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Showing results for tags 'crites'.
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My sister recently gave me a pair of original La Scalas . She bought them new in the 80s. I’m planning to renovate them and would love to get them looking and sounding their best for my theater room. While I’d like to swap them in place of my 8000F IIs, they honestly seem more suited for a garage setup at the moment, so any advice to make them theater ready would be appreciated. As for the finish, I’m leaning toward a deep black stain to give them a sleek, more modern look. On the performance side, I’m thinking of upgrading with SMAHL v2 DE120 tweeters and Eminence Kappa 15C woofers, which seem like solid choices. Where I’m stuck is on the mid-horn and crossover options. I’m weighing active DSP solutions for more control, but I’m also considering the Crites crossovers as a simpler option. Since I tend to play my system loud, I want to make sure I choose something that’ll really bring out the best in these classic speakers without losing their signature sound.
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Hello everyone! First time poster, long time viewer. I have a pair of Klipsch KG3.2 which I have been loving, I primarily use them in a 5.2 home theater setup but I occasionally listen to music on them. I was wondering if I would see any noticeable change by upgrading to new Crites Crossovers? I know the speakers are 30 years old now. Also, on their site they have copper, silver, and gold. Gold is the most expensive but would that make a big difference? Thanks!
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I have a pair of 1984 first gen KG4's (even though they are listed as starting production in 1985, the labels on the back say 1984). I never liked these speakers! They sounded very harsh and edgy, yet yielded a very good sound stage, but they just fatigued my ears. Five years ago I read on one of the Klipsch forums about Bob Crites having designed and contracted a fabricator to make a titanium replacement for the phenolic horn drivers showing scope readings of a virtually, very flat response on supposedly sounding much smoother and liquid. For about $50 I ordered the pair and swapped them in and everything that people were saying was true. Very smooth, open, and airy, but without the jagged harshness. It was like listening to a completely different speaker -- one I fell in love with and became my main speakers. A couple of weeks ago, I read about the capacitors loosing their life around the 20 year mark and it hit me that the caps in my 1984 KG4's are now 31 years old. When back to Bob Crites' website and for $100 I could send him the original networks for a cap replacement, or for $200 I could receive new networks with all upgraded materials including new chokes, etc. -- I opted for the latter. I ended up removing all of the old “stacked-up” networks of this first gen that had everything glued up in a pile on the back of the input panel – turns out that the choke and transformer? (coiled bobbin) just popped off the plastic input back panel by prying a flat head underneath them and giving a little twist, removed the 3 screws, popped off the one cap that was glued, and cut the wires to the terminals. Then new network board fits on the wood floor of the bottom of the cabinet attached with velcro. After I finished wiring the first cab, I decided to do an A/B comparison between your network and the original 31 year old network. I conducted a very good test condition by putting on a mono LP, The Kingston Trio, and threw the balance knob Left/Right to compare them back and forth… let me tell you something, it was a dramatic difference! The old network sounded like the banjo was being played underneath a quilt. So, even though the speaker cab with the new network sounded brighter, and more open and airy, I would say it wasn’t adding anything, but simply allowing what was naturally in the recording to come through, whereas, the 31 year old network was not allowing all the highs to pass through to the horn. When I listened to the speaker cab that still had the original network, it was a kin to turning the treble control about 3/4’s the way down. As far as the bass, I’m not sure if it’s in my head or not, but it sounded a little tighter – just as strong as before, but with a little less resonance. Once again, Bob Crites has amazed me with his quality designs and engineering. I now have the ultimate KG4’s with Crites’ titanium horn drivers and upgraded, new networks! BTW, they are works of art just to look at (see before and after pics). And because the new networks are mounted on new cedar boards, they smell good too! I’ll never have to worry about moths in my speaker cabs I'm sure all of you know about Bob's Klipsch upgrades and maintenance services, but just in case you don't: www.critesspeakers.com Original 1984 network: New Bob Crites network:
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These speakers are from the original line of Klipsch Heresies which have a significant audiophile following. I upgraded them with the Crites crossovers and high frequency drivers which definitely improved and smoothed out their sound. Cabinets and grills are showing their age - see pics (I never got around to the refinishing stage). Currently they are on angled risers, but I also have the original even bases. I'm still looking for the pics of the insides. Pick up is in the northern Virginia/DC metro area. Price is $500 (PayPal fees extra).
