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I had not considered the possibility of the pre-amp making a difference. With the Marantz I have adjusted the tone controls to favor the low end. Do most pre-amps also offer tone controls if needed? Does all of the Emotiva products sound "lean"? Other than Emotiva, what other bang for you buck brands should be considered?

Would that not be the same as just turning up the main volume control?

I have a thread started in the 2 ch,"more bass at low volumes". Some interesting ideas/opinions. I have thought about the eq route as well as other sound processing devices that should enhance the bass. I did used to run a sub when I was in a single family house but I am know in a town house and fear that it will just be too much. Thanks for the advise.

I originally was driving my Chorus IIs with a Marantz avr rated at 125w per ch and then upgraded the power to an Emotiva XPA-5 rated at 200 per ch and according to Emotiva closer to 250 per ch when operating in 2 ch. I can say that the extra power does make an improvment from top to bottom especially at increased volumes. My only issue is the want for greater bass at a lower volume and am currently working on that issue.

The Pioneer is in the garage because it is an old Pro-logic receiver and has an internal fan that never shuts off! I do use the loudness button with it especially if the garage door is open. The Marantz was just fine for my KLF-10s but was thin with the Chorus IIs. The Emotiva makes a huge difference in sound quality and in bass responce at a higher volume. I would consider moving the CIIs to the garage and bringing the 10s inside but after living with the 3-way and specifically the mids, I don't feel that I could go backwards. I agree about the sub and my neighbors but I am going to look at a SW-8 tonight just for giggles. The price is right and just maybe....

A very good source, thanks

I am trying to track down an upgrade for my 15 year old sony alarm clock. I would like something that could deliever above average alarm clock audio with possibly an Ipod dock. What is everybody using?

Thanks for the input on the subject. I did try JB's option of turning down the treble vs turning up the bass. I found that -3db on the treble along with +2db on the bass did make a noticable difference, but not quite enough. I have thought of adding a sub but because I live in a townhouse it might be a little much. I was surfing and came across a product called a MaxxBass 102. It uses sub-harmoics to give the impression of more bass and is one button defeatable for when I do want to listen at a louder volume. I would guess I listen at a higher level only 10-20% of the time. Does anyone have any feedback on the MaxxBass product?

I will give that a try. The bass adjustment seemed almost non existant but with the combination of the treble I would expect more impact.

I am using the 8500 avr. It is several years old now with a bunch of sound processing options but none of them hit the spot.

The Marantz does not have any type of loudness feature. I also have a Pioneer in my garage system also has a loudness switch and it works great at low volumes.

Hello all. I am looking for some feed back on how to achieve more bass at a low volume. My current system consists of a Marantz receiver used as a pre-amp, Emotiva XPA-5 amp, and Chorus IIs that have had the BC crossover cap updates. No sub is used. At higher volumes the bass is plenty but at lower volumes it seems to disappear on most tracks. On some disks it is present but I would say they were recorded bass heavy. The tone control on the Marantz does not give enough boost and I am not sure of what freq the bass is tied to. The mains are set to large and no sub is selected. A sub is not a prefered option as I live in a town house. Thanks for the feedback.

I have recently moved into a townhouse and have limited options for surround speaker placement. The side walls are not really an option as the dimensions of the room will make them be mounted at different depths in the room and the back wall is roughly 16' behind he listening area. I am considering going with an in ceiling solution for surrounds. The front stage is Chorus II's with and Academy center. Can anyone share their experience with in ceiling surrounds including placement in relation to the main sitting location? Thanks for the advice!

Several months ago I attended the AXPONA audio show in FL. I was able to talk to one of the Emotiva reps for an extended amount of time. We discussed my current equipment as well as what I would expect if I added one of their (or anybodys) amp to the system. I can say that I was very interested in the XPA-2 to drive my Chorus II's. The Emo rep recomended not gonig with that amp because of the potential hiss. If I recall right, he stated that the amp ran on an extremly high "rail voltage" which would create the hiss factor in highly efficient speakers such as Klipsch. He stated it would only be audible during a 0 noise floor during a recording. His suggestion was to go with the XPA-3 or XPA-5. He explained the design of these amps differs eliminating the hiss. The actual un-published 2 ch specs for the XPA-3 are 250 wpc at 8 ohms and 400 wpc at 4 ohms, 20-20k. This brings the power rating into the XPA-2 range in 2 ch although I am sure the XPA-2 would hold certain advantages. The bottom line for me was a great improvment(with 0 hiss) with the addition of the XPA-5.

