Klipschorns: Can I seal/close the back w/ plywood or smth. else instead of adding walls to the room? (Do not kill me for asking!)

[LeoG]

Hello,

Please do not kill me for asking, just trying to find a well-substantiated reply :-)

I have got a pair of Klipschorns that I dreamed of for quite some time, but here's the problem: I am putting them in a large, cubic room (approx. 20 x 20 x 20 feet), but the room has got no usable corners. That is, I can place them against the wall, but there is a stairway entrance on one side, and the room is connected to another area on the other. (Other walls are not usable at all for different reasons). So there are no side walls to place the speakers as required, i.e. into corners, as far as the Klipschorn cabinets do not have side walls, and room walls are supposed to close the woofer area.

I can currently see two solutions:
1. The most obvious: Add mini-walls on the speaker sides. I have nothing against it, but I am still wondering whether there is a convincing reason why option 2 can't be used:
2. Why not cover the "bare" side (the one not pushed against the wall) with thick plywood and glue or otherwise attach it to the speaker? What is the real big difference of putting it against the wall (same sheetrock) vs. attaching thick plywood to the side?

Thanks a lot for your educated opinions and kind help!
Leo

[Don Richard]

The 60th anniversary Khorn was built that way, and others here have done the same as a DIY. The Dope From Hope recommends 4 foot long false corners, also used by some forum members.

[o0O Bill O0o]

I would also would like to "pig pile" on this thread.

I am moving and of course like any Klipschorn owner I look for rooms, in potential houses, that are suitable for placement. What I find is it is rare to come across two adjacent corners with room for the required space* for Klipschorns.. *4' X 4' cube or 2' extending to either side of the Klipschorns

Is there an official "False Corners Owners" thread? With Pictures and in depth instructions? I haven't found one yet. Other than what the Klipschorn page has

Bill

[psg]

See also:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1291916

[garyeanderson]

Hi Leo

This post in the PRO section may be worth looking at.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/116843.aspx

The discussion is about the theater version of the Klipschorn called the TSCM, is obviously more than a klipschorn but there are some great ideas that can be gathered up and put to use by someone that needs to enclose some Khorn bass bins. I am thinking of doing something along these lines for the set I have in my upstairs just to see what its all about. I was thinking of 3 sheet’s 3/4 inch mdf to make up the 2 false corners to enclose the bass bins and set the HF cabs on top. I am not sure that the 3/4 mdf will be ridged enough to work as a stand-alone structure and may need to be braced. I am sure others have dealt with this before but it seems like Klipsch has also done it too.

[LeoG]

Guys, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for the useful links, hints, ideas, etc.! I sincerely appreciate your useful and timely help! Now I will try to do it right the first time, and I will definitely share the images etc. when something gets to the stage when I can photograph it!

Leo

[SSnyder]

I hear a pair of them in the 1980s that was NOT in corners and NOT sealed and still great shook the room NOT like a subwoofer but MUSICAL

[rbakedq]

If you go to the following link you can see how I did the backs. They turned out much better than I expected, and not very hard to do.

http://picasaweb.google.com/rbakedq/Khorn60thAnniversaryStyleBacks#

Parts list: 8' 2x10, 4x8x3/4" mfd, eye bolts, toggle bolts, screws, weatherstip, felt and paint

Rich

[Rudy81]

If I still owned Khorns I would most certainly have enclosed the backs. I previously had created these very large, very heavy false corners, but they were not close to producing the bass response I heard in Hope on the Anniversary Khorns. If you ask me, I would enclose the backs like Greg did with the Khorns he refurbished for a client.

Look here: http://www.voltiaudio.com/flkhorn.shtml, Greg did a beautiful job on these.....as usual.

[Mike Lindsey]

If I still owned Khorns I would most certainly have enclosed the backs. I previously had created these very large, very heavy false corners, but they were not close to producing the bass response I heard in Hope on the Anniversary Khorns. If you ask me, I would enclose the backs like Greg did with the Khorns he refurbished for a client.