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I bought a pair of Heresy I’s in 1979 in college that have been w/ me ever since. Type E crossovers, K77 tweeters, K55-V squeaker drivers w/ K700 horns and K-22-E woofers. I replaced the K77s w/ new ones from Klipsch about 20 years ago when I blew them and I replaced the binding posts at the same time so I could use banana plugs and lower gauge speaker cable. Otherwise everything is original. I don’t hear any obvious problems with them, but I want to restore them to their former glory or better. I’ve been reading everything I can find here and at Crites and at ALK but I still have many questions and would appreciate advice. 1) I know I need new caps and since I don’t solder, I plan to replace the crossovers. I could use Crites Type E, which uses the same spec as the original, or ALK’s universal CSW which have some upgrades. A few questions about that: - I understand what Al says about constant impedance and no resistive error, but I don’t use an SAT amp so does that matter to what I hear? - Also, the Type E only uses a low-pass inductor for the woofer. The squawker and the tweeter use high-pass capacitors in parallel, so (if I understood Al’s site) high freq sounds that should only go to the tweeter go to the squawker too. Does that matter? Would it matter if I replaced the K77 tweeters w/ Crites CT120s? - Are the actual crossover frequencies the same between the two networks? It looks like maybe there is some adjustment possible on the CSW but I’m not sure. 2) Is upgrading the K77s to CT120s a good idea? 3) I know I need to replace the gasket between the squeaker driver and the squawker horn, but does it also make sense to upgrade the K-55-V with a Crites A-55G? Do squawker drivers wear out and/or is the A-55G a lot better? 4) Crites offers CW1228 woofers as drop-in replacements For the K-22-E. Are they better, especially given that the K-22-Es are 40 years old? Or what if I just rotated the K-22-Es 180 degrees as I read somewhere? Sorry about so many questions - I’ve read a lot on my own and I’m still not clear on the best way to do this. There is tremendous expertise here and I’d be grateful to tap into it. Thanks in advance
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Selling my Cornscalas. These are the Type B version and are a fantastic speaker. Plenty has been written in this forum about them so I won't list all of the great things about them. I am the second owner and believe I have had them about a year. I had Deang build a custom crossover for these and really knocked it out of the park. My second favorite with these cornscalas was the original crites crossover. Both are great nd with the low-mid-high speaker taps I added you can put the crossover on top or inside. This also sets you up to bi or tri amp the speaker. I am selling these for $1900 and that includes the speaker grill frame and both crossovers. Cosmetically and functionally they are a 10/10 and the edges are straight like they should be. I am willing to meet within a reasonable distance.
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Horns only! No drivers included! See my other ad selling a pair of Faital HF200 drivers: Taken from a pristine pair of JBL 4670s that have only ever been used for home theater. They were mated to a pair of 2446J drivers, not included in this sale. Horns are super clean with no obvious scratches or other defects. $200/BO and we split shipping. If you're going to the New England Vintage Electronics Expo this Sunday March 1st in Nashua NH, I can hand them over in person. *Edited for clarity
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I had asked this question some time back when I thought I had KG2.2s with phenolic cone tweeters (don't ask.... Now that my brain is back in operation and I know I have KG2.5s with a polymer tweeter.... Curious if anyone has any insight as to whether it makes sense to move to a titanium tweeter (as in a Crites replacement). Would the highs be "sweeter" or have more clarity? Is it even worth it for these speakers? BTW - I recently replaced the caps in my x-over, fwiw Thx in advance.....
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- kg2.5
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Purchased new a year ago, these have been driven in a Bi-Amp setup with homebrew Firstwatt F4 balanced monoblocks, 100 Class A watts into 8ohm. These have had an easy life mounted to JBL 2384 horns; never overdriven or abused. They sound fantastic and make a great midrange in a 3 way. I used these on an Eliptrac 400 horn crossed over at 500Hz on a Klipsch La Scala bass bin and a tweeter for >6kHz. Wonderful combo! These are comfortable pulling two-way duty when mated to the right horn, good from ~500hz to 20k with a little EQing. The 2" throat exit is actually a 1.5"->2" removable adapter! This will fit on 1.5" horns and 2" horns! All packed up in their original boxes, will be double boxed and well packed.
