear speaker cables will support and feed a fire cause by something else, wherease the rated cables are designed to minimize this. Kind of like using nonflammable materials, or at least materials designed to minimize the spread of fire, for insulation and roofing. One thing to consider... If do you have a fire, and the insurance company thinks something you did that violated code had something to do with it, you may have trouble collecting. I assume your metal conduit is properly bonded to the electrical system ground?

Timbre match is best achieved by using identical speakers. Or by using speakers built with the same components, at least the same tweeters and squawker. Or by using a center channel designed by the manufacturer to be timbre matched to your mains. Or at least by using speakers from the same manufacturer and line. Others have already pointed out the center channel speaker Klipsch recommends to go with your mains. Another possibility would be to use another SF-2 if you don't need the center channel form factor and video shielding.

Boa, it applies to crawlspace, walls, attic, etc. Some areas, like plenums, have stricter requirements than others. Justin, the whole purpose of an electrical code is safety, so by definition if something is not to code, it is not safe. Now, how unsafe is it? Well, IMHO its certainly not nearly as bad as violating code with your 110V service. If you have concerns, I suggest you talk it over with your electrician if you haven't already.

Uh, do you have to do this every morning?

Wow, you can legally build a house without a permit in parts of Texas? I guess that would explain why there would be no building inspector. How does the county figure out you improved the property so they can up your property tax bill? Very different than here in the Peoples Republic of California! Nevertheless, I'll bet your county has directly or indirectly adopted an electrical code and you are subject to it. Many municipalities and counties adopt some year's version of the National Electrical Code (NEC), usually with a few modifications. And in some states, electrical codes are adopted at the state level. The potential issue here is that under the NEC speaker wire in the wall, or permanently installed elsewhere in the house for that matter, is no different than any other low voltage wiring. It is considered class 3 low voltage wiring and requires the use of appropriately rated (CL3, CL3R, etc.) cables. I don't think I have ever seen speaker cables with clear insulation like yours that are rated. All the rated speaker cable I have used or seen has a jacket. And all rated cable is marked with the rating on the jacket. Rated cable is designed to minimize the spread of fire. All the clear stuff I have seen is not and burns very nicely. If it is not a code issue in your county, it is still a safety issue. Also FWIW I would have used twisted pair in that application to minimize pickup of noise. But that is a moot point unless you wind up replacing the wire.

If the Yamaha works well for you now, I think you will be OK. However, although I eschew tubes for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is convenience, IMHO I have to say that a decently maintained vintage tube tuner will run rings most solid state ones in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, etc. It may, or may not, sound better to you.

Two KG4s for free is always OK. Try them and see how you like them. They are not really a match for the Cornwalls, but you may find them OK as rears. It all depends on how critical your listening is. If you don't like them, you can always sell them and use the proceeds toward something in the Heritage line to match your Cornwalls.

Now if we could just get cats to stop throwing up on carpets... Cat door in the subwoofer, cool! Got to try that!

Both the horn and driver are from University. Horn is 4401. Driver is Mid T. I don't recall another part number for it. Horn and driver usually show up together.

Uh... I think I see an electrical code violation. That 12 gauge speaker wire in the wall doesn't appear to be appropriately rate cable for in wall installation. Building inspector in Texas let you get away with that?

Have patience. They do show up on eBay from time to time. I bought one, and later sold it, there. It is possible one could show up this week, or it may be several weeks. But rest assured, one will turn up. Why not just create a saved search and let eBay notify you when one is listed?

Its also possible that one or both of the leads to the voice coil could be open while the voice coil itself is OK. If so, it may be possible to repair them.

Response is rolling off pretty good, something like 3 to 5 dB, by the time you get down to 50 Hz. Setting them to small is appropriate. I run my Heresys set to small and crossed to the sub at 80 Hz. I would cross a little lower, but my receiver doesn't have that capability built in. With Heresy or Heresy II, you really need to send the lowest frequencies to a subwoofer or another speaker that can reproduce them.

Thoughts... If both speakers weren't in exactly the same spot when you measured them, it is possible that identical speakers might measure differently. If they were in their normal listening positions, did you try swapping them around and measuring again? Output of the same model tweeter can vary. This is just manufacturing tolerances. I don't think 1.5 dB is out of the question. If you buy a new one, there is no guarantee it will fix the problem. I doubt you actually hear the difference in level. This is not to say there isn't one, or that you don't hear some kind of difference between the speakers, just that a 1.5 dB difference is less than most humans can detect, particularly beyond the normal voice range. If the tweeter difference is real and audible, and the speakers otherwise match, you could just pad the input to the louder tweeter with a resistor.