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Advice for Beginners - consider this test from an audio club


ODS123

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MDF doesn’t flex, so probably a good material for motorboards - but the woofers aren’t screwed in with screws - they’re using T-nuts. 

 

Of course, the other five sides of the cabinet are 7-ply birch, but we don’t have to talk about that. 

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Given the choice between plywood and MDF, I woild surely go with plywood, even it were to cost more for the exact same speaker.   Almost all other speakers being made of MDF for home use wouldn't turn me away from a purchase.   For the road though?   Must be plywood, or something as rugged. Just my 2 cents.   

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6 minutes ago, Deang said:

MDF doesn’t flex, so probably a good material for motorboards - but the woofers aren’t screwed in with screws - they’re using T-nuts. 

 

Of course, the other five sides of the cabinet are 7-ply birch, but we don’t have to talk about that. 

 

MDF does flex, larger cabinets must be braced.

 

 

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14 minutes ago, Westcoastdrums said:

Given the choice between plywood and MDF, I woild surely go with plywood, even it were to cost more for the exact same speaker.   Almost all other speakers being made of MDF for home use wouldn't turn me away from a purchase.   For the road though?   Must be plywood, or something as rugged. Just my 2 cents.   

Its a shame that the new Heritage series does not offer Baltic Birch construction as an option. I would think it would cost less to build and it satisfied many Klipsch customers for decades. It would cost $72 dollars for two 18mm 60" x 60" sheets of Baltic and $46 dollars for one sheet of 25mm baltic. Cornwall's are how much for a new set? Pure penny pinching at it's finest. Now I would imagine Klipsch pays far less for material by the truckload. These are my prices for this quantity from Mid Tenn Lumber.

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ODS123:  Using a 200 Watt amp for just the first 4 Watts, and most likely less than the first 2 Watts is a poor use of your Mac.  I also love the look and build quality of the Macintosh amps.  American classics.  But fetishistic obsessions with particular brands does not make your choice of amp an appropriate or sensible one.  There is no question that all of the speakers that you have owned previously would not have done a SET amp justice.  All of them used DR transducers, and had sub par sensitivity and dynamics.  The fact is that you are selling yourself short by not experiencing a SET amp now that you have a set of speakers that will actually sound good with one.  "Not interested" