HornEd
-
Posts
2504 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by HornEd
-
-
Hmmm, Wheelman, it looks like its time for another HornEd update on the Rise and Fall of George Lucas and t2k in their quest to impose standards on the audio world.
THX (Tomlinson Holmans Experiment) originally funded by George Lucas in 1983, THX Ltd. was an attempt to set minimum projection and audio standards in commercial movie houses and, later, other film related venues. Tomlinson Holman was a noted audio engineer in Lucas Films employ who was given the opportunity to experiment with ways to make every seat in a commercial theater a good seat (rather than an excellent audio vantage point). Given the wide variety of quality fluctuations in movie houses, raising the level of movie goers expectations was indeed a good thing. Over 4,000 movie houses have been certified as meeting the THX standard.
It is significant to note, however, that one of the problems that face movie house owners is that monopole speakers allow the human ear to relay to the brain the direction and timbre of sound by comparing the first direct sound with the subsequent reflections of that sound as they strike both ears. Bipole, dipole, and to a lesser extent tripole (like WDST) confuse ones ears by minimizing or eliminating direct radiated sound so that the ears are flooded with reflected sounds arriving very close together. The ears then signal the brain that the sound is overwhelming a very unnatural experience in the real world but one that evens out the sound quality in a acoustically challenged movie house or home environment so that all seats appear equal to the ears.
The THX video program was created for LaserDiscs and enjoyed much success and respect for that transitional audio video format. However the translation of the experimental LaserDisc program to DVDs has been far less successful and THX certification of a DVD is no longer indicative (nor does it assure) superior quality. Commercial audio and video manufacturers rejected the high fees and questionable standards that George Lucas was imposing. Klipsch was one of the companies that phased out much of its THX approved line. The movie makers (except, of course, Lucas Films) also found the THX certification too expensive and too limiting of emerging audio technology. In fact, 80% of the ownership of the THX Ltd. has been sold to a firm in Singapore and THX Certification standards have been widened considerably.
The list of THX certified equipment for commercial theaters is designated by KPT in the loudspeaker designation. Despite the Forums self-appointed guardians (T2) insistence that audio engineers have opted for bipoles, dipoles and tripoles in professional audio, the THX standards now allow multiple direct radiating monopoles along the theater walls to better reveal subtleties in timbre and direction and still flood the ears with enough sound to make every seat in the theater appear good if not excellent.
Serving billions of smallish but standardized burgers and speakers have made McDonalds and Bose the leader in their respective fields and I will even go so far as to say they improved the bottom end of performance in the food and audio industries. And there is a market for gut feed audio for the masses but the Tide of Quick Fix Audio Burger Surrounds is out and more and more Klipsch aficionados are opting for all the increased realism that is available on the modern mix of DVDs released for home use.
Hey, it may take a bit more in time, knowledge and resources to put together the ideal cost and pleasure effective Klipsch system in your listening environment but thats why this Forum makes Klipsch stand out among loudspeaker manufacturers. And, certainly, some of us have been blessed with the opportunity to take our audio notions over the top by most standards.
Do I think my Heritage multi-channel hero Q-man is bragging when he helps Forum folk understand his system and helps them improve theirs?
Do I think my Heritage history hero Tony Reed is bragging when he outlines his extensive Klipsch loudspeaker collection and clears up the confusion of what PWKs thoughts from his first hand perspective?
Do I think that my HDBRbuilder hero Andy is bragging when he reflects upon his years of actually building Klipsch Heritage loudspeakers in the Hope, AR, manufacturing plant and then helps Forum members with their own challenges?
Do I think that my sub diving hero TheEar(s) is bragging when he crowds his room with standing room only waves and then advises all who ask what the realities of their own sub situation may be?
