Peter P.

I think you'd have to start with the Heritage Series, if you're looking for that break point. That heart and soul will be found in the efficiency, and the horn loaded drivers, and the two go hand in hand. You mentioned you can't fit LaScalas; then you probably can't fit Cornwalls because they are even wider, albeit just about an inch. So stop dreaming about them! If you're willing to buy new, get the new Heresy IV. Rumor has it, it will be available at the end of the month. Otherwise, the Heresy III is insanely efficient and will beat the pants off any speaker similar in size. Similar size to the kg4's- find a pair of Quartets. Willing to go just slightly larger-if you want legendary, get a pair of Forte's, which are probably Klipsch's most popular, and affordable speaker.

I agree that used Quartet pricing should be lower than used Forte pricing, and typical used Forte pricing in my area is around $500. As has been mentioned, Quartets are a slightly smaller Forte so they're more convenient and more aesthetically acceptable in smaller environments. I bought mine with one slightly water damaged top, for $250. There's currently a pair for sale at a reasonable $500 near Worcester MA.

Be patient and get the Cornwalls. You've been smitten by LaScala's; Heresy's will fall short of reminding you of what the fully horn loaded LaScala's did to your heart and brain. The Cornwalls are closer.

No, please; I'm too young to be a HAM! 😀

Here is the solution to my problem. It was the radio station. Listening to other stations, with just the DJ speaking, I could not hear any hum. I'm an FCC licensed Motorola technician, so I have at my disposal a service monitor capable of generating FM. I brought it inside and generated an unmodulated carrier over the air at the station's frequency, for a full quieting signal. No hum. Then I tried generating an unused FM frequency in my area at full quieting, and reduced the signal level until white noise overcame the signal. Still no hum. I sent an e-mail to the station telling them what I heard, just as an FYI. I've seen problems with a ground wire on the mic which needs to be cut, or nearby sources such as a cellphone on the desktop, the cellphone charger nearby, or nearby laptop computer/charger similarly causing problems. Thanks for all the suggestions; at least it's not my equipment!

I flipped the plug earlier today. Now I'll give it a few days.

Thanks for the replies! The tuner is a 1982 Yamaha digital tuner. I too was thinking it's a power supply issue. It's a two prong power cable. A rabbit ears antenna is plugged in.

I discovered I have a hum in my system when listening to my component FM tuner. All other components have no hum. Is a ground isolator on the RCA cables called for? Do they work? Any brand favorites? Any other suggestions?

I saw a picture somewhere of a Klipsch employee who built scaled-down LaScala's that were roughly the size of a bookshelf speaker. I think the concept is interesting, but there must be some reason it hasn't been done by Klipsch. I agree with TwinStick; I'd buy a pair even if I had to pair them with a subwoofer, assuming the rest of the concept was sound.

Sometimes its just your speaker cables running too close to A.C. wiring, and/or running parallel to the A.C. wiring. The longer the speaker wires run adjacent to A.C. wiring, the more potential there is for hum to occur. If your speaker wires are inside the walls, this could be a problem to fix. If your speaker wires are inside the walls, try running a temporary speaker wire to the affected speaker by just laying it on the floor in a random route. If your speaker wires are accessible, try the same experiment to see if it's the proximity of your speaker wires to something else which is causing your problem.

I just measured the current draw on my subwoofer, an SVS-1000. Since it is a recent vintage product, it consumes less power than older, non "Green" energy compliant products. Your subwoofer's power consumption numbers may vary. The manual lists the sub consuming 0.5W while in the low powered, standby mode. Shutting off the stereo, and prior to the sub going into this low powered mode, it consumes 22.8W. So if the Auto-On/Off feature of the sub is not used, it will consume 22.8W while waiting for an input signal versus 0.5W in the Standby Mode.

