Mike Lindsey Posted June 19, 2002 Author Share Posted June 19, 2002 Q, I forgot to mention, I sent you an Email regarding the Stereophile Test CD's. I went ahead and ordered all 3 for just under $30 shipped. I believe they all have the frequency scales (at least 2 of them do) so we can test your Khorns. I will also bring my Video Essentials DVD and my RatShack SPL meter. I am available the weekend of the 6th/7th and 20th/21st of July. Let me know how that works for you guys... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 Mike- Congrats on your new acquisitions. Too bad they aren't yet home, but it sounds like Q will be making them better than new. It's great you have a resource like him down there. Chickey and I are envious; not too many Klipsch lovers up here, though there are a few on the board. To the board- As Mike so eloquently stated above, he and I have been playing these upgrade thoughts in our minds for the past several months. He has been extrememly forthcoming in his communications and a great person to do business with. A finer gentleman could not be found (how else could you explain shipping a pair of Chorus IIs with the payment "in the mail???) I certainly love my "new" Chorus IIs and will try to do as detailed a description as Mike did. Hope to post that in a few days, as the only listening I have done was showing off the new babies to my parents who got to sit in the sweet spot. But I don't think I'll be giving these up either...same as the Forte IIs now in the surround position and the Academy in the center. Now maybe I should be on the lookout for a pair of OO Quartets for the back centers to replace my KG 1.2s?? I know there was a pair on eBay last week ($317!!!) but I couldn't swing those after my Chorus run. But for now, I'm a happy man! Thank you Mike!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 21, 2002 Author Share Posted June 21, 2002 Rob, Thanks for the kind words. I'm just glad that the speakers arrived in the same shape they left here in. It's also nice to hear you love them as much as I did. I'm sure they will get plenty of use at the Hixson household. I look forward to your review of them... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 Colin, I know you like the wood grain and color, but these caninets were in bad shape. I used a lot of wood putty to fill the gouges and chipped veneer and the putty will stand out like a sore thumb under a stain and clear coat. If Mike's other speakers wern't black, then I would have had to veneer them. No you won't see the birch wood grain. Birch can be sanded very smooth. It's not like the rough grain of oak where the fibers show beneath the paint. The cabinets are all filled now and are sanded up to 220 grit. They are ready to be sprayed with a lacquer base sanding sealer. The sanding sealer will fill any tiny scratches. Then they will be ready to spray with the black lacquer. Mike, I have a Rat Shack meter. It's the University that I want to find the high frequency cut off on. I'm hoping it will hit 500 Hz. I would like the try it with my Altec 288 drivers. Q. ------------------ Q-Man This message has been edited by Q-Man on 06-23-2002 at 04:40 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 I picked up some fuses for Al's networks,1-1/2 and 2 amps. If they blow again I'll have to send them back to him to be checked out. I hope all will be fine and we get to try them out and form our opinions. Boa, Did you find that review? Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 Isn't it wonderful adding new members to your Klipsch Klan?? I don't have children of my own, but I can imagine the experience is not unlike the joy I felt when I brought home a pair of Cornwalls. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy Congratulations on your latest acquisitions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted June 23, 2002 Share Posted June 23, 2002 All- My review on the Chorus IIs will have to wait just a bit. I spent most of this weekend working in the yard and didn't get to do much detailed listening to the new acquisitions. I did take a couple pics I will post of the new family members, if I can figure out how to. Look for that post soon. My computer time tonight was spent typing up my thoughts on center channel comparisons after I finally found the safe place where I put my notes. Look for that review in this forum as I'll post it shortly. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 24, 2002 Author Share Posted June 24, 2002 Q - I can't imagine how much work you have put into the speakers and am very excited to see them. I went on the Sterling Casino cruise on Saturday with Debbie's family, who came down from Maine for their 40th Anniversary. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to take the Merritt Island exit off the B-Line. I should have the Test CD's in the next couple of days, so I will bring them over with me when we do the demo. I am pretty certain they have a 500hz frequency test on one of them. Rob- Looking forward to your Chorus review in the next couple of days... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 Mike, I picked up the black lacquer today and fooled around with the mixture. How much lacguer thinner and retarder to mix with the paint to get the desired effect. I came up with the right combination after a few attempts. I experimented with it on some scrap wood, some pieces first using the sanding sealer and some raw. The black lacquer works best on the raw wood. I then sprayed some on the back of one of the LaScalas, which has the Klipsch clear lacquer on it. The bad news that the black lacquer isn't compatable with the lacquer on the LaScala. So, I now have to strip inside the "V" horn area. I learned a lesson here. If you want to refinish a pair of these, buy a raw pair. I got your email on the Belles for sale near me. I'll have to keep an eye on them. I don't want them , but at the current price I might have to add them to my collection. They also might be something for Colin to concider. Maybe even you. We'll watch and see. Later, Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 24, 2002 Share Posted June 24, 2002 Mike, I just emailed the guy with the Belles. Then I noticed a pair of Klipschorns up for sale in Orlando, near you. When it rains, it pours. Makes me think about buying these local items and re-selling them. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 24, 2002 Author Share Posted June 24, 2002 Q, Shoot me an Email and let me know where you saw the Khorns. I like the look of those Belles but have no place to put them (or the Khorns) but would consider them if the price was right. I'm very sorry to hear about the extra work you have to do to the speakers. I am selling some stuff on eBay at the moment so that I can pay you. Actually, it's just stuff that I no longer have any use for. I am hoping you can come by my house some time this summer so you can look at my center wall unit and let me know whether I can get another La Scala up there. I think it's possible but am not sure how to hold it in place. I'm also hoping you might stick around and listen to my rig. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 24, 2002 Author Share Posted June 24, 2002 Q, I just saw the Khorn ad and sent the guy an Email. Those things would match up perfectly with my wall units but I know nothing of the false corners built into them. I have one good corner but only have the back wall on the right side, so a false corner would be a good thing for me (I think). I see they have the AK-2 networks but believe they have the same driver/horns as my 86 La Scala's. He has them listed as 89's but they are actually 87's. I asked the guy if I could come over to have a listen. Sure wish you could give them a look/listen... Mike This message has been edited by Mike Lindsey on 06-24-2002 at 09:30 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 Holy smokes... I just found out the Khorns are in Oviedo! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 We need to talk, Maybe I shouldn't use black on your LaScalas. Since I have to strip the inside we can now stain them. If you might buy Oak Klipschorns and your wall unit is oak. I can do a test stain over the filler and see how it takes the color with the birch. If it doesn't look good I could still spray black over it. You may need to come and take a look. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 25, 2002 Author Share Posted June 25, 2002 Well... it seems there is a change in plans. You see, Q-Man went and did such a great job in finishing these, and now thinks a nice stain will do them better than the black lacquer that was originally planned. He decided to fill all the gouges with hard maple and says that the fill holes are only noticable in a couple of places. He also says they are as smooth as a baby's butt. I'll be heading over on Thursday night and we will go ahead and stain them (maybe I'll learn something in the process). He wants to try a couple of different stains on some test board and we will try and match them up with my existing wall units. Hopefully Q has been taking pictures and we can get them posted to the board after they get developed... Mike Edit: Q - I received the Stereophile Test CD's and one of them has test tones at the following frequencies: 250hz 315hz 400hz 500hz 630hz 800hz 1khz I believe those are 1/3 of an octave apart. On another disc they have tones for all the C notes: 32.7hz 65.4hz 130.8hz 261.6hz (middle C) 523.25hz 1046.5hz 2093hz 4186hz We should be able to get a good reading from these discs... This message has been edited by Mike Lindsey on 06-25-2002 at 05:13 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 Mike - The Stryke Audio test CD has all those frequencies, and many more, on one CD. Down to 10hz!! www.stryke.com (I believe). Doug ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted June 25, 2002 Share Posted June 25, 2002 That's what I need. I should be able to find the low and high frequency cut off on the University and the Jensen Imperial bass horns. Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted June 28, 2002 Author Share Posted June 28, 2002 WOW!!!! I am stunned by the work that Q-Man has done on my La Scala's! Simply breathtaking! I had no idea that he was going to finish them at the level of detail he has. The man is simply a perfectionist. The unsightly gouges that were once on the tops of the cabinets have now been sanded smooth with all the grain from the birch veneer still showing. When I ran my hands across the tops they were as smooth as glass. The sides of the cabinets were just as nice. Q is now in the process of scraping the lacquer from inside the "V" and will then sand that area by hand. There are very few fill holes... mostly where veneer had chipped off the edges, and where some nail holes were. Certainly a lot less fill than I had anticipated. One other thing Q did, and I recommend this to all La Scala owners, he put some birch edge banding on the front facing, under the grill molding, which hides the exposed plys on the face of the cabinet. I took some pictures of this last night but don't have a digital. I will post all the pictures after I pick them up next weekend. BTW, Q mentioned he could have built a pair of cabinets in less time it took to refinish these. Next we needed to select the stain. Q took a spare piece of birch and put a gouge in it all the way across the board. He then filled it with the same hard maple that he used on the La Scala's. He then stained the board with 6 different stains showing me how the fill area looked in comparison to the original stain. Surprisingly, the Golden Oak looked as good as any of the stains (the Honey looked good as well), especially in the fill area. Some made the fill stand out very bad, but the Golden Oak's fill was just a shade or two darker. Not only that but the Golden Oak matches my wall units the best. Q figures he should be done with the cabinets by the middle of next week and should have them stained before we do the AL/ALK comparison on the weekend of the 6th/7th. He figures 2 coats of stain, and 3 or 4 coats of clearcoat... sanding in between each coat. Hopefully, Colin and Mike (flason) can be there for the crossover comparison... Mike just bought some La Scala's last week also. Colin really liked the look of the raw wood and I think he will be quite pleased with the way they will look next weekend... I know I will. Q - You definitely are the Man!! Mike This message has been edited by Mike Lindsey on 06-28-2002 at 02:32 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted July 1, 2002 Author Share Posted July 1, 2002 Well... the Khorns that were just 5 minutes from me and matched my wall units to boot, went for $2875.00. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1362203032 I wanted 'em pretty bad but couldn't go any more than $1800. Q, Colin and flason, This weekend is good for the La Scala pickup and crossover comparison. Let me know which day you guys prefer. I'm good on both days... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 I'm not. It will have to be Sun. the 7th. Who's Flason? Q. ------------------ Q-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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