Look here: http://www.voltiaudio.com/flkhorn.shtml, Greg did a beautiful job on these.....as usual.

No question about it Rudy. Those are my Khorns, and if I had it to do over again I wouldn't change a thing. []

Mike

[Rudy81]

Those are just beautiful! I wish I had tried to add backs to mine before I went to my DBB build. I was just a wimp and didn't want to poke holes in my Khorns.

[dangerbird]

+1 for the false corners

[IB Slammin]

Bob Green's (CB) closed-back's (mod) is the best LF from a Khorn that I have ever listened to. [Y][Y][Y] ( off and on starting in '68)

He is a great guy and I'll bet that he would help you out.

tc

[KdAgain]

Bob Green's (CB) closed-back's (mod) is the best LF from a Khorn that I have ever listened to. ( off and on starting in '68)

He is a great guy and I'll bet that he would help you out.

tc

Is this a mod that is shown somewhere in the Forum? I did some searching and couldn't find it.

Thanks,

Rod

[rbakedq]

I posted a link above, to pictures of how I did my backs.

[garyeanderson]

Bob Green's (CB) closed-back's (mod) is the best LF from a Khorn that I have ever listened to. ( off and on starting in '68)

He is a great guy and I'll bet that he would help you out.

tc

Is this a mod that is shown somewhere in the Forum? I did some searching and couldn't find it.

Thanks,

Rod

Try this link

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/123515/1247769.aspx

I am hoping to get my project underway tomorrow. I talked to a friend of mine with a cabinet shop for some help on cutting the panels out of 2 full and 2 half sheets of Ash plywood. I plan on making them somewhat closer to the TSCM's that are shown in various threads of the forum. My guess is that once built they won't be moving anytime soon. I would have tried to cut the panels myself but its in the 20's and I'm a wimp. Something tells me that a Skill saw can make a pile of firewood faster than you can say "Oh Sugar". It’s not that it can't happen with a table saw with extension table but the chances are a bit smaller especially with someone that has been doing it for a living for the last 40 years. I respect folk’s a lot that can earn a living building things that others are willing to pay for.

[SSnyder]

Measure twice cut once - - anonimus

[davis419b]

Hello,

Please do not kill me for asking, just trying to find a well-substantiated reply :-)

I have got a pair of Klipschorns that I dreamed of for quite some time, but here's the problem: I am putting them in a large, cubic room (approx. 20 x 20 x 20 feet), but the room has got no usable corners. That is, I can place them against the wall, but there is a stairway entrance on one side, and the room is connected to another area on the other. (Other walls are not usable at all for different reasons). So there are no side walls to place the speakers as required, i.e. into corners, as far as the Klipschorn cabinets do not have side walls, and room walls are supposed to close the woofer area.

I can currently see two solutions:
1. The most obvious: Add mini-walls on the speaker sides. I have nothing against it, but I am still wondering whether there is a convincing reason why option 2 can't be used:
2. Why not cover the "bare" side (the one not pushed against the wall) with thick plywood and glue or otherwise attach it to the speaker? What is the real big difference of putting it against the wall (same sheetrock) vs. attaching thick plywood to the side?

Thanks a lot for your educated opinions and kind help!
Leo

Hey Leo, This is what I did to mine. Some might say this is not enough but it works great for me and does not damage the khorn at all. I have 6 khorns and I have put backs on all of them. I have not attached the small piece yet as I need to find some weather stripping to seal them with. I really dont know if I will hear any difference after attaching them. After I am done I will remove them and paint them black

[davis419b]

This is a picture of my templates. The only problem I found using the templets is that not all of the speaker grills are the same. You really need to measure and cut each one to fit.

[rbakedq]

Davis: you did your backs very much as I did mine. How did you attach your backs to the speakers? what did you screw them into? I screwed the rear edge of my backs to a tail board extension, and I use eyebolts and toggles to secure the front edge to the Grills. Very solid. I also sealed them up with weather stripping and felt.

Rich.