AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 As I'm sure all of you know I recently got K-horns and love them but one thing I have noticed over my La Scala's is that they are extremely piercing where the La Scala's seemed to be smoother. I have heard many people say that using tube amps greatly smooths things out. I have tried running Audyssey and switching settings which makes it better but still not great. I was speaking with someone on the Klipsch owners thread on facebook who recommended this amp. Butler TDB-5150 I'm sure some of you here have heard of it. This is pretty much what I was always looking for. I never knew they had tube amp's that supported over 2 channel. Even before I got the K-horns I've always been told that tube amps were the way to go with heritage gear. I would love to hear everyone opinions on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Before you embark on an "amplifier-to-solve-all-problems" exercise... Do you have carpet on the floor and something soft and fuzzy to go across the top of the Khorns (really...not kidding)...? Is your ceiling at least 8 feet high? Have you cleared everything from around your Khorns within 6 feet, including furniture, equipment racks, and electronics? A tube amplifier won't solve room acoustics issues. Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 2 minutes ago, Chris A said: Before you embark on an "amplifier-to-solve-all-problems" exercise... Do you have carpet on the floor and something soft and fuzzy to go across the top of the Khorns (really...not kidding)...? Is your ceiling at least 8 feet high? Have you cleared everything from around your Khorns within 6 feet, including furniture, equipment racks, and electronics? A tube amplifier won't solve room acoustics issues. Chris The only thing I can really do on that list is the carpet which I do have and put something soft on top of them. Other than that the room they are in isn't big enough and the ceiling is not 8 ft. I'd say it's probably 7 at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 7 minutes ago, AaronB123 said: The only thing I can really do on that list is the carpet which I do have and put something soft on top of them. Other than that the room they are in isn't big enough and the ceiling is not 8 ft. I'd say it's probably 7 at best. Aaron, I don't believe that you have to rearrange your listening area to get great sound from your Klipsch Speakers. I do believe that using a tube amp for 2 channel music makes for the best listening experience (i.e. Klipsch and tubes go together like bread and butter). That said, for movie audio all of my receivers, pre-amps and amps are both high power and solid state. Can you borrow someone's tube amp, hook it up and listen to it while playing music that you are really familiar with? If you are setup for it and can borrow a multi-channel tube amp try it before buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 1 minute ago, Wolfbane said: Aaron, I don't believe that you have to rearrange your listening area to get great sound from your Klipsch Speakers. I do believe that using a tube amp for 2 channel music makes for the best listening experience (i.e. Klipsch and tubes go together like bread and butter). That said, for movie audio all of my receivers, pre-amps and amps are both high power and solid state. Can you borrow someone's tube amp, hook it up and listen to it while playing music that you are really familiar with? If you are setup for it and can borrow a multi-channel tube amp try it before buying it. Yes, see that's the whole thing. I would hate to spend all that money on a tube amp for it to be a barely noticeable difference. There is an audio shop close to me that sells vintage audio gear but the guy actually told me instead of me taking an amp home I'd have to bring my speakers to his store which was absolutely ridiculous. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Okay, think about using something to break up the ceiling bounce. It doesn't have to be this large, but something to break the clear ceiling plane up into smaller non-flat surfaces will help. The problem is at midrange frequencies (300-2000 Hz) so something that's effective at diffusion in this frequency band will definitely take that edge off: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 There are DIY ceiling diffuser resources to save a bundle: http://arqen.com/sound-diffusers/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 5 minutes ago, Chris A said: Okay, think about using something to break up the ceiling bounce. It doesn't have to be this large, but something to break the clear ceiling plane up into smaller non-flat surfaces will help. The problem is at midrange frequencies (300-2000 Hz) so something that's effective at diffusion in this frequency band will definitely take that edge off: Well one thing that I think is good, is that the room they are in, has a drop ceiling which is made of that absorbent material which I am sure helps. Wouldn't that be correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 You could just add and equalizer for the Khorns and adjust to taste. The tube amp the guy told you about is most likely a hybird with tubes in the preamp and a SS rear for that much power. If possible, change the toe-in on the speaker to shoot a bit more lateral and not at the ears. I don't think the problem will be solved by a new amp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 11 minutes ago, AaronB123 said: ...the room they are in...has a drop ceiling which is made of that absorbent material which I am sure helps. Wouldn't that be correct? Yes, but...If you're having issues with stridency, you probably still have issues that can be addressed. Have you tried simply removing a ceiling panel or two halfway back to your listening position on each side? Then listen again. It costs nothing but time. Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Khorns can't be re-aimed at your listening position unless they're in false corners or they have enclosed backs. Are they already enclosed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 1 minute ago, Chris A said: Khorns can't be re-aimed at your listening position unless they're in false corners or they have enclosed backs. Are they already enclosed? Yes, I'm not sure how many know this but the 70th anniversary ones do come with closed backs. That's a big reason why I chose them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Then you have more freedom to aim them toward your listening position. Note that if you aim them outwards from 45 degrees (front, side wall angles), then you're putting more acoustic energy on the side walls. You can try pinning up a comforter or quilt on the side walls right next the to Khorn midrange horn mouths on each side to see if that helps to soften the sound and improve stereo imaging. If you aim them further inward from 45 degrees, the front wall is the one that you'd want to temporarily cover at the midrange horn mouth heights. At least a 2'x2' square (or more) on each side would be a threshold amount of absorption. Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason str Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Tube amps can sound great but so can many quality solid state models. I agree with Chris, fix the room issues first then start experimenting to add the finishing touches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 The idea to use a little house curve reduction in high midrange--> tweeter frequencies (1-10 kHz) would also alleviate your stridency, without having to spring for a tube amplifier right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 All the recommendations on acoustic absorption and diffusion are due to the collapsing polar midrange horns, which, in the Khorn are necessarily closer to a room wall or ceiling than La Scalas (which also use the same midrange horns/tweeters). It's those the early reflections from the walls and ceiling that is the difference that you're probably hearing--and that if you can control them, will sound the same as the La Scalas--or better, since they're higher off the floor. Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 44 minutes ago, Chris A said: Okay, think about using something to break up the ceiling bounce. It doesn't have to be this large, but something to break the clear ceiling plane up into smaller non-flat surfaces will help. The problem is at midrange frequencies (300-2000 Hz) so something that's effective at diffusion in this frequency band will definitely take that edge off: Are those your Jubilee's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 20 minutes ago, AaronB123 said: Are those your Jubilee's? Those are Mike B's (mikebse2a3) in Tennessee. He had Khorns in his listening room before the Jubs, so that's why he has those ceiling and wall diffusers. Mine can be seen here (with Auralex Sonofiber absorption pads on the bass bin center panels): https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/profile/26262-chris-a/&tab=field_core_pfield_14 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB123 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 1 hour ago, Chris A said: Those are Mike B's (mikebse2a3) in Tennessee. He had Khorns in his listening room before the Jubs, so that's why he has those ceiling and wall diffusers. Mine can be seen here (with Auralex Sonofiber absorption pads on the bass bin center panels): https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/profile/26262-chris-a/&tab=field_core_pfield_14 Wow, you've got some nice stuff there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfbane Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 2 hours ago, Chris A said: Okay, think about using something to break up the ceiling bounce. It doesn't have to be this large, but something to break the clear ceiling plane up into smaller non-flat surfaces will help. The problem is at midrange frequencies (300-2000 Hz) so something that's effective at diffusion in this frequency band will definitely take that edge off: If you've got a dedicated music/movie sound room these look like they would help with reflected sound. If not, and there's a woman with some say around your place, I'd run it past her first. I'd be found hanging from them with a note pinned to my chest the morning after any such installation around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.