Frzninvt

Some classical and jazz music has content in the below 30Hz range. Why settle for a subwoofer that cannot cover/accurately produce the lowest octaves of bass. I would certainly not drop $1200-$1800 or more for a subwoofer that could not reproduce the lowest octaves of bass, what's the point! I am going with folks that truly know loud sub bass, automotive SPL competitors! I will be designing a sub that will have the ability to reach into and reproduce the lowest octaves of bass at high SPL's yet still be quick and musical. Sealed enclosures will work best, since porting and using passive radiators limit you to the port's cut-off frequency or the tuned radiator's response. While the sealed enclosure will take more power to reach the SPL levels of a ported or radiated enclosure it is more controlled and less sloppy, and it will certainly reproduce signals lower than 20Hz. There are a ton of automotive subwoofers that could fill that task. Decisions, decisions.

My point was that the KSW-15 is not a terrible subwoofer and their certainly are better subs out there, I do agree that the RSW-15 is better subwoofer but not by leaps and bounds. I do not rely solely on the KSW-15 I have DBX Dispersion Drive Subwoofer being fed by a 250 Watt per channel DBX amplifier which helps the KSW-15 keep up. Since the SVS subs are dominant on the low end and RSW-15 smooth when it comes to musical detail it is apparent that I have to build a custom subwoofer with multiple high quality drivers to reach my sonic goal. I have already started the planning for it, I am working with people that fully understand sub bass so hopefully it will meet my expectations.

Well you know what they say opinions are like ***holes everyone's got one. I don't think my KSW-15 sounds bad at all when it is set up correctly (i.e. crossover point, vol level, placement) any sub can sound crappy when not correctly set up. In the subwoofer reviews and testing, the RSW-15 did not significantly beat out the KSW-15 in terms of clarity or overall output in any given frequency enough to justify its substantially higher cost. It's response below 30Hz was poor! Properly set up and placed the KSW-15 does sound good! I know I have one! Most of the people with opinions on them probably don't own one and only heard it briefly in an audio store (hardly the correct environment). However, I will comment that the build quality is not what I would expect from a Klipsch product. I have had to silicone the port back in place (loose) and the trim ring on the woofer. If I were to purchase another subwoofer as much as I would like to keep my system mostly Klipsch I don't think it would be a RSW-15. The SVS subs will beat it hands down in the reviews that I have read. I have pondered the idea fo having one custom made and run with one of my large power amplifiers. There are tons of awesome subwoofer drivers out there to choose from. Good luck with your decision.

You could always use a La Scala as the center, in fact I know where there is a single right now. Or you can split a pair as previously mentioned. I use a La Scala center with my Belle's and find that it blends seamlessly. Good luck in your quest.

I love the drum solo from "All the World's a Stage" Neil Peart is nothing short of incredible. One of the best drummer's on the planet for certain. The beginning of YYZ when the chimes seem to bounce from channel to channel before the bass notes kick in is awesome. Bruinsrme I am in Vermont and I have enough speakers and power to make you feel like you are truly there! I can expand the dynamic range as well since some of the signal from DTV is compressed and with 5 adjustable bands of impact restoration the drums hit you in the chest like a rubber mallet. Love Rush, hard to collect all their albums they have so many! I do have a good amount of them though

Klipsch has the copper name plates available for like $2.40 or so I think, with $5 shipping cost. I got one for my single La Scala, I actually ordered two of them which was a good thing because one of them was not stamped out correctly it had the "p" chopped off. One call to Klipsch and they had another pair out to me in no time. I used one of them and still have another, you should be able to get them from Klipsch if not email me and I will set you up with one.

If your wife saw all the components and speakers in my living room, she would likely say that I need immediate therapy. I do spend a good amount of time wheeling and dealing and searching the internet for desired components. However as previously stated it is healthier than bars and strip clubs. Plus I am investing the components hold their value better than a lap dance.

