greg928gts

Let's see if this works.

Sorry, I had the username wrong. It's "billliz" I'll try to get a picture or two. Greg

I spoke with a guy up here in Maine who is building some pretty cool amplifiers. I'm really not very good with electronics and how they are built, so a lot of what he was talking about went right over my head. He says this 160 lb. monster goes for $12,500.00! He's working on a 40 watt version, and another amp that is around 25 watts that is SET and direct coupled? I think he said. It would use no caps? I don't know, but it sounded pretty interesting. I've got to go up and meet with him sometime when I have time. Go to ebay, search for members, and enter "billiz" to get his "about me" profile. There are pictures there of the first one he built. It looks a little crude to me, but he assures me that all of the components are top notch. Greg

You are correct, trying to sell a Rane in Maine is insane, however, I'll try again and again in vain until it becomes mundane. Greg

Oh, I didn't mean play both pairs at once, just that it's cool how they physically fit in front of the Khorns. I'm only going to be allowed to keep them there for a few days before the comments start up. I really need to get my own room built soon. Boy those Cornwalls sound nice. I was cranking Steely Dan this morning. Tight, solid, low bass. Much nicer than the KLF30's which are headed into storage until they are sold. Greg

This is a great topic. I run into this all the time, guys who are listening to expensive 2-way speakers with 8" woofers and a soft-dome tweeter, and exclaiming how wonderful they are. I just don't get it. I don't know what they're hearing, but to me, any speaker that small is just faking it. I've sat in front of a lot of so called audiophile speakers and been bored to death (included most of Klipsch's offerings over the last 10 years, sorry). I still remember the first time I heard Klipsch speakers, it was a very moving experience. I was 15 years old, there were these big black speakers hanging in the corners of the dealership, and big blue meters on the shelf. People stopped on the sidewalk to stare through the windows at what was going on inside. Klipsch Heritage are an experience. They are involving. They have a physical impact on the listener. Young children run away. My Khorns make me smile and shake my head in amazement every time I listen to them. Klipsch Heritage enthusiasts have the power that comes from knowing the real difference between their speakers and those so called audiophile speakers that have this years "in" sound. Greg

Dean, you don't know the half of it! Since December of last year I've sold more than $16K of audio stuff on ebay. Problem is, I've spent more than that! It's truly an illness. I've added a lot of nice pieces to my systems though, and I haven't been kicked out of the house yet. I'm tempted to keep the B&K, but I have a nice Onkyo that works just fine for me and the few times a month I listen to/watch DVD's. Next time I upgrade my HT receiver, it will be to 7.1. I've got it on ebay starting at $750. Greg

Welcome to the forum. If your speakers came from the factory with the metal trim as you describe, the metal is aluminum. They used very nice cast corners and then aluminum angle stock on all the edges. Many of the industrial speakers had the Klipsch logo painted on the speakers in large white letters. Very sharp looking. I wouldn't worry about the K-43 woofer. I suppose it might not go quite as low as the K-33, but I'd wager it's a minor difference. You have good value in the industrial versions of the La Scala with fiberglass and aluminum trim, so if you decide to sell them, you can probably get enough to afford buying something more suitable for home decor like nice hardwood versions of the La Scalas, or come close to being able to buy a pair of Belle's, and 3/4 of the way to a pair of Khorns. Greg

They fit right in front of the Khorns and don't interfere much with the mid horn or any with the bass or the tweeter. Actually a pretty neat setup having both right there in the same room! I'm not sure it's the best location for the Cornwalls, but the only place they'll fit in my room the way it's set up. Just got the Cornwalls and gave them a listen. Very nice. I like them a lot better than the KLF30's. I've determined that speakers with 2 - 12's are boomy, at least in my room. I had AR-9's in there and I like the AR-90's better (2 - 10" woofers). 10's in a sealed cabinet seem to have a tighter sound and flatter response. Besides the Khorns being superior in almost every way, there is one noteworthy difference between the Cornwalls and the Khorns, I really notice the low mids with the Cornwalls. Those frequencies seem more pronounced. The low resonance that comes from your voice when you say "you" for instance is something that really comes right out of the Cornwalls. You actually feel the vibration of those frequencies. I would guess 150 hz to 250 hz. Of course, this also may have to do with using a flea sized amp on the Khorns and not really having enough bass. I've got the 200 watt McIntosh on the Cornwalls. The Cornwalls sound better the louder you push them. On the contrary, the KLF30's sound better at medium volume and start to bother me at higher volumes. KLF30's have the midrange "set back" in the mix. Greg

