wwh

I'm guessing any adjustments you make will be very room dependent. There is a software tool -- Room EQ Wizard (REW) -- that can be used to measure the response in a room and create an "ideal" EQ. I don't have any experience with it, but others here have. I use a software-based active crossover (BruteFIR) for my Khorns and added a little EQ, tuned by ear, to attempt to get some increased extension on the bottom end. I found that more than around 6dB boost below say 30 Hz resulted in clipping even at moderate volume levels. I eventually settled on the following levels: 20 Hz +4dB, 22 Hz +4dB, 25 Hz +4dB, 28Hz +3dB, 31 Hz +3dB, 34 Hz +3 dB, 37 Hz +2dB, 40Hz +1dB To really get that bottom octave (16Hz would be nice for pipe organ) a sub is necessary. Maybe someday... - Bill

You'd probably really like the Grado sound. And as Wrinkles said the SR-60 and 80i are less than $100. Although they both come with on-ear pads, there are many mods available to address their somewhat less than ideal comfort. You can replace the pads with Grado's own circumaural "L-Cush" pads for $20, or use more complicated adapters and such that accept other pads. - Bill

If you haven't already, check out Head-Fi: http://head-fi.org/ and my favorite headphone dealer, HeadRoom: http://headphone.com/ A few things to consider -- Do you plan to drive these with the headphone output on your laptop, or do you have (or want) a separate headphone amp? Do you need reasonably good isolation from ambient noise, or do you listen in a quiet environment? I'm not familiar with the sonic character of the Image2, but my personal preference is for around-the-ear open-back headphones that have a reasonably neutral sound, leaning towards detailed. I'm a big fan of the Beyerdynamic headphones and do most of my listening on DT-880s. I have the 600 ohm version, which really needs an amplifier, but they are also available in lower impedances. If you want better noise isolation, Beyer also makes several closed back models. Some quick generalizations about brands (my own opinion, based on listening to these manufacturers' higher-end around-the-ear models) -- Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - great price, great sound. Strong bass, but not obscenely so. Excellent comfort and noise isolation. May be a little sweaty. Beyerdynamic - Excellent comfort. I've listened to DT-880, DT-990, T-1, T-5p, and their new Custom One Pro. The Custom has a clever adjustable "damper" that acts like an acoustic equalizer, allowing adjustment between closed-back and open-back. The DT and T- models tend to be detailed and revealing. The 990s are more bass-heavy. Sennheiser -- Outstanding comfort. I've listened to HD-598, HD-600, HD-650, and HD-800 models. My favorites are the HD-598 and HD-800. Sound leans slightly toward the dark / warm side of neutral. AKG - K701 and K702. Good comfort, sound somewhat darker than Sennheiser -- less detailed than I'd prefer. Grado - I've listened to the SR-60, SR-225, and PS-1000 models. Of these, only the PS-1000 is around-the-ear. All have very detailed mids. I found the PS-1000 to be a bit bright in the treble, and they didn't fit my head very well. The pads are conical, so depending on the size and shape of your ears, they may or may not fit well. Audez'e - the LCD-3 model is the second best sounding headphones I've ever heard. Cushy pads, but uncomfortable on my head (too much clamping force in the jaw area). Hifiman - I've listened to the HE-500 and HE-6 models. Both very neutral and transparent. Similar to the Audez'e in design and sound, but more comfortable. The HE-6 model is notoriously difficult to drive -- some even drive them from the speaker outputs on a power amp. Stax SR-009 + HeadAmp Blue Hawaii - Best I've ever heard -- comfort, sound, transparency, detail. But a little spendy - $11,000 for the setup. - Bill

Halide Design Bridge - http://www.halidedesign.com/bridge/

The web site's a little clunky. If you select Products from the top, then (the clue) loudspeakers from the left-side menu, it links to a PDF of the specs: (the clue) specifications On a related subject -- What about some of the Klipsch "bookshelf"-sized speakers like the RB-51 / 61 / 81? How do these behave when placed relatively close to the wall? With or without a sub? - Bill

Another model you might consider is (the clue) loudspeaker from Sjöfn Hifi. It's a small 2-way design that I thought had much of the character of a single-driver design (the woofer covers a very wide frequency range). Their low frequency extension is amazing considering their size. The catch is room placement. It's designed to go close to the wall, toed in 22.5 degrees, 20" from the floor. (the clue) - Bill

Dave -- You have PM.

Hmmm... I see a list of 5 files, named Sound 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 (.wav). Download results: Sound 3.wav -- Completes (290 MB) Sound 4.wav -- Always fails at 15.7 MB / 284 MB Sound 5.wav -- Completes (50.5 MB) Sound 7.wav -- Always fails at 5.0 MB / 301.8 MB Sound 8.wav -- Always fails at 306.0 MB / 340.4 MB There's something strange about the web page as well. In Firefox (version 13.0.1), clicking on the file names or the Download button did nothing, and the browser-based player (HTML 5?) doesn't work. The Epiphany browser (Webkit) works, though. In any case, thanks for sharing this. I'll see if I can figure out anything else with Firefox on my end. Your St. James Infirmary recording has become one of my favorite demo tracks. I've brought it to RMAF the last couple of years and received many questions and compliments. I think the best I've ever heard it, in terms of realism, was on the Vandersteen Model 7s in a large suite. - Bill

Not as shiny as some of the thermionic equipment, but here is the inside of my Outlaw 7075. - Bill

Three PCs, all running Linux -- Music storage server running Ubuntu 10.04 server and Squeezebox Server. Also serves the music library via NFS to: Primary workstation (Ubuntu 10.04 x64 desktop) feeding my headphone setup (CEntrance DACmini -> Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm). PC in the listening room running Ubuntu 10.04 server and my DSP / playback software for the Klipschorns. - Bill

My impressions were very similar to yours, especially regarding the tightening of drums and other low frequencies (See thread: Active crossovers in software) Before you switched to the active crossovers, were you using the original 1980 crossovers? Regarding amps -- if you decide to replace your Crowns, you might look at some of the home theater amps. I'm using an Outlaw 7075 (very low noise, plenty of power for Khorns), and Emotiva and ATI (who manufactures the Outlaw amps) also have multichannel amps that would be ideal for a triamp setup. - Bill

JBL Hartsfield (at least Classic Audio Reproductions' version -- never heard the real thing) Cerwin-Vega D series DCM Timeframes (the fabric-wrapped ones from the '80s and early '90s)

I thought of PWK's BS buttons when I saw those buttons. They're from Precision Transducer Engineering -- they make some refrigerator-sized active speakers with an 18" sub on the bottom and a Tannoy driver with upgraded (TAD?) HF compression driver on the top. I noticed some more "mainstream" brands than at previous RMAFs, including Hsu, Polkaudio, and Martin Logan. Now if only Klipsch and Magnepan would show at RMAF... [] And I think they were using a ~$100,000 pair of Audio Note amps. I listened to a couple of tracks in this room. OK, I guess, but the price is absurd. - Bill

Harman had the JBL 1400 arrays at the show, and Home Audio Sound (JBL distributor) had a really nice setup with the DD66000s and Mark Levinson electronics. There were also the usual Acapella and Classic Audio rooms with horns. I didn't see any Avantgarde this year, though. - Bill

Constantine Soo did a Klipschorn review around 10 years ago on the Stereo Times site: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/5860/40626.aspx