KlipschFreak373 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I recently bought a pair of mint KG4 speakers from a guy on craigslist. I LOVE them! When I tested them out at his house they sounded AMAZING and had so much bass and the highs were nice and smooth. But when I plug them into my (5.1/7.1) Kenwood VR-8070 receiver, they don't produce almost any bass and the horn tweeters seem to be pretty harsh. Now I have read that the biggest complaint for these speakers is their tweeter harshness, but when I listened to them at the CL guy's house, they didn't sound like that at all. I was just wondering what I can do to my receiver to make them sound better or which receiver should I be looking at to replace my kenwood one. I have also read that tube amps sound best with the KG4's, but many of them don't support 5.1. I love my kenwood receiver, but they just don't sound anything like the receiver at the CL guy's house. I wish I had asked him what receiver he was using! Thanks for your help guys!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sancho Panza Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Welcome to the Klipsch Forum & Congratulations. kg4 is a pair I don't own, yet, so, I'll leave it to others to help... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 KlipschFreak373, Welcome to the forum. KG4's were my first introduction to Klipsch "heritage"-like(80's vintage) speakers. The KG4's can sound very good. Was the seller's room highly damped(carpet,drapes,cloth covered furniture,etc.)? Is your room a "live"(tile/wood floor,hard surfaces,no drapes,etc.) I don't know much about your Kenwood 8070 to comment. What was the seller using to drive the KG4's? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Enjoy the speakers for around a month. Only after extended listening will you be able to judge there overall performance . Listen to a wide range of movies, or muxic. This will help you see if anything is missing or annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) Unless you can get it dialed in with the surround receiver , I would try it on practically any analog 2 channel receiver. I used a 50 watt SS(solid state and a 250 watt) and had smooth highs and plenty of bass. I would wait on any tube gear for now, unless you just want to spend the money. You got a nice set of speakers! Welcome! Edited January 23, 2014 by billybob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) Unless you can get it dialed in with the surround receiver , I would try it on practically any analog 2 channel receiver. I used a 50 watt SS(solid state and a 250 watt) and had smooth highs and plenty of bass. I would wait on any tube gear for now, unless you just want to spend the money. You got a nice set of speakers! Welcome! On page 20 of your Kenwood manual it speaks to the 2 front speakers about the stereo mode setup. Also page 24 may be relevant. Certainly I get decent sound out of my Yamaha AVR. Another thing to remember is that the KG-4's are 4 ohm, but certainly worth trying with the Kenwood. Manual: http://manual.kenwood.com/files/B60-5453-00.pdf Edited January 23, 2014 by billybob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Placement will help bass. Near corner placement is ideal, but close (6 inches?) to a wall is a must. The passives on the back need some surface to work with. As far as being harsh, Klipsch speakers don't sound good with all amps. If you have an amp that tends to be bright, these speakers will let you have it back in spades. Hook your KGs to a nice vintage amp/receiver such as a HK, Yamaha, or Marantz, and the harshness should vanish. I am also very happy with a mid-line Pioneer avr with my KG 6.1 setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ski Bum Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I'll second Tromprof on using near wall/corner placement to restore tonal balance. Also, if you haven't tried it yet, set them up as described here. And don't be afraid to use tone controls, eq, or whatever else to season to taste (tube amps fall in this category, but I recommend you use what you currently have for now). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Your Kg-4's will never sound their best using an HT receiver, I bought a pair of KG-4 a few years ago, I never did really like them, but I tried hard to improve on their sound, my HK AVR 510 was bearable, but my Marantz 2245 put them into another league, the same could be said when paired with my HK730. Both the HK 730, and Marantz 2245 had been re-capped etc, as was the crossover on the KG4's. Don't necessarily expect similar results unless any vintage equipment you use has also been worked on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Agree, my SAE seperates pre- and amp sounded good at 50 watts. Still worth tweaking the Stereo mode with the Kenwood meanwhile, just to get some bass,etc...from the KG-4's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KlipschFreak373 Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Thank you guys so much for all your help... this is my first time on a forum EVER! I really appreciate it!!! As for my room, I have carpet, a bed, and curtains, therefore I think my room would be considered damped. As for my placement, I have the passive radiators of the KG4's about 2-3 inches from a wall, so I don't think that's a problem. As for my set up, I have the KG4's, a Klipsch SW 450 sub, a 400-500 dollar polk audio center that sounds amazing, and two polk audio bookshelf speakers in the back. When I have the sub turned on, there is PLENTY of bass for my 5.1 setup, but sometimes I just like to listen to the KG4's by themselves. If I were to start looking for a new receiver, I see that many people (including oldenough and tomprof) that Marantz are great receivers for the KG4's, but what model? Thanks again guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnydrama Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I'm not sure what model Marantz to guide you toward for these. However this site has some good deals on refurbished Marantz receivers right now. I'm eyeing one for myself in fact. http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/AVReceiver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html?brand=Marantz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I'm not sure what model Marantz to guide you toward for these. However this site has some good deals on refurbished Marantz receivers right now. I'm eyeing one for myself in fact. http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/AVReceiver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html?brand=Marantz I assumed (dangerous), because the OP was posting in the "2 Channel" forum, that his interest was in improving his "stereo" experience. All of those Marantz receivers are AVR/surround models. From my experience no AVR has ever proved itself to be the measure of a dedicated 2 channel receiver, especially in the sub $500 range, which is where his receiver sits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Kg4 can sound really good if placed in the corner. Even when I bought mine in 1990 I had a Sony AVR that got the cops called on me more than once. Off the wall is ok, that's where I have mine now. Corner is better. Mine could probably use a cap replacement as they are bone stock and 23 years old. Still plenty of bass with a nice turn of the volume button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dachuckster Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) Others may disagree, but I think the speakers are too close to the wall. Experiment. I have had my Kg4s since 1986 and I have always had them about a foot from the wall. Mine are currently being driven by a Denon 3803 HT receiver (2003 model) and they sound awesome. I did replace the tweeter diaphragms with a titanium set from Bob Crites (critesspeakers.com). An easy, worthwhile and inexpensive upgrade and I am still considering new caps. Mr. Crites and Dean G are both on this forum and are very well respected in regards to upgrades. Anyway, I do know firsthand that a cheaper receiver can make a difference. About 3 months ago, my 10 year old $250 Sony HT Receiver went out in the bedroom that was driving a set of Klipsch IW250 (in walls). I replaced it with a new $200 Kenwood that does NOT give much oomph to the speakers, even though the reported wattage is similar. If you are looking to buy a new receiver, I would highly suggest one of the current Marantz models ( I currently have their flagship processor 8801 with an Outlaw 200 WPC amp feeding my RF7 set up in my HT room that absolutely ROCKS). The Marantz SR5008 is a decent $899 and they are very nice receivers. Or, splurge on an Outlaw 975 processor (terrific reviews) with one of their amps; you get the benefits of separates with great quality, and a 30 day money back policy. The 975 and a 7 channel 75 WPC amp for $1100.00. I would go out on a limb and say that the 75 WPC Outlaw amp would make them rock hard! Good luck, and welcome to the land of Klipsch! Edited January 26, 2014 by dachuckster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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