edwardre

Hi Ron, I realized it was a fixed screen when I visited the Jamestown site, thanks for confirming. I am interested enough to ask a few more questions, now I know the basic layout of the screen, I dont need pictures. Being a fixed screen - and truthfully thats what I prefer - how would I get it from Concord to Auburn...? I dont imagine it removes from its frame to be rolled up like an area rug. I wouldnt want it to catch a gust and turn the p/u into a gigantic sail boat. Or rip apart before I got to 680. Is it the matte white or the gray? Are you firm on the price? I do see the price of new and $150 is a great deal, but I have to sell it to the missus and that can be tricky. The size is just about perfect. Seriously seriously considering it. Im not worried in the least in hiding/disguising/ rolling up the screen when not in use and it would seem that there are many benefits to having a fixed screen. I had a 131" diag 235:1 screen at the last place, this would fill that absence just right.

Well thank YOU Greg, a killer deal I just could not let pass. It is actually for fellow forum member "Video Guy", I did the deal 1. because my sister lives about 30 miles from Greg and could do the pick up thing and 2. If VideoGuy Larry got cold feet and backed out I would be overjoyed to add another Academy to the Klipsch pool. Thanks again Greg and thanks to Klipsch for this forum that makes us all one big family.

GMC - i havent received your PM reply....please resend when you get a chance, ready to roll....

GMC - PM sent on the Academy.....

Hi folks, from the info I have, K-horns were offered by klipsch as a kit in the '50's for a very short period of time. The kits typically had the "A" bass bin, correctly stated by Mike as "Georgian" bins because this was the size purchased by EV from Klipsch when EV were "in bed with Paul". I have an original set of "A" style blueprints. I don't know if the current production bin used in "B", "C" and "D" k-horns were ever offered by Klipsch in their DIY kits. Klipsch did factory make "A" style bins as well. It's unclear to me whether they put them into production K-horns or whether they were used for custom request builds such as the pair I have. I have a pile of literature, prints and such from Klipsch that Paul gave my father, if interested I can paw through it for something more conclusive regarding factory DIY kits and the relationship between production, custom and kit bass bins. So the question above: what are your opinions of the (Georgian) design in comaprison to PWKs?? is slightly off target in that the design in the Georgian bin IS Paul's design, manufactured in the Klipsch factory and sold to EV specifically for the Georgian effort. In my opinion, the "A" bins sound very close to the current bin. I have my "A"s as FR and FL, and my '53 factory "B"s as SR and SL. All 4 of these vintage khorns have the same driver, the Stephens Trusonic 103LX2. I also have a "newer" ('78's) set of k-horns so have been able to do a lot of side by side comparisons. The "A"s have tighter bass IMHO as would be expected from the slightly smaller cavity. Punchy and forceful. Very clean without some of the mud you can get from having your khorns positioned incorrectly. But it's all so subjective and very close as to be almost imperceptable. Maybe I only think I hear a difference. As I mentioned to you in the private conversation Mike....."congrats on your vintage khorns". These are the real deal, I have no doubt.

yeah, I understand the 'abandon all hope' mentality - certainly seems like the folks at Klipsch have abandoned us - but re-purposing the system, especially the L&R speakers doesn't really cut it with me. The L/R's are only RS3 speakers, hardly cutting edge. Competant as perhaps PC speakers if one has a decent amp to push them, but just 'using them elsewhere' doesn't make me feel any better about dropping the $$ for the system. In fact, I found my L/R pair to be a little underwhelming and replaced them with a better sounding pair of Klipsch Rebels which really seemed to bring the Ifi system to the next level. No....the 'worth' of the Ifi system to me is the SW/amp/contol assy.....which is where the problem is and is the part that can't really be re-purposed without dragging along the issue. What mine has evolved (or devolved) to is that it works fine if it's given about 15 minutes to warm up. As is the case with many, when I first turn mine on - ear splitting noise that makes the wife and kids jump out of their skin whenever the weak, crappy volume dial is touched, either in 'volume' or 'sub-woofer' mode. But once it's been on for 15 minutes, the system functions as if it was new. Don't know if this thermal 'workaround' will work for others.

