Jump to content

John Chi-town

Regulars
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1398

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by John Chi-town

    Driving your speakers with more power than they "need"

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Peter P. said:

    The benefit is called "headroom".

     

    Any piece of music will vary in amplitude. Those intermittent, briefly louder instances are called "peaks", and require more power from the amplifier. So if your amp is playing at level "X" one of those peaks will come along and demand more of the amp's power to reproduce the louder signal. If the amp maxes out trying to faithfully reproduce that brief peak it will "clip", which means if you looked at the waveform on an oscilloscope it would look like an undulating wave but the tops and the bottoms of the wave will be flat. These flat portions indicate the amp is operating beyond its limits, which can damage the amp.

     

    If an amp has headroom, it has more power than is needed to reproduce those peaks. Some people consider headroom the ability to briefly generate considerably more power than its continuous output rating. Fair enough. Whether your amp has plenty of reserve power to drive your speakers or merely has the headroom to briefly reproduce those peaks the result is the same.

     

    Conversely, most speakers are rated in "Continuous" watts. Which means they can tolerate some peaks beyond that continuous rating as long as the amp has enough headroom to reproduce the wave faithfully. If the amp clips even if its output rating is below the continuous wattage rating of your speakers, when the amp generates that flat section described above, it is sending a DC voltage to your speakers. This is bad and if long enough in time can damage your speakers.

     

    The solution is to keep the volume down to a point where you don't hear distortion, even on those intermittent peaks. As long as you don't, you're not pushing your amp or speakers beyond their limits and risking damage to one or both.

    Exactly!

    • Like 1

    Driving your speakers with more power than they "need"

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    You will notice a fuller sound, deeper bass, superior clarity, and dynamics you have never heard before. Out goes thin, bright sound when you have a good, solid, high-end amplifier that delivers high current and high power. It has nothing to do with loudness; it has to do with superior control and power reserve, like cruising at 80 miles on a highway with a V12 engine versus a 4-cylinder car.
     

    • Like 2

    Trying to select a Sub Woofer

    in Subwoofers

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, ebaer said:

    Hey guys, thanks for the quick response on these.
    The basic answer to this question is a couple of no-name bookshelf speakers and sound bar.
    I am not really looking for an optimal sound eproduction situation here, I am far from an audiophile.
    I really just need a decent (not super) sub woofer to fill out the low end that can't be produced by the other speakers.

    Take a look at the SVS Micro 3000  Should fit the bill based on your response.

    • Like 2

    Bought My First Pair Of Klipsch And Am Over The Moon

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    JP_NH perhaps it is the angle of the photo, but your fortes appear to be awfully close to the rear wall.  Those passive radiators need some room to breathe.  I have found that a minimum of 8 inches provides the best sound in my various listening areas.  Glad you are happy with your purchase.  The forte INMHO is the Goldilocks of the Heritage lineup.

    Pretty Cool Review of the Cornwall III

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    On 3/18/2024 at 11:33 AM, MikeM said:

    Mine are Forte IIs, circa 1995.  Room is about 12 x 18 but open on one side into a larger space.  Other than some KG4s I started with (I really miss those too) the Forte's are the only Klipsch Heritage speaker I've actually heard so nothing to compare it to really.  Cornwalls sure get rave reviews from their owners.  

    Check out this review from Andrew Robinson, listen all the way through, prior to getting Cornwall IV he reviewed and owned the forte IV.  

    Bing Videos

     

    Pretty Cool Review of the Cornwall III

    in 2-Channel Home Audio

    Posted

    Nice review.  What version of forte do you own?  I had forte II for almost 30 years and upgraded to IVs about a year and a half ago.  I have heard Cornwall IV although not in my listening room.  I actually prefer the forte IV in the bass department.  INMHO punchier.  The Cornwall is a great speaker in its own right, however there is something about the forte line that I cannot replace.  How large is your listening area?  If considering purchasing new, INMHO the WOW factor over the forte is not there for me.  IF you go with Cornwall, I hope it meets your expectations and delivers that WOW factor for you.  

    Forte IIs should I be replacing anything?

    in Technical/Restorations

    Posted

    As Woofers and Tweeters stated a recap would set you up for another 30 years or so.  In addition, applying a coat of Howard's Feed & Wax semi-annually will keep the cabinets looking great as well.  What is the full serial number?  I, or others could date year for you with.  My 1992 fortes are now being enjoyed by another forum member.  I bought a pair of forte IV about a year and a half ago.  

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...