jhawk92

Mr Paul was certainly a fan of swimming. While in Hope for the book signing, I got to see the pool where he did so many laps. I think it is exactly 1/44th of a mile, but I might be wrong.

Frank- Ok, makes sense if SVS is helping you out as good as they are. I'll be interested in your thoughts between the CS+ and the Ultra. I'm leaning towards the CS+, but if the Ultra is that much better, maybe I'll reconsider. Happy to help with the PM feature.

Uncle- I am just down the road from you...welcome to the Klipsch area. TTK is right, for your KG 3.5s, you would be best served by either the KV-2 or KV-3. Personally, I'd go for the KV-3 as it has a bit more of everything the KV-2 does. While I don't have the same mains you do, the KV-3 served me pretty well between a pair of Forte IIs. You are correct about center channel matching. I have gone through the KV-3, KV-4 (made for Epic series), and now have the Academy and it is amazing the difference between the three speakers. By all means, find a matching center, or maybe you can find another pair of KG 3.5s and use one of them as your center. You will be impressed with the difference a timbre-matched front trio will produce!

Frank- Check your PM...

Arrggh! Why couldn't you have posted this time last week? I was in DC on business and would have loved to hear this sub, as it is one I am seriously looking at. Are you selling the sub with the amp, or just the tube?

Great pics. Someday, let's try and get together to audition our different systems. I'm certainly in love with my Academy, but if a modified Quartet makes a difference, then who knows.

herff- Those KG2.2s are good speakers. You certainly wouldn't have to start over, depending on your budget and what you want to accomplish. As TTK mentioned above, you could use those as your mains, grab a pair of KG 1.2s off the web, add a KV-2 or -3 (designed for the KG series) and a sub and you'd have a very good system for not too much money. That said, if you wanted, you could certainly pick up a pair of Quartets/Fortes and then move the 2.2s to the rears. I have Forte IIs/Academy across the front and a couple pairs of KG 1.2s for surrounds/rear center and it does very well. It all depends on how much money you want to spend and how bad you catch this HT bug. jhawk

Mr84- What price are you looking to pay for them?

MBM- Congrats on the upgrade. Depending on the price, Fortes can be a great bang for your buck. And, if they are oiled oak, and your buyer's remorse gets the best of you, then I might take them off your hands! It's been a long time since I auditioned the KG4 vs the Forte II, but from what I remember, the Forte blew the socks off the KG4. Sorry if that offends some, but that's just my opinion. One thing you might be hearing is the KG4 is a 2-way speaker while the Forte is a 3-way; horn tweeter and mid, big ole woofer for bass. I think they are "more better enough" for the upgrade. As far as an amp...lots to choose. I am partial to Denon; started my HT with a ProLogic unit and upgraded to the AVR-4800/POA-5200 combo for 7.1 HT and I love it. You would probably do pretty good with the AVR-3802. It's got 7x110W, so plenty of power for the Fortes; DD, DTS, ProLogic II (I'd love to have that option), and 5ch/7ch stereo option, which is great for "surround" music from CDs. I love that setting in my HT, and basically prefer that over 2-ch. But if you are wanting that, then the 3802 should have both a 2-ch and a "direct" function. Direct disables all video circuitry for the "cleanest" sound. Truthfully, I can't tell any difference. The 3802 retails for about $1K, but you should be able to get it less. Other folks are partial to Yammy, and I hear good things about the H/K. Maybe since I have only had Denon, I don't recognize any out-of-the-ordinary brightness. Play around with some amps and I bet you'll fall in love with those Forte IIs!

Mr84- The Chorus is an incredible speaker and you would certainly enjoy them very much. As Doug said, they have a 101dB sensitivity, so it takes very little power to make them sound good. Your KV-3 would do fine as a center. I have the Forte II, the "middle" brother in the Chorus/Forte/Quartet line, and had the KV-3 for about 8 years. It is quite a good center. I upgraded (more like cross-graded) to the KV-4 about a year ago. It's a good speaker, but a bit brighter than my Fortes. Then I got the Academy, and it was just right. That's one speaker that won't be leaving the house anytime soon! If you can find the Chorus II at a good price, get 'em!

I'd say with your current system, the KV-2 is fine. If you upgrade your mains, then I would also look at upgrading your center. Otherwise, if you are looking to get the TV, you should be fine. I am waiting for prices to drop as well. I like the 6.1, or in my case, 7.1 for HT. Granted, there aren't many movies out that take advantage of that yet, but it's nice to be a bit "future-proof" especially in this day and age. I really like the extra speakers for music.

