chickey

My Klipsch are in my living room sounding sweeter by the day. My KEFs are in my basement collecting dust. 'Nuff said. Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-17-2002 at 10:06 AM

Michael is right on...thanks to his good suggestion, I picked up the Fusor product. It works, unlike Crazy Glue. They can get a guy to hang off his hardhat with Carzy Glue on TV, yet I can't get it to bond two pieces of plastic. Fusor works as advertised. Good suggestion Michael. Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-13-2002 at 09:40 AM

Mike, Would definitely be interested in the results of your weekend audition, as well as your decision as to how you ultimately configure your system. I also asked Klipsch this question via email, and just got a response back indicating that a single RC-3 or RC-7 would be the preferable rear center for 6.1 home theater application. BTW, congrats on those La Scala's!! I know Rob is equally thrilled with the package that arrived on his front doorstep yesterday! Regards, Colin ------------------ My System

Mike, Thanks for the good input. In fact, you read my mind - I'm contemplating picking up Forte IIs to match my Chorus II/Academy front end for 5 channel music applications, as you suggest. I agree, I don't think the RS-7s can compete with the Fortes as surrounds for this type of application. However, for home theater, I really like the sound of the RS-7 WDST technology, despite the timbre mismatch with the front end. As such, as I upgrade my pre/pro to one that accomodates DTS-ES and DD-EX, I'd like to find one that also includes a provision for running different side surrounds for music vs. movies. I know Denon makes receivers with this function, so I figure one of the better pre/pros probably makes similar accomodations. If I can't find such a beast, I can always run an external switchbox between my pre/pro and my amps. Which now brings me back to my original dilemma of what to run for rear surround(s) for HT applications. Another Academy?? (not a smooth match with the side surrounds, but matches the front end) The KLF-C7 I have in storage?? (ditto) An RC-7?? (matches the RS-7s, but now a complete timbre mismatch with the front end) Another RS-7 or two?? (might be a little too diffuse) To quote Charlie Brown, "Aaarrrgghhhhh!!!" Thanks again! Colin ------------------ My System

Raven - You're right on the money. I have Chorus II's, an Academy, and RS-7 surrounds. Wish Klipsch would help us loyal Classic/Heritage owners out by supporting home theater more aggressively in the Heritage line. At the very least, tell us what's the best match as we upgrade our existing systems to 5.1/6.1/7.1 surround. I like you am confused as to what to buy for rear center duty -- something old that matches the Chorus II and Academy front end, or something new that matches the Reference surrounds? Klipsch, are you listening??? Sales opportunties await, but only if your customer is properly educated! BTW, I just noticed your signature -- I'm just up the road from you on 287. Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-12-2002 at 03:19 PM

Boa - Thanks again for the feedback. I've got a KLF-C7 in storage, but am hesitant to use it for rear center duty, as I'd be mixing speakers from three different Klipsch lineages (Heritage, Reference, and Legend). HornEd has drilled into my head that that's a no-no from a timbre matching perspective. So I guess I need to save for that RC-7. I only WISH more manufacturers would adopt the Denon approach and put separate outputs for music vs. HT surrounds. As I look to upgrade my pre/pro, that's on my shopping list of features I want. If I can't find it, I suspect I'll have to see if anyone makes a speaker selector with RCA level line inputs and outputs. That way I can insert it between my pre/pro and my amps. Aragon, are you listening??? Colin ------------------ My System

Boa, Thanks -- really appreciate the great input and opinion. Long term (and space permitting), I'm contemplating picking up Forte IIs to match my Chorus II/Academy front end for 5 channel music applications. But for home theater, I really like the sound of the RS-7 WDST technology, despite the timbre mismatch with the front end. Sooo, I think I'll run different surrounds for music vs. HT applications. Like you, I agree -- just one user's preference, and there are no absolutes (except death and taxes). Looks like I'll need to start saving my pennies for an RC-7!! Thanks again, C ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-10-2002 at 10:17 PM

Cluless - As Ahnuld would say... "Dat was a good one" C ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-10-2002 at 09:16 PM

Boa - Good input regarding WDST for sides vs. directs for rears. My question is this - what should you use for a rear center speaker - one that matches the front end, or one that matches the side surrounds?? In my case, I have a Chorus II/Academy front end, and RS7 surrounds, and am contemplating what to purchase for rear center duty. Any thoughts? Thanks, Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-10-2002 at 09:12 PM