And the list of Forum folk (including genuine Klipsch minions) who push the envelope and then provide text and photos for those who care can follow that list, thankfully, goes on and on
Well, if thats bragging all I can say is bring it on. Ive learned a ton of audio pragmatism from Forum folk like that and I believe that helping newbies look beyond entry level audio/burger technology. Getting a notion of what could be in ones own listening space not only strokes the desire for better audio it helps avoid the money pit aspects that the audio upgrade trail frequently imposes on the uninformed.
And to my Pacific Northwest brother m00n, I too have applauded your plea for understanding and tolerance there are even hundreds of Forum posts that I have made over the years in that direction. I have attempted to help newbies from all over the map geographically, geopolitically, and across the cost-effective loudspeaker spectrum. It seems that I seem to trigger a raw nerve in t2k and, admittedly, his perceived singular narrow-mindedness offends my free-spirited ears but I do not hate the Crimson Tide or Bama Alums. So, I hope my fellow Forum friends can excuse my half-m00n tolerance of our dumpster-diving, rhetoric spraying, surround sound exspurt as he pushes the disinformation envelope.
As for my personal preference, I believe flooding my ears with sound to the point where they can no longer distinguish direction and timbre IS ear tyranny... I want my ears to be free to reveal to my mind the shades and nuances that make great audio a pleasure to pursue whatever one's economic circumstances may be. The bulk of "rich sound" can be found in understanding acoustic principles... it is the small improvements to approaching audio perfection that cost the big bucks. And, whatever the circumstances... the accent should be on audio enjoyment and not "jealously induced vitriol" (Wow, could that be a "m00nshot" heard around the Klipsch world?). Enjoy! -HornEd
-
Hey Jim... glad to see you continuing on the Khorn trail. Your center is really something. It looks like I have another deal that may take some time to make... but it is a vintage Khorn... one that is very much like the one I bought when I was sixteen years old. I think it's one of the first hundred or so built.
And, yes, the pair of Klipschorns and Belle are no longer on the market... and I am still looking for another pair of walnut Klipschorns, preferably in this area. -HornEd
-
Congratulations "fini" on a new beginning! Welcome to the wonderful world of the fully horn loaded... you'll know your there by the sway of the van on the way home! My best to the fini family of great spaghetti biters who now will have thier Horns of Plenty! =HornEd
-
Q-man... you are still my all time Klipschorn Hero... and I try to never miss a Q-man post! At four Klipschorns and four Belles, I'm a pair of Khorns short of where I want to be. Although the new audio room I am building is in the mountains... the property is laced with springs. In fact, one tennis court was so bent out of shape from hydrostatic pressure that I converted it to an Olympic standard sand volleyball court. Did you know that to meet Olympic standards you need 200 tons of a special sand that out here goes for $64.50 a ton delivered. I'll bet I could get a better deal on Merritt Island!
My intent is to dig a hole in the rocky soil and lay in some relief tubes from hydrostatic pressure. Then I will tie rebar and 6"x6" wire mesh and gunite a smooth horn shape... I may even plaster it for good measure. The top will also follow the horn shape and be lifted into place with a backhoe. I figure if the subterranean sub doesn't work... I can always jackhammer the top off and turn it into a HornEd Hot Tub! =HornEd
PS: For all our friends on this Forum, thanks for blooming into the inspiration you have become Gary... and keep those comments and photos coming!
-
Actually Keith, I picked up a couple of Klipsch SS-1's (described by Klipsch as the first true WDST speakers) and found out that your bias was not in my ears best interest. I took you at your word and tried it your way. You may be in the Heart of the South... but your ears stuck in the muddy waters after the Tide ran out.
I don't think your outhouse opinions will earn a "Peace of m
n Pie" award either! =HornEdPS: PWK may be dead... but there still isn't a WDST surround in the Heritage line... do you think those Klipsch engineers may have missed a "whammaBammaThankyaMamma" opportunity?
Oh, yeah, Keith get a spell checker it may dispel your vintage WDST fixation and make the level of your spelling Tide-worthy!