Agent- Yeah, looks good, especially the 4802 and the 2800 combo! I'd love to get the 4802 with the PLII, but can't swing it right now. That unit should allow you to set your surrounds independently, with delays and levels to match your system and their locations. I don't see that you should have any problems.

UNC- As Kain said, there is always the upgrade bug. I, too, am looking at upgrading my TV; I still have "only" a 27" tube. But, I do have the sound part of my HT pretty well set. Your KG 1.2/2.2 combo is very nice; I have the 1.2s as my surrounds/rear center and they do great. The KV-2 matches nice with that system. If you wanted to stay in the same line, you could certainly upgrade the 2.2s to something like the KG4, or KG 5.5s. Then upgrade the KV-2 to the KV-3 and move the KG 2.2s to the surrounds and keep the 1.2s for a rear center if you ever go that route. Most of the speakers I have mentioned are on eBay quite often for pretty good prices. That would allow you to upgrade with a minimum of $$ outlay. However, you can always step up a notch or two and look at Quartet/Forte/Chorus/Cornwall or some great used Heritage speakers; LaScala, Belle, K-horn, but those are pretty expensive. And if you must have new, then get the new Heritage as they roll off the line. I don't know much about Yammy components as I am a Denon fan, but make sure you have DD 5.1 and not just ProLogic. That was a big upgrade for me and well worth it. My Denon also has a 5-ch/7-ch stereo option which I love when listening to CDs. Nothing like being surrounded by good music. However, there is nothing wrong with your current system. It just depends how much money you are willing to spend and if you have a wife/girlfriend who doesn't mind big speakers, as anything else you get will be bigger than what you have now. The 2.2/1.2 combo is a great middle-ground, good sound from smaller boxes. Enjoy and let us all know what you decide to do. I think many of us live vicariously through others upgrades.

I hear ya' Tony...hope they come out with the OO! After seeing your K-horns and Belles in that finish, I was in love. Some of those would match up great with my Forte IIs. BTW, the pair of OO K-horns in Wisconsin that were on Audiogon sold pretty quick. The owner had posted here about 1-2 weeks ago and gave the BB folks first shot. I would have loved to get those, but he wasn't willing to ship and I couldn't rationalize driving that far, at least right now.

Miker- Those are great speakers. I certainly love my Forte II's which are basically the same as yours, but with a 15" passive driver in the back instead of your 12". Shape and Doug are correct about the matching center channel. I have used all three; KV-3, KV-4, and Academy. If you can find it, the Academy is the way to go. It is a perfect match across the front. Otherwise, it would be a tough choice between the KV-4 and the KV-3. The -3's are more readily available on eBay than the -4, and usually go for about $150-200. KV-4s can be $300-400. The KV-4 is brighter than the -3, as it was made for the Epic series. The -3 was made for the KG series. Overall, I think I would take the -3 over the -4. I used the -3 in my system for almost 8 years and enjoyed it very much. I upgraded to the -4 and used it for about a year, and when I got my Academy, it was true love. Only then did I realize what was missing (not a lot, but noticable) from the KV-3 and how bright the KV-4 is (again, not a lot, but noticable). If you have a bachelor pad or an accepting wife/girlfriend, you could use another Forte or a Quartet, the Forte's little brother, as a center. However, you have to be careful as the Forte is not video-shielded. And it's a big speaker to hang from the wall/ceiling. But I can imagine it sounds great. I am very pleased with my Academy, so I don't see the need to annoy the wife anymore than she already is. As far as subs, while having never heard SVS, they have great reviews. I have the Paradigm PW2200 and it is an outstanding sub for the money. For about $650-750 you get a 250W powered sub that hits deep bottoms very easily, yet is very musical. If you do a search here, there should be a thread that discusses measured output for that sub; I don't remember the stats right off, but I think you can get to 20-25Hz with good output very easily. You certainly wouldn't go wrong with the 2200. Enjoy!

Boa- I agree with what you said; it's what I did with my PW2200. But I got to thinking (dreaming actually, since I'd love to get a SVS CS+ or two), it would be pretty tough to put the tube on my sofa and not have it fall over. Not near as easy as the big cube of the 2200. Ah, I wish I had those problems...