Doug, You are correct sir! I wonder how many of those gull-wing, stainless steel cars are still around? DeLorean's estate recently went up for auction, and I believe the last I looked they are converting part of his property into a golf course. As for the sense of humor, you can't live in New Joisey without having one. The lastest NJ pasttime is recognizing all the locations that show up on The Sopranos. Some folks have even made a drinking game out of it! And besides, where else can you claim that Bruce Springsteen played at your high school prom?? (he did!) Best, Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-10-2002 at 04:30 PM

Folks, Thanks all all the great comments and thoughts. I'm leaning towards keeping the RS-7's for side surrounds at the expense of some timbre mismatch with the front end. This will only be an issue when watching movies, as I'd like to find a good set of Forte II's for use as surrounds for 5 channel music applications. And who knows, I may ultimately take JM's suggestion and make the Fortes my side surrounds. It's just that in my current situation, room size and acoustics make the Fortes impractical as side surrounds. HornEd, your wise counsel is always welcome, as are the linguistic puns. Trust me, I laugh at any suggestion that has me "tapping my toes to Bose". It was a good rhyme, nonetheless. Thanks for the excellent food for thought - you can rest assured I'll be bookmarking this thread for future reference, especially once we find our new abode. Crash makes a good point that I hadn't considered regarding matching the rear center in a 6.1 surround system. I had always thought that one should strive to match the timbre of the front end as closely as possible. Since WDSTs by their inherent design tend to obfuscate timbre matching anyway, I could live with this shortcoming. But assuming that the rear center should be monopole, it is better for that speaker to match the front end or the side surrounds? Crash's insightful post puts that issue up for consideration. Now I'm really curious as to what other members have done in 6.1 (or 7.1) situations where they don't have a totally matched system from the same Klipsch lineage. Larry, I'm in Bedminster, NJ - home of Christie Todd Whitman, Steve Forbes, and John DeLorean (remember him??). For reference, it's at the crossroads of I-287 and I-78 (if you know where those roads are). It's unfortunate that a lot of folks think of NJ only from the view that they get from the landing approach into Newark. We're actually just a little over an hour outside of NYC, and it's beatiful horse country out here. In answer to your question and as a point of reference, a 2 bedroom townhouse in my neighborhood just went for $320K. Ouch!! Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-09-2002 at 09:58 AM

Be interested to know as well what Klipsch's recommendation is regarding setting up a 6.1/7.1 system using a combination of our beloved Classics and the newer models. I'm certainly not the only one facing this situation (witness a parallel thread re RS7 vs. Heresy). Given the demise of the infamous speaker matching chart, what are us loyal Klipsch fans to do? Bob? Phil? Bueller? Bueller? Colin ------------------ My System

HE - Fair enough. I was in fact remiss, as you have provided good counsel in the past that room size is one of the critical variables in the overall speaker selection equation. I suddenly have visions of myself as Bart Simpson being held after school and writing repeatedly on the blackboard "Building any kind of better sound system requires a symbiotic relationship between the acoustics available and the speakers selected." Now, assume for a second that this won't be any Texas Greatroom, but instead will be a room in a typical suburban home in New Jersey (translation: only NYC and Silicon Valley give worse bang for the proverbial buck). Sooo, you're probably looking at a 20x15 room max. Does that change the equation, or is it simply more advisable to sit back and wait until the deal is done (and the real dimensions are known)? Thank again, Colin ------------------ My System

Sell my Chorus II's and Academy!!! Blasphemy!!! LOL, think again. But thanks for responding -- all ideas welcomed, but only certain ones implemented. Sorry, not that one. C ------------------ My System

