Cody_Mack

A young guy I work with has been talking about these Khorn clones he got from his dad. Today I finally went and looked at them. They were in pieces, but I observed the following: The bass bin does indeed very much resemble a Khorn bass bin. It is constructed with (looks like) low-grade plywood, but looks true to form. There was nothing on top of the bass bin but off to the side he had these huge horns with drivers attached. The tweeter(s) that they had been using was nothing close to anything you would consider as horns, or anything else associated with Klipsch speakers. So, while I would not consider these Khorn clones, looks like they have potential. I am interested in the mid-horns/drivers. Although not much to look at (not in the best shape), they look like they are capable of some impressive performance. Maybe someone here can tell me a little about them: Altec 802-8G driver mated to an Altec 511B horn (metal) Rick

While searching to see what the heck a Tangent T-5000 is, I came across this site: http://www.geocities.com/klipsch.wanted/ Is this guy in for a long wait, or are prices for classic Klipsch coming down? Rick

Bass is overlooked by the average listener. Non-audiophiles probably cannot name one bass player, except maybe Sting, or McCartney. The bassist is like the offensive guard or tackle; he carries a lot of the load, but gets little of the glory. He must accept that role and, at minimum, keep his band going on the right track song after song and night after night. But some bassists will step out of that shell and create a technique and sound all their own. Some are all over the fret board and some are content with doing the basics. Some do the basics very well; sometimes, less is more! In my listening, I listen for string technique; that is, the emphasis (loud and soft, soft but loud, etc.) the player puts on each note. I listen to a lot of Latin Jazz of late; most of that music portrays the bass instrument exactly the way I want to hear it. It is adequately audible, yet subtle; and with the right reproduction equipment it just sounds so natural. I love bass; pure bass. But if the bass is not recorded well, or if my system cannot accurately reproduce it, I had almost as soon do without. Granted, my current system does not do the last word in bass, but what is there sounds very natural and pure to me; albeit it may be missing at least one octave at the bottom. I cannot stand much of today's music because the bass is grossly overdriven. Bass should accompany the music, not dominate it. Congratulate your son for choosing this instrument. My tip for him is to work on string technique. That is, knowing how hard to pluck the sting at any given note to produce the sound that will make the listener smile. Train your son to listen to the bass from the Khorns and LaScalas; seems to me that the horn-loaded bass of these loudspeakers would better emulate the natural sound of the instrument. Happy Playing, and Listening! Rick

PM Wardsweb; he built one http://www.wardsweb.org/audio/gainclone.html Rick

I could post a pix of my Cherry H III's if you wanted. I think the Cherry is nice and warm and interesting looking. The light gloss lacquer is a splendid finish also. Here is my Heresy III setup (Cherry). I have had mine now for 2 months - and man - your are in for some good sound. These babies just get better and better. The bass is getting fuller, smoother and deeper. That is with Heresy, I would expect Cornwall to be rock solid in the bottom. They are stunning on live music, try Eva Cassidy - Live At Blues Alley. Eva is there right in front of me. And they are family friendly you don't have to crank them to get full dynamic sound, and saying that - I have not used my Sennheiser HD650 since these came into the house... Use a good tube amp. I'm running a 2x6,5W SET amplifier - its enough. Feed them with jazz, big-band, blues, they do deliver. Expect a good long period break in time. How my HIII will sound in a year I don't know, except from not worse... I'm one of those happy Klipsch customers... Nice post, and very nice setup/room! And, yes, Heresys/Klipsch love tubes!

Believe it or not, out of all those channels, I get all the music I need from less than eight channels. That includes one deep album rock, one blues, one country, two traditional jazz, one modern jazz and one Latin jazz. The Latin Jazz channel, next to Deep Tracks, is my favorite but is available only online; that is why I am so frustrated with this conection issue. Yeah there is one heck of a variety, but IMO, most of the channels overlap with much of the same content. They (XM) seem to cater to the masses with programming that matches up with what you hear on your local FM station. Clear Channel has their hand in there so what do you expect. I will not elaborate but will just say that much of the formats don't fit my tastes. Me, I signed up for XM to get away from the crap that is force-fed to us over the airwaves. I have a choice in what I listen to, so I will exercise that choice. And no screaming car commercials! Rick

I dont think connection speed is an issue. I consistently test download speeds over 8Mbps and upload at over 2Mbps. For a 64kbps stream, that would be an extreme overkill. I am beginning to suspect the new router I bought, but I really dont know why I say that. I am able to listen to other streams without this issue. I am thinking about bypassing the router as a test and connect the cable modem directly to the PC. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> I have installed Winamp, which has a few (sample) XM channels included with the bundle; strange thing is that Winamp will connect all of those (XM) channels immediately. I am not sure how the Winamp (XM) feed works? Maybe they receive the SAT feed and then stream through their servers? Rick

