Settings for tri-amping an '82 Belle with an active digital crossover

[Khornukopia]

My new amp was intended for multi channel surround power, but after listening to several different speakers during its test run period, I realized that this good, clean sounding 9 channel amp is ideal for powering my tri-amped Khorns and tri-amped La Scala.

[Khornukopia]

This amp works very well for my system, and by displacing a stack of 2 channel amps, allowed me to clear out a bunch of power cords.

[Chris A]

Chris,

 

It is interesting to read about the corrections your are making to music recordings. I will need to try that someday, but how do you adjust for streaming music like XM radio, Pandora, etc.?

 

You can use the "Cello Pallette" settings on the input channels to your crossovers that mikebse2a3 developed.  Look at the two highlighted columns of this settings file:  https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=106126.

 

Chris

[Khornukopia]

I opened my DC One editor and applied the settings recommended in the Cello Palette thread. As I understand the instructions, boost and/or cut is adjusted as desired based on personal listening tests, or has someone already suggested re-EQ guidelines to compensate for typical "improperly mastered pop commercial recordings"?

[Khornukopia]

The digital crossover makes this almost too easy.

[Chris A]

As I understand the instructions, boost and/or cut is adjusted as desired based on personal listening tests, or has someone already suggested re-EQ guidelines to compensate for typical "improperly mastered pop commercial recordings"?

 

Yes - you select the amount of boost or attenuation yourself. 

 

There are several unmastering EQ curves posted in the "Missing Octave" thread, linked above, that you can try.  The only way to know for sure what the exact PEQs to use on each musical track is to analyze the track using something like Audacity.  The Cello palette at least provides some structure for that using only your ears. 

 

Most of the time, I'd look at attenuating the 2K and 5K PEQs and increasing the 20 Hz (bottom octave) PEQ.  That bottom octave usually needs to be increased by at least 12 dB., while the 2K and 5K PEQs might be half of that (i.e., 6 dB). Try it out.

 

Chris

[Khornukopia]

Ok, thanks for the guidance. Wow, these improvements to my overall sound are making me want to stay home even more, but I must exercise moderation in all my favorite activities!

 

 

Here is a picture of my listening room that I posted on another thread last year, for any viewers who had not seen it there.

 

 

Edited March 20, 2017 by Khornukopia
edit to resize photo

[Khornukopia]

I sit up front and center for a variety of live music shows more than a hundred nights a year, which does not leave me much time to write on the forum, but want to share that I am pleased to have Klipsch speakers at home.

 

 

 

 

 

[Khornukopia]

This picture of the orchestra, as seen and heard from the fifth row, represents the sound of my Klipschorns in an acoustically treated room, much better than I can desribe with 1000 carefully chosen words. Equally satisfying to me is that after listening to several super-fine, very, very expensive stereo systems at the CES 2017, my humble Klipsch speakers still impress me by provide an excellent, realistic listening experience.

 

 

 

[Rxonmymind]

Hey Chris thanks for your efforts in this. A quick question. Reading through the thread is this EQ parameters are for THREE speakers? Kinda confused on the terminology.  Tri-amping vs three way active? I'd like to go active on my Bell's and if you know of a link for that I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.

[Chris A]

Tri-amping = three amplifier channels per loudspeaker

 

Three-way = three drivers or driver diaphragms per loudspeaker, each covering their own portion of the audible frequency band

 

5 hours ago, Rxonmymind said:

I'd like to go active on my Bell's and if you know of a link for that I'd appreciate it.

This is that thread. 

 

The settings for a stock 1982 Belle are the first set that you read here:

The link in that first post will take you to the settings for using a Beyma CP25 tweeter instead of the K-77. 

 

It you want to use a K-510 horn and a K-69-A driver instead of the K-600 horn/K-55 midrange driver (i.e., a three-way "JuBelle") and a CP25 Tweeter instead of the K-77 tweeter, then that link is:

Chris

[Chris A]

If you need help interpreting the tri-amping settings shown, let me know. 

[PrestonTom]

On 1/8/2016 at 2:05 PM, Khornukopia said:

Ok, thanks for the guidance. Wow, these improvements to my overall sound are making me want to stay home even more, but I must exercise moderation in all my favorite activities!

 

 

Here is a picture of my listening room that I posted on another thread last year, for any viewers who had not seen it there.

Thanks for sharing this photo. I had not seen it before. 

To say the least, that is incredible setup. It is good to see someone who takes this passion very seriously. 

 

I like to show these pictures to Sonja. It makes me seem a little less insane.

 

[Khornukopia]

A couple weeks ago I entertained the idea of getting an Xilica digital crossover, but someone wanted that unit for sale on eBay a little bit more than I did. No problem since I already had the E-V DC One, but while I was in the mood to try something new, ordered a new DBX Driverack PA2 crossover. It is fairly simple to set up from the front panel and has an Auto-EQ feature (via XLR cable omni-microphone, not included with unit) that works really well.

 

[Khornukopia]

Dialing in the settings to the rack mounted dbx PA2 was easy enough using the front panel buttons, but using an iPad, smartphone or Android tablet to make adjustments from the listening positions is more intuitive and visually representative of how the settings are controlling the audio signal.

 

 

 

 

[Khornukopia]

The dbx PA2 sounds as good as the EV DC-One, and the dbx Wi-Fi enabled remote control is a very convenient feature for adjusting the crossover settings or playing with the 24 band parametric equalizers. The picture is showing my 48 db/octave Linkwitz-Riley slopes. I recently read the description for the Xilica XP-8080 and it says wireless ready, so that may have similar remote control features, in a higher quality product.

 

[codewritinfool]

Beautiful equipment and beautiful software screenshots!

[Khornukopia]

Using the optional touch screen remote, I can switch back and forth between a dozen different crossover slopes while sitting at the listening position. These pictures show the 6 db/octave Butterworth filter slopes (Type A passive equivalent?). Need three separate photos to clearly show the bass, mid and tweeter signal overlaps. I prefer the sound of the 48 db/octave steep slope crossovers, as shown in the previous post.

 

[Khornukopia]

I installed a Marantz pre-pro, so my cables are now balanced XLR from pre-pro to the digital crossovers and to the power amps. The Klipsch forum is a good influence on my life.

 

[Khornukopia]

"If you're using a ported box, you already have audible group delay growth at low frequencies, so adding more with a preamp high pass filter probably won't be any more audible..."    

 

The above quoted comment from another thread has me wondering if I have audible group delay growth due to my filters?  I don't notice any when listening to my home system.