Most subwoofers will stay on for a period of time after the input signal is removed. With my subwoofer, it's 5 minutes. Leaving the subwoofer on all the time will draw unnecessary idle current, raising your electric bill. Subwoofers using an "Auto On" feature go into a low powered "sleep" mode after that period of no use, drawing substantially less current. In my case it works out to 3 cents/month.

Use the "L/LFE" input on the subwoofer. Here's the manual to assist you.

Some people cut a hole in the bottom of a properly fitting styrofoam cup. Place the cup over the dome, and place your mouth over the other end. Suck. Better control than a vacuum. There are a lot of youtube videos on this fix.

I think the speakers are too large for the room, or another way to say it is, the room is too small. I think you'd be more likely to get that 3D soundstage if you could pull the Forte's away from the walls a foot or two or at least spread them farther apart, but the room is too small to do that. I wonder if you'd be better of with a smaller pair of speakers, and that subwoofer I see in the corner. Also, the dimensions of your room are close to a square. If I recall (someone else chime in if you will), square rooms cause all sorts of acoustic problems. Your lack of 3D may be due to your room's dimensions.

I was speaking to the shop owner/repair tech at my locally owned appliance store. According to him, the TV you buy at the big box store is not the same as the one you buy from him even though the model numbers are MOSTLY the same. He repairs both TV's for the big box stores as well as his own sales, so I trust he knows what he's talking about. Also, the big box stores' "Black Friday" TV deals are specially made to a price point, and consequently use substandard parts, to meet the attractive price. They have a considerably higher incidence of failures as well. Think before you buy.

Great story; thanks for sharing it!

What's the existing room setup? Are there lots of flat, hard walls and nothing or little to absorb reflection? Can you provide room photos?

I'd caution against using liquids to remove the finish or the water stains. The veneer is very thin and any liquids can seep through and possibly loosen the adhesive. Definitely sand them, or practice with the liquid on the bottom of the cabinet where any damage will be unseen. I agree with baron167; the S/N's aren't as important as the overall condition. They'll still sound like Heresy's!

When you refinished your sub, it sounds like you sanded around the ports or did you avoid any work on that face? That's the only reason I want to remove the "stuck" port, as part of the refinish.

76mm (3.0") O.D.- this does not include the flange, just what fits in the opening. 181mm (5.0") length to the backside of the flange.

Thanks for the detailed refinish instructions! I'll definitely refer to this post when I get to work. While mine isn't black, it has some paint stains and many scratches, and I expect I'll be just as surprised at the results. I was not able to remove one of the ports from the outside, and after removing the bottom screws I couldn't remove the bottom panel. Any secrets to removing the panel?

Wow; the finish on that sub looks good. I've really gotta see what I can do with my secondhand kg sw...

Very well written. A good read. If you're a tinkerer, there's nothing wrong with trying what you suggest. But I don't think your plan will work out. The tuning of the path size and length, the dimensions of the ports, and volume of the cabinet will be limiting factors. Changing drivers isn't going to get you lower as you're limited to those 8" drivers. I would just buy a powered sub. And yes; they do crossover under 100Hz if desired. I own both a KG SW and a powered subwoofer. P.S. Loved your description on your KG SW restoration. Some day I hope to do something similar to mine. P.S.S. What; no photos of your KG SW?!

The catch is, the speakers cannot face each other. That will cause audio cancellation. The speakers will need to be staggered such that no speaker directly faces another, and there will need to be a certain horizontal separation to ensure it. Bogen, the PA system company, has an excellent System Design Guide which explains a lot about how to set up a system. See page 71. Yeah; Heresy's would be cool looking but you'll be positioning them where they won't produce satisfying bass (much like Chipotle restaurants), and you'll probably not be playing them anywhere near where the Heresy's will shine. And all those speakers will be expensive. Honestly, I'd just choose some Klipsch bookshelf speakers, mounted out of reach of drinking or curious patrons, or if you have a dropped ceiling, use some Klipsch in-ceiling speakers.