Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I currently have a Mcintosh 2505. For the most part I love it with the La Scalas, the imaging is good, the bass is almost a little too heavy, but good. However the highs sometimes put out quite a shrill on female singers, for example it happens on almost every Taylor Swift song. And yes, I realize that most of her work isn't designed music for the La Scalas...part of the reason why I'm picking up a pair of junk Heresys to restore. I am currently running the crites A/AA crossovers with the AA in position. But anyway, would a tube amp help out with the mids / highs? If so would this amp be a good example? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Conrad-Johnson-MV-52-Power-Amp-Mint-Condition-/120979765383?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c2af4b887 I like the Mcintosh tube offerings, but they are super expensive and many people say their bass is not good. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 there's a reported shrill in k-55-v with push pin terminals and in k-55-v solder terminals that have a label on them showing they are made in Texas. The k-55-v's that are solder terminal which have a label on them showing they were made in NJ have a dual phase plug and do not have this shrill. Also, the use of a p-trap in the crossover in front of the mid driver reduces the effect of the shrill. K-55-M's also have a dual phase plug and are not prone to the shrill. Some folks believe that any k-55-V that has a solder terminal has a dual plug and that the k-55-X has a dual phase plug. I'm not certain of that but welcome validations from anyone who has actually pulled one apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 there's a reported shrill in k-55-v with push pin terminals and in k-55-v solder terminals that have a label on them showing they are made in Texas. The k-55-v's that are solder terminal which have a label on them showing they were made in NJ have a dual phase plug and do not have this shrill. Also, the use of a p-trap in the crossover in front of the mid driver reduces the effect of the shrill. K-55-M's also have a dual phase plug and are not prone to the shrill. Some folks believe that any k-55-V that has a solder terminal has a dual plug and that the k-55-X has a dual phase plug. I'm not certain of that but welcome validations from anyone who has actually pulled one apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I currently have K-55-Ms in the La Scalas. I did just buy a set of the soder joint style K-55s for my Heresy restoration...hummmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I currently have K-55-Ms in the La Scalas. I did just buy a set of the soder joint style K-55s for my Heresy restoration...hummmm. The M's are fine fom a phase plug perspective...but try swapping them out with the k-55-v's in the event there's an issue with the diaphragms on the M's. watch the connection polarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 You know i've never measured them for resistance...i should check that. Could be that they are bad or going bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 You know i've never measured them for resistance...i should check that. Could be that they are bad or going bad... When you put the drivers onto the Fastracs did you use new gaskets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 No, I reused the same gaskets...they didn't look bad, they were not cracking or hard. There weren't in a absolutly perfect flexable condition, but then again I've never seen what a new one of those gaskets looks like. I'll probably just replace them anyway and grab a couple from crites when I order my heresy woofers from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'll probably just replace them anyway and grab a couple from crites when I order my heresy woofers from him. New ones have a softer, mildly textured surface that gets compressed flat when installed. Yours sound like they're still okay, but for $1 they're certainly worth replacing when you get around to it. If the old gaskets lose their seal, even the slightest bit, the result is reduced mid range SPL's and distortion. An SPL meter and some pink noise would let you know. BTY- I watched your youtube video and I see your speakers are in need of some serious toe-in. 40-45 degrees....those absorbers aren't cutting the mustard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I agree on the tow in, I have had them like this, the only problem is they tend to sound a bit too harsh in the center position. I'm not sure what to make of those sound absorbers, the guy I bought the La Scalas from originally had all this old sound deadening stuff he gave me as well. I'm not sure if they are having any effect or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I did measure the resistance of both K-55Ms, I got 11.4 on one and 11.2 on the other...so I doubt those are any problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 However the highs sometimes put out quite a shrill on female singers, for example it happens on almost every Taylor Swift song. And yes, I realize that most of her work isn't designed music for the La Scalas...part of the reason why I'm picking up a pair of junk Heresys to restore. I am currently running the crites A/AA crossovers with the AA in position. But anyway, would a tube amp help out with the mids / highs? If so would this amp be a good example? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Conrad-Johnson-MV-52-Power-Amp-Mint-Condition-/120979765383?