Lyons
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Posts posted by Lyons
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PM sent with intent to buy.
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Thanks Budman! Label didn't come through so I post it here.
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I kinda wish Andy HDBRBuilder was around to offer a clue on the builder code M P.
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Speaker label and stamp of serial #.
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Here's the upgraded crossover, labeled AK-2R - The "R" was clearly stamped after the original manufacture.
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OK, pix... been a while since I've done this, bear with me... First a shot of one of these, gorgeous to me, book matched veneers in spectacular shape...
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By the way, they sound great.
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Just got my new to me Khorns home. Utterly gorgeous, almost minty KB-WO's. One mystery: Their actual year of manufacture. Here are some data points from these beauties:
1. Split crossover, AK-2
2. Monster wire throughout
3. K-55-M mid driver
4. K400 mid horn
5. Factory installed fuseplate/banana plug speaker input on bass bin
6. Factory wall-seal on the tail
piece7. Serial number with a "T" in the year code on sticker
8. Same serial number is stamped into the wood
9. This indicates 1979, but all the above indicates 1983 or later??
Seller got these from an estate, with no knowledgeable person to help. All I can think of is that these were taken back to the dealer for installation of one of Klipsch's factory upgrade kits long after purchase. Ideas?
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Can't wait to get my hands on em... I am so very happy to be putting my corners to use!- Chris
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Nice vid! I play primarily vinyl, restored Thorens TD-124 matched with Shure V15vxm into a Bottlehead Seduction/C4S tube phono stage, McIntosh c33 preamp and Wright Audio Mono8 300B monoblocks. Not to come off likeTom Brennan, but there is something of a Skilsaw vibe about the mids/highs of these La Scalas. Again referring to Mr. Crites, he commented that some diaphragms on K55v's can fatigue over the decades, producing something like what I'm hearing.
Good info on the horn sub option... I'll look into it.
Chris
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Odessyrevolver, you asked about the difference between Cornwalls and La Scalas. Here's what I wrote on that six years ago:
I posted a little while back about the wonderful La Scalas I scored last
year, and how great they sound on my tube-based system with the rebuilt
A/AA crossovers from BEC. What wasn't so great was the size or the
color match of the veneer on the Scalas, as they looked in our house. So
when a near-mint set of OO (Oiled Oak) Cornwall IIs showed up on eBay
within driving distance from Austin Texas I grabbed em. All original,
perfect looking black grilles. Hooked them up and loved the sound.
As
anyone who is familiar with these two speakers might suspect, the bass
on the Cornwalls hit me immediately, and was fantastic. I appreciated
the new authority in bass drums and in the tone of piano music... The
balance of the sound is awesome. But I felt I was losing something at
the same time, in comparison to the Scalas.
Anyway, over the
next three months I swapped out the big Cornies for the even bigger
Scalas no fewer than four times. Just couldn't seem to make up my mind,
since these speakers sound so very different from one another. Hard to
believe they share so much technology. Could I make myself happy with
the rich deep bass and balance of the Cornwalls, especially with their
gorgeous appearance? Or did I just have to have the clarity and
"indescribable wow" of the Scalas? One thing for sure, with a new baby
on the way I couldn't afford to keep em both, and schlepping them in and
out of storage was getting old.
Finally I am there: The La
Scalas are permanently installed in my den, and I have some extrememly
nice 1986-vintage Cornie II's available for sale. (The scalas are
permanently there until I have corners appropriate for Khorns, that is).
I will take some pictures this weekend (which will require again
pulling them out of storage), since the finish on the veneer deserves to
be seen. -
I'm the OP. I have these beauties in place (small listening room), in the corners but toed in a tad. They are quite gorgeous, with a quality of material and assembly better than any speaker I've seen. You cannot feel a seam at any junction of any of the pieces. Factory walnut colored lacquer and original grilles, all in mint shape. Boy I lucked out.
I will need to do something about the bass, but not what I'm seeing in this thread. The sub I'm using is fine for the frequencies below around 60 hz, but the upper bass (I'm guessing from around 200 - 400 Hz) is weird sounding, one note, distorted, headache inducing, etc.