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- high frequency
- midrange
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I have an excellent pair of Forte I's that have been upgraded with Bob Crites crossovers and diaphragms. Original parts included. I bought these just before I found a pair of Cornwall's. So they have been used very little. I am the second owner. Unfortunately the original owner removed the serial number tags. $750. I also am selling a beautiful Mcintosh MC7200. Serviced about 3 years ago (1 bulb changed and re-biased). It comes with a beautiful condition Mac wood cabinet. $2000. Lasting I'm selling a excellent condition Mcintosh CV34V pre-amp. $1100. It also comes with a beautiful wood cabinet. Mcintosh boxes and owners manuals included. If you aren't interested in the wood cabinets on either piece I'll knock off $100. I'm located in Waukesha, WI. Local pickup. Cash only. Sorry, no trades. Oh yea, I have a pair of custom made speaker stands for Klipsch KG4's that I'll include for free if interested.
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- 18 replies
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- la scala
- post padding
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Prefer a pair of 3 Slant Risers, &/or Pair or 3 FLAT Risers in Walnut Oiled... One odd slant riser ok in Black. Greenback$, Trade, Partial Trade, &/or Firm Handshake OK.
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- unfinished
- flat risers
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Up for sale are my lovely Belle Klipschs. I have upgraded (altered) (modified) them with the Volti wooden mid horn, Crites CT120 tweeter, Crites A-55-G mid driver, and Crites xover. Sadly my new home (and wife) can't accommodate these beauties so it's time to sell. The Belles sound great stock but it is THE best speaker I've heard (to my aging ears) with the updates (yes including Klipschorn, I us a sub so sue me) Cabs are an 8/10 with very small nicks and one small dent (in pics). They look and sound phenomenal. I live in Northen CA and am willing to travel a moderate distance to meet a buyer. No shipping. I'm asking $3,000 obo. I know most stock Belles go from anywhere from 2k-3k and I guess you will have to decide if the upgrades are worth it or if you are looking for bone cold stock then these probably aren't your babies.
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After the self-inflicted difficulties with installing my Crites crossovers, I was a little hesitant about tackling the titanium diaphragms. But the instructions on Bob's website were pretty clear and I have a multimeter handy to test the connection. Finally I took the plunge and I'm glad I did -- once I started it took around 15 minutes to replace both! I noticed a little extra clarity and a clearer soundstage after installing the crossovers. The titanium diaphragms took the process to a whole new level: it is the aural equivalent of cleaning a dirty window. Everything is brighter and sharper, not just the highs. Cymbals sparkle and stand out: Freddie Hubbard's trumpet on 1970's Red Clay is so clear you can hear him hitting the spit valve. The Ti upgrade definitely makes the speakers less forgiving: badly recorded material goes from tinny to nails on a blackboard as every bit of distortion is reproduced with painful fidelity. But the glorious improvements on good recordings well worth $54/pair + shipping. I must admit that this has me wondering about titanium midrange diaphragms. On another forum I saw Moray James commenting on how much Ti midranges improved his system and Klipsch's current Heritage lineup uses Ti midranges, but I'm not sure where I would purchase these. (Critesspeakers.com also has a very helpful tutorial on changing the midranges on a Heresy, but I believe he only has phenolic midrange diaphragms). But for now I'm simply going to bask in the glory of these improvements and give Bob Crites thanks once again for making my world a more musical place.
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I’ve had this pair of Quartets for a little over two years. They were my first legitimate speaker. Needless to say I was eager to get the most out of them and after replacing the tweeters with the crites titanium tweeters and installing new capacitors in the crossovers, these have served me well! My wife and I moved into a smaller home so these need to find a new home. The cabinets are in good shape, I haven’t done anything to the veneer. There’s one noticeable scratch on top of one cab that was there at the time of purchase. Grill cloths have some slight discoloration on them. Badges are tight and snug. A good warm bath would loosen whatever set into the grills. There is only one factory label left left on the rear of the cab. $525 and they’re yours. These reside in Edmond/Oklahoma City. Id prefer not to ship these. Local pickup only. If it’s not too far we could potentially meet halfway. They are listed on craigslist and Facebook marketplace as well.