And, hey, about your avatar... you seem to be just a shadow of your former avatar... maybe you need a "bargain ed" fix like the Klipschorns and Belle that I am picking up this morning for under two grand. A little monopole Heritage clarity could do wonders for a mindset in stone... "Here lies Keith... mostly about obsolete Synergy Sound Sprayers"...
-
Ah, yes, fini... actually its 21.5 miles by MapQuest reckoning. And the wonder of it all is that alert folks like you on this Forum have led me to buying four Klipschorns, four Belles, two Cornwalls, two KLF-30s, two KLF-C7s, Two Klipsch SS-1s, and a lone Academy. Thats about half of my HornEd Klipsch collection the rest of my current collection were purchased factory fresh from dealers. And not a single transaction Ive made that came from the Klipsch Forum has had a single sour note in the deal.
As it turns out, the seller of this pair of Klipschorns and Belle has been a visitor to the Klipsch Forum and a reader of HornEd posts. Life is great!
It was about fifty years ago when I heard my first Klipschorn in San Francisco, CA. It was in North Beach, and the owner was a member of the original beat generation and friend of its leader and the original beatnik, Eric Nord. Those were strange and wonderful times to be a teenager. Stereo was just a rumor but that monaural Klipschorn was the reality of hi-fidelity sound personified like nothing I had ever heard before.
I didnt know how I was going to do it but the sound of that Khorn spurred me to find a way to buy one and that was no easy feat in those days the Khorn had only been patented about six years earlier. The desire to fill my ears with might Klipschorn magic pushed me to succeed in a teenage business venture and, in an early stroke of fortune my beatnik acquaintance had to raise some quick money and, suddenly, that Klipschorn became the center piece of my audio world that was packed into a well insulated free standing garage in the back of property that I rented (very economically) from my grandfather. Two years later that sound helped me into my first marriage. You see, lots of my peers had a car (as I did), but no one else in school had a coed lure like a Klipschorn (with jazz, classical & country records, Garrard turntable and a Macintosh amp). Life is Great!
With heavy heart and lack of room in my G.I. duffel bag I sold these teenage joys just before heading overseas in defense of my country. My eyes were opened to the world but my ears were stuck on Klipschorns.
On May 2, 2004, my fiancé will become my wife she was born in 65 and I am 65. I was born in 38 and she is 38. The next day, on May 3, 2004, the numbers change I will add another year but also we will celebrate exactly a half-century since I bought my very first Klipschorn. Life IS Great!!
But best of all, the love of my life has an ideal WAF profile my lovely and talented Swiss Miss not only loves HornEd but also his whole Heritage Herd! LIFE IS GREAT!!! =HornEd
-
Wheelman, sounds like you have had a time or two with all kinds of loudspeakers. I agree that when there are some touch acoustic constraints, thats the time for bipoles. I too have had good results with monopole bookshelf speakers in tight quarters.
I'm a little happy tonight because I just picked up another pair of Klipschorns and a Bell for $1,000 less than the last set. That give me four Klipschorns and four Belles... and now according to T2K, all I need is to find a pair of KSP-S6's so I can hear the Tide roll in from every reflective surface in the room... and sensitive they are not! But that's okay, T2K is sensitive enough as it is... and since they go all the way down to 60 Hz, why doggone, he can always use them as a BamaSlamma Subwoofa!
Seriously, Wheelman, enjoy... experiment... that's what this audio bit is all about. Oh, yeah, and for a little Tidy comic relief... Talk-to-Keith! -HornEd
-
Don't know for sure, m00n, but my guess would be Ronald Reagan. The "Gipper" was an old coachs urging for the Notre Dame football team saying of "Let's win one for the Gipper!" George Gipp was a fantastic Notre Dame football player whose nickname was Gipper. Knute Rockne invoked the spirit of the Gipper in urging the Irish to beat Army in 1928. Ronald Reagan used a "Win one for the Gipper" analogy in a speech or two... and, given Reagans advanced age, the nickname stuck to him like a presidential dubyah on a humid Houston day. -HornEd
-
Looks like the Tide is still rolling in "BamaJamaCramaSound" as T2K continues to march to the bleat of a different Theater Sound Ear Drummer. Hmmm, T2K... his new handle does fit... he chooses to have direct radiators up to 2k (Hz)... t2k... Yep, give me 2k direct and spray the rest around room... sounds like the audio equivalent of a drive-up Alabama fast food order. No thanks, Keith, I'll take my Klipsch full-range like Mr. Paul thought it ought to be. But I am glad that there are enough TideEars to buy fast-audio at the local discounters it keeps the company profitable enough to make systems that dont require the audio-training wheels that WDST provides for those looking to transition from being BamaBosers.