Greetings. It's been several years since I've visited this forumfor various reasons. Primary among those reasons was that I have had no problems with any of my Klipsch speakers, and I have a few. In fact, I have never purchased anything but Klipsch speakers, for home use, in my life. This held true for my father too, who purchased his first - a 1951 custom klipschorn - from one of the first Klipsch employees.. In 1960 when stereo came around, Paul Klipsch told my father if he would drive the speaker to Hope, AK (from CA), Paul would have an exact match built for him. He did. Paul did. I have that pair still as the lynchpin of my HT (R&L Fronts). Why do I share this story? As a point of refrence to just how much this once customer focused company has changed. During the week it took to build that 2nd K-horn, Paul insisted my father come over for dinner to get to know a loyal customer. I'd like to believe that if Paul were with us today, things would be different. I've had my ifi for a few years now. I purchased the system because it was a Klipsch. I later read the rave reviews. I use it in my 5th wheel trailer, during the coule of times a year we go vacationing. I'm not sure when my system started doing the volume malfunction - couple of years ago at least. It wasn't severe at first, and since we only used it a couple times a year, didn't warrant much attention from me. We got back last week from the latest weeklong vacation, it's now virtually unusable. The only symptom I've experienced that I haven't read is that once the system warms up, it works fine. This warm up period is about 20 minutes. This ifi is my most recent Klipsch purchase. It would be a shame if after all this history, it were my last. Very disappointing is the indifference to valid customer issues, especially considering that this is either a design issue or a bad part lot issue. It's not about the cost of the system but rather an indictment on the company's attitude towards satisfying customers.. Whether I spend another nickel - or continue to advocate to friends, peers and associates all things Klipsch - now largely depends upon how this issue is handled. They can no longer feign ignorance to the problem. I am a little suprised that Amy - who's numerous employee perspective input to this forum in general I have respected for years - did not have anything of substance to offer in the way of commitment to customer satisfaction. Very frustrating and alarming situation. This was the very last thing I expected to see when I logged on today to see if anyone else had experienced the same problem.

Yes, swap the xovers, then swap the drivers to determine which of these is the culprit. I do not think it is a cabinet feature. Sounds like simply you have a mismatched pair of bass drivers, evidenced by the physical difference in appearance.

Do you mean the grille 'cloth' or the grilles themselves (cloth and frames)? Do you mean the upper or the lower grilles? Everything can be removed. The top grille is held in by screws that are accessed through the rear. The lower bass bin grilles can be removed by removing the screws on the bottom (have to first remove the bottom riser) as well as the 'top of the bass bin' (have to first remove the whole top section to access the screws)

Well, s/n - 1052, pictured here, occupies a corner of my spare bedroom as of yesterday evening. Greg - you're correct, I purchased it for quite a bit less than $500. I already had 4 mid-50's klipschorns (2 - '53's and 2 - factory custom '54's) so I was going to take a pass on this one but the seller made it to where i couldn't pass the deal up. Salinas (where the speaker was) is a 4.5hr (one way) trip from where I live in Grass Valley CA, so the wife and I made a 'costal weekend' of it. The clincher was the Jensen tweeter. I had a single one of these gems sitting on the shelf for 6 years awaiting a mate, they are far too expensive to just go get one from epay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5760666050&fromMakeTrack=true So now I have a pair of these tweeters, though I don't know what I'll do with them. I have installed a 'factory correct' University 4401 to replace the Jensen tweeter, so I also have a perfect, mint condition 1956 Khorn (in 'prima-vera' blond) as a spare in case I lose a driver in one of my other mid-50's khorns......all for less than the price the Jensen tweeter ebay seller looks like he will get for his tweeter...... BTW - hooked up the '56 to my ST70 tube amp......the sound is magical. Truly a case where the swhole is greater than the sum of the parts......

Chris, your comments are very intriguing indeed. I personally don't think that the Academy is the best center speaker speaker out there available but rather think that it is the best I've heard so far that blends well with Forte (II's in my case). More info please, more info please...... ColterP, I totally agree regarding the $650 price tag these very often command. I personally wouldn't pay that much - nor would I suggest to others to pay that much. Got mine for $107, and I see deals for these in the 'under $300' (my limit for one of these) on occasion. Right place, right time. Patience has its rewards. Does anyone here know of another Klipsch speaker that uses the same 8" woofer (K-1011-KV)? If so, perhaps I should be looking for one of these 'on the cheap' rather than searching endlessly (and patiently) for the driver by itself.......

Parkland Plastics is THE preferred screen material. Cheap, easy to work with, 1.5 luminance gain, it's the nuts. Think they intended it for RV bathroom showerstall material, but now everybody uses it for projector screen material because of the almost perfect reflective quality - I don't know about this stuff, but for me it looks and works terrific. I made one out of a 10'x5' piece of parkland by constructing a frame of 2x2's, then skinning the frame with 3/8"MDF. Then you adhere the Parkland Plastic piece with some Henry's (I believe 444), let it dry, whip up a quick moulding border if you want, hang it and away you go. Mouse nuts. Will provide pics if you want...... More info to be found on the AVS forum site about this stuff

The Academy I think utilyzes the K-1011-KV 8" woofer (2 per). The 800 number was closed for the week when I just called, but I tend to doubt that this is still available for purchase, I have never seen one for sale on ebay from those folks who routinely sell Klipsch speaker components. I have been trying for about 6 months to get one, one of mine has a cosmetic (only) problem that I would like to correct. Can't see it with the grille on, but I KNOW it's there!!! (Another 'purist' thing) The Academy works terrific with my small theatre's forte II mains, but it cannot compete with Khorn (or even Lascala) mains, not in the same 'timbre' league. For this task, I use a single Belle because the match is phenomonal, and the Belle is low-slung enough that is doesn't interfere with my 10-foot screen. I think you'd be better off using a Heresy between (true) Heritage mains than an Academy, but I can certainly attest that the Heresy cannot compete with the Academy as a center between Forte II mains.