17- I have a Denon AVR4800 which has the 5-ch/7-ch stereo function and I LOVE it. It is not at all distracting when I am sitting in the sweet spot and having 7 speakers playing the same source; almost like being at a concert. I would agree, DSP modes with "stereo" music is very distracting; the receiver is changing what you are listening to. But with the Denon, it does not do any processing, so you get the true sound. Every now and then I try out 2-ch or even "Direct" mode, but I feel that without the other 5 speakers, I am missing out on the full experience. And yes, Mr Paul does have a Belle centered between two K-horns and it sounds wonderful. I truthfully didn't pay that much attention to the electronics driving the speakers, as I was engrossed by the sound, but I do know he has a Mcintosh. I don't think there is anything wrong with multi-channel music.

Mike- I have a pair of 1.5s in the "light oak" if you are interested. They are in great shape, but the finish is several shades lighter than the OO. LMK.

Bloomis- I have the Forte IIs (Academy center) and currently run two pair of KG-1.2s for surrounds and back center and I am very pleased. I am looking at getting a pair of Chorus IIs and will put those in front, move the Fortes to the surrounds, and keep one pair of the 1.2s for back center. I like having the two speakers carrying the back center, especially for 7-ch music! While HornEd is correct, if you have the room then 6 identical speakers is best, but those 1.2s are quite fine and I'd check them out.

Well, since I am a firearms enthusiast (or non-PC, a gun-nut), I'll throw a few thoughts in. Here is a link that discusses the nickle tax on all ammo in CA. http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/sh/news/california/stories/news-cali fornia-133884520020329-180357.html One more way liberals want to disarm the populace and not rise up against them. Ok, on to better things. I love Ruger for their revolvers and .22 semi-auto pistols/rifles. We have several of each in the family and they are great shooters. For larger centerfire calibers, I am preferential to Beretta, H&K, and ParaOrdinance, though I do own a "pre-agreement" Model 4006. On the rifle side, not much can beat a Remington M700. I have two, .223 and .308, and they are both tack-drivers. Both are outfitted with a Burris 6x24 Signature Series scope. I have taken my one and only elk with my Winchester M70 in 30.06. Yes, this hobby is my other money pit. Now, what I need to do is set up some Klipsch speakers in the basement reloading area!! HA! And this is post 357, just like my Ruger!!! This message has been edited by jhawk92 on 04-08-2002 at 12:10 PM

HornEd- Happy to provide an account of the event, even if it was a bit delayed. There were several BB folks who couldn't make it, and it would have been fun to meet those of you who missed out. I'd love your easy method for posting pics. I have about 5-6 from the actual signing and I did take a few of individual speakers inside the Klipsch home. I certainly know Austin tried hard to talk Miss Valerie out of those zebrawood Fortes! I can believe all the copies were snapped up at the signing, as there was a steady stream of people for the whole afternoon. I'm glad I was there. Yes, it was a great time visiting with Tony and his family. Since neither of us have heard the horn/tube combo, we don't know what we are missing. Hopefully some day we will, but then it could lead to the next version of upgraditis. I didn't think Mr Paul had tubes in his home setup, but since I really didn't study it much, I could be mistaken. fini- Now THERE is an idea!!! Why didn't I think of that. Of course, it would have been pretty hard to get a pair of OO K-horns into the overhead bin on my flight home. Tony- There were more speakers??? I would have loved to see those Fortes and Quartets!! Oh well, guess it gives me a reason to go back. JMON- Thanks for the heads-up about NMSU. We had discussed the plexiglass K-horn on Friday night and wondered where it was. Now I have a mission if I'm ever in Las Cruces. My brother was at Los Alamos for a couple summers and I visited him there; great Mexican food in Santa Fe, so I'd be willing to try more!

