Do You Have Epic CF-4? What to Look For?

[Micklipsch]

@billybobI’m actually trying to run them bi-wired or bi-amped, so as I understood I wouldn’t need those straps or to otherwise bridge posts. I’m screwing around with the receiver now. I might need to enable bi-amping vs me just hooking the stuff up Willy Nilly. 

[billybob]

1 minute ago, Micklipsch said:

@billybobI’m actually trying to run them bi-wired or bi-amped, so as I understood I wouldn’t need those straps or to otherwise bridge posts. I’m screwing around with the receiver now. I might need to enable bi-amping vs me just hooking the stuff up Willy Nilly. 

Correct of course...

[OO1]

37 minutes ago, Micklipsch said:

Well, initially throwing them on the front channels on the receiver, they sound horrible, like little transistor radios and you have to crank the volume really high just to start hearing them. I really hope I’m doing something wrong here lol

be careful with the volume dial  here ,  if you crank them too high and they come on , all of a sudden  , you can risk   blowing  a driver , do your testing at a lower position on the volume dial-

what is the model   brand    of the Receiver ---?  ---we can look it up and get you rollin here -

[billybob]

The high and

1 minute ago, RandyH000 said:

be careful with the volume dial  here ,  if you crank them too high and they come on , all of a sudden  , you can risk   blowing  a driver , do your testing at a lower position on the volume dial-

what is the model   brand    of the Receiver ---?

Take it from here forum...

[Micklipsch]

4 minutes ago, RandyH000 said:

be careful with the volume dial  here ,  if you crank them too high and they come on , all of a sudden  , you can risk   blowing  a driver , do your testing at a lower position on the volume dial-

what is the model   brand    of the Receiver ---?  ---we can look it up and get you rollin here -

@RandyH000glad to make your acquaintance, sir. It’s a Denon AVR 1910.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AV1910/Denon-AVR-1910.html
 

Good call on the volume, because I was getting frustrated turning it way up just to hear anything. 

[OO1]

1 minute ago, Micklipsch said:

@RandyH000glad to make your acquaintance, sir. It’s a Denon AVR 1910.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AV1910/Denon-AVR-1910.html
 

Good call on the volume, because I was getting frustrated turning it way up just to hear anything. 

well @billybob   and I were a bit worried here , these CF-4 can  rock your house -

 

Here is the user manual --------go to page 11  -------https://content.abt.com/documents/22323/avr1910_manual.pdf

[Micklipsch]

Ok! Bit of a breakthrough! Going through the settings I set it for Bi-Amp A and wired as so. Sound is normalized.

 

Issue I’m having and the same issue I was having with previous Sony bookshelf speakers, is that I need to crank the volume up pretty high to start getting anywhere. 
 

For example, sound scale begins at -80.5db. Sound becomes apparent at ~-55. Agreeably loud comes in around 0. Maxes at +18. 
 

I don’t remember this always being the case, and felt “damn loud” came in way before 0. Is there possibly a setting to rectify this?

[billybob]

Bump

[Micklipsch]

Thanks @billybob. Something else I’m contending with besides that, is the right speaker isn’t putting out as much sound as the left. At first I thought maybe speaker placement was the reason why I felt more sound coming from the left, but, not the case. Physically confirmed via touching each woofer during bass. 
 

Before hooking them both up, I was testing them one at a time with a single channel and both seemed equal during that, otherwise. 
 

Thought I was onto something finding this setting like this, but changing it from -11 to 0 did nothing. 

[billybob]

2 minutes ago, Micklipsch said:

Thanks @billybob. Something else I’m contending with besides that, is the right speaker isn’t putting out as much sound as the left. At first I thought maybe speaker placement was the reason why I felt more sound coming from the left, but, not the case. Physically confirmed via touching each woofer during bass. 
 

Before hooking them both up, I was testing them one at a time with a single channel and both seemed equal during that, otherwise. 
 

Thought I was onto something finding this setting like this, but changing it from -11 to 0 did nothing. 

Not familiar with that AVR but see 90 watts per channel. Should be getting more volume. Looks like you are now.

Is there a balance control for the left and right speakers either a manual one to even out speakers or, one in the menu?

Another, do you have a stereo pure direct mode just to power front speakers?

And, are you connected to other sound surround speakers including center for an HT hooked at the moment?

Make sure that you are not in a HT mode, so that you can best down on just the fronts Epics for the moment.

Thanks!

[billybob]

If you are using any subwoofer, you need to set the front speakers to large. Some AVRs when using a sub and running an auto room correction software at setup automatically set the fronts to small which you need to set to large to troubleshoot the fronts for now.

[billybob]

Also, see now your screen better.

If possible, set to plus db.

[billybob]

Let us know your findings...you are making decent progress.

Others like Randy can jump in...

[billybob]

5 minutes ago, billybob said:

Let us know your findings...you are making decent progress.

Others like Randy can jump in...

You wouldn't happen to have a dedicated 2 channel stereo there by chance...

