Starting from scratch - configure a system for metal

[papashawn]

Yukon, I'm very surprised to not see more suggestions for Forte II's. I
listen to a ton of metal, Metallica and Opeth as you mentioned, as well
as a lot of hardcore like converge, botch, coalesce, poison the well,
etc. These speakers have a small footprint, they pack a TON of bass,
they are 3-way, and they will kick your ***!! I listen to all of these
bands on vinyl and they sound fantastic through my setup (in my
signature). Forte II's can be found for relatively cheap ($400) fairly
easily. If you like the black finish, they are usually the least
expensive and have been pretty easy to find in my experience, just keep checking your local Craigslist and the garage sale part of the forum. As for
the rest of the setup, If you are doing solely 2 channel and you want
something new, I'm not as familiar, but I know you can get a
refurbished vintage piece, like say a Marantz 2245 for under $300
(possibly under $200) and it should be plenty for your turntable setup. Marantz is known for a warm tone, which goes well with Klipsch as well as some of the more harsh metal (listening to some styles at high volumes can be fatiguing on the ears, too much treble). Just my two cents. Glad to see there's some real metal heads out there, none of my friends share my passion for the extreme.

[Rivernuggets]

I'm also glad to see heavy & thick music fans. Yukon, I know you mentioned Heresy IIIs or RF63s. If you're ready to drop that coin then this may not interest you, but KG 4.2s do metal very well. Couple those with Papshawn's recommended vintage Marantz and you'll have a great system. I've hooked up a Sunfire Cinema Grand (200 watts/channel) to my KG 4.2s and they pound very well.

With your mid size room, a well amplified 2 channel setup may be enough without a sub. It can always be added later. Everyone's bass threshold is different, so I can only speak for myself.

Papashawn, did you see Coalesce has a new album out?!

[amusingisthedawn]

A good amp and a good pair of speakers will always be the best thing for metal. The sub muddles the sound, no matter how good the sub is. I'm speaking of course about that fast pounding double bass stuff. The KLFs really kick when I crank em up. I would still suggest KLF 20's or 30's for metal, although I am looking for a pair of forte II's for a 2 channel set-up just for the hell of it. []

Coalesce were such a cool band. I remember seeing them and the lead singer would put the mic against his throat and scream, haha, it sounded effin brutal.

[papashawn]

Papashawn, did you see Coalesce has a new album out?!

Yeah, I picked up both OX and the new OXEP. I haven't listened to the OXEP yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I drove from central FL to Atlanta to see Cave In and Coalesce back in October, they did one of those free Scion metal shows at a place called Masquerade. It was a fantastic show, I watched from the side. Coalesce were so intense! Definitely one of the best hardcore shows I've seen. Also just saw Converge open for Mastodon last month. It was strange to see them in such a big venue with so many people there that weren't converge fans, but it was still awesome to hear some of the new Axe to Fall songs live.

[BLSamuel]

Any of the Heritage models will really ROCK! You'll probably want more bass for the Heresies and LaScalas. Can't go wrong with the Reference models either or the KLF models. I'm more of a Heritage fan but that's just me and I'm not really a metal head but do like some good hard rock once in a while.

Consider some experienced Heritage or other models. There are some really good deals out there.... and maybe you could get some carbon credits for recycling? That's also true for Reference models though newer so the bang for the buck probably isn't as high.

The RF-7's were so popular they've started building them again.

[germerikan]

Probably a funny question but does anyone listen to metal through korns??

Just wondering..

[Deang]

I did -- I got the best results by going to a 1st order filter and keeping the volume down. Most of it actually sounds pretty good if you do that. As for cranking it -- my opinion is that regardless of the filter type employed, most of it sounds like crap.

[germerikan]

Through korns or in general? []

[Invidiosulus]

The recent Iron Maiden stuff sounds like it has some funny compression on it although Brave New World isn't too bad.

Defying the Rules by Hibria isn't too bad and the playing is great.

-Josh

[tigerwoodKhorns]

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2006/09/28cover.html

Until the recording industry gets its act together, I've completely given up on metal and rock on a horn system.

I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking maybe some non-horn JBL's from the 80's. If max volume is what you want, use horns but it will be harsh, if you are listening at lower levels the old JBL's may be much better as they will soften the music.

Compressed music sounds terrible on anything with some resolution.

