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wsd

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    Craigsub SS18.1 passive subwoofer

    in Home Theater

    Posted

    I purchased one of their smaller subs, a CS10.2

    Here is my review:



    My environment is 13’x13’x10’+ (~1720 cu ft) sealed room -
    carpeted (typical Florida construction – block walls on a concrete slab, built
    in 2008)



    I have the following equipment: Denon AVR-2310CI, Klipsch Forte (mains),
    Academy (center) and KG-3 (surrounds)



    Preorder: Outstanding
    customer service, Jack and Craig answered all of my questions and concerns –
    Craig even called me to discuss my options (how often does the owner of a business
    call the customer to help?)



    Jack sent me numerous emails answering my setup questions
    and providing helpful setup links.



    Order/Delivery: The
    web ordering process was straightforward and easy, auto email updates is a nice
    touch.



    I ordered my sub on a Friday afternoon, received email
    shipping confirmation the following Tuesday and received my sub before 10am on
    that Friday – about a week from order to
    delivery, during one of the worst winters in a while.



    Packaging: The sub
    was packaged extremely well and received in excellent shape.



    Fit and finish: The
    sub is constructed solidly and has an industrial type (pro audio style) finish
    – there are slight imperfections on the top from the amp position move – only
    noticeable in bright light when you are looking at the top of the unit, up
    close – I can’t see it from my seating position.



    Performance: This is
    the subjective part – I will tell you what I hear is smooth, seamless, separate
    bass reproduction in music (I can hear every bass note clearly, not muddled
    together) and chest thumping slam during movies.



    Movies: (I have only
    got to watch a few movies so far)



    When viewing the opening scenes of avatar - I wasn't
    prepared for the explosion of sound when the shuttle broke though the sound
    barrier, it startled me and made me jump in my seat- the wife thought the walls
    were going to fall down.



    When viewing the opening scenes of Terminator Salvation – my
    wife had to leave the room, due to the intensity of the heartbeat – her words
    were – “this is freaking me out”, the explosion of LFE sound during initial
    attack on skynet was amazing – you not only heard the explosions you felt them
    as well – the whole movie has a intense LFE track and will test out your sub
    pretty well, the 10.2 did a fantastic job.



    I watched “The Losers” last night, man you can really “feel”
    the concussion of explosions with this sub.



    Music: we listened
    to ACDC – war machine; Eagles – disco strangler; Creed – higher, one; 1812 overture with canons (DDD); Fleetwood Mac - Rumors; Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms; Steve
    Winwood – Back in the High Life; Golden Earring – Twilight Zone (very good bass
    track)



    My wife and I listen to the above listed tracks/CDs – first
    without the sub and then with the sub.



    My wife couldn’t believe the “depth” added to the songs with
    the sub on.



    The clarity of bass reproduction of this sub is outstanding.
    The bass is tight and very impactful.



    Here are the sub measurements using the Real Traps Test Tone
    CD and a Radio Shack Digital SPL meter (model #33-2055) – corrected



    SPL set to 70 at primary listening position using Track-30
    (pink noise) with the crossover set @ 80Hz



    Summary:



    If you are looking for a beautiful looking sub to impress
    your friends - this is probably not the sub for you. But - if you want clean, articulate musical
    bass reproduction and knock your socks off, slam you in the chest, ear bursting
    LFE for movies - then look no further.



    Thanks to Craig and the CHT staff, for providing
    an outstanding product for an excellent price.

    post-41263-13819854632452_thumb.jpg

    Forte' upgrade

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    I am sitting here listening to the POLICE "Ghost in the Machine" and again I just have to reiterate how amazing my Fortes sound after this modification - I would like to thank Al again for providing an affordable solution to restoring the Forte's back to their amazing sound reproduction.

    KG 2, KG 2.2 KG 3 KG 3.2

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    I have a pair of KG3's I bought in 1992, I currently use them as surrounds with my Fortes for mains in my HT - but previously they were in my formal living room (10' x 14') and they sounded great - plenty of low end with the 8" woofer and 10" passive. I had them toed in slightly and on 8" speaker stands with a slight upward angle.

    Forte' upgrade

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    Al,

    I will remove the passive and try to take a photo to show the finished job - with the cup in place and the foam installed.

    I had read your thread on the development of the network and it is what helped me decide to purchase your kit - I thought the thoroughness of your design and measurements were outstanding.

    Thanks again.

    Shawn

    Forte' upgrade

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    Al,

    The crossover is not mounted exactly centered on the partition - it is offset to the right a little, I did reused the input cup - there was plenty of clearance between the crossover and rear of the input cup, one thing I didn't show in the photo's was that I restapled the foam piece over the crossover. I was only able to use three of the mounting screw locations drilled in the crossover board - it is very secure.

    Thank you again for your work and providing an affordable upgrade option.

    Forte' upgrade

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    So after reading many forum postings, I decided to update the crossovers in my Fortes' (I bought them new in 1988). I purchased the DIY kit from Al Klappenberger (~$163 shipped) and a pair of new autotransformers from Bob Crites (~$72 shipped). I was able to build and install the crossovers in one day, after building the crossovers, I updated only one speaker at first, so that I could do comparisons. I noted the following after the new crossover installation. The low end seems to have a more punch/depth, the highs are clearer/crisper, but the mids are where I detected the most improvement (unbelievable clarity). I find myself listening to my music library whenever I can now - whereas before I mostly only used the system for HT and listened to music in my truck. I would definitely recommend to any Forte' owners to update the crossovers.

    post-41263-13819619422456_thumb.jpg

    post-41263-13819622811992_thumb.jpg

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