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B&K Sound Type AA for sale, they have had less than 15 hours of use. I hooked them up and they worked perfectly but I have decided to bi amp my speakers and have no use for them. They are 10/10 in functionality and appearance. I am asking $250, shipping is included. SOLD to @luddite
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Hello, I'm located in Scottsdale, AZ and have a pair of Klipsch Mahogany KLF-30s and a Mahogany C-7 in excellent condition for sale. I also have the Crites titanium tweeter upgrades for all 3 installed AND have the components from Crites for all 3 crossovers but upgrade parts are not installed. Also includes a new in box KLF-30 speaker grill. Selling everything for $900. No issues and a fantastic sound for music and movies. They look awesome as well! I will post pictures soon. Local pickup is preferred. Thank you
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Hello, I have a pair of Crites crossovers built for K402 w/ Faital Pro HF200. They cross at 500Hz for mating with a Belle, Lascala bass bin. $125 USD plus shipping from Vancouver BC.
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So I recently purchased a pair of old EV Georgians that have the same folded horn style as the klipschorns. They came with only the subwoofers installed (Crites 15"s) and what I believe is a pair of 2015 K-77-D's and pair of K-55-X's. They also came with a pair of AK5 crossovers and Crites Type AA crossovers. I am new to this forum and still figuring things out, what is your opinion on the AK5 vs Type AA crossovers? Does anyone know the nominal impedance for the K-77-D and the K-55-X? I cant find much information on the tweeter or horn driver. Any help or advice is appreciated. -Veaux
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- klipschorn
- electro voice
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Time to clear the house - I'm providing links to my posts covering the Forte project, instead of dropping the photos here. Will add photos of the Dynaco soon. I've a pair of Forte I that have been restored/upgraded with Crites crossovers (also upgraded with some nice parts) new Ti tweeter diaphragms. Original mid drivers, lf drivers, and passives. They sound beautiful. Cosmetically rough - I stripped the black paint and stained the veneer underneath. These were purchased last year, and were not cared for prior to my purchase - the stands should be rebuilt, I think. Many spots where the veneer is gone. A good purchase if you're wanting to restore the cabinets. Again, they sound awesome, so also good if you're less concerned with the look. I have the grills too - one badge missing. They look worn, and never used them. Asking $800 http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-crossover-updates/ http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-forte-i-stands/ http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-great-lows-and-no-highs/ http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-listening/ http://thenewold.co/the-vintage-project-klipsch-forte-i-almost-finished/ Also have a Dynaco ST70 I traded for last year. DIYtube mods installed by another owner. Sounds good. Including the full tube complement. Asking $500 Finally, I've a Dynaco ST150 amp. Not sure of it's history, but I've had it on the shelf for years. It's working, though likely needs a cleaning and recap. Power switch is always on, so also needs to be fixed. Asking $100 Will consider fair offers on all of these. Prefer local pickup, so you can see and listen to them. Thanks, Darren
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Looking for a single ALK ES 500 or equivalent. Any quality 500 hz 2 way crossover? Looking for a Linkwitz-Riley Crossover 4th order crossover.