Gang, Heres one I need some input on. My wife has finally convinced me that our little townhouse can no longer accommodate the two of us plus baby, so a house hunting we shall go. One of the compromises she happily accepted was that I get a space in the new house to construct my dream music and home theater system. I currently have a 5.1 system as follows: Front: Chorus IIs Center: Academy Surrounds: RS-7s Sub: M&K MX-100 Storage: KLF-C7 When I reconstruct everything in the new home, Id like to design for 5 channel music and at least 6.1 channel home theater. To accommodate 5 channel music, my thought is to keep the current front end (Chorus/Academy) and pick up a pair of Forte IIs to serve as music surrounds. For home theater, Im planning on making the RS7s my side surrounds (I do like the sound of WDST, so I plan on keeping these). I am unclear, however, as to what to do for the rear (center) surround. Do I: 1. Drag the KLF-C7 out of storage, mount it at the same level as the RS7s, and call it a day? Im assuming this gets me the Horn Ed Seal of Disapproval, as I now am mixing and matching timbres across three different lines of speakers (Classic, Reference and Legends). 2. Bag the KLF-C7 and write Will work for Academy on a chalkboard and walk around town hoping to find a second of these rare beauties. Better timbre match, although it only earns me the Bronze Horn Ed medal entitled Good Try since Im still running the RS-7s. 3. Run the Fortes as rear center surrounds. Nice timbre match with the Front End, but they cant be mounted at the same level as the RS7s and pass the WAF. 4. Sell everything, get a Bose Lifestyle System, and listen to bad sound. Sorry, not an option, whatever the WAF may be. Lets assume for a moment I can find a pre/pro that supports whatever side/rear surround configuration I intend. Amplification is not an issue since I have 4 separate two channel amps. Any thoughts as to what I should do? Thanks in advance for your help and guidance! Colin P.S. HornEd -- no offense intended with the above. I respect and value your opinion along with all the other members of this board. Since you've been the most active contributor on this issue, I figure you deserve honorable mention. ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-06-2002 at 04:38 PM

Jim, Very well stated in all regards! C ------------------ My System

An awesome performance by Lemmon. Cameo by Baldwin. Ed Harris. Al Pacino. Alan Arkin. Kevin Spacey. What more could you ask for??? A...Always B...Be C...Closing "Always Be Closing" C ------------------ My System

I'll add one to an already great list: Glen Gary, Glen Ross C ------------------ My System

Chipp, If you elect not to go with the vintage Carvers circa 91-93, then by all means get the Sunfire. It's basically the same amp in new clothes, and sounds terrific. Colin ------------------ My System

Cluless - You caught that too, eh?! Jhawk and I noticed as well. Not sure what's up with this guy. Two weeks ago he's looking for "2 or more Academys, any condition, proce negotiable." Suddenly he's selling (attempting to sell) with a high-bar first bid. Something's up, I agree... C ------------------ My System

cc1091 raises a good point. The Carver amps circa the earlier 90's are probably his best designs. At that point, he had developed the tracking downconverter, and had also done a lot of work to voice the amps so that they sounded less solid state and more tubelike. These designs were the basis for the last set of amps he developed while at Carver (including the Lighstar), and represent the foundation upon which the Sunfires are built. The tracking downconverter also is the reason the Sunfire subs have such prodigious output. Chuck - Thanks for the clarification. If the M200t was of the same vintage as my old M1.0t, it was probably based on the magnetic field power supply. Stepping up from that to McCormacks was probably equivalent to going from Honda to Ferrari. Those old mag field amps were an interesting design, but weren't the most musical amps (and they hum like an SOB). Colin ------------------ My System

Barrebe, If you are looking to refinish the cabinets, I found a place in Bridgewater that will do that kind of work. As for the drivers and components, getting the parts directly from Klipsch is probably your best bet (assuming they still have them in stock). Colin ------------------ My System

Chuck, Never having heard the M200t power amp, I can't really be sure, but I'm willing to bet the bigger part of the problem with your old setup was the C2 preamp. I too owned the C2 and it was exactly as you described, pedestrian. Thankfully, I upgraded to a better pre/pro and the problem was solved. BTW, those McCormacks are oh so sweet... Colin ------------------ My System

Doug, The tray arrangement you describe is the packaging configuration for the Chorus II's as well. C ------------------ My System

Mike, Mailboxes Etc. (although pricey) might be a good place to start. I seem to recall they have large wardrobe boxes that might fit the bill. For a recent shipment, I had them score the box to my specified size, so I could fold it to my specs. They have a big cutter in the back room meant for jobs like this. HornEd has mentioned shipping via pallet(Pax Global??) for larger speakers. He can probably give you all the details. I seem to recall they'll only deliver to business addresses or perhaps their own satellite locations, but I think the shiping fees were not too bad. Colin ------------------ My System This message has been edited by chickey on 06-03-2002 at 10:52 AM