Its a nice sunny day here, Keith, thats about all the negative humor such a pretty day can stand. Hope you get well with your next avatar. =HornEd
PS: I guess I won't earn a friendly m00n pie award on this one!
-
Wheelman, the quality of many of your posts caused me to hesitate posting a dissenting opinion to the many congratulations you are likely to receive here. And, admittedly, in my Legend Theater I have gone the extra mile of converting my KLF-30's to be mounted horizontally on the wall about 5' above the floor. This pulls more seating areas into the sweet spot and creates an angle of incidence that covers the 30' circular room without a gap. The motorboards on the KLF-30 rear array have been altered to have the woofers as close to each end as possible... and the midrange and tweeter horns are stacked in the center of the motorboard. The sound is so good that I have not been in nearly as great a rush to build my 7 Klipschorn Theater with a custom subterranean subwoofer done in gunite under a concrete floor. The subwoofer chamber will have a separate reinforced concrete door entrance.
Okay, so I may have the ability to be a bit over the top... and have used WDST speakers to make up for the lack of room in the 30' motorhome... that has to stay narrow enough to get down the highway. Although I am designing one that will fold out to provide a much better listening environment when parked. It seems that taking on an adventurous 38 year-old fiancé while having 65 years of audio experience has made a sound difference in my recent lifestyle.
Never-the-less, getting an honest set of waves aimed at the sweet spot that are limited to those sounds between say 50 Hz to 2,000 Hz severely limits your potential to achieve the clarity of monopoles. Every nuance of sound over 2,000 Hz in your WDST surrounds is sprayed everywhere but where your sitting which means all those sounds bounced from all those angles hits your ear at so close to the same time that your ear tells your brain that your so flooded with sound you cant determine direction or timbre from 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz even if the sound engineer who mix the CD or DVD intended for you to hear the difference. Also, when such sounds are also coming out of your front array, much of the acuity is also lost. However, that very brain confusion as to sound is what makes Bose have a greater profit margin (cheap speakers sold at substantially higher prices) and the worlds largest speaker manufacturer.
Granted, small listening environments with significant acoustic challenges are indeed a reason to compromise your ears/mind and take the WDST alternative which is a definite cut above bipole and (shudder) dipole which in addition to spraying the sound deliberately has its speakers wired out-of-phase. To me thats close to audio necrophilia!
Multiple bookshelf monopoles can be used to great effect for a more natural sound experience. Again, set them up with an SPL meter and if they have two woofers, lay them horizontally. 7.1 systems work well with such bookshelf speakers as they can be aimed to cover larger areas with monopole crispness. =HornEd
-
Well, Redtop, I have not researched these issues for awhile and am about to revisit them before selecting amps for my next project. In answer to the separates vs. receiver issue, my vote is for separates if you have the time to fiddle for perfection and receiver if you want the machine to get close. Also one should throw in here the tube vs. digital aspects it isnt so much a question of distortion but rather the flavor of distortion you most savor.
On the Front Effects issue as delivered by Yamaha I am a believer!!! I have worked with Yamaha units to create custom sound environments since before ProLogic was a buzz(ard) word. While the mix of some DVDs seem to be more amenable to displaying the value of Front Effects speakers the ones that do, under the Yamaha version, do so with gusto! Generally, the more spectacular the sound track, the more likely Front Effects speakers will create a big as all outdoors effect For example, take the top scenes from the DVDs listed by Forum fans in a recent survey and they all are greatly enhanced by having Front Effects speakers.