Hey Joe, when I was using my Legend series I also used the CHT-15. Nice blend, big boom. The only one of the CHT series to use a current sensing feedback circuit to reduce distortion. Very good reviews. The grill on mine is also in need of tlc. You can go with the semi industrial look and put a metal grill on it. Parts express sell several versions.

There is a good chance that the Sony is not compatible with a 4 ohm load. An external amp could solve the problem but if your parents are anything like mine, too many boxes-all that stuff. Maybe shop for a used 4 ohm compatible receiver. Selling to your parents? Charity starts at home!

Jason, I have read enough on this forum and else where that support your opinion. Over all I am more or less in agreement. But when you open up the cabinet and see those tiny wires, especially going to the woofer, and when you are holding the woofer in your hands and know that it accounts for approx 1/4 of the 86 pounds of total speaker weight....... It is hard not to drink the kool aid!

Today I picked up a new to me set of Chorus II's in black. They were originally posted on Ebay, and after contact with the seller, picked up semi locally for $400. Decent condition, 8/10 cosmetically with most of the wear and tear on the risers. During the inspection/demo I noticed the terminal cups had been modified for bi-wiring. The seller was of the opinion that it was factory but obviously not. A very nice gentlemen who is more of the Audiogon type who had picked these up used in Tampa. When I got them home I opened them up to inspect the work and found other modifications. Beyond the bi-wiring option, the internal wiring had been changed out to all drivers to what appears to be 16 gauge, all connections were solidered, the woofer bypass cap had been removed from the pc board and relocated directly on the woofer terminals and the capcitor in the mid circuit(6uf) had been replaced with a much larger cap rated at 5.6uf. I opened up my other pair of Chorus II's to examine the crossovers on them, stock and that was the only differences found. I will say the originals are wire with 18 gauge and it looks small when you compare it to the cabinet and drivers. I can feel another upgrade coming! My question to the experts out there is the change in the cap will obviously change the crossover point for the mid. It has been a while since electronics school but my belief is if the cap value goes down, then the crossover frequency goes up, basically turning on the mid at a higer freq and letting the woofer carry more of the lower mid range. To me this would sound like the exact reverse of what you would want this speaker to do. Opinions/education please.

I'm sure there are amps out there that my new newer Emotiva XPA-5 sound weak. But on a low budget and for HT use as well as 2 CH, it made a huge difference over the avr. I will not make another upgrade until next time!

I have both in my living room now and have switched back and fourth between the two with an avr and now a higher power amp. Both sets are stock. with the avr my preference was the forte IIs but with the new amp I prefer the Chorus IIs. The avr was rated at 125 wpc and the amp is stated to put out 250 in 2 ch. Where the volume levels are pretty much the same between the amps the sound is not. I would say the Chorus IIs have more presence and just seem to deliver the music smoother. I did prefer the F IIs with the avr, I would believe that it was due purely to it being fuller on the bottom end. With the new amp that is not the case. As far as pure loudness, specs would tell you that the C IIs could out db the F IIs, but either would play louder than I would care to listen.

Certainly not wanting to egg things on here but I do have a question. One strong opinion here is to keep the capacitors as close to stock as possible. At the sametime the tweeter diaphragms in the cornwalls have been changed to a Crites. From all that I have heard that changes the sound, and imho, the voicing. Looking for a brief Education, Thanks in advance, Happy Easter (that may break the forum rules)

I can't speak about the KG line but I sure do like my Chorus II's. They do need a fair amount of power to bring out the bottom end. I was not happy when I pushed them with a Marantz avr rated at 125 wpc but when I upgraded to a Emotiva at 200wpc(250 wpc in 2 channel mode) it made a significant difference from the bottom to the top. I believe the speced center channel would be the Academy. $650 is certainly not a steal. Others should give a better price point, I tripped on mine for $325 and they are in great condition.

I believe that they are best matched with a $5,000 pair of Chorus II's.

That is more or less what I am talking about. Several manufacturers built pedistals to bring their smaller/shorter speakers to a proper height. Atlantic Technology 8200. Others have buillt into their pedistals offering different configuarations of this. NHT had several models like this and I think M&K also. I would think you could buy a raw driver, sub amp, build a box to spec that matched the Heresy in width and depth so that the H would sit on top. The H is now off of the floor and bass should not be an issue.

Has anyone made a stand/pedistal for a Heresy that looks something like Cyclone's but built a sub into it for the low end support? I would think that something like would get the Heresy off of the floor with the benifits that it may afford and also make it a true full range set up.