pzannucci

I have just recieved them yesterday. I had read that the driver Bob uses is very good but never wanted to have to modify my my cabinet to accomodate the horn lense options. These should just drop in provided the old k77s come off their frames easily. I'll need to do some crossover mods though I won't do that until after some initial listening and break in. I had purchased a set of Bel Canto REF1000 amplifiers and hooked up the k-horns when I was finishing up my cabinets on my homemade speakers. I was floored by the bottom end of the khorns when hooked up to the REF1000 amps. The Bel Canto sound was very very similar to my tubed Rogue Audo 88 (except for the punch and bottom end authority)so I figured that I would take another look at doing modifications to the khorns. At 500-1000 watts per side, these are no SET amps but if you ever listen to the combo, you'd be amazed. I'll keep you posted and thanks

Mark1101 and speakerfritz, I appreciate your thoughts and info. What I remember of my mid 70's vintage (k55-v and alnico k77) was that they were somewhat more subdued in the midrange and especially tweeter area. I would like to get my current pair back to mid 70's sound with possibly the benefit of less beaming, hence the reason for the tweeter mod. I would like to soften the hard edge and clean up the tweeter so it sounds more like the earlier khorns. I think the folks that reported the ct125 was hotter were likely using the alnico k77 and not the mud. Thanks, Peter Z.

Hardhead, Exactly, k-77m. I had two pairs of khorns before these and have always loved them (alnico 77s). I purchased these khorns a few years ago and never warmed up to them because of the hot ssss of the tweeter. That's why I went with home built. Now hearing the quality of something like a G1 ribbon tweeter though missing the wonderful lower end of the khorns has made me want to modify the khorns but importantly, keep the enclosure in tact. Also, lowering the beaming would be a big plus for my seating position. Thanks, Peter Z.

Hello, I'm looking for a drop in replacement for the k-77 tweeters in my khorns. I have a set of AK-2 networks. The K-77 is too hot on this vintage khorn vs the older round magnet tweeters. The main requirements are 1. drop in replacement (minor crossover tweeks ok), 2. cleaner and slightly lower output (1-2db - quality comparison against Aurum Cantus G1 ribbons in my home builts) and 3. might be able to lower the crossover frequency so I can cut off the k-400 and lower the mid/high beaming factor since I can't sit directly on axis with horns in the corners. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Peter Z.

I had mine hooked to K-horns and it was quite interesting while listening to concert videos. Unfortunately I don't believe you can get any of them anymore but you might want to look for others that contain (I believe) Tru-surround and Circle-surround.

I hate to say it but if the current, especially first generation cheapo stuff sounds this good, it will be interesting what the high end companies will do to try and justify their price. This will really occur when you don't need outboard DACS, pre-amps, and such because everything will run in the digital domain. Really liked just hooking up speakers and 1 wire from the dvd/cd on the sa-xr50. But then again that wouldn't be as much of a hobby would it Sorry to leave out the analog people but I would guess that software front-ends could replace a lot of what people like now about tubes and analog. Programmers just need to understand better how to dither the bits that make up the sound.

That or look for a Nu-Reality vivid Theater. I have one and it does SRS with adjustable center and surround. When you were in a hall, you could hear the sound coming from the sides and above you. Really spectacular effect though there are some phase issues with these technologies.

Just got my Panasonic sa-xr50 yesterday and hooked it up to my k-horns. Very surprised even though it was cold out of the box. I didn't like the way the k-horns imaged in my room (even with several other highly regarded amps) but with the Pansonic the area between the horns was filled nicely. Very surprised... The bass content was much better than I thought could come out of a little 9lb receiver. As for the sound, it was pretty darn good (excellent for $249) when played louder but at lower levels it it wasn't as clean (then again I had been listening to my home builts with dual Focal 6WMs and G1 Ribbons). This could be why Tact controls the power supply instead of using a dsp for the volume control they say is due to come on the SA-XR70. This listening was using a Philips 963sa with upsampling to 192Khz into the Panasonic SA-XR50 into 1985 vintage k-horns. The future looks interesting, especially on the high end. Companies will really have to do something to compete other than raise the price of the amps to make people think they are getting a lot because they paid a lot.

