DavidF

Custom cabinets have the advantage of a different look and getting away from a big box appearance. You should follow the internal volume and the baffle width of the original and the relative positioning of the drivers. I have a pair of Heresy models that were originally black-painted veneer with moisture damage and split corners. Sounds like you are mostly dealing with surface issues. Once the corners were squared I sanded down the existing veneer to provide a proper gluing surface and also show up any adhesion problems. The original veneer was very tough and well installed. I refaced them with new veneer. Taped off the veneered side, bottom and top, and repainted the front and back panels. Took my time and spent a few weekends on the project but it turned out very nice.

Having the mid or high horn drivers connected out of phase of each other between the systems could result in mucky imaging. Any reason to think that the connections from the input terminals to the driver terminals may have been altered?

If your Forte xover assembly is similar the Heresy II you will need to do some soldering in tight spaces to get the terminals out. But this was otherwise a perfect fit. http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=090-475

Sound reflections inside the enclosure can bounce between parallel surfaces. More so the mid range and above where the waves length are shorter. Reflected sound can combine with a reinforcement effect called standing waves. Standing waves can reflect back out through the cone and enclosure to have an audible effect. It can serve to boost the perceived sound level but really this is a form of distortion. The foam pads can absorb some of the bouncing waves between the parallel walls. Damping the enclosure can go to the extent of trying to capture all reflected sound. This seems like a logical design goal but the effect on the radiated sound can actually sound constricted and lifeless in the extreme. So, we are left with another balancing act. The early Heresy had no damping material at all. I guess the intent was to use the extra energy to bolster the sensitivity of the system. My Heresy IIs have a wedge of foam (similar to your KG2) to squelch some of the energy.

Correct, Roger, I seem to have answered a question not yet asked. Guilty. If, down the thread a ways, the question is asked why horns are not more universally used in speaker systems- fully knowing the advantages of lower distortion and greater bandwidth (is that correct?) over a direct radiating driver- I will join in with a more positive contribution. Then I might try to explain that while many, including me, prefer the benefits of compression drivers and horn loading, there are design difficulties involved with horn driver applications.

Unfortunately, this little bit of info is the tip of the iceberg. If it seems compression driven horns are the end-all be-all, it ain't necessarily so. Horns have their own faults and inherent problems. Limited bandwidth and diffraction issues are big ones but hardly the limit of pesky design considerations. It takes a real "man" to tackle horns in a domestic environment. So remember that about PWK.

Consider a trumpet compared to a horn and compression driver combination. A musician blows air through compressed lips to cause a vibrating sound. This high low-displacement but high- pressure sound from the mouth does not amplify well into the air but rather disperses as the well known buzzy raspberry sound effect. The trumpet mouthpiece is cup or cone shaped which acts to further increase the pressure and then channels the sound waves into the horn itself. Blowing into the mouthpiece outside of the horn will produce a higher pressure sound but still very low displacement that does not couple well into the air to produce a louder sound wave. Add the horn and the high pressure wave/low displacement sound wave is gradually transformed into a low pressure but high displacement sound at the horn mouth. That low displacement buzzy vibration at the mouthpiece is now a full bodied growl at the mouth of horn that is capable of moving quite a bit of the air as the sound wave launches from the horn. So too is a low displacement but high pressure sound wave pushed through the compression driver and phase plug able to move a far greater amount of air as it exits the horn.

I can't imagine they would compete with the Heresy too well. They were best further out from boundaries, had a better balance top to bottom, much more robust in the bass reponse 40-80Hz, could handle a lot more power, go louder (given the amp headroom) and cost more. The Heresy could get louder with a low powered receiver, was available in less expensive finish and provided a good value at the cost of limited bandwidth.

I like the idea of getting back to the original woofer K-33 or K-34. The box is tuned for that driver and so is the crossover. Further, you have the original spec drivers which will add value if you decide to sell them down the road. So for about $150 or so for new horn parts and $150 - $250 for woofers plus your sweat equity on the cabinet you will end up with a solid investment.

Sorry, yes I meant the controls on your amp. I asked in order to confirm your preference for the high boost in treble and base. Klipsch speakers as voiced in original form are not known for being treble shy. Your hearing loss could indeed reduce the upper octave and maybe even the below 10k hertz. But that aside for the moment from what I am reading into your posts your previous speakers were either outrageously bright or perhaps the high range horns on the Fortes are not working. If the tweeters in the Forte are up to spec and you still feel the need for the boost then I am not certain any form of "upgrade" is going to deliver what you expected. Same with the bass side. Point is that if the Fortes are up to spec to begin with you may not be looking for an upgrade. More of total re-design, right?

Do you mean that you have the preamp Bass and Treble boost controls full on and this is your ususal listening preference? David F San JoseCA

Thanks, Dr. Who for posting this reference. I never understood the presentation for this spiral imedance plot. Yes, Audio did a full analysis of the KHorn but I can not recall the volume reference. DavidF