Dean, dude, selling some gear. What are YOU doing? Tony, all prices plus packing and shipping. I guess I'll have to go get the Heresy parts and get the numbers off them, I'm not sure exactly what they are, but I think they are from the earlier Heresy I's. I don't mind selling just one woofer, but I'd want to keep the crossovers and horns in pairs. I also have two solid, but scratched and chipped cabinets to sell. I needed the mid drivers and the tweeters for another project and I got a pretty good deal on the Heresy's, so I bought them for the parts. I'd let both mid horns (no drivers) go for $40, and both crossovers for $75. Each woofer would be $45, and each cabinet would be $25. I also have a pair of walnut Heresy's that I think are 1's also. They have some scratches, but nothing too serious. I'd refinish them if I were to keep them. I'd like to get $450 for those. Greg

Central Maine. I don't mind delivering in the New England area for a fee. The Rane has 1/4" inputs. I'm including the 1/4" to RCA adapters. Greg

I have a lot of equipment that I'm selling, and I've been urged to offer it here to the forum members first before putting the stuff on ebay, so here goes. If you're interested in any of this stuff, please email me for detailed descriptions, photographs, and pricing: glroberts@prexar.com I use ebay as a guide for pricing/value. I am honest, I communicate well via email, I describe condition accurately, and I pack things to be delivered without damage. This is a partial list: B&K AVR202 Klipsch mahogany KLF-30's Klipsch black KLF C-7 Klipsch walnut Heresy's 3 pairs of La Scala's, black, slated as refinishing projects for me this winter, but I'll sell as is. Carver "The Receiver" AR-9's AR-90's Fischer tube receiver, model 800 MSB Link DAC Heresy woofers, mid horns (no drivers), and crossovers Scott 299C Dynaco PAS-3 tube preamplifier Hafler 500 SS amp Marantz model 240 SS amp Rane AC-22 active crossover Polk SDA-1 speakers JBL L-19 speakers, rosewood JBL 940 speakers Thanks for looking, Greg

fini, good idea on the router, but might be difficult with 3/4" thick plywood. I'm pretty sure handed with a circular saw and with a sharp blade and tape over the veneer, I think I can get a clean cut. I have a large belt sander, so I think I can keep everything very flat. Greg

Yeah, thanks Gary. They are incredible looking. When I do mine, I'm going to cover the end grain of the side panels for a truly flush look. Did you ever do anything with yours? I'm going to use a circular saw and carefully cut the front overhangs down to within an 1/8" and then belt sand the remaining off, along with belt sanding the motorboard. Then, I'm going to use a random-orbit sander to smooth everything up, and then re-veneer the entire front with cherry to match the rest. I could even work in a pattern of a different veneer into the front, or even use a different veneer for the front that compliments the cherry on the sides and top. I'm gonna have fun with these. Jeez! Another winter project! Good thing we have long winters up here! Greg

Thanks guys. Where can I see a picture of these? Did they come from the factory this way? Greg

I remember seeing a picture from someone who had Cornwalls with hardwood fronts and no grilles. Is it Jim Cornell? I would like to see a picture, I remember them being very nice looking. Did they come that way from the factory or is that custom? Are the horns surface mounted? I'm picking up a pair of Cornwalls tomorrow, cherry, with stains on top and missing grilles. I'm going to refinish them, and I'm thinking of re-veneering the fronts with cherry instead of replacing the grilles. I traded a pair of RB-5II's (beautiful mahogany finish that I paid $150 for) and $100 for the Corns. The RB-5II's had paint on them that needed to be cleaned off. I thought this was a good deal all around. Can't wait to hear the Cornwalls, it's been years since I've heard them. It will be interesting to hear how they compare to the Khorns. Greg

I love a good squawnker every now and again.

If you really want to upgrade your two-channel system, then get a separate two-channel system and keep the surround system the way it is. I know the budget is tight, but there are nice deals out there on older speakers that sound wonderful for two-channel listening. Efficient speakers like Klipsch can be run effectively with a small integrated amp. I'm in the process right now of trading a pair of mahogany RB-5II's that I paid $100 for (and some time cleaning off paint) and $100 for a pair of Cornwalls (missing the grills). I find good deals all the time on nice amps, preamps, or integrated amps. Try putting an ad in a local "swap and sell it" guide that you're buying vintage or high-end audio equipment and any Klipsch speakers. I tried for years to have both a surround system and a two-channel system combined and I was never happy with the two-channel sound quality. When I read your first post on this thread, I immediately thought of a speaker upgrade. Bigger speakers are important for an upgraded two-channel setup in order to capture the full range, wide soundstage, and dynamic impact. Greg