I have some Monster, Esoteric, and a set of Tara Labs rectangular core interconnects. The Monster don't seem to have the quality highs though they are very inexpensive Monster cables. The Esoteric caused the highs to be strident. The Tara Labs interconnect at around $179 got rid of the glare I had with the Esoteric but was not as dark and subdued sounding as the Monster cables. Very clean and clear but not bright.

I have a Tripp-lite lc1800 conditioner and is1000 isolation transformer hooked in series on my system. For $250 I now have continual regulated voltage - I have seen low voltage lite on the ic-1800 in the past, and the isolation transformer has helped clear up some of the hum I was unable to get rid of in my amplifier. Not counting that I don't have to hear those NASTY POPS when things turn on or off in the house. So for some, it makes sense but I don't know if the expense of an audiophile line conditioner makes sense when there are other even more heavy duty components out there for a fraction of the price.

avman, I had LaScalas and KLF-30s in the same room and if you like bottom end and don't use subs, the KLFs are the way to go. I sold the La Scalas before the KLFs because of that. If you like more "life like" mids (mainly I think from the mids being crossed over lower) and don't need the depth of the bass, the LaScalas would be for you. As Tom said, the higher frequencies and overall balance might be a little rough in some rooms because without the lower bass, I didn't think the LaScalas sounded balanced on many types of music. The Heresy's I own are a little better in that area though khorns even it all out. Also remember that the dispersion on the K-40x horns seem narrower than the KLFs so if you have a wide viewing area, the LaScalas could give you trouble.

D-man, I believe it is the off axis problem. I totally agree with you about not being able to move the top-end horns for better on-axis sound. I thought of building new tops to a previous set of Khorns I had in my old house due to this issue but ended up selling them instead (kicked myself afterwards). Guess I will start rethinking that idea after what I have discovered when moving my listening position forward for better (near center) axis positioning. Thanks,

I think I have figured what might be happening. I am not sitting anywhere close to the direct center line on the khorns (about 6 feet back from center axis w/horns about 16 feet apart) so it appears that the tweeter has better dispersion off axis than the midrange thus giving rise to the tweeter frequencies. Guess I'll have to weigh what I'll have to do about my positioning since I want to keep the horns locked directly in the corners. Thanks,

I don't believe it is the tweeter alone that's why I was referring to the quick rise of the tweeter around crossover. The combination of the slow rolloff of the mid horn and the quick rise (steep slope) of the tweeter might be causing the effect I am noticing. I think if I drop off the quick rise a little, the smoother transition between the mid and the tweeter will lower the rise and make for a better overall presentation. I hope the notch filter will lower the output at the frontend of the tweeter rise and lower that peak.

moefasta, I had been thinking of that change also but was going to try the tweeter change first. I was less likely to think that a 12db slope would correct it after reading about the actual slope and function of the tweeter network discussed elsewhere on this forum. I think the rise is so quick and steep on the tweeter crossover that it kicks in hard. I would like to smooth the frontend of the slope somewhat to make smoother transition to the tweeter. Don't know if that will cause other problems due to the offset of the mid and tweeter drivers. I'll experiment. I even have a pair of the Aurum Cantus G1 Ribbon tweeters that I might try and cross in at around 3 or 4 Khz for the fun of it. Thanks ALL for your thoughts.