[Micklipsch]

Heya! Ok, solved the unbalanced issue. So there’s a test tone feature, and I turned down the test volume of just the right (problematic) speaker to -11db. I thought that was only so that that bad reception-sounding test tone would come thru quieter. Nope. It was my issue. Brought it back to 0 where the left speaker was, voila—equilibrium!

 

Kind of embarrassing but outlining it in case someone on here or across the web hits the same bonehead issue. 
 

As far as the volume issue I outlined last night, that’s still there, and I’m still trying to find out if it’s to be expected or if there’s a remedy. Cheers!

[Micklipsch]

@billybob if you’re ever around Chicagoland, I’d like to buy you a drink. Your attentiveness is much appreciated. 

[billybob]

17 minutes ago, Micklipsch said:

@billybob if you’re ever around Chicagoland, I’d like to buy you a drink. Your attentiveness is much appreciated. 

Lol, chances of that are slim but yes, tip one over for me.

As for the volume issue, work on it and if ever serious about 2 channel stereo, get you a more powerful receiver, getting away from an AVR, yet, some of them have a decent direct 2 channel mode. If you have pre-outs. You could add a bargain used external amp.

Main thing is, we are still here for help if possible.

Thanks for the thought.

[billybob]

People here are powering here from 100 to 300 watts per channel  the Epics. In your situation, others may recc. 150 to 250...

[wvu80]

3 hours ago, Micklipsch said:

As far as the volume issue I outlined last night, that’s still there, and I’m still trying to find out if it’s to be expected or if there’s a remedy.

 

Welcome to the Klipsch Forums.  Welcome to the CF-4 club.  You have one of the greatest speakers Klipsch ever made, but as a fellow CF-4 owner I'm biased.  Let's get to the volume issue later.  I just read the thread and I have a couple of comments/observations.

 

1. Everybody ^^^ has given you excellent advice.
2. Your buddy gave you CF-4 speakers worth about $1000.
3. You have CF-4 version 2, 1995.  These are highly sought after in the Klipsch community and sound very similar to v1.
4. The 18 awg wire is adequate.  If you upgraded to something larger I doubt you could hear the difference. 
5. That being said, the next time you order wire go to 12 AWG, OFC (not CCA).  This is overkill.  We like overkill.
6. When you upgrade your wire get some banana plugs.  They won't make the speakers sound better, they are more convenient.
7. I use Mediabridge locking plugs.  The ratings on Amazon is 4.9 stars.  Highly recommended.

 

Here is the "everything you ever wanted to know about the CF-4" thread.

 

About that sound:

I assume you have the sound now balanced, L to R.

I assume you are bi-amping.  I suggest you use jumper wires on the binding posts and ditch bi-amping.  I can expand on "why" if you want me to.

 

Volume: I assume this is your first new AVR.  They work very differently from the amps from the old days.

Back in the old days, turning it up a quarter was loud, halfway up on the knob would run you out of the room it was so loud.  The newer AVR's don't work that way.

 

Assuming a range of 0-98 what you will find is the AVR is almost dead silent at 40.  At 60 you can barely hear it.  70 sounds good and at 80 or above, NOW it sounds loud!  This is the new normal.

 

I'll stop here.  -Dave

 

 

[Micklipsch]

4 minutes ago, wvu80 said:

 

Welcome to the Klipsch Forums.  Welcome to the CF-4 club.  You have one of the greatest speakers Klipsch ever made, but as a fellow CF-4 owner I'm biased.  Let's get to the volume issue later.  I just read the thread and I have a couple of comments/observations.

 

Everybody ^^^ has given you excellent advice.

Your buddy gave you CF-4 speakers worth about $1000.

The 18 awg wire is adequate.  If you upgraded I doubt you would hear the difference. 

That being said, the next time you order wire go to 12 AWG, OFC (not CCA). 

When you upgrade your wire get some banana plugs.  They won't make the speakers sound better, they are more convenient.

I use Mediabridge locking plugs.  The ratings on Amazon is 4.9 stars.  Highly recommended.

Here is the "everything you ever wanted to know about the CF-4" thread.

 

(more coming, stay tuned)

 

 

The Notorious WVU! I’m not gonna lie, your resto thread initially brought me to the forums. Thank you, and thank your son for his service on my behalf. 
 

Funny you mention the bananas, I have every intention of picking up few dozen. In my excitement, I forwent them to get stuff going quicker, to the detriment of my kids nearby as I spat a few colorful words while suffering the close-quarters twisting method with the posts on the back of the receiver. 
 

Look forward to me harassing you on restoration advice as I probably will do so sometime down the line. The satin black has seen better days. I’d rate cabinet aesthetics at a 6.5, maybe 7 after I finish cleaning. The sides aren’t bad, the tops could be worse. A couple befores and after the lemon oil. 
 

I’ve also learned the site hates portrait shots, and I’m almost always a landscape shooter but given the vertical rectangular nature of the speakers, portraits work best. With all that said, I’ll be taking landscapes from now on.