JohnA

LOL! My first exposure to Klipschorns like yours was in Nashville in the later 70's. While looking at stuff I might one day afford, I heard a thunderstorm (Alan Parsons Project). It was a blue sky, severe clear day. Sneaking into the high end room, the next record up was Santa Esmerelda (disco). I noticed my bell bottoms were tickling my ankles. They were visibly moving to the bass drum!!! and yet, it was not so loud you couldn't talk. I was bit that day. In my whole house I have 2 proper corners for K-horns, ... in different rooms. 😐 You have a wonderful gift.

Those are what the Forum has dubbed Heresy 1.5s. H1 woofer/tweeter and H2 squawker.

Dang it Roy! You're costing me money!!

Sounds like you're going to cost me money!

Sounds like you have a hard, bright room. Carpet and furniture help and should be done first. Very heavy stage curtains could work, but I never found where I could buy them. Look at A/C duct board. For your place, I'd say use 2" thick duct board. The absorption will be similar to the chart above (1.0 is like an open window, 100%). Build panel frames from 2"x2" in various sizes, fill with duct board, cover with a thin, fine mesh, neutral colored cloth, say like a bed sheet, cover that with a coarse, burlap-like cloth in a festive color and mount to the walls where you want to reduce reflections. You can build bass traps in a similar fashion. Build a 2 x 2 box out of 2" x 2" lumber, say 4' to 6' tall, cover with chicken wire, or similar, fill sorta loosely with unfaced fiberglass batts and cover as above to make it attractive. Put those mostly in the corners. I'd start with 2 in the rear and make more as needed. I am sure you could buy something premade. I got my inspiration from the cubicle walls I lived in for 25 years.

1 - the room 2 - speakers 3 - power amplifier

I was quite pleased with an A-T OC9 on a Decca London arm in a Thorens TD-125. I used an Aragon outboard phono preamp. I think you might like an OC9 in it's current editions. It brought out much delicate detail, good or bad. I still have it, but is is not in service.

Having gone from 1 to 2 to 4 subwoofers, I'll recommend at least 2, placed near mid wall on opposing walls. Second choice would be near the corners, but the 3rd wall may disturb the frequency response too much. I also will recommend getting subs with 15" drivers (or larger) to minimize excursion and thus harmonic distortion. I have not heard the 2 you listed, but there are several available with excellent performance. Also, remember, if you can "hear" a subwoofer and tell it's there, it is 10 dB too loud. You might like that, but it is not accurate.

Too much $$$ for butt-ugly.

In my experience, cables matter, some, but their differences are subtle. One reason is your speaker cables will normally pass very little power, 1/2 watt or less, so losses are miniscule. This is due to the Chorus' sensitivity. However, since the cost is low (discounting my sore fingers), I use thick speaker cables, about 11 gauge. Mine are hand made braided CAT-5E, but low resistance from 10 or 12 ga wire is most important. My interconnects are moderately priced, but the preamp to power amp cables for the front 3 are silver-clad copper with tight fitting, heavy phono plugs. I use those because I could hear a change in sound I liked. I used those on my turntable, too. They were about $40/meter 25 years ago. The other line level cables and digital cables are similar, but unclad copper and 1/2 the price. The brand is Vampire Wire, but only their connectors are available, now. The cables are unique because the shield does not carry the signal and is only bonded at the preamp end. I recommend you find similar, moderately priced cables because there is some improvement in sound and quality lasts, but beyond a point, improvement costs exponentially more money for another tiny improvement.

Yes, and Yes. Baltic Birch is neither light, nor cheap, over here, but it can be had in a void free "plywood", a layered, glued construct that is surely what you called multiplex. Other plywoods can be and have been used in Klipschorns and other Klipsch speakers. My La Scalas are made from plywood with a birch veneer on the top and bottom. I do not know what is in the other layers. I have read it was a void-free product made for Klipsch that is similar to home cabinet birch veneered plywood, like what I have in my kitchen (la cucina).

Well, it matters that the visible wood is pretty. It matters that the wood comprising the walls of the horn is stiff, and relatively smooth (vs the wavelength passing). It matters that the wood used is economical, so we can afford the speakers. The species and other details don't matter much, at all.

i also use a Heresy I between 2 La Scalas. I modified the Heresy crossover to more closely match the Type AA in my La Scalas. They are much like HIP crossovers. I think it helps the match, but it is still a little off in the mids. It is not noticeable to most people.

In the rear plys you will find the serial number stamped. The letter code denotes the year, the numbers describe the production number. They are Cornwall Is and most likely had square magnet K-33-E woofers, but the serial number will tell. The cabinet and ports are tuned for the production woofer, but the earlier woofers all had very similar parameters to the mentioned K-33-E.

You ABSOLUTELY do not want the walls to vibrate. They should be stiff and non-resonant as they are an "extension" of the bass horn. Horns should be stiff and without vibration in the frequency range where they operate. Your wall should be stiff enough and you have no need for false corners, unless you have no square corners.

In the late '60s trucks leaving the nearby manufacturing plant would come through the audio system at church. Thankfully, they followed the rules and did not use profanity back then! It always amused this 10-y.o.

Prolly zero. Ruined by the Blose amp. 😂

Looks like a DIY using Cornwall I parts. The port and Tweeter are dead giveways.

You would not want a "tonewood" because the horns should not impart any sound or resonate in any way. That additional coloration is very undesirable.

Partymark, I ran some old Parasound amps with my La Scala HT system. They make excellent sounding gear, warm and smooth. I doubt you will find any integrated amp that will sound better. Integrated are compact and simple without wires everywhere, but all separates traditionally sound better. Nothing wrong with experimenting so you'll know, but my take is that you are dragon hunting.

'Deezie, I had a similar problem with some old Parasound power amps. The cure was turning down the amp's input gain controls. Contact Pass Labs. Mr. Pass is well aquainted with Klipsch and horns. I believe they will adjust your amp to reduce or eliminate your hiss. Then, you can keep what I'm sure is a wonderful sounding amp.

Klipsch tests every component and/or speaker. In the early days, particularly with the T-35/K-77, it has been said each one was tested and sorted and some sent back. From that, we can infer the better performing drivers MAY have been installed in the more expensive models, like the Klipschorn. There were also different crossovers in the " W" series that may have been an attempt to accommodate driver performance. Only Jim Hunter and Wooly Mammoths were alive back then. 😆. The short answer, now, is a K-77-? and a K-55-V/X and a K-33-? can be exchanged for any other, though there are some subtleties that may make you refrain from swapping some, particularly the woofers. Were you to have enough drivers and the test gear you could cull the lower performing examples, too.

The graph published by Mr. Paul in the Audio Engineering Society is this. In my room, mine did not make it much above 14 kHz, but neither do my ears.

Should be a good choice! They should pair well with a 2270. That was a transition period and we have nicknamed them Heresy 1.5s. They likely have H II squawker drivers. You'll have to try in your room, but I'd expect them to sound best near a wall, but not too close to the corner (affects male vocals too much). I liked running a subwoofer with my H Is. (If you can hear a subwoofer, it is 10 dB too loud.).

You could use the keyholes to attach a bracket that holds them off the wall.