Al, Thanks... I had seen your posts about the tweeter filter and was worried that I might change the function significantly with the notch filter. I don't have an easy way to put an eq in the system so since I like most everything about the khorns in the room but wanted to tame that one peak, that I would persue the filter. I do believe that this problem was addressed in this in these forums before (I have been on it off and on for several years) but have not seen references to this issue in particular except for how to lower the output of the tweeter altogether which is not exactly what I want to do. Thanks,

Unfortunately it is not the room. It would cost a lot more to fix the problem in the room (not counting WAF) than smooth out the reponse of the speakers. There were some previous threads about this rise in response and I was wondering about the technical merit and issues with the eliptical filter on the tweeters with the change in impedance introduced by the filter. Thanks,

I measured the rise using an spl meter. In my room I have a rise around that range which I would like to smooth out (I am used to the smooth sound of a pair of MDT-33s in this room). I was trying to find out if anyone has done any measurements and would know if the notch filter would cause any problems with the tweeter crossover not working as designed if I put the filter before the crossover network for the tweeter (saw some discussions by Al K. about the slope and didn't want to affect that). I also would not like to burn out my tweeter too easily. Thanks,

Sorry about the 3/4 it should have been 3-4 db rise. Thanks,

Wanted opinions if a parallel notch filter put on the tweeter on '85 vintage khorns would mess up the crossover function on the tweeter. The filter would be put before the crossover connection for the tweeter and would be used to calm a 3/4db rise (annoys me) between 6k and 9k. The crossover is an AK-2. If anyone has a better suggestion, please let me know. Thanks,

Since the mid and tweeter drivers are the same in the two speakers, I guess that shows you how much of a difference the crossover and horn combination makes (tract. vs. expo).

Again, it does depend on the system. I didn't hear any difference with my RB-5s mated with a Rogue 88. Heard a fair amount of difference in highs with an Adcom 555II mated to either a pair of KLF-30s and Apogee Mini Grands. Heard a lot of difference in the highs between the Tara Labs wire and the braided Cat 5 cables when using my home built speakers that utilize the Morel mdt-33 tweeter and a Jolida 801A I used to have. A LOT OF SYSTEM INTERACTION. Best thing to do is introduce cable changes into your system and then listen. If there is a change and it is good for your liking, then you have a winner. If it doesn't do what you think then make sure you have a good return policy to return the cables. I was skeptical until I had someone changing all the cabling in my system because of high frequency artifacts that I didn't like. Now I am content to have a biwire configuration with Carol Silver Plated ETP copper for the bass section and braided cat-5 for the highs.

Ok, flame away... I have noticed that gauge is a major factor in the bass response of speakers and the type and the quality seemed to make a difference with the high frequency response. Of course this is all dependent on the speakers you have. I was amazed at the difference a set of Tara labs speaker wire made on one of my sets of speakers vs the braided cat 5 that I was using. At the time, I was trying to get away from bright shrilly highs with my home built speakers (using a Morel MDT-33 tweeter) and when the Tara Labs was hooked up, it even added more high frequency content. Suffice it to say, not what I was looking for. The cat-5 cable smoothed out the highs much more so I was happier with that. It also seemed that the braided cat-5 cable tamed the tweeters on my old KLF-30s and killed some of the raspiness of the horn vs the Sound King 12GA. rope lay wire. Of course these changes are not major but are noticable. Bottom Line: use what you can afford and are happy with. Spending $1K on a set of speaker wires might not do what you want depending on the overall system interaction. Peter Z.

Joshua Ryan Hall, Thanks for the answer but the last several times I had asked any dealer to order Klipsch they told me no. Remember most dealers will only order what they stock so it's a Catch 22. Sounds like Klipsch is not promoting enough themselves or they have no leverage with getting the high margin speakers into (or at least through a dealer via an order) to satisfy the customers. Hence the customers go elsewhere. When are you going to go mail-order for the faithful?

It still would have been nice to hear from Klipsch on what their direction is for Heritage vs. all this stuff about Synergy or Reference with no mention (at least that I saw) to Heritage. As I said, most dealers would rather (lightly put - really WON'T) have anything to do with the Heritage series so where does that leave the Heritage line? Looks like Klipsch is going the way of Altec though it would be nice if someone would speak up from Klipsch and point out how they are not throwing away the Heritage line. I guess I would take a good deal on their pro-stuff if I had too. Won't exactly look good in the family room though.