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c2af4b887 I like the Mcintosh tube offerings, but they are super expensive and many people say their bass is not good. Thanks I have noticed this effect with a lot of SS amps At first I thought it was the nature of the Klipsch design but as I played around with equipment I noticed it was the amps, Sony and Adcom being the biggest offenders, vintage Yamaha being the best of the SS I tried. I currently own 3 tube amps (actually one is for sale in the Garage Sale section) and all of them loose that overly piercing highs that plagued many of the SS amps, not to mention a much improved sound (IMO) all around as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I agree on the tow in, I have had them like this, the only problem is they tend to sound a bit too harsh in the center position. I'm not sure what to make of those sound absorbers, the guy I bought the La Scalas from originally had all this old sound deadening stuff he gave me as well. I'm not sure if they are having any effect or not. If the absorbers are easy to remove and some are on the side walls I would suggest you test their effect by temporary removal of any from the side walls to hear if this stops any piercing/harsh type effects from the sound. Also experiment with the toe-in with the absorbers removed. If this helps with harshness and/or tonal balance then you might explore other options for dealing with early side wall reflections. Can you post a link to the you-tube video mentioned? miketn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdog Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 You know i've never measured them for resistance...i should check that. Could be that they are bad or going bad... When you put the drivers onto the Fastracs did you use new gaskets? With fastacs the gaskets should be omited. No need for them and they restrict the throat. The bug screens may also be removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 You know i've never measured them for resistance...i should check that. Could be that they are bad or going bad... When you put the drivers onto the Fastracs did you use new gaskets? With fastacs the gaskets should be omited. No need for them and they restrict the throat. The bug screens may also be removed. Really? I will pull them out and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I removed the absorbers from the room completely, reinstalled the sub, and pointed the speakers at about a 40ish degree angle, (basically the tweeter is now pointed at the opposite couch arm and they cross about 3-4 feet in front of the center position. What a difference...the harshness with minimized greatly. I'm still getting a bit of mid bass, but now I can turn them up much louder than before and not get that nauseating feeling I was getting. Bad thing is, I put the ALKs back in and the image and clarity improved far more. I'm thinking I may keep those well, they def were not working out in that old position, the AAs were much better there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'm still thinking a tube amp would help the sound overall though as well. The Mcintosh 2505 is well, but I'm thinking at some point I should think about getting a tube amp, I think this may very well help my issues with the mid bass as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorm Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 Since I don't really have the funds for a Mcintosh Tube amp...would something like a Conrad Johnson Mv-52 be worth getting over the Mc2505 solid State, or would they be pretty similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet_Hollow Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 What a difference...the harshness with minimized greatly. I'm still getting a bit of mid bass, but now I can turn them up much louder than before and not get that nauseating feeling I was getting. Bad thing is, I put the ALKs back in and the image and clarity improved far more. I'm thinking I may keep those well, they def were not working out in that old position, the AAs were much better there. Very cool. Finding better sound with hardly any effort is always a plus. The midbass is to be expected to a degree in such small quarters. One way to live with it, may be to sit a little off-center of the system (sitting off to either side of the room's center) then use the balance knob just a touch to push the center of the soudstage back over to what ever side you're on. You can shift the soundstage a little, but the bass mode won't follow as that's anchored by the room.I'm still thinking a tube amp would help the sound overall though as well. The Mcintosh 2505 is well, but I'm thinking at some point I should think about getting a tube amp, I think this may very well help my issues with the mid bass as well. I feel that depends a lot on what the majority of your source material is. There's plenty out there, but my recommendations are IMHO:Analog source (LP's, Tape, etc.) - Bedini Class A Solid State pre & power amp Digital source (Optical disc, PC, etc.) - Pioneer SC series AVR, Panasonic XR series AVR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdog Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 You know i've never measured them for resistance...i should check that. Could be that they are bad or going bad... When you put the drivers onto the Fastracs did you use new gaskets? With fastacs the gaskets should be omited. No need for them and they restrict the throat. The bug screens may also be removed. Really? I will pull them out and see what happens. Here is a thread where I asked about the gaskets in my Trachorns. http://community.klipsch.com/forums/p/161715/1720901.aspx#1720901 Note the post from the maker of the fastracs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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