All- I am having some trouble uploading the pics from the PWK book signing event, so I wanted to at least get the trip report out before it got too late. I wont bore you with the details of my flight and subsequent drive down to Hope from Little Rock, but suffice it to say it was uneventful. I got to Hope about 30 minutes before the signing, so I just started to mix and mingle with the crowd as it was gathering. I got to meet Phil H and Bob G from Klipsch-Indy. Trey Cannon also was there, and according to Bob and Phil, he "cleans up" pretty good; he had a suit on and looked very dapper! I finally got to meet Tony Reed as well, and we all had a good time just discussing all things Klipsch. Also in attendance from the BB were Austin Baker and John Gegg. We all swapped stories about what got us hooked on this "horn" obsession and how we cant wait for the Heritage line to open back up. Finally, the show got started and the Mayor of Hope gave a nice speech what Mr Paul and Miss Valerie meant to the surrounding community. Miss Valerie was up next and spoke about the book and what it meant to both of them to actually have it published. As a side note, only Miss Valerie was at the signing, Mr Paul remained at home. Both authors, Mike Klementovich and Maureen Barrett, were in attendance and Mike had some eloquent words about the Klipschs and all the hard work that went into the book. By the way, both authors have been bitten by the Klipsch bug; Mike has a pair of LaScalas and Maureen cut her teeth on Cornwalls and now has LaScalas!! While Gov Huckabee could not attend, he did send someone from his office, a Hope native, to congratulate the Klipshs on their accomplishments. Last, but not least, were the Dean and Assistant Dean from the School of Electrical Engineering at New Mexico State University, Pauls alma mater. In case you didnt know, NMSU has named the EE school in Pauls honor for all the gifts he has given to them over the years. They also brought a video from their latest awards banquet and on it, everyone wished Paul a happy 98th Bday! Miss Valerie closed the remarks and we all jumped in line for the books. They sold like hot cakes and for those in attendance, Miss Valerie, Roy Delgado, and the two authors autographed the books. Roy is Pauls right hand man and has worked extensively with Paul for the past 15 or so years. He has also helped Paul design the Jubilee. There were probably about 50-60 people for the speeches and many more came later in the afternoon for books. Fortunately, Tony had it arranged for us BB members to go over to the Klipsch house and get to meet the man! Miss Valerie was already there and welcomed us into her house with great warmth. "Please, make yourselves at home," was her phrase for the evening. It was quite a thrill to wander around and see all the pictures of Paul, his model trains, patent models of the K-horn, etc. But then there were the speakers!!! A pair of Belles in Miss Valeries office. A pair of Zebrawood Fortes in the dining room, a couple K-horns from the museum, and the living room system; two Walnut K-horns with a Belle center! We stayed for a few hours, listening to the speakers as we just chatted away with each other and members of the Klipsch family. For me, the highlight of the evening was getting to play Richard Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra" on Mr Pauls pride and joy! I had forgotten how good the K-horns are and it felt like I was in a concert hall! The much-anticipated plant tour was not to be, as the Indy folks had to leave that evening. But I had a great day on Saturday, as I went over to say thanks for everything and "author" Mike was there, along with Lee Booles, Miss Valeries grandson. We spent the morning just talking speakers, lots about the book, and did a "drive-by" of the new Klipsch shipping facility, the factory, and the Klipsch museum. By this time, "author" Maureen was at the Klipsch house, and Miss Valerie rounded us all up and we went out to lunch. She is quite an amazing lady and kept us all entertained with her stories about Mr Paul. After lunch, we all went back to the Klipsch home and just talked more about the book and how the authors got interested in writing it. I left in the mid-afternoon as I had set up another audition session, this time with Tony Reed who lives up in Little Rock. We met up for dinner and had a delightful time with Tony and his wife and daughter. We then went to their house and I got to see some of Tonys horn collection. He has a pair of nearly everything Klipsch has made, all in my favorite finish, Oiled Oak. We spent several hours trying out different combinations of speakers with all sorts of CDs. It was quite an experience for me; getting to re-visit with the Chorus II; hearing Cornwall IIs for the first time, and probably the highlight; listening to four OO K-horns with two OO Belles as center channels. It certainly re-awakened my desires for a pair (or two) of Mr Pauls most famous speaker. We both did a bit of wondering what K-horns would sound like with tubes, but that will have to come some other time. So, it was quite an incredible trip for me, and while I was a bit disappointed not to be able to see the factory on the inside, this was an event for Mr. Paul and Miss Valerie. I was extremely pleased I was able to be a part of it, and I cant wait for the next trip down to Hope. Oh, and since I know some of you are wondering, I didnt pick up any factory deals, nor were there any pawn shops or yard sales overflowing with Klipsch speakers. I think the folks there in Hope know a good thing and dont ever let it go! Thanks for taking the time to read this long post. Hopefully I can get the pics to load soon. I didnt take to many, mainly because I was just enthralled being in the environment. This message has been edited by jhawk92 on 04-06-2002 at 08:06 AM

I'll second what Tony and Doug said. I've listened to all three in this line; Quartet/Forte/Chorus. All three are great speakers, and for that price, I'd jump at the Quartets, if they are in good shape. You will be pleasantly pleased with them. I would agree, I like the Q's a bit better than the Heresy.

Edwarde- Ah, so you were the one who got those. Congrats. I was watching those, just for fun. You got a great price. You will certainly enjoy them, as I have enjoyed mine, in OO. Let us all know how they sound once they are hooked up!

Kain- Don't take this the wrong way, but you just got the 4802...why would you want the 5803?