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KLF-30 vs KLF-20 & amp recommendation?


cleger

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And one more thing cleger.

What were you powering the 30's with prior to the Rotel? What is your opinion as to the differences in the sound of the 30's using the 200 WPC amp as opposed to the earlier AV receiver/amp?

Keith

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I was powering them with the speaker-outs on an Onkyo TX-DS787. Supposed to be around 100W, I think. Now I'm using the pre-outs of the receiver into the Rotel.

I'd say that the Rotel tends to emphasize the mids. It has definitely "colored" the speakers' output. I'm of two minds about the difference, really. On the one hand, it has brought the mids more in-line with the highs, but the bass has been left behind a little, I would say. Playing with the tone controls has helped some. Still fiddling with it. I may end up going back to just the receiver, once I get some bananas and have a chance to AB them.

But, where before, the output stage of the Onkyo started to lose it at about 65 on the dial(goes 0-100... gain seemed to start flattening out at 65, probably on the verge or actually clipping) now it just goes and goes. Made the mistake of setting the receiver at 70 between songs on "Kiss Double Platinum" of all things... man, these things can go LOUD. Seriously. There was pain. Real pain. I put my hands over my ears, as the dog came downstairs, looking a bit shaken. Any louder and I think he would have spontaneously shed his coat. Went and checked on the fish to make sure he wasn't floating upside down. I'm not kidding. This was about an hour ago (wife & kids were out.) I'd hate to hear what 80 sounds like.

I've since set the max on the receiver to 65.

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Clegar,

I'm just wondering if you ever took mdeneen's advice about moving the speakers out a bit farther from the back and/or side walls? Really, you will be amazed at how different the speakers will sound if just moved inches, and that is FREE (unless you pull a back muscle moving those MOTHAHS).

It took quite some time for me to find the right spot for my speakers (I am disabled, so I had to rely on patient friends, bribed with six packs of beer). Originally, they (the speakers, not my friends) were too close to the rear wall, and sounded a bit flabby in the low end, without any imaging to speak of. Then they were too far out, with nice imaging but no joy or grunt left. Finally, I found the right spot and the bass is truly great -- in MOST areas of the room. Remember too that where you sit will affect the spl of the low frequencies. Don't spend any more $$$$ until you have exhausted speaker placement!

Mdeneen and I may disagree on the value of speaker cable, as I truly believe that my KLF 20s sound both stronger and more natural with MIT cables; but I agree with him whole heartedly that placement is absolutely crucial. I was not the slightest bit interested in experimenting with cables until I know the speakers were set correctly.

Also, once they are positioned correctly, and ONLY THEN, you must use the spiked feet. They will tighten up the bass quite noticeably (but don't rush to that until you feel they are placed correctly, as they are almost impossible to move with the spiked feet in place).

Remember, the 30s are not the 20s, and they will require a different placement.

Good luck, DO THIS, and then let us know what you find.

Regards!

--JoshT, living in Eastern MA

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Yeah, I've tried moving them around. I find that the closer they are to the wall, the boomier they get. The further from the wall, the less bass. But in general, moving them away from the wall just decreases the quantity of bass... it's quality remains the same, which is to say, boomy/tubby/muddy. Still wish I'd kept those 20s.

I'm going to take a stab at bi-amping them with the receiver later this week. I'll let you know how it turns out. I did just try pulling the jumper strips earlier today, but I don't think it changed the character of the bass any.

Here's hoping additional break-in will help, because I'm staring to doubt anything else will.

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...all of the foregoing leads me to ask if anyone else has had the same expereience I have, that is, had a chance to demo both speakers (really) and found that they just liked the tone of the 20s better? I'm assuming that in general, it isn't the extra few hundred dollars... in my case, the dealer only stocked 20s and like I said, I had to special-order the 30s. I guess that in some cases people might simply be sold what the dealer stocks... but has anyone decided on 20s vs 30s in a head-to-head comparison? I'd be interested in any thoughts anyone has in this regard.

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