Al Klappenberger

Dacer, No, NO, a thousand times NO! Don't try to wind your own coils! Get them for Solen! And yes, you would DEFINITELY need special equipment. You will also need "Litz" wire and I have no idea where you would get that. Al K.

TTK, For what it's worth, I have shipped 28 sets of my network upgrades so far. All of the ones within the US have been shipped by FedEx "super saver", or 3rd business day. So far, only one set has been damaged, and that my have been my fault for not pulling a few cable ties tight enough on one of them! Al K.

Mac, I got a set of Belles and a Cornwall in the middle. I think most people buy LaScalas becasue they cost less and make virtually the same sound. Just tell yourself that all the comments on the BB about LaScalas are actually about Belles! That's what I do! Al K.

Well guys, I'll say one thing for 1 mW at 30 feet.. Have you even been in the same room with 106 dB SPL? Take it from me, it's a painfull test! Al K.

Dave, Be patient, the K55V drivers are not too hard to find. You can download my xover design from my web site: http://www.web-span.com/alk Look down about the middle of the home page and look for the photos of the Klipsach speakers. Al K.

Dacer, I don't think it matters which you match up first, the xovers or the drivers. You should match up both! I think the deceding factor will be which cost fits you budgit first or if a single used driver shows up to match one of the ones you already have. Maybe on eBay. Al K.

Malcom, I think it has more to do with McIntosh having been bought by Clarion! I wonder what Gordon Gow would have thought of this? Al K.

I THINK I'M GOING TO BE SICK! Al K.

MM, Ok.. Now you have read the simplified analogies to get the idea of what impedance is all about, here's the "meat"! There are two main types of opposition to the flow of electric current. These are DC opposition as provided by a "resistor", and AC opposition as provided by a capacitor or inductor. Impedance is simply "total opposition" which combines the two. If you connect a resistor in series with an inductor you have "resistance" in series with "reactance", which is "impedance". They add together by the pythagorean theorem. R = DC resistance, X = reactance and Z = impedance. So: Z squared = R squared + X squared. All of these are measured in Ohms. This is for a series connection. If you put a capacitor and resistor in parallel, the formula a different, but you get the idea (I hope!). By the way, Xc is the type of reactance created by a capacitor and Xl is the type created by and inductor. The formulas are the same for both. Al K

Stig, Here's the answer: http://www.melhuish.org/audio/forum/messages/2982.htm Thanks for asking the question. I learned something! I had to go to a friend to get the answer. AL K.

Mdeneen, Using power resitors at high level is definitely NOT the best way to do a 3 way system, but I wouldn't worry about the inductance of the resistors. That amount of inductance is far less than already in the drivers themselves. Anyhow, you can by noninductive power resistors if you are worried about it. I use them in my networks. You will loose damping in the middle speaker since it will be isolated from the amp. This is not the case for the flanking speakers though. Damping will not be degraded on those. As to impedance, it will lower the load, but I wouldn't worry about that either. It's insignificant compared to the 0.2 Ohms or so source impedance of a typical amp and the normal variation in load provided by the speaker itself. They are by no means a steady 8 Ohms! The big disadvantage if using resistors at the amp outputs is the loss of damping in the middle speaker and the difficulty of setting the levels, which is very important. The chance of instability is also real. A third amp is really the way to go! Al K.

I have not tried it, but you may be able to use just two resistors to bridge a third speaker at the power amp output. Don't use the third resistor to ground though. The question becomes what value and I really don't know. Start with about 10 Ohms each. The value will set the loudness of the middle speaker. Too low and you might casue instability in your amp. If they are too high , you won't be able to hear the middle speaker. Al K.

Tony, Neither! This was one of a box full of filter "housings" that were rejects from the filter company I used to work for. They were rejected becasue the plating was not good enough quality to be used. They were thrown out and I just did some dumpster diving for them! AL K.

Frans, Not true! That mixer scheme is more than just "mono" to the middle speaker. if you use a mono signal as a reference, that is a signal that is equal level on both left and right, a signal that is on the left or right ONLY will be down 6 dB on the center speaker by comparison. This does not restrict the stereo separation AT ALL. It in fact inhances it! Al K.

Hi guys, If anybody is interested, here's the rig I am using to mix 2 channels to a third. The circuit is simply a 33K resistor from each input to the center output. I also have a 12K resistor from the center output to ground. This just swamps out any capacity associated with cable to the center amp by lowering the impedance. The left and right outputs are connected directly to the left and right inputs. They just pass right through the box. Of course, three sperate amplifiers are needed. Each amp will require a level (volume) control to balance up the system too. Al K

Frans, I have a copy of a paper written by PWK. It is titled "Room Dimensions for Optimum Listening and the Half-Room Principle". In it PWK mentions using 2 Khorns as you describe and actually tried putting FOUR of them together in the middle of the room. He said it was "not as satisfactory as for a single speaker system in a nutral corner". Al K.

A Heresy will work fine between Khorns. I think the Cornwall was designed initially for that very purpose! Al K

Frans, Here it is: http://www.atlassound.com/ Look for the "PD-5", it's the original K55V as I understand it. Al K.

Hi Guys, I am using the 3 speaker deal exactly as you describe. I have two Belle Klipsch 16 feet apart with a Cornwall right in the middle. I am sitting about 10 feet directly in front of the Cornwall. Without the middle speaker I would have a hole in the middle. The system brings the center into focus and makes a smooth wall of sound if the center speaker is set at the right level. I am running 2 seperate amps. The middle amp is run from two resistors leading from the Left and Right preamp outputs. That's all it takes, 2 resistors in a little box! The middle speaker is set -2 dB below the flanks. Since the Cornwall is about 6 dB less efficient than the Belles, that comes to about -8 dB lower. Al K.

Frans, Randy is one of the guys I was referring to. Thanks for the plug Randy! Al K.

Frans, First off, I really don't think you will want to cut corners on the parts you use to build them. Several people who have done that have been less than happy. Good parts are not cheap. You can get away without the Hovland MusiCaps though. These are quite expensive. There have been several suggestions posted on the board for places to get less expensive polypropylene caps. Remember, anything worth doing is worth doing right! The wire is definitey one place you can save money. Just go to the local automotive parts supply store and get a roll of #14 stranded automotive wire. That will do fine for wiring. (Don't tell anybody, but that's where I get mine! ) I glue the caps that have flexible leads down to the board (the Hovlands and Harmony bypass caps) using clear silicone glue, but almost any glue that does not desolve the capacitor covering will do. The idea is just to keep them from vibrating against the board with the low notes making funny noises that make you think your squawker driver is comming apart at the seams! Al K.

Frans, The woofer / squawker crossover in my network is only 6 db / octave. The roll-off of the horns is the main factor, so it will work just as well for 500 or 400 Hz horns. The squawker horn in my Belle Klipsch is 500 Hz (K501) and it works fine in it. I had an inquiry a day or so ago asking if an 8 Ohm driver could be used. After some computer analysis I found that only tap changes would be needed. So I can say it will work with most any good quality driver. Al K.

Frans, The pictures of Marks's new squawker horn reminded me of the Altec speakers I had years ago. They are long gone now though. They had a smaller horn and different driver. After thinking about it a while I realized the difference. The new horn and driver Mark has will operate over the same range as the Klipsch drivers and are the same impedance, so no mods were required to my network except changing the taps. Al K.

DAAHHH!! I think I HAVE been sniffing to much lead vapor! Dumb question! Al K.

John, I would like to know why that big woofer has 4 electrical connections. Do you know why? Al K.