XMRO = XM Radio Online. The satellite feeds are fine, the online service is what I am having issues with. Thanks

Sorry if this is OT for this forum; I do listen to only 2-channel so I guess it is appropriate. I am having problems listening to XMRO and wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same issues? I listen to XMRO through Windows Media Player or the (browser) player on the XM web site. About half of the time, when first launching the player, it will connect after several seconds of buffering. It will play for a while with maybe the occasional skip (which has been a problem for the three years I have had XM). However, when changing channels or just refreshing the stream (the infamous two-hour limit), a lot of the times I cannot reconnect to the stream. It just hangs on Buffering: 0%. The player is still active as far as updating the channel info, etc.; it just wont stream. Sometimes it will eventually start up after several minutes, and sometimes it will eventually display Stopped. If I keep clicking on a channel, sometimes it starts buffering and then playing and sometimes it just starts playing right away. If there is any interest, or someone with a similar problem, I will post more details. I already posted on the XMFan forum and got zero replies. Seems like with 50,000 users SOMEONE would have experienced the same problem. Guess they are too worried about the latest O&A shenanigans to deal with technical issues. Rick

That's funny! I do the same to my dog when he "rides to the store" with me. [*-)]

Where are you now. Are you still in Houston? I bought my 1983 Heresys at Home Entertainment, years before they went 'corporate' on us; they are now Tweeter. I was in the Tweeter store a while back, and I asked "where are the Klipsch speakers?" They replied, "we don't sell those anymore, 'cause stores like Best Buy sell them now and we wouldn't want to jeapordize our high-end image". Well, looky here at Tweeter's latest offerings: http://www.tweeter.com/category/brands.asp How ironic is that! But they will sell Bose! Rick

I have the 33uF recently removed from my 1983 Heresys. One of them still has the fork lugs and the other has plenty of lead remaining to re-terminate. My speakers sounded wonderful before I replaced the caps, and they sound just a little better now. I used all Solens; just wanted to refresh them because they were about 24 years old. Let me know if you want the old caps and I will mail them to you. Rick

Strunz & Farah (I have Best Of, which is HDCD recording) Al Di Meola California Guitar Trio Ditto Jesse Cook Ditto Steve Howe Ditto Jimmy Page Rick

Yeah, Walsh is pretty good, evidenced by his success. I have several of his records and enjoy them very much. But one of the greatest guitarists of all time? Nah. He is a good musician, composer and entertainer. Reminds me of that recent Rolling Stones' top guitarists of all time; just one man's (or group's) opinion, that many music fans disagreed with wholeheartedly. This video reflects what I said in my first post. You can clearly see/hear who is the lead guitarist and who is the back-up guitarist. That's all I was trying to say. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAD58YH2KdY Rick

Bring back Don Felder; he was the real guitarist of that group. Too bad they had a falling out... Saw them (post Felder) in Houston a couple years back...tickets pretty pricey, but these guys are a class-act, very professional. Never was impressed with Walsh' playing, but he can rock out a croud. Good show! Rick

Dtel's WIfe, I thought that the diamonds in the Anniv. Khorns was all that was needed to achieve total and complete WAF?[] I am in Austin, and anyone is welcome to listen to Klipsch at my place, but alas it is only vintage corwall II's right now. I am going to Hope on Friday to listen to a pair of Jubs, and so I might have a pair of those in the near future, but we shall see. Travis Luck Dog ! [Y]

Paul, <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Although most will agree with your statement about elevating the Heresys, I have to say this will depend a lot on the listening room and the total sum of your equipment. In my case my listening room is the study/computer room, rather small at 10 x 12. Due to room furnishings and/or obstructions, I have found a very nice placement is with the cabinets elevated to where the tweeters are close to ear level. They are on custom stands with no tilt. They are pulled out slightly from the corners to clear some of the room obstructions. I may be losing some (potential) bass response but I dont care because I use a sub-woofer. It is an inexpensive sub that I robbed from the HT, but it blends in nicely with the Heresys. I will upgrade the sub(s) soon for an even more refined tone. I must say, however, that I gained a little better bass response with my recent cap replacements. On lots of music, my system sounds VERY nice for what it is. On 90% of what I listen to, I dont consider the Heresys at all harsh or shrill. On some recordings, yeah, you are reaching for the volume control. But that is true with everyones system, right? And yes, tubes transformed my system to the next level (or three) compared to what I traditionally used. I am starting to make some progress with my back injury/treatments, so I would like to have you over soon for a listen. Maybe in a week or so. BTW, what is the name of that record cleaner that you use? And could you share your recipe for the fluid? Rick