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Consecutive Forte II's in Clear Oak Finish -Recently Upgraded Crites Xovers (new caps) and Ti Tweeter Diaphragms -Cabinets are in great shape-small ding on one of the backs of the bases -Nora Jones Inspected and Approved (Ha!) -Pick up only $700.00
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08/09/2017 I just finished the first third of my '80s Klipsch upgrade project that I mentioned in a couple other posts ("Smoothing Horns" and "WTB K-600 horns.") First third - two Cornwalls. Second third - two more Cornwalls. Last - Heresys. My recently acquired '84 and '85 Cornwalls got Bob Crites' B-3 crossovers, T120 tweeters, and A-55-G midrange drivers. The early '80s and up Cornwalls switched from the K-600 cast aluminum midrange horn to the plastic/resin K-601 with a midrange driver that bolts onto a flat flange at the horn's rear. The A-55-G upgrade driver from Crites (and I believe ALK) is threaded like the factory K-55 and requires the older threaded K-600 metal horn. 'K? I stalked Ebay for a couple weeks and nabbed me some K-600 horns. The '84s are done. As recommended by many, I wrapped the plastic T120 tweeter horns and the metal 600s with rope caulk from Home Depot (found with the window insulation) to damp any unwanted resonance and added 1/16" rubber gaskets to the front mounting flanges. Of course the two mid horn styles have completely different screw-hole patterns so I made up a thin drill template to drill the new holes. The "new" side holes actually sat half-way on top of the existing holes so I filled the "stock" holes with epoxy, let them cure, and then drilled. It was really hard for me to hold the horn throat with one hand and try to screw in the A-55 driver with the other. Those last few turns were a b***h! So I installed the horns nice and tight and then screwed on the A-55 drivers. Oh, yes, much better. Now, the added front gasket and I guess some dimensional difference with the A-55 made the new horn assembly too long and the rear panel wouldn't fit (cue Maxwell Smart) by this much. The batting lining the rear panel was crushed flat by the stock horn/driver but still thick enough to keep the panel from fitting with the new driver so I just scissored out the compressed circle to reveal the plywood back and it fit fine. OK, time to fire 'em up. I realized way too late that I should have listened to them without the caulk to give the new components a fair audition. It would have been relatively easy to open the backs and after a couple of deft razor slices, peel off the caulk, but . . . well, I didn't. I re-EQ'd my room to pretty darn flat and the new settings are a bit different than before. I had a long listening session with several of my go-to LPs (what a sacrifice!) and concluded "I really like this!" Whether I really, REALLY like it needs more time, but damn it sounds good! Audio memory is a lot shorter than we'd all like to believe but my overall impression is how much cleaner everything sounds. At first I didn't quite dig the high end but a nudge to the volume control and whoa now! There it is! First up - Speakers Corner "Crime Of The Century." Not the best choice vocally, Supertramp's lead singer has this high pitched nasal quality, but the band really kicks it on "School" into "Bloody Well Right." The deep, well defined bass I'm use to, and piano, guitar, and sax all sounded spot-on. No undue harshness or "edge." ELP's first album, an old favorite, on a UK Island Pink Rim sounds fantastic. Even the built-in distortion in some of the organ stuff was less teeth-gritting. Lake's vocal and the piano in "Take A Pebble" sounded wonderful as did "Lucky Man." Beatles' "Abbey Road," UK EMI/Apple, Both sides. Aside from a few inevitable clicks and pops the Boys sounded marvelous. Paul's bass is clean and clear, vocals are natural sounding (even the gravelly-shouty ones.) Paul sounds like Paul, John like John, Georgie like Georgie, and Ringo . . . well, he's always been very kind to his mother. The harmonies on side 2 are glorious and the closing medley never sounded better. Dave Edmunds? Turn it UP! "Dark Side . . ." is in the wings for tonight. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! These replacement drivers, the T120 tweeter and the A-55-G midrange are top notch. Bob Crites says they are the cleanest and smoothest that he's heard and tested. Just remember that the A55 mid driver needs a threaded horn. He told me that people like the 120 tweeter so much that his supplier can't keep up with his reorders. I had to wait about two weeks for mine. When I do the '85s I'll hold off on the caulk and give a listen first to "just" the drivers. I do recommend trying the caulk though. If you find you prefer the before to the after you can always remove it. After all, caulk is cheap. (Ha-ha-ha-ha . . . . .ha-ha . . . . . ha . . . . .hmm.) Dave EDIT : I listened to the first pair of "upgraded" Cornwalls with the new Crites drivers and the damped horns and they sounded somewhat warmer and less fatiguing but still bright enough to be engaging with a variety of records. I found I could play them louder without needing to turn back the treble and still have very clean highs. How much of that is the damping and how much the new drivers? Since they're already in place what I'll do next is switch the caulked horns in the finished speakers with the otherwise identical "un-caulked" ones and try to compare the sound. I suspect I might end up using a smaller amount of damping on the wide flare part of the horn instead of completely wrapping it, hoping to keep the new drivers' smooth response with a little bit more of the crisp Klipsch sound that I'm used to. Then again, maybe not. I'm using a solid state Mac amp and, make no mistake, with the fully wrapped horns you can really crank these boys and maintain a clean, clear sound. I just owe it to myself to do what I should have done at first - check them out with the new drivers but without damping and then maybe with a little damping for a really fair test. More comments about the horn damping can be found in "Smoothing Metal Horns."