[The Dude]

I dont know I have listened to a few metal bands on the Corns and it didn't sound to bad, of course it was on vinyl also. I have 220watts of solid state as well. Maybe I ought to give it a run with a cd player or tape deck now were's that Slayer at.

duder

[tigerwoodKhorns]

I ahve some Tool albums that sound good. The problem is the compressed stuff that is a victim of the loudness wars. Sounds terrible on any type of revealing speaker.

[cjgeraci]

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2006/09/28cover.html

Until the recording industry gets its act together, I've completely given up on metal and rock on a horn system.

I agree for the most part.

I would pretty much skip most horns for hard rock/metal unless one is willing to engage in serious upgrades - and have some serious patience.

If you go down the path and vow to do anything to get to hard rock/metal nirvana with horns, it can be done. [H] But, it can be a long road to get it right.

There are easier paths to get there ..... If you are expecting plug and play heaven with mid-fi, you might be disappointed. At least at the levels that I like to listen to......

Carl.

P.S. Out of all of the Klipsch speakers mentioned, Heritage would not be my first choice for hard rock/metal, and Khorns would be at the very bottom of my list.

[stormin]

P.S. Out of all of the Klipsch speakers mentioned, Heritage would not be my first choice for hard rock/metal, and Khorns would be at the very bottom of my list.

Second that.

I think alot of folks figure if its loud well it must be rockin. [bs]

[o0O Bill O0o]

Okay have any of you watched "Metalpocalpse" with the Band Dethklok on adult swim?

Have any of you listened to Lamb of God?

The metal industry?? The music is there.. With bands like Within Temptation, Kamelot, Dreamtheater, and Tool how can you say there there isn't good metal out there? or that the "industry" is messed up..

Go buy tickets to Trans-Siberian Orchestra this season, hands down one of the best metal shows to go to. AND it's family friendly.

Now, how can you say NO to heritage and NOT give a recommendation?

Any Speakers from the Heritage, Classic, and Legend Series are the best speakers Klipsch has made.. wait.. there is the ultra expensive Palladium series and I am sure they ROCK.

_Bill

[cjgeraci]

Interesting. I thought that we were discussing the best speakers for hard rock/metal as opposed to the best Klipsch speakers.

I've owned Khorns, Belles, Cornwalls and have also played around with various Lascalas and Heresies. I love Heritage - just not for the genre being discussed. YMMV. If I had to pick from Heritage, I would go with Cornwall II or IIIs.

I would prefer KLF-20/30s, CF-3s, Chorus IIs or KG 4.2/5.2/5.5s for the hard stuff. RF-7s can be awesome for the hard stuff, with Dean's mod - and with certain source/pre/amp combos. But, get RF-7s wrong, and those titanium drivers up top will drill a hole in your skull at high spls.

Carl.

P.S. Palladiums? Thought the original poster was talking about mid-fi, not $20k a pair.

[o0O Bill O0o]

Aren't Klipsch the best speakers? How dare you! :-)

Don't use mid-fi, mid priced sounds more like it, because Klipsch is High Fidelity. Palladiums exist because Klipsch saw a market. Yes, the are $$$$, but I was throwing down my Klipsch evangalism and passion for Rock, metal and other genres of music. Yes, I am biased

if I was going with Carl, then KLF-20/30! They are wonderful!

-Bill

[tigerwoodKhorns]

P.S. Out of all of the Klipsch speakers mentioned, Heritage would not be my first choice for hard rock/metal, and Khorns would be at the very bottom of my list.

Second that.

I think alot of folks figure if its loud well it must be rockin.

I give that a third vote. Everything will be exposed.

Some big Cerwin Vegas with the red ring around the woofer may be a good match. Tons of bass and a much softer top end.

[luckyduck]

I listened to Rainbow Rising last night, it sounded great with my Forte IIs. I don't know if that's metal enough though nowdays. LOL.[8-|]

[thefluffy]

I would have to agree with some of the statements made. I listen to a variety of music including a variety of metal (In Flames, Children of Bodom, Lamb of God, All the Remains, etc...... the list keeps going and going). I really enjoy the music and it is the primary genre I play on electric guitar. BUT, listening to that music on my LaScalas and Cornwalls is not a great experience. It can almost be painful at times. I attribute most of this to bad recording quality and the "loudness wars." A couple of really well recorded albums sound pretty good on my system and are very enjoyable. Unforuntely with metal... that is very very few albums.

Daniel