As you may know, I hang my Front Effects speakers a bit higher (about 6 high to the top of the KLF-C7s) and aim them at a point about 6 above my head in the heart of the sweet spot. I use a laser level to shoot the aiming points with accuracy. The Front Effects speakers not only draw their substance from the left & right mains but have a delay which separates the effects in a way that is similar to underlining text with a very fine line.
I have run extensive tests in the six KLF-30 HORNizontalizED speakers with and without the two KLF-C7 speakers used as Front Effects speakers with the audience of 40 or so rapt in attention. The overwhelming report is that running the Front Effects speakers with the is almost as meaningful as failing to turn on the subwoofer tower. One caution however, if there ever was a pair of speakers that need to be set up by the knowledgeable use of an SPL meter. -HornEd
-
Hmmm... I have been using a Yamaha RX-V3000 in my 8 Legend Home Theater since it was the top of the line. I particularly like the built in ability to use Front Effects speakers for a wider, ethereal sound stage behind the main sound stage carried by the front array.
I also have a Denon AVR 3801 pushing another 7.l Klipsch set... and that, too, was once king of the Denon hill. In the right set up, both can do extremely well by most standards... and I still give the edge to the Yammy for its front effects which outweigh the Denon's ability to split the sixth discrete channel.
Perhaps it is time to get back into the amp wars before I get too far along on the seven cornered room full of Klipschorns. -HornEd
-
Ah, it is so good to see this thread winding into a more wholesome direction... even if it does belong in the "General" Forum rather than this 2-Channel Audio target of opportunity. Then again, there are so many intellects that gather in the 2-channel corner of our Klipsch Forum World, it is no wonder why inquiring minds post off-topic subjects here.
On the Justice System... it is not about "justice" but it is about "dispute resolution"... as every good trial attorney knows full well. To preserve society, it is far more important to resolve disputes than to let them fester until justice is served.
The political system that really gets the job done has yet to be invented. Gandhi proved that it is not about money... but about power! Sadly, the cheapest way to get power is to use the lever of money. Religions certainly have their self-righteous power to be able to span millennia... and the most controlling scoop up money to consolidate their power base. Politicians use the power of ideas to attract money and votes that are used to increase their powerbase.
Andy was spot on when he spoke of an informed public... or, perhaps, an enlightened voter is the key to making a representative democracy work... but be advised, whatever the political stripe, an enlightened voter is not what most incumbents want in their constituency. An enlightened voter would see the slimy deals that have to be made in order to have worthwhile legislation enacted.
It's a "puzzlement" beyond Siam and greater than the late Yul Brynner's addiction to the cigarettes that killed him. -HornEd
PS: The Klipsch corporation is one that has brought everyone on this Forum some joy... and, yet, the true story of its bittersweet past is hardly one that would meet the ethical or economic criteria depicted in this post. The constructs of society for its own function are usually flawed when fallible humans are plugged into an idealized construct. Fortunately for an enduring world, there are enough folks with sufficient gravel in their collective gut to chyme in so that this too shall pass.
-
Oops... if I was astute I would not double post... but my dread of creeping "Boseasspecks" of surround sound sprayers makes my "Submit" finger twitchy. Mea culpa! -HornEd
-
It's a sad day for wheelman in this neck of the woods. Filling your ears with reflected sounds that destroy timbre-matching is an extension of the THX disease that started by making "theater sound" mediocre in every seat and then convincing the public it was better sound. The only scam bigger than THX surrounds is the artificial wool Bose has pulled over the eyes of the public to become the world's largest selling speaker company.