Thanks again djk for your thoughtful response to my questions. I have put together a little schematic drawing to help me understand how this all works and have a couple more questions. How is the input signal split to go to the two different amplifiers? I have a McIntosh C31V preamp that has main outputs and a couple of other outputs labeled "switched 1 and 2" and a tape loop output. How do I know if these signal outputs are adequate to feed the second amplifier in my bi-amp setup? What if I had a preamp with only one output, is it o.k. to just use "Y" splitters? In your previous posts, you mentioned tap numbers on the AA crossovers that do not seem to correspond to the numbers on MY AA crossovers. My numbers are as follows: input is 1 black and 2 red, woofer is 3 black and 4 red, squawker is 5 black and 6 red, and tweeter is 7 black and 8 red. For instance, you said "the mid part comes out on tap 4 to the midrange driver", but as I see it, tap 4 is the positive to the woofer. Am I not understanding this correctly? Any idea where I can find schematics to build (or have built) a very nice quality active crossover for the bass instead of using a car stereo crossover? Thanks, Greg

Greetings from a fellow Maine Klipschophile in Benton. We should hook up sometime and crank some tunes, compare gear, eat food, etc... Greg glroberts@prexar.com

I think that sounds good. Many people have glass cut for the tops of their speakers so when they put plants or knick knacks on them, they won't get scratched. I'd look into it, they could be in great shape with a real nice wood finish and well worth $600 (after negotiating). Greg

I'm in Benton, just a few miles above Waterville. Easy off the highway, come on up and listen to them. We were just cranking the Dixie Chicks sp? on them and then switched over the Khorns. Wow, what a difference. At the same volume the Khorns sounded twice as big. Like popping the top off a jar and letting the music flow out all over the room! Greg

It's a "Greg" crossover.

Just got done with a 40 minute listen. It took me a while to get them hooked up because the jumpers were missing between the upper and lower inputs, so I had to make some with spade connectors and 8 guage solid copper wire. Seemed to work fine. hightone - I'll post them on the forum before putting them on ebay. I think I would sell these any time if someone was seriously interested. email me glroberts@prexar.com lynnm - I think your description of the sound of the KLF-30's compared to the Khorns are pretty close to what I'm hearing too. First let me say that these speakers sound much nicer in my living room than I remember them sounding in the dealer's showroom. I think my DAC has much to do with that though. These are very nice sounding speakers and any criticism written below needs to be put into the context of what they are being compared to. I can say that they are much clearer in the midrange and high end compared to my AR speakers, there's really no comparison. The bass of the AR-90's or AR-9's I think compares favorably to the KLF-30's. I think I actually prefer the sound quality of the bass from my AR-90's (2 - 10's per cabinet) to these others. Comparing to the Khorns, I don't know that I would describe the bass from the 30's as having more punch, but rather that it is more compact. Yes, more pronounced bass, but from a much smaller point in the room. With my eyes closed, I can point to where the bass is coming from with the 30's, whereas with the Khorns, when you put the power to them, the kickdrum and low bass guitar notes go "around" you. It seems to me that the Khorns work much less to fill the room with bass. When you put the power to Khorns, the room seems to move with every kick of the kickdrum. I didn't get the same physical reaction to the 30's. The midrange was wonderful on the 30's, it seemed to open right up, smooth (except at higher volumes), and I enjoyed a wide soundstage. Being very critical, I would have liked a little more mid-bass, which of course would come from the woofers. I think the Khorns have greater depth to the soundstage though, especially with my tube amp, but I think front-to-back soundstage in a 2 channel system is rare. A tractix horn in a box cabinet is no match for the physical size of the midrange horn in the Khorn and their placement in the corners of the room. The Khorn wins the soundstage battle and just plain makes the music sound twice as big. I noticed this same thing with my AR's. I thought the highs were o.k. on the 30's. They remind me too much of my KSB3.1's though, a little harsh, especially at higher volumes. In fact, I like the 30's less as I put more power into them. At 100db or so, they sound their best. I would have to say that the Khorns have another gear or two over the 30's. I tried maxing out the 30's during a Dire Straits song and could easily hear them strain, the bass leaned out, and the sound compressed and became harsh (probably about 150 watt peaks with my 200 wpc McIntosh 2205, no powergard lights came on). I think the 30's are very nice speakers and the mahogany is sweet. If I didn't have Khorns, I could be very happy with these. Greg

and I can't wait to try them out, hopefully later tonight. I bought these to try out for a while and then eventually sell. I'm wondering what these speakers are worth if I decide to sell them. I've heard a lot of different figures for what people paid for them, anywhere from $1800 down to $900 for a pair. That's quite a wide range. Is it the different finishes that made for a big difference in price, or did the price change over the years that they were sold? My pair are mahogany, and the only problems are some very light scratches on the tops, everything else is in perfect condition. I need help figuring out how much I should be looking to get for them. I got them into the living room without too much trouble from the wife. Don't know how long I'll be able to keep them there before I start getting the little comments. I've got them next to my Khorns and I'll be powering them with my McIntosh 2205. I'll post back here and let you all know my impressions of them compared to the Khorns. They are sitting in the same place I had my AR-9's and AR90's in and I'm using the same amp, so I can make comparisons to those too. Greg P.S. - also got a pair of RB5II's in mahogany and a C7 center (black) that I'll be selling too.