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Newbie Type Qs RE Cornscalas and LaScalas This was prompted by a PM from another forum member, regarding SEOS CSs. In brief, if you already have a LS or CS (or other similar Altec, etc) why bother to change anything (besides horns, drivers, etc, like many of us do) if you have a sub? I am excluding the desire to tinker, which you have by definition if you are on the Forums - and that is likely why most of you are reading this post. If you are getting your first larger speakers, that is a different issue. Best to audition some first, realizing that most folks out there likely have no means to do this in the real world, especially in an A-B fashion. I have LaScalas and Heresys in a 550 sq ft place in the DC area, the rest of my stuff is still in NOLA. My single Fender 18” driver ported pro sub is roughly the size of a LaScala. Nice thick walls up North...LOL. I took a look at some SEOS CS webpages including diysoundgroup dot com where the SEOS waveguides or horns are listed and also looked at their LS or CS equiv, the Titan 615/615LX - under $600 each shipped !! Incredibly flat response from 100->15000 Hz; too good to be true? Several different curves below 100 Hz found in diff places. Let’s assume they roll off at 60 Hz. I assume bass bin size relates, perhaps not directly, to low end extension, eg 18” cubed maybe to 100 Hz, 25 x 25 x 12 (Titan) to around 60 Hz, 25” cubed (LS or CS) to around a 35-50 Hz roll off). The Titan bass bin size is maybe 40% of a LS bass bin size. So maybe if they had used a bigger (ported) bass bin maybe they could have gotten lower bass extension like the CS or LS. Perhaps that would also have required a different bass driver, xover, etc. But as stated below, add a sub, and you are done. And yes, I realize that this does not take into consideration tonality of the speakers, their “size” presence either in the room (almost “triangle” yard for K-horn) or whether you seem to be listening to a 10 piece band (K-horn) vs 2 high school kids (bad tower speakers), etc. One major Q: If you have sub that matches your speakers, whatever that means, what difference does it make to have lower bass extension from the mains? (No flame wars please, just looking for information.) Mind you I have big speakers per the above comment, but not directly for the bass extension. I resisted the “dark side” for decades as I thought the bass from the LSs and K horns was enough. I was very wrong. I am a bass a holic with many 15 and 18” subs, but no furnature/couch bass shakers (LOL). The CS adds about 10 HZ lower extension from the lower limit of the LS at the price of going from about 104 to 100 db/watt according to Crites' CS a-d webpage. Likely not a big deal to most of us with at least ?20+ watt tube amps. No doubt that is of some importance to some folks. However, if you have sub(s), does it really matter as you can program a receiver to output anything, say below 60 HZ to the sub(s)? If your audio receiver cannot do that, a dedicated sub amp can do that in almost all cases. (Though mains will run full spectrum, see below) Exception: I have thought of directly coupling the output of a turntable preamp to a stereo only amp and then directly into R and L speakers. But even here you could Y split the TT preamp output to add the sub amp as well. All you would lose is the ability to filter out the lower bass extension for the mains. It is only a guess, but I don't think the overlap, say below 40-80 HZ would be too noticeable to most of us (based upon whatever you use as the sub amp bass cutoff point). Outside of using maybe a Radio Shack Potentiometer, no idea how to control the volume inexpensively and ?cleanly. It makes the signal path as clean as possible (I think) - assuming that makes much of an audible difference to anyone. No remotes, so no couch potatoes. Just my 2 cents. Comments welcome. NOLA