Of course, if the acoustics of wheelman's listening area is so poor that it needs a WDST thrash metal band-aid... I suppose it's a good thing. But, as negative as this reply may seem, I am sending you love wheelman... and a sincere hope that you get well soon... and discover what you have now committed yourself to missing... the lightly varnished joy of monopole surrounds... correctly set up. -HornEd
PS: Paul W. Klipsch never bought into the dipole, bipole, tripole scene. In fact, the whole multi-polecat theme earned a malodorous yellow BS button!
-
Hmmm, fini, with a woodworker like you by her side, what would she ever see in the Cheapindales' Double Bazzoomka with a half-twisty Zepp? Are they likely to bring the Sacrament-o of Klipschorns into her life? Not hardly... as far as I know, Andy never built any Klipschorns out of wormwood.
Then again, the mystery of it all is being called "fini" before youre done. =HornEd
-
What a wonderful happenstance... and, Ray, certainly Mr. Paul is fully deserving of being honored in Hope... but, Mandi, I feel a special joy that Miss Valerie is part of this action for she clearly was the joy in her husband's life that was unlike any he had ever known. Thanks to others, for I was not well enough to travel to the biography book signing, I have two books that include signatures of the authors as well as Mr. Paul and Miss Valerie. One is locked away in a vault and the other is freely shared with people I encounter that would be better served by reading it.
While I have had some communication with the Klipsch family in prior years, I also bought a pair of KLF-30's from a mid-management Sears employee that was raised in Hope and also taught by Miss Valerie... his descriptions of the experience (that he didn't fully appreciate at the time) and its lasting effect upon him is the kind of feedback that people like Miss Valerie need to know.
There is a lot more to the saga of the Klipsch company than is in the biography... or that is generally known by folks on this Forum... and a lot of it is, perhaps, better off being forgotten. Valerie Klipsch is one of the few people that know more of the bittersweet story behind our favorite loudspeaker company... and to know as much as she does and carry on as well as she does marks her as a special individual worthy of our appreciation.
Perhaps this thread, or another one especially dedicated to Miss Valerie could be amassed and to which she could be made aware. The essence of a teacher is to inspire those whom she teaches... and by whom she is taught. Valerie Klipsch is one of those special people... and all who enjoy what Klipsch has become in their lives should be thankful that in Hope there was Valerie! =HornEd
-
Ye Garrards and Little Fishers fini... Don't be sheepish... forget the ewe turn... and come up to BIG HORN country! The Khorn Dimensions right off the Klipsch web site are: 52" (132.1cm) x 31.25" (79.4cm) x 28.5" (72.4cm) and they weigh in at 167 lbs. (75.8kg). I like to transport them standing up facing each other with a layer of foam in-between or individually crated but still standing upright. I believe you and your family will be delighted with your decisive action this time around. =HornEd
PS: I would be tempted to remove the pick-up shell and transport them in the uprightand Klipsch-locked position... for every "KlipschNut" along the way can see... with a big sign on the back that says "C'est fini!"
-
Sorry, Jgatty, but the Heritage Cool Freeze is on target when it comes to making the most of PWK's finest efforts. The difference between the Belle and the LaScala is minimal... with a slight edge in audio going to the LaScala and a big boost in WAF going to the Belle. Both were designed as centers for the archetypical signature Klipschorns.
But, in his wisdom, PWK realized the space and price issues that potential Klipsch lovers might have... so he continued to make speakers to be used as centers for "three-channel stereo" as devised by Bell Labs. PWK's concepts were not influenced by multi-channel music other than three-channel stereo (which he had in his own home - Klipschorn:Belle:Klipschorn - until the day he died.
If you are really tight for space and want a three-channel stereo rig, try a Heresy in the middle of the Belles. For a better sound, use three Belles for the timbre-matching. That also provides a potential for finding a large enough room... and a Heritage deal... to pick up another pair of Belles or a pair of Klipschorns to have a 5.1 Heritage system that can be made to do two or three channel stereo, multi-channel music and the better part of an all monopole DVD environment.