Did anyone here see this 'sleeper'? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5749170273&ssPageName=STRK:MEDW:IT I was outbid by a dollar, indicating that only the winning bidder and myself were in it to the end. To me it was only worth $75 or so as my Academy has a missing grille and one of the woofers has a small (repaired successfully) crack.

Hi Chris! Glad to see you're passing on the SAHF's. Hard to imagine that those things are going for as much as they are going for these days.

Two Acadamy's currently on ebay, closing in a few hours, both currently in the mid-$200's. Both are not mint, but are not trashed either......sounds like a deal for the refurbisher(s) among us........sounds like an 'esnipe' opportunity........

I have recently upgraded my surrounds to Khorns from Corns and the difference is dramatic. I don't know if it is the ear level thing like Mr Shady pointed out, but whatever it is I can vouch that having Khorns in all 4 corners is NOT a waste of good Khorn wood. Puts the sound at ear level. My front and rear centers are Belles. A SVS 20-39 provides the LFE effects, and all 6 Klipsch speakers are set to FULL. Also, keep in mind that the rear center (or rear two) as differentiated from the 2 surrounds, do in some instances have discrete information coming out of them. DTS-ES and I think DD6.1-EX both use the rear center as a discrete channel. When you put two speakers in that role (effectively making the "7" in 7.1), then this rear center is matrixed into 2 rear speaker channels. In any event, the 1 or 2 channels back there are not waste material and you will be better off using as good a speaker as you can! Why?? BECAUSE YOUR SYSTEM ONLY SOUNDS AS GOOD AS THE WEAKEST SPEAKER(s) WITHIN..........

Tom - absolutely stunning. Tremendous job. It's been a long haul, eh? The satisfaction of building then reaping the rewards of one's own work, year after year, cannot be overstated. I wish you many happy decades of listening bliss, and you have a prize to pass on to future generations as well. Bravo!!

Thomas - welcome. P-Tom - I may have a pair of '76's, oiled walnut, absolutely mint as the day they were made condition available by the end of the year ('05). Two weeks ago my father had a stroke and the outlook is bleak, my mom is not able to maintain their 10 acre spread up on the Olympic penninsula in WA and is urging me to start cleaning out the place for eventual sale. I guess I'm in denial still, hoping and praying for some sort of meaningful recovery. He awoke from a coma the other day with all mental faculties intact, but other than his right arm, nothing else works. He can whisper and speech is not impacted. Essentially a sharp mind trapped in a dead body. Very sad as he was very active (we celebrated his 73rd birthday the day he came out of the coma, yesterday was his and my mother's 50th anniversary). Klipschorns were a special bond for us. In any event, sometime this year I have to go fetch them up, I have 2 pairs already, I don't need another (actually the wife probably will not stand for it anyway). I will keep you in mind when the time comes. Price will be 'significantly less than you will find anywhere else'.

That Jensen RP302 tweeter is worth several hundred on it's own.....

Oh duh....the title says it all....."FS 1956"

Hi Greg, Is this speaker actually for sale? You posted 'the seller would like to know what it is worth', and I think we all assumed it was for sale..... Would be interested in knowing what drivers lie within.....can you get this info for us? Thanks.

Thank you both for the kind words though I'm sure many forum members would do the same. Peter - I hope the Heresy II works out for you! Happy Holidays to one and all.......

Agreed! The pic is exactly what I was looking for, thanks very much. Looks to me to be the splitting image (grill-wise) to the Forte except that the border around the grill is not ~3/4" but rather smaller. Since I replaced the grillcloth on my Forte's long ago, should be mouse nuts to fab an exact match with leftover material.....then maybe I'll redo the grills on my surround Hereseys to match both Forte's and Academy!!! Thanks again!

Jeepers. I am almost embarassed to proclaim that I got my Academy, barely a month ago from ebay for $107. Where was Lippy then? It was the one with the 'damaged' woofer, but the damage was cosmetic in nature and cannot be seen with the grill in place, and without the grill is it almost invisible. In the process of selling the Heresy II the Academy replaced to a fellow member for the same price. WRT the grill, I am contemplating fabricating one (despite the wife's approval to leave it grill-less) to match the Forte mains. Can someone post a pic of what a 'real' Academy grille looks like? Does it have the same grille-cloth as a Forte? And angled edges like a Forte? Thanks!