Welborne Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Not sure where is best to ask so I post my question here. Advice needed. Already a LS owner, I recently acquired a pair of 1986 Klipschorn and a pair of Cornwall I from the same year at a no brainer price (greed ;p ). When I was offered these I said to myself there is no way I let it slip through. My listening room however is just 14 feet wide x 20 feet long. Right now I set up my La Scala right at the corner as if they need corner loading. The point about acquiring the Klipschorn and the Cornwall is to try the famous and mysterious 3-channel set up that PWK tried to popularize. Soundstaage width and image depth is as important to me as tonality. I want to experience what such 3-channel rig can bring to the table. The problem is: how to get a mono channel to feed the two Cornwall between the Klipschorn? Or shall I just put two Cornwall tightly together side by side and just feed them stereo from a second amp? I have currently two tube amps of similar topology and gain. Or do I need something more sophisticated such as an 5.1 AV amp or even something like MiniDSP? Any advices welcome. Great forum!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdog Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 https://community.klipsch.com/dope/Dope_740700_v14n4.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 The problem is: how to get a mono channel to feed the two Cornwall between the Klipschorn? Or shall I just put two Cornwall tightly together side by side and just feed them stereo from a second amp? I have currently two tube amps of similar topology and gain. Or do I need something more sophisticated such as an 5.1 AV amp or even something like MiniDSP?...Any advice welcome. The easiest way to experience it is to use a reasonably good A/V preamp or perhaps a good A/V receiver with pre-outs to go to your tube-type amplifiers. This isn't the lowest cost solution, but it is the lowest technical challenge solution. The article linked above also describes two approaches using component parts that you can buy from your local electronics supplier (which used to be something like RadioShack). This approach will get you the same thing, albeit a little less flexible than the AVP approach, since the AVP can do more specialized matrix modes than just a center fill channel. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Any advices welcome. Great forum!!!! Just build PWK's mini aluminum box with resistors and RCA female plugs. I built mine decades ago as receommended, except, I only put one Potentiometer in there, the center one. I ran a LaScala between 2 Khorns (all birch with Tung Oil finish) for 30 years. You will be using it about -3 to -6db from the Khorns. I used to use Al Dimeola and Paco DiLucia's Mediterranean Sundace guitar duel to calibrat the center, since it was a Left and Right recording. Just turn up the middle mono channel until the guitars "move in" about 1/4 of the way on either side, and you should be good for 99 percent of music. Paul Klipsch did the same thing at his house. Everything he published in the Dope From Hope, he actually did for himself, and shared it, including false corners for his Khorns at home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welborne Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Great tips!! Can't wait to experience. I am curious if such set up do soundstage depth well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudeJ1 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) Great tips!! Can't wait to experience. I am curious if such set up do soundstage depth well? Well, PWK certainly had more soundstage depth than mine did, which were in corners and against a wall. After all these years, I figured out why. First of all, he made his own twin spaced omni microphone recordings. But when you want 3D depth BEHIND the speakers, you need to move them out of the corners. PWK never discussed this, but his Khorns were self contained with their own false corners. His living room was huge to accommodate his second wife's two Grand Pianos (one Bohsendorfer and one Steinway). His system was to the left of that. The rear of his Khorns and Belle were at least 4 feet from the picture window/wall and we sat about 12 feet away to the best of my recollection from 29 years ago. So he had more depth. I recently modified my self contained speaker position and I'm getting this effect. I think false corners for Khorns are superior to natural corners, since the bass horn only uses the first 4 feet of the walls to "complete the horn" anyhow. When you allow for about 8-9 feet of space between speaker and back wall in a well treated room with proper dimensions, the speakers simply dissappear. I have experienced this at my friend's house with his excellent direct radiator speakers for several years, and more recently with Danley Synergy Horns at Artto's house. His speakers are 8 1/2 feet from the wall in a superbly designed and built sound room and the sound can come from behind, in front, depending on the recordings, but the speakers are simply invisible. Amazing illusion when you can make it happen. That being said, I'm not sure how much time alignment adds or subtracts to the Khorn "away from back wall" experience since I never did that with mine and don't own Khorns anymore, preferring MWM derived bass and K-402's in close alignment. I can't speak from ownership experience in this case because I never had a room big enough to try back then. Edited January 3, 2016 by ClaudeJ1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 (edited) But when you want 3D depth BEHIND the speakers, you need to move them out of the corners. Umm, no. https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/131163-corner-horn-imaging-faq/?p=1464412 Edited January 3, 2016 by Chris A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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