The more you build a system around identical speakers, the greater latitude you have in fitting today's joys into tomorrow's opportunities. And remember, on this forum, there's more than maple syrup that comes from (brrrr) Vermont in the (double brrrrr) spring! -HornED
PS: LaScala (53 Hz) and Belle (54 Hz) are short on bass (compared to a Khorn's 32 Hz) so an all LaScala/Belle HT system definitely needs quality subwoofer help... and I am looking at a custom subterranean subwoofer that is fully horn loaded for the Heritage Theater currently in the works at my place. -HornEd
-
Ah, but the problem, TauRus, is that using bipole, dipole or tripole speakers for movies is a lot of BULL! Correctly set up monopole surrounds deliver honest sound... traditional THX approaches do not! -HornEd
-
Hey, fini, better check the number of "n's" in your cannonade!
On the 1812 issue, the piece was written for the bells of Moscow which include the largest bells ever cast... so to really be authentic... they either have to resurect the originals, cast new ones, or create a digitally deeper "dong."
If memory serves, the best cannon effects were created by a civil war piece stuffed with wet yellow pages! Sadly, most recorded cannons do not measure up to the expectation of Klipsch-trained ears. -HornEd
-
Follow that dream Griffinator! I did with Klipschorns mains and Belle Klipsch center like Mr. Paul... plus a Belle Klipsch rear array to accommodate multi-channel music and DVD's. My next big leap is to a custom design for at least six Klipschorns and a 121.5 dB @ 20 Hz subwoofer tower in a seven cornered room. Beyond that, I hope to rival my hero, Q-man, for the most horned Klipscher on this Forum. -HornEd
-
Ah, yes, Max, it's good to see your almost smiling face... did you shoot that avatar whilst your tone arm was dragging?
Seriously, Max, I have not forgotten your offer should I drop in again on Athens. At sixty-five, my life has been made complete by a beautiful 38 year-old Swiss born fiancé. It looks like we will be heading for a honeymoon in Tahiti this May (if I can stand that much Klipsch withdrawal
)! Since I am not up to modifying my Klipsch-laced motorhome with pontoons... does anybody out there know of a "Klipschified" accommodation in Tahiti?It looks like, thanks to Kassandra, I will be revisiting a lot of my old favorites around the world... so keep those Greek delights at the ready... this old geopolitical free-spirit may be heading your way later this year... or perhaps next. I am rebuilding a 230 acre retreat in a somewhat remote area of the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California and that has all of my attention that Kassandra hasn't captured. Love is a good base from which to view politics... at least for my blood pressure.
Hope this finds you and your growing family in fine fettle! -HornEd
-
Oops, DouDou, you stepped in it this time! While tripole speakers (like the WDST RS-7) provide a much needed band-aid for acoustically challenged listening environments, they earn no place in an Ideal Reference 7.1 Home Theater! BBB is on the right track the Reference ideal is actually seven RF-7 monopoles although seven RC-7s run a close second (actually provide a wider sweet spot with horizontal placement of the front center and rear arrays).
Ideally, seven identical monopoles provide the timbre-match that makes the same sound sound the same no matter what speaker it comes out of and that is the current anticipation of DVD sound mixing pros since the ProLogic era of wimpy surround channels that, at best, provided auditory clues rather than full range sound.
Theater Sound (as recommended by THX) is tricked up to bring mediocre sound to most seating locations to cram more ticket holders into a given area rather than natural sound to the natural sweet spot that ought to be in your home. In a commercial theater, the surround speakers do not face the audience, but rather have a two-faced approach to sound distortion one faces the front of the theater and the other faces the back of the theater (these dipoles are also wired out-of-phase for further ear confusion). This arrangement makes just about every seat in the house one in which a given sound strikes the listeners ear from many different angles at nearly the same time. The human ear bombarded with such sounds cannot properly distinguish directionality or timbre-matching as intended by the DVDs sound engineer.
