DVDMike

Ok, thanks. That “should” be easy enough. But I’ll need to research how to access the bass bin crossover. this is all getting me into the mindset of moving to tri-amping and eliminating the crossovers completely.

interesting. That 510 close appears to be much smaller depth than the k400. Let me ask specifically that in order to use the a 510 I’d also need to pair it with one of the compression drivers as well? In other words, I couldn’t use the stock compressing driver with the 510. I believe I have the bass crossover to be at around 1000 or so Hz presently. But the original stock passive xover is still in the signal path.

in my current situation, I haven’t disconnected the crossover in the bass bin of my klipschorns, but I am using an activeDSP to break out the low frequencies before they reach the amp for the bass bin. Of course this frequency limited speaker level signal is still passing through the bass bin crossover. From your statement here, I read it as it’s a must to disconnect the bass bin crossover and wire directly to the driver. Is this correct? And if “yes” why?

this is where I’m noticing the most annoying sound. I did look at the pinned post about bi/tri amping but didn’t pay much attention to anything about tri-amping since I’m just doing bi. Fr several months, I was using my decware amp to do gain control matching for pass through into my bass bin amp. But recently, I’ve moved over to the active dsp to match gain and apply some minor digital eq pre amplification.

Thanks for the great info! I am only bi-amping. So I cannot do this in my current configuration. The other suggestions sound very interesting. However, I have aesthetic conditions to consider. There’s a trade off between the looks of the speakers and the best sound possible in this case. I’ll have to think on this. And most of these changes you suggested are fairly easily reversed. So I could try it. let me ask you, is wrapping the horn in something like dynamat advisable or helpful? I have read that others seem to believe it is. It’s not “too” expensive to try this but it’s less reversible since it stuck onto the horn.

What horn / driver do I (should I) have in 1992 klipschorns? I’ve read that a lot of people do not like the “400” and that’s what I assumed I had. Before I had read in several places that the 400 horn was sub par, I thought it wasn’t sounding right. I actually had my ‘76 cornwalls set up for a time next to my klipschorns. It was easy to compare sounds. I was able to put one on each channel of the same amp and level match them. The klipschorns had “more” and we’re better but I wished they sounded more like the Cornwalls as they were very “edgy”, “bright” and a bit too “harsh” compared to what I thought sounded better to me. And that’s where I’m headed hear. I don’t necessarily have to experience the “klipsch” sound. I want as best sound to me that I can get given my budget. My klipschorns have just sounded a bit off from what I wanted. Whats the likelihood that the caps in the upper xover have drifted out of spec? And couldn’t I test for this myself with a fluke meter? and it begs the question if the upper crossover has gone out if spec maybe the bass has too? If this is the case, why not simply bypass the bass crossover since I’m using an active dsp and isolating the bass frequencies before amplification?

I’ve got the klipschorns toed into the corners already. There is really no other placement option for the room except to be right where they are.

I’ve got 1992 AK-3 klipschorns. I’ve had them for about 2 years and never been completely happy with the sound. The upper range sounds a bit bright and harsh to me. I’ve swapped out amps and am now actually using a biamped configuration with a decware “Rachel” powering the squawker and tweeter and a parasound a23+ the bass bins. I’ve tried each of those on their own as well as an adcom 555ii on its own. I’ve used digital EQ (not analog) and this helps tame the beast. I haven’t done digital room correction. But I am now using a active dsp to apply EQ and split the frequency crossovers for bass and upper in the line level preamp signal. Are there good 3rd party options to improve the sound? I’ve been doing a bit of reading and of course everyone has a different opinion. Some love the mid driver & horn while others really believe it’s inferior. I ran across the person selling a build your own Eliptrac 400 2-inch elliptic wood tractrix replacement horn. Would this MDF horn really offer an improvement on its own with the existing driver? There is also a modifier you need to attach it to the driver. This sounds a tad “clugey”. Has anyone swapped the horn out? Are there any other horn or driver/diaphragm options? Are there any crossover changes upgrades I can and should make noting that I’m still using the upper speaker level crossover to divide between the 2 upper drivers.

I’m looking for a pair of choruses, I think I’m leaning towards the I’s. I also have two pair of fortes I could apply towards a trade if that interests anyone. I’m in the Atlanta GA area. Even if you don’t have any, if you see some for sale, let me know.

I’ve got one still in the box unopened that I got from frys. I’m in Atlanta. If nearby, I might be willing to trade for your 12” and cash.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! Great advice. The room doesn't reall have much wall space with all of the opsnings, windows, and doors. It's just not practical to put 15" subs in any other places but where they are. They already stand out too much and I'm think of a way to cover them so they blend in more. So getting the quartets to the floor just isn't practical either. ive already been in touch with Bob Crites and he suggested replacing the tweeters. He also suggested replacing the crossover system in it's entirety as they are original. There is no way to know if they are bad or not but he said time is their enemy. And they are way over 20 years old. I'm not really enthused about spending that kind of money on these speakers, especially when I'm talking about stripping them and painting and or staining. It's going to cost $325 for the crites upgrades suggested. So the question is if this would be money better spent on new speakers entirely? if I keep the quartets, I think I'm going to try to sand with steel wool and paint over. My KG4.5 were matte black and this is basically what I did with them and they blended in well with the room. Some wood grain shows through and I think that is a good look. Instead of painting dark like I would if I were staining them, I'm going to pain them a color that better goes with the walls, the same color I used for the kg4.5's which are now in the the back of the room being used as surround rears. i guess my only question remaining is if the crossovers are really necessary or not? Thanks again to everyone who weighed in and offered good advice.

