slovell

Ordered the Crown this afternoon from Amazon Prime, should be here Friday. I guess I'll get on BJC's website and look at XLR cables. This should be interesting.

If there's any noise in the signal the horns will bring it out. From what i've read it seems to me that a lot of people that try these Crown XLS amps turn the gain controls up way too high thinking they're volume controls.

I'm thinking about doing something for fun for a change. I'm thinking about getting a Crown XLS-1500 ($200 shipped from Amazon) and running my KLF-20's off of it just for the pure hell of it. The Crown needs 1.4 preamp volts from what I've read and my Marantz AV-7005 puts out 1.2 volts from the RCA's and 2.4 volts from the XLR's. I would think the XLR's should push it quite nicely. I could play around with the Crown, send my Adcom 5500 off for servicing and then the 7000 when the 5500 gets back.

For one very good reason, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. I'm definitely not a tech.

I understand and thanks for the reply. My Adcoms are both over 15 yrs old and in need of servicing, they're both starting to sound grainy and a bit bloated in the bass. I'm also considering the Emotiva XPA-7 and running everything from one amp. I'm just wondering if you can draw enough power for any of these amps from a standard wall outlet, spec-wise these things are beasts.

How would my KLF-20s match up with an Emotiva XPA-2 vs the Adcom GFA-5500 I'm currently using? I'm also using an Adcom GFA-7000 for my all Klipsch center and surrounds which I'm considering replacing with the Emotiva XPA-5. The 20s have been modded with Crites titanium diaphragms in the tweeters, Klipsch titanium diaphragms in the mid horns, and Crites custom crossovers (with his added bandpass for the mid horns). I'm using a Marantz AV-7005 prepro. Thanks, Sam

I'm using a 7005 pre-pro and a UD-5007.

VPI Scout with an Audio Technica AT-OC9ML/II.

OK, if I cross the KLF's over let's say at 60, where should I cross over the sub?

Pardon my ignorance, if the KLF's are rated to go down to 34Hz why cross them over at 8oHZ? Why not 40Hz or 60Hz? I'm just trying to learn something here.

What would be a good crossover point for a 12" sub being matched with KLF-20's?

supercellaudio.com I used model FSA-6-B-1420 with my KLF-20's as they already had the threaded hex insert. You would need the Installation Insert 1420 for each spike as you have the non threaded hole. The ones I bought are a nice powder coated black, heavy, well made and the price is very reasonable. You will probably need to drill the holes in the speaker base to a larger size to match the inserts but that's a simple job. Regards, Sam

My 5.5's have the non-threaded push in type that you're talking about. My KLF-20's have the threaded type. I think I would find some threaded ones a bit larger than the existing holes and just screw the buggers right in there. That's how they did the KLF's, they screwed the hex straight into the wood then screwed the spikes into the hex. I also called Klipsch about spikes for the KLF's and it was no dice. I found some very nice inexpensive spikes online but I can't remember who I got them from, I'll find the vendor tonight and get back to you. IMHO they were nicer than what PartsExpress sells and were cheaper. Regards, Sam

I just bought a pair of grills for my KLF-20 project direct from Klipsch. They were a bit over $50.00 each less shipping. You never know what they might still have in stock. Regards, Sam

I'll do that. I'm going to tear them down this week-end and get started on the cabinets. I'll probably order the diaphragms and crossovers next week and will go with the Klipsch mids. While I've got Klipsch on the phone I need to ask if they still stock the spikes with the plastic covers, they're gone on them with just the bolts left. Regards, Sam

Appreciate it. Seems like I read somewhere that the cheaper cloth from them had a brownish tint to it. Was it difficult to get the corners looking right? Thanks, Sam

Just picked up a cheap, not too beaten up but well worn, pair of these in black finish the other day. This pair was manufactured in '98 according to the consecutive serial numbers and the additional internal bracing bears this out. I haven't found any loose panels or split seams so far.The cabinets will have to be repainted, is Rustoleum 7777 satin black still the paint of choice for them? I'll be recovering the grilles also but luckily all the pegs and emblems are still intact. I could really use some advice on recovering the grilles and sourcing the cloth. I'll be replacing the tweeter diaphragms with Crites titaniums and also will use his crossovers. As for the mids, are the Klipsch titaniums worth the extra cash vs Bob's replacements? All the drivers function as they should. I'm curious as to how these will stack up next to my KG-5.5's when I'm finished with them. Any help, opinions, advice, etc will be appreciated. Regards, Sam

It was a mixed bag, improvement in the midbass but a definite loss in low bass. At low to medium volume it sounded pretty good but when I turned up it sounded degraded with a bit of distortion like the enclosures were trying to do something they were'nt designed for. OTOH just closing off the port doesn't exactly make it a sealed enclosure, one would have to chase down and eliminate all leaks. If memory serves, sealed enclosures are generally much less in internal volume (at least in subwoofers) than ported ones. In this vein, adding extra insulation would only make matters worse. I tried the rope caulk with the poly diaphragms. I'm going to Dynamat the horns and try your suggestions with the foam or felt in the throat first. Cheap and fun. Best Regards, Sam

The foam I used is closed cell. You're correct about the titanium diaphragms, the others don't even compare. I tried the rope caulk trick once on the horns but did'nt care for it, it sounded a bit too dull for me. I'm going to close off the ports later tonight and give it a go, should be interesting. I'm going to try this and see what effect it has before I pull all the speakers to replace the insulation. Best Regards, Sam

It doesn't show up as well against the poly diaphragm but this is the best I can do. Best Regards, Sam

I've got a couple of unmodified tweeter baffles around somewhere, if I can find them I'll take a photo and post it later today. I like the sound from the modified baffle, it sounds more focused in the soundstage to my ears. Best regards, Sam

This is what i did to the tweeter baffle. I filed away about 50% of the plastic covering up the diaphragm.

I used sleeping bag matress foam which is fairly dense and about a half inch thick trying to keep the internal volume of the cabinet close to factory specs. I was trying to deaden the cabinets a bit to lessen their hollow sound. It does seem to improve that somewhat. I also filed away some of the plastic material on the tweeter diaphragm baffle to open up the highs more, they always sounded too diffuse and unfocused to my ears and it did improve the top end focus. I've considered removing the tweeter baffle altogether but thought this might introduce more of the shouting effect inherent to the horn than would be desirable. I'm assuming the easiest way to plug the port would be with a piece of foam rubber which would be easily reverseable. I love these old speakers, I bought them new in '96. The Crites upgrades are a definite improvement but I want to get everything I can get out of them. I was chasing a pair of KLF-20's recently but nothing came of it, the seller stopped replying to e-mails concerning shipping. I'd really like to find an affordable pair of these and restore them, I've read they're like 5.5's with midrange. Best Regards, Sam

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure where the stock foam was supposed to be located as it had fallen down in both speakers. I'm going to try the sealed box trick and hear what happens. When I discovered the fallen foam, which was dry rotted and unusable, I was installing Crites crossovers and titanium diaphragms. While I had the drivers out I lined the insides of both cabinets with a layer of thin acoustic foam. If I'm understanding you correctly I should remove that material from the area around both woofers and leave it in the upper portion of the cabinet? Or should I try to cut a piece of foam that compares to stock and put it back where it was located originally (which I'm not sure of) and go from there? Best Regards, Sam

Has anyone tried putting insulation in their 5.5's? I know they came with a loose piece just stuffed inside that kept falling down and blocking the port in mine. I eventually took it out. I wonder if it was meant to isolate the tweeter inside the cabinet? Has anyone tried installing a baffle between the tweeter and woofer sections? Regards, Sam