The tripole RS-7 using WDST technology provides a small monopole speaker aimed at the sweet spot to handle sounds between 58 Hz and 2,000 Hz. Sounds from 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz are sprayed to the front and the back of the room so your ears may not critically reveal the source and timbre of side surrounds which also tend to erode the quality of the front array IMHO. An RF-7 digs deeper with 32 Hz to 20,000 Hz aimed directly at you and the natural echoes in your listening area allow your ears to clue your brain into a degree of awesome naturalness not available in commercial theaters.
The author of the movie web site that Roger Ebert favors as the most authoritative on the Internet prefers movies screened in my Klipsch Legend Home Theater to any commercial movie or home theater he has sampled. Granted, Tom has not sampled a movie in my 7.1 Klipschorn based Heritage Home Theater (or that of my hero, Q-man) but the point is that matched monopoles (like RF-7s or Klipschorns) are the essence of ideal home theaters.
There are three primary keys to ideal home theaters:
1. The center channel delivers upwards of 75% of the total sound of a DVD so the front center speaker should be the best in your system or at least equal to your left and right mains. IMHO, the RC-7 comes closer to the output of RF-7s than most center to main comparisons. The RC-7 doesnt dig quite as deep (45 Hz to 20,000 Hz) and turns off one woofer on all frequencies used by the human voice in an attempt for greater clarity of speech. Timbre-matching of the RF-7 and RC-7 is further eroded by differing cabinet volumes and speaker components with the RC-7 being several points less sensitive than its bigger floorstanding brother.
2. To cover the full sound spectrum of a Dolby Digital DVD, your subwoofer array must reach 121.5 dB at 20 Hz. Now, granted that sounds pretty loud, but in reality, the sounds that go that loud on a Dolby Digital DVD are that loud for only a fraction of a second and so ear damage is unlikely but realism is heightened considerably. An adequate subwoofer array is second only to an adequate center speaker in ideal home theater enjoyment.
3. Only timbre-matching of all five (or six) discrete channels provides nearly the same sound from any location. 5.1 is the standard and 6.1 is the high end of digitally mastered DVDs. Currently, no DVDs have discrete channels to accommodate a 7.1 configuration. 7.1 is truly a 6.1 signal that splits the rear channel into two identical channels to feed two speakers in the rear array rather than one. My Klipsch Legend Theater is 6.1 and seamlessly covers the 30 diameter of a free standing circular building. Many modern receivers re-distribute 5.1 discrete channels into 6.1 or 7.1 configurations by mixing aspects of the surround channels.
So, its a bouquet for BBB and a PWK yellow BS button for DouDou this time around! HornEd
)! Since I am not up to modifying my Klipsch-laced motorhome with pontoons... does anybody out there know of a "Klipschified" accommodation in Tahiti?
Just bought some Khorns!!!
in 2-Channel Home Audio
Posted
Ecstatic congrats to all the new-to-you Klipschorn owners out there... and to the "laboring" expectant horn-parents, like pierceb, the odds are your twins will be hale and hearty and even outlive you. Having added a pair of Khorns and three Belles to my already fulfilling Khorn/Heritage Herd, my excitement is high... and memories of earning the money to buy my first monaural Klipschorn (stereo was not yet a household reality in those ancient times) at the age of 16... and that's about a half-century ago!
Fully-loaded horns are very revealing... they show every shade and nuance of acoustic and equipment inadequacies... and every shade and nuance of the better things one can stick in his or her ear. I long for the day that cluless false corners her round room and vibrates her flamingoes the horned way!
And for my North Bay Forum Friends with whom I have happily shared food and drink, fini and Clipped & Shorn, may you discover all the best that comes with moving beyond t2k's bipolar fixation. Bwana fini and his audiophile gun bearer, C&S, are on safari in deepest Roseville to bag a pair of elusive but perfect Khorns for $2k. But, really Bwana fini, don't you think the pith helmet is a pit much... although on C&S the intellectual loin cloth looks great! Good hunting my friends! -HornEd