Jeff, For a short time I did have a Yamaha M-80 running my Belle Klipsch'es. The only reason I parted with it was to acquire two matching DBX BX-3MkII 2/3/4 channel configurable power amplifiers which more closely matched the theme of the Home Theater that I wanted to put together. I loved the Yamaha M-80 and have been very tempted to purchase a trio of the MX-1000/1000u amplifiers but I have been very pleased with the DBX amps. The DBX amps are more flexible since they can run in 2, 3, or 4 channel configurations making them ideal for Home Theater set-ups. You cannot go wrong with the Yamaha M-80, M-85, MX-800, or MX-1000/1000u they are extremely clean and clear amps and provide all the class "A" watts that you would need to get your Klipsch speakers "loud!"

Hey anyone try the old Luxman SS integrated's and receiver's I am certain they would be on par with the HK's performance wise. I have heard Luxman paired with Klipsch in the 70's and it seemed to work well. Anyone tried any older Luxman stuff w/Klipsch. I sure would like to have some of their tube gear, very nice stuff.

Awesome!, I have a '78 La Scala for a front center what a difference over the KV-4 I had previously. Seamless match across the front, tremendous dynamics, detailed & articulate dialogue what more could one want. I got a great deal on the single La Scala and was able to sell my KV-4 for what I bought the La Scala for. Enjoy!

Are you parting with the Belle's to finance a portion of your Home Theater? I would use them as part of the Home Theater unless you don't have the space or room to use them. You don't know what you would be missing with the Belle's filling the role of the mains in a HT set-up. Add a pair of Heresy's to the rear and a KLF-C7, KV-4, or Academy or even a Heresy for a center channel and you would have a HT speaker system that you blow you away. You don't need a monster A/V receiver for them to sound impressive either. If you are determined to sell them and not include them in your HT I am sure you will find a buyer on this BB. Where are you located? What are the S/N's of the speakers, finish type, grill color, etc. Posting a photo would draw more attention for sure. Sad to hear that you won't be using them as the forefront of your HT system, you will be hard pressed to find anything equivalent today.

I would leave subwoofers on the floor for optimum performance you will lose low end having them hoisted in the air. The floor has a coupling effect.

Why not use older Yamaha M-80, M-85, or MX-800, MX-1000U amplifiers they have tremendous build quality and run Class A up to about 30 watts what more could you want, tube like sound out of a SS amp. They would match the theme of your HT perfectly. They are always available on eBay. I run three outboard 2-channel amplifiers off my Denon with fantastic results. The puny power transformers in even the most expensive receiver's cannot compare to an outboard 2-channel amplifier. The yamaha amps I mentioned all have dual power supplies in them so they are like dual mono construction.

Kevin, yes the angle made a big difference it is significantly lighter than the other one. It did not appear so with the frontal shot. I got the samples from Wendell Fabrics and the cane grill fabric that I saw was virtually identical to the fabric Klipsch used. I don't recall any red in it, the direction of the smaller strips of cane was slightly different from the original but other than that it was virtually identical. I can see were it would be difficult to work with and get even, so I can understand your fabric choice. Definately add the Klipsch logo though the brass badge would look nice with the lighter shade of Oak. You do very nice work!

Nice, but it does not look a whole lot lighter (shade wise) than the other one. Did you get that grill cloth from Wendell fabrics? It does not look like or very similar to the original Klipsch cane grill cloth. I want to buy some of the cane grill cloth they have to redo my center La Scala but I would need to buy 2 yards minimum which is much more than I need for the small patch on the La Scala. Very nice work though!

Uh! Am I missing something or is there no photo here? I am interested to see how they turned out.

That Academy may have been damaged before even being shipped to you. Another BB member purchased an Academy on a BIN on eBay the guy wrote him back and said his son had dropped and damaged it. Then a few weeks later it popped up on eBay again at a higher price. Who was the eBay seller? I do recall the auction, it may be the one that I am thinking of. I am also not sure who the BB member was. Does the damage to the carton coincide with the damage on the speaker. You may have been cheated! I would look into it further. Can you post a link to the auction listing?

