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How loud can Klipsch speakers get?


yepimonfire

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Well let me tell ya. Only did it really loud once. I have 3000 SF home and when I had excitedly brought home the Bell's I decided to test how loud they could get. I've heard stories....

Paired it to my Marantz 2500 turned up the volume to ear splitting level and proceeded to walk out the front door, close it and walk towards the sidewalk. 

Nooooooo problemo hearing it. 

Another time I hear the term "My speakers can shake the house"..ok, never had that before. I found a suitable song and went upstairs to shave. Boom, boom ,boom as I feel the music through the walls and vibration on the counter top. Insane in the membrane.

Having said all that and while I'm impressed with it's massive attack qualities I particularly LOVE how it can play very nicely on low, low, low for late night sessions when everyone is asleep. 

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I have four Corn IIs and a Klipsch-derived center. My room is 16 x 25 with a "cathedral" 12 foot ceiling. At 102 dB average, with peaks at 106 dB, the room is overwhelmed. It needs absorptive material, but most of my listening is well below those levels. I did have Jade Warrior's "Way of the Sun" (remastered by Esoteric, ECLEC2198) up pretty loud recently, at the 100 dB plus level, but that's a rare exception. The dynamic range of that recording really needs Klipsch heritage..

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Don't forget about power compression. As the VC heats up, DC resistance goes up too. Higher resistance means less power transfer from the amplifier - you can lose 3dB or more  because of this. 3dB is half power -- which means your 100wpc amplifier is now a 50wpc amplifier. You keep turning it up, but it's not getting any louder - and the only thing that is happening is your VC is ready to melt down.

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There is a difference in how "loud" a speaker can play and when playing loud the "scale" of music it then produces. Loud alone is virtually worthless if the recording cannot be played  back at the scale it was intended. If say you are listening to an orchestra recording but in playing loudly the speaker compresses the sound then what good is the ability to play loud?! Musical scale and clarity should supersede loudness as a speakers signature calling.At least for me -- 

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On 12/1/2017 at 2:51 PM, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

 

I can sustain over 120 db with my jubilees with only 90 watts per channel, playing actual music.  :ph34r:  

Hey Cory,

What amps are you using for your Jubilee's ? I'm getting the urge to experiment, a little. I don't have a facebook account , to view your system. Thanks... 

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I dunno.

 

I was listening to my RF-7II vs Forte II the other night.  Very informal, and I had a highly accurate app on my phone to measure spl :D

 

From about 15' away, with either speaker, my phone app was measuring peaks of 106dB depending on what tracks I was playing.  I wasn't trying to find max volume, rather I was listening at a volume for the room that brought out their best dynamic qualities to my ears. 

 

Yeah I need to get a proper SPL meter if I'm going to do any serious tuning or what have ya.  More of a curiosity than anything for this fun run.  My actual goal was to finally listen to my Forte II in a room where they can really be opened up, which is where my RF-7II's live.  

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

You have posted some very interesting stuff! 

 

Klipschorns are rated at 120 dB maximum SPL, with no details on how that was measured.  My Maximum Mahler Multichannel SACDs in our 4,000 + cu ft room can reach 110 dB on an SPL meter at C weighting, Fast, at 13 feet with 2 Khorns, a modified Belle center and two Heresy II surrounds, plus a sub.  PWK maintained that an old style analog VU meter needle on an SPL meter would read 13 dB low on extremely sharp instantaneous peaks because the needle wouldn't keep up.  In that case, we might be getting milliseconds long peaks of 123 dB.  The sound is clean and undistorted, and the firm floor shakes, as does the couch.  Yes, we all (still) have normal hearing for our ages.  We can't imagine needing higher SPL.

 

On 11/28/2017 at 11:13 PM, yepimonfire said:

 since you lose 6dB with each doubling of distance.

 

You lose 6 dB with each doubling outside, on the top of a flagpole, or in some anechoic chambers.  Inside, the figure is more like 3 or 4 dB for each doubling, depending on the room.  In a test, PWK got 3 dB.

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Well...  my Jubilees will easily touch 120 dB in my 19 by 48 foot room.  I love playing “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons for people.  It will literally blur your vision if you stare at a fixed object- LOL!!!

 

The maximum output is supposedly around 128 dB, but I don’t want to go deaf, or actually run the risk of hurting them or my ears.  They will coast in the 110 dB range without breaking a sweat.

 

Tonight it’s just Eminem’s new album (most of which was just too political) and now some Miles Davis at around 75 dB.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • Klipsch Employees

I have pictures of Steve Phillips and I listening at 124.9 at 15 ft. on the back of the couch in the listening room next to the chamber. 

2 60th khorns

aragon 3002 300x2 amp

stageone pre/pro

bs wires in the wall  (some engineer ran cat 5 x6 for each run...he was fired)

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On 1/11/2018 at 11:45 AM, Trey Cannon said:

I have pictures of Steve Phillips and I listening at 124.9 at 15 ft. on the back of the couch in the listening room next to the chamber. 

2 60th khorns

aragon 3002 300x2 amp

stageone pre/pro

bs wires in the wall  (some engineer ran cat 5 x6 for each run...he was fired)

 

2 hours ago, Deang said:

That's insane. Well, you always were a bit on the crazy side. :-)

That's TRUE :lol: When I read that I had no doubt it was true, no need for a picture.

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30 minutes ago, teknoid said:

I don't have a SPL meter so I don't know loudness by the numbers but I CAN tell you that a pair of 84 Heresys driven by an 80 WPC Integra amp can get the sheriff pounding on the front door. More than once. ;)

Look online, there are many free to download to a phone or iPad, most come with RTA also. They may not be exact but much better than nothing and fun to play with the RTA.

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  • 2 years later...

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