If it's just mdf, wouldn't stain look terrible on it? I was also considering painting after sanding.

I'm not sure if I should start another post. But I have a question about the quartet speakers. I've got oak. Is the oak simply a veneer over plywood? Is the plywood furniture grade? The honey oak doesn't go with my room well. A dark walnut finish would though. Could I remove the veneer (if that's what it is) and stain what's underneath and it look good? Or what are my options for refinishing for someone who is not a skilled craftsmen?

Well, I decided to try get the quartets upstairs and try them out. I put the quartets as the front mains and the kg4.5 in the surround back (replacing kg 2's). I did some testing, 2 and 7 channels, with only the right channels switched to the new configuration. I think the kg 4.5 are louder. I also think the are more crisp at the high end, which is something I like. They are also punchier in the low end. But the quartets are better in the mid range. My reference source used were a here a a few full but rate MP3s and mostly the sacd of Jeff Becks Blow by Blow album using both the two channel and 5 channel mixes. I haven't recalibrated the audyssey multEQ XT32 yet. So I did tests with it off, flat and reference (to the old configuration) and I tested some with and without the subs. Presumably, the sound will only get better after recalibration. Using sacd 5.1 mix in 5.3 playback mode it sounds great. Playing it back in 7.3.4 using the multi in + neural:X mode to all 11 speakers is of course mind blowing, especially with 5.1 dsd source material. However it's a bit too rear centric without compensation for the efficiencies of the new speaker arrangement. I can easily adjust this manually of course. When playing the source material without any audyssey equalization, the sound is pretty flat. But even two channel music sounds really quite good with the reference eq running. And the two channel has a bit more punch but not quite the depth of multi channel playback of two channel source material. i think the shorter height of the quartets (placed atop of the corner subs) are better for my room. But the oak cabinets don't really go as well from a design perspective in my sun room. The taller kg4.5's are really the perfect height for my surround back. I had the kg2's on stands. I'd prefer the the kg4.5's to be the surround speakers but the side windows and furniture placement negate this option. Instead, I have two Elac B5's mounted on the wall above the side windows as the surround speakers. before I take the time to recalibrate, I'm going to do more auditioning with differing source material.

Before I go to the trouble to move heavy speakers around and ruin my back for a week, I'd like to know if anyone has an opinion on these two speaker models. I'm currently using kg4.5's as my front main speakers in an Atmos 7.3.4 setup. They are each placed on top of a sub and they are really quite high. I've always liked their bass response but sometimes they can sound a bit shrill. However, the audessey eq in my amp does a good job in balancing the sound well. I have a beautiful pair of oak quartets sitting unused in a spare room. Although they have a slightly larger footprint, they aren't bigger than the subs they'd sit on top of. They are shorter however. And as such I think they might look better in the room. But how does the sound compare between the kg4.5 and the quartets? Low bass is not an issue since there are three subs in this room, a 15", 12", and 10". Efficiency is a bit of a consideration. But mainly should the three way quartets have better sound than the two way 4.5's?

I hadn't tried to fix. I always like the sound this sub put out. But I have replaced the sub with a newer model and I really don't need this anymore. So sure, I'd sell it as is. How can we communicate offline? Is there a private messaging feature on this forum?

Thank you for your response. I read that thread and I do not believe that I have the same issue. My sub is two pronged electrical. I've tried connecting it to several different circuits within the home, including circuits where other subs in the house are working fine. I've got 4 other working subs without any buzzing noises. The problem happens with and without a signal being passed into the sub. The sub's other functions work properly and are totally independent on the noise. The noise happens regardless of any position of any dial and does not change amplitude or sound in any manner regardless if you have a source hooked up or how loud you have the gain.

I've got an old SW-12 that I've had out of service for many years. I'm trying to get it to function properly again. I plug it in and I hear a humming or buzzing sound. It could be a 60HZ sound but the plug that comes with the sub does not have the third ground plug. It is simply a two pronged plug. I hear the noise whenever power is going into the unit. It does not matter if there are any connections made or not. I hear the same noise with it connected to the LFE RCA on the AMP. I hear it when there is nothing connected. The volume of the noise is always the same level whether or not the volume on the sub is all the way up or all the way down or if the volume on the amp is muted or high. When you pass a LFE signal to the sub, it still makes the humm but otherwise functions properly. I get LFE frequencies that sound reasonable and all of the control knobs on the Sub appear to function properly. Is there anything that I can do to "fix" this noise other than taking it to a repair shop? What might be causing this noise? If necessary, I could mic the sub and record it and post a .wav file here.

Copper.

In order to use this forum and set up an account, you must answer a question to prevent spammers. It is what color other than black is synonymous with klipsch branding? I said gold. This is incorrect. I have owned klipsch speakers since the 80's. I grew up with a pair of la scala's in the family home. I currently have fortes, quartets, kg2, kg4, and a host of more modern speakers and 4 different klipsch subs in my home today. I've got over 16 individual klipsch speakers in total, not counting the 4 subs. But yet I can't get onto this forum because I think gold is the branding color. I even did a quick Google search and couldn't easily find the correct color. Whomever came up with the idea that this is the best challenge question for a lifetime owner of klipsch products has really frustrated me. If their marketing was so great, I'd already know the correct answer and it would have popped up on google first when I did a search on the exact question. I am already rethinking my next speaker purchase.