You aren't really going to gain anything from applying a thin layer of insulation to the interior of your Chorus II cabinets. The Chorus II uses a passive radiator (drone) to extend the low end bass. Adding fiberglass, dacron, or cotton batting to the interior of the cabinet will cause the internal sound waves to reflect slower fooling the woofer into thinking it is in a larger cabinet which is not a good thing when it was acoustically design to be coupled to the passive radiator with a specific set of internal dimensions (acoustic tuning). Your idea would work in a sealed enclosure with no passive radiator (drone). You might just end up muffling the bass response. If your objective is to dampen the internal cabinet walls to deaden them I would use Dynamat or other similar material. However the Chorus II enclosure is pretty solid an does not really require extra dampening. However, anything you add to the internal walls of the cabinet is robbing you of the original internal volume required for optimal performance. If you are dead set on improving something look to internal wiring or binding post or capacitor and coil upgrades. Even these changes could possibly lead to negative results. You must understand the R&D, testing, and evaluating that go into a product before it is introduced to the market. Your best bet is to sit back, toss in a CD, DVD, or record album have a cold beverage in hand and just enjoy. If the Klipsch engineers thought the cabinet would have benefitted from additional batting they would have done it.

A clogged or sticking PCV valve would have symptoms similar to what you have described. If that does not do it, when was the last time the O2 sensor was changed. Both of these things would impact idling and performance. Check the air filter as well make sure that is free of debris and air flows freely through it. Hopefully the spark plugs have been changed recently as well, and don't use Champion, they do not hold up. Just a few more suggestions.

Congrats Jim! Were those the ones on the Recycled Audio website? If you want to trade them for a beautiful pair of Belle's after you fix them up please let me know. I would be interested.

I just got lucky and found a DBX BX-2 Configurable Power Amplifier from a guy that just sold his Chorus I's on eBay. So I would like to offer my 3 DBX MPA-150 Split Spectrum Mono-Block amplifier's up for sale. They are rated @ 150W RMS per channel into an 8 ohm load. They are capable of 4 Ohm operation as well. This is a very versatile little amplifier and can be run in various combinations and can even drive a subwoofer it has a internal crossover and subsonic filter. I am looking to get around $125 apiece if anyone has any interest. If not it's off to eBay they go.

I feel pretty confident that I will never ever see a Heritage speaker at Best Buy so I can still consider myself "Elite"! Woo Hoo I'm somebody now! I hate to be an ***hole but I still only consider the Heritage line as the true Klipsch speakers. Anyway who the hell cares where the speakers are sold it certainly is not going to degrade their performance in anyway. If you are worried about status, dump the RF5's and get some Forte's, Forte II's, Chorus, Chorus II's, Cornwalls, La Scala's, Belle's, or the Mighty Klipschorn, no one would dare reckon with you then.

I am a firm believer in soldered connections wherever possible. Crimp on connectors can possibly come loose, ad resistance and the less different types of metals that you have in the speaker wire path the better. I rewired my Belle's with 12GA OFC Monster Cable as the old zip cord had become stiff and oxidized. I also replaced all the spade lugs with gold plated ones that terminate at the crossover and treated the connections with Caig's ProGold. I even replaced all the short leads on the crossover itself. I even removed the small terminal block that was housed between the horn and bass sections and applied generous amounts of epoxy and silicone to ensure a goos seal. I can't they there was a huge difference in sound, but I felt better that everything was fresh. Just food for thought!

Those look like the ones that were on eBay briefly and then pulled. Are you in Oregon? They look just like them. I saw them in the completed auctions section. I love my Belle's mine are Oak Clear (lacquer finish) with cane grills. The sound is awesome mine are a few years older though (1980) but they have the "AA" crossovers and the K-55V's with the soldered terminals. I am sure they will provide you enjoyment for years to come.

Well they don't refer to Phase Linear amps as "Flame Linear" amps for nothing. My suggestion would be to get rid of the Phase Linear amp first! If the Cornwall II cabinets are not to severely damaged I would replace the burnt up drivers/melted horns and restore them to serviceability and use them with a different amplifier. If you are set on parting with the Cornwall II's I am sure that you will find some takers here on this BB. How bad are they? Can you get some photos of them that you can post or email? Where are you located? Hard to replace the sound of a Cornwall, maybe purchasing a used replacement pair would be an option. Cornwall I's would work just as well if not better. Please let us know what you decide to do.