Yes - Live From House of Blues Yes - Symphonic Live Allman Brothers Band - Live At The Beacon Theatre Eagles - Hell Freezes Over I don't have many but these are all recommended. Anything YES does is top-notch IMO. Ditto ABB. I have of late become Jazz fan, so Diana Krall is on my list. So is Allison Kraus Rick

Thats a valid comment. There are a couple of points to consider: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 1) The Heresy is not going to produce a lot of bass wherever you put it 2) IMO, I get better results in the midrange and treble with the speaker up at my face level 3) The volume of the bass will definitely suffer, but I feel that the bass it does may have a more pleasing tone 4) My listening room size, layout and furnishings drove the decision to elevate them, and I like the result If I didnt use a sub it might be a toss-up on placement. But since I am using the sub, I will trade off the lack of lower bass for the improvement in the mids, highs and overall presence. Rick

'Buckster - the Heresy is definitely a large speaker in a small box. They do what they do very honestly and very well. Not the last word in bass; that is why, like you, I use a sub just barely tweaked in. Like my sig says, this setup is perfect is my smallish listening room. Also, the very best tweak I did is when I switched to tubes. Horns love tubes! Rick

While I did the upgrades a couple of days apart, I did not go to any extra effort to A/B them. Just left them in their normal position connected up normally. It's hard to compare that way as you get different sound coming from left and right channels. I am not hearing a drastic change. Like I said, they were sounding very good with the stock components. I guess what I am hearing is akin to doing a scheduled 100K service on your car. It's definitely going to run better, and you get the peace of mind that you did the right thing. What I want to do eventually is take it to another level with some high-quality parts. Rick

Thank you. I will give them a listen for a while. Heck the last upgrade took 23 years! You are up very early. You want those Horns really bad, don't you. Let me know if I can assist with that effort. Good Luck! Rick

That zip code seems just a little fishy also. 77002 represents downtown Houston. Not that many 'houses', eh? i guess you could have K-Horns in a high-rise condo...why not? I would also be interested as they are right in my back yard; however, i just dished out my latest savings on a 'handy-man's special' speaker project. More on that later. Rick

I have upgraded the caps in my Heresys; finally, after about twenty-three years! Not that I really thought they needed it. They sounded wonderful with my 2A3 amps. I didnt go with anything elaborate; bought Solen caps, on price and I guess they are somewhat popular and recommended. I also wanted to do it just to get my feet wet with some more DIY; a little scratch build, if you will. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> I had to sort out mounting for the caps, especially the 33 uF, which is huge; much larger than the one that came stock. I guess because of the voltage rating is the reason it is so large? The 400V is the smallest I could find in the Solen. I removed the stock terminal strip; and replaced with a solder strip. All the wiring is now point to point; that is, soldered and no mechanical connections. I have a hard time seeing how the terminal strip using compression lugs and screwed connections is a good idea. Anyhow, about the sound: I believe the treble has opened up some. My speakers are elevated; about 22 to the bottom and the tweeter is slightly lower than ear level while sitting in my computer chair. I had recently changed them from sitting on (1) a sort of end table and (2) a filing cabinet to now some nice speaker stands that I picked up at the LSAF. I had not yet gotten used to that sound difference at about the time I did the crossover mods, so I am not sure what I am hearing. But I definitely think the highs have opened up. Seems like I am hearing slightly better imaging and possibly a little more depth in the stage. I think what I mean is that there is more air around each instrument. Heck, I am still just learning how to listen to music, and I am having a blast with it. Also I think I here a big difference in the sound from XM Radio online; now that is saying something! Now for the bass. Damn if they dont have some now! I am not sure if I like the flavor of it yet, but there is definelty more bass there. It does seem a little clunky; not real smooth, if you will. It is not muddy or boomy, it sounds more like something is just slightly overdriven or distorted. Will that get better and smooth out as the caps break in? Anyhow, I am excited that I pulled this off and they played music on first power-up. Now I want to take the next step. I guess I would definitely gain some sonics by upgrading the choke with a high quality air-core. What do yall think of the copper foil inductors? And that other transformer; I dont understand its purpose. I believe I have heard it called an autoformer? How do I upgrade that one? Anybody have recommendations for the 33 uF cap? A boutique cap in this range could be very expensive. Does it really matter, as this cap is doing low end duty? This has probably been discussed a few times over already. Just say so and I will do some more searches. I just like hearing other opinions. Thanks, Rick

FYI http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/bottlehead/messages/119570.html