Another issue: The squawker/tweeter combo is shrieking at me too. In the 10 years since I've had La Scalas did my hearing change that much? I really tightened up the screws on all drivers (BEC said in a post somewhere it was as effective as putty for damping horn ringing), and that seemed to help some.
I'm looking into the Bob Crites CT-125 tweeter replacement together with his 4500/A crossover replacement. Reduces the work the K55V has to do and improves the highs (and taps them down a bit as well - not a bad thing in my room). Clearly the incumbent crossovers need refreshing in any event, and the price for this combo is less than most drop in replacement crossovers. Any thoughts on this? I do have some primative room treatments in place, and will tweak and listen, listen and tweak...
I'm making it sound like I don't like the speakers... not at all! When things are dialed in, that spooky "you are there" thing that I remember so well is happening in a big way. I realized this in particular when I spun a Rolling Stone record I don't even like that much, It's Only Rock n Roll, and I kept thinking how incredible Charlie Watts was on every track. It's the La Scalas talking. I don't know why folks think they can't rock...
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Yes, I may not be able to post here correctly (accidental double post, image weirdness), but this is not my first rodeo, or my first pair of La Scalas. Bass sounds good right now, but I know enough to already have the subwoofer waiting in the wings for when I can muscle these upstairs. They are sounding great right about now as is...
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They are from 1979, are factory lacquered baltic birch (walnut stain), and have a level of joinery/craftsmanship I have never before seen on a speaker. And they sound great too!
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By lucky accident instead of selling my Cornwall IIs last night, I
traded them straight up for these. To say I'm happy would be a big
understatement. Now I have to find room for all these durn spkrs.
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By lucky accident instead of selling my Cornwall IIs last night, I
traded them straight up for these. To say I'm happy would be a big
understatement. Now I have to find room for all these durn spkrs.
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As someone who owns both I can share my vote for the Chorus II. Excellent bass, superior detail and clarity. I am comparing my unmodified Chorus II against a Cornwall II upgraded with Crites networks and selenium tweeter diaphragms. For me the Chorus is just plain better.
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Double plus one on the C33. I just retired my TAD-150 in favor of an AudioClassics refreshed 33. Anything but dull and lifeless. The Mac preamps took a great leap forward with this model...
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As I have used and enjoyed Heritage and Extended Heritage speakers over the past years I have usually quickly updated the crossovers. On the Cornwall IIs I also installed Mr. Crites' esteemed titanium tweeter drivers. They do sound great, but I am beginning to wonder if some original Klipsch "voicing" isn't being lost by updating components which still have life in them.
No one could argue with replacing 25+ year old capacitors, or malfunctioning tweeter diaphagms, but my Chorus IIs are only sweet 16 and have no driver issues I can detect..
I think I'll follow Stephen's advice and listen intently for a month or two before changing a thing.
Chris
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Another quick pitcha
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I'll spend some more time blabbing on this at a later post, but I am geeking out of control over these AWFUL NICE 1993 Oiled Walnut Chorus II's I brought home yesterday. CraigsList been berry berry good to me. Very, very nice shape. Consecutive serial numbers. Just the color I wanted. And the music... Running McIntosh SS and the CHII really know how to make the most of the power.
In the past ten years I have moved through (in rough order), KSB 1.1's, La Scala, Cornwall II, KHorns, KG.4, Forte I, RF 7, Heresy, Cornwall I.5, Cornwall II (again), Forte II and now, finally, these Chorus II's.
They seem to combine everything I like about all the best Klipsch flavors: Distinct detailed music but without grit or edginess, great "scale" (big stuff sounds really big, small stuff sounds small), low distortion/high sensitivity, and that thing that happens with drums... like no other speakers. They make Radiohead swing and Beach Boys soar.
Ya never know exactly when and how the upgrade bug will sting in the future, but this feels like where I've been heading for a long time.
Wheeeee!
DeanG modified AA crossover for Khorn, Bell, or LaScala
in Garage Sale
Posted
Excellent! Thanks.
Dean, I will be contacting you for any advice you may have about installing these AA's in a Khorn to replace the current two-piece AK-2's.
Chris