iwander Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 brucelee6783. I forgot to ask. Is this Khorn setup for stereo music only. Or will it be part of a home theater surround sound media room. My Khorns are strictly music. My HT 5.1 setup uses Cornwalls with Oppo DVD unit and Anthem MRX500 receiver. They are in separate rooms. I have found it quite difficult to find a HT setup that sounds great playing music. I am fortunate to have the space to have two separate setups. I was finally able to convince my wife to buy in on it. She loves the sound of the HT setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Thanks for the in-depth input. These will be strictly for music. Hope is about 4 hours away from Lafayette. Does the factory sell directly to a customer? Let's start with the speakers and tube amp first, and go from there. The M-301 I'm thinking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Let's start with the speakers and tube amp first, and go from there. The M-301 I'm thinking... An important consideration when choosing your amp is the presence or absence of a balance control, or individual volume controls for each channel. Recordings and room acoustics are almost never properly balanced resulting in the need to increase the level of one channel vs. the other to attain a proper sound stage (often checked by playing a mono recording and noting if the vocals, for example, seem to be coming from the midpoint between the 2 speakers). I'm not familiar with Musical Fidelity amps, so that is worth looking into. I do believe that Jolida still offers some models with a balance control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Speaker choice first, then electronics. You need to be put in contact with Kevin and give his jubilees an audition prior to buying khorns. Then you can decide if it's worth the cost to get the difference in sound. Remember, PWK originally set out to create the Klipschorn II and many people, including me, feel he knocked it out of the ballpark. The Jubilee is quite formidable. Do a search on Jubilees and brew a fresh pot of coffee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Speaker choice first, then electronics. You need to be put in contact with Kevin and give his jubilees an audition prior to buying khorns. Then you can decide if it's worth the cost to get the difference in sound. Remember, PWK originally set out to create the Klipschorn II and many people, including me, feel he knocked it out of the ballpark. The Jubilee is quite formidable. Do a search on Jubilees and brew a fresh pot of coffee.+1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Other may disagree, but having the Klipschorns (or Jubs) is 95%+ of the equation in the first place. I don't hear differences in amplifiers (other than too much hiss from some) so I don't worry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Other may disagree, but having the Klipschorns (or Jubs) is 95%+ of the equation in the first place. I don't hear differences in amplifiers (other than too much hiss from some) so I don't worry about that.Good point...I think that many people forget about the point-of-diminishing-returns-after-Khorns-or-Jubs. I see people spending a lot of money on items that can have little if any effect on the sound quality of reproduction (vs."look" or "feel" of the product). Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 The Jubilees are VERY intriguing! I'm researching them now. I've also received some emails offering to sell me Klipsch speakers at the "best" prices. I don't recognize these people. Forum sharks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 If you have any trouble contacting Kevin H. (Kharmondds) for an audition, if you're through the D/FW area (i.e., west Arlington), feel free to drop in for a listen. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 Thanks Chris! I actually took a trip up to Six Flags Over Texas a few months back. Too bad I didn't start researching K-Horns sooner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 the speaker is the MOst important part of the audio chain. Khorns sound good with a boom box. Sanders Electrostatics has a very good white paper on the need for solid-state watts. But big ole horns require extremely low distortion, NOT watts, to sound great and loud. This low distortion capability is readily available: So, look for heavy, vintage solid-state receivers, like Harmon Kardon twin transformer models 430-930, which go for as little as $5, but usally sell for $50 to $150 Check out chip amplifiers, like Sonic Impact and Trend Audio, which were about $100 Seriously consider low-cost, refurbished vintage integrated tube amplifiers from fellow forum poster Craig, at NOSvalves.com. Refurbishing one will take time, yet it will cost less about a grand. The result however, will be as almost as good as most mega-buck integrated amplifiers, solid-state or tube. I know from experience that Cayin, Antique Sound Labs, Bottlehead and now Carys new Audio Electronics tube amplifiers are quite good Jonathon Valin in The Absolute Sound (September 09) gave a rave review to the $800 Odyssey Khartago Power Amplifier comparing it very favorably to much more expensive amplifiers. I just heard and loved an Outlaw receiver on big ole horns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 I am now convinced that Jubilees are the way to go for myself. Now I've got to determine where and who to buy from. I'm not comfortable with the idea of building them myself. My knowledge of carpentry and electrical work is basically non-existant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I am now convinced that Jubilees are the way to go for myself. Now I've got to determine where and who to buy from. I'm not comfortable with the idea of building them myself. My knowledge of carpentry and electrical work is basically non-existant. See how this hobby is......You start off looking for an amplifer for a pair of Khorns......And now you're getting Jubilees! I am sure you'll be happy with the Jubes, most everyone is......You'll still need an amplifer.....Same comments apply for Khorns as Jubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Jubilees are a great idea. They sound very, very good. They are difficult to find on the used market, but you can buy them new of course. Your first decisions will be 1) the big horn (K-402) or the smaller one (K-510). The big one sounds better but it is about 30% more expensive. The small one still sounds good and is more easily put into a cabinet if you wanted to (perhaps you know a local cabinet maker). 2) Crossover (active or passive). Most opt for the active crossover and there are professionally measured setups (recommendations) available. Time to start reading the threads ... BTW, many of us got out Jubilees without having heard them before. Otherwise, there is a list of owners who might invite you over for a listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Since the speakers matter the most, I'll take the HK amp/receiver route for the time being. I hope to audition tube amps in the future, but one step at a time. I don't like to cross my bridges before I get to them. I want the K-402 horn. I'm not sure whether I want active or passive x-overs yet, I need to research that a bit more. You say that most opt for the active x-overs? What's the reason for this? It seems a guy named Kevin Harmon lives in my town, and owns a pair of Jubilees. I'll have to make arrangements to audition his equipment, if he would be so kind as to allow it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 He might be busy or out of town. I contacted his wife two days ago to bring this thread to his attention. Then again, maybe she forgot to tell him. Additionally, you have a PM, private message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Thanks guys. I can't say I've ever met people on a forum before that were so enthusiastic about helping me. I'm hoping the knowledge and experience of the Heritage veterans will keep me from repeating any mistakes they may have made in their own quest to find sound nirvana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 I would recomend vintage HK 430 and new speakers. Klipsch will deliver for free. But today I got catalog from Emotiva and they have all there stuff on sale. I know some forum members have these maybe they could report on them. Oh I forgot to say they have 30 day return If your not happy with there equipment. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 look in top right corner for "inbox". I sent you a PM and you can respond if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinpan Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 " I am down to about 3 for my Khorns now. All SET amps. a 45, 2A3 and a 300B." Colin, I'd like to hear a little bit more about your experience with SET amps and Khorns. I tried 2 different 300b AN kit amps and I didn't see much in the way of bass. I did when I put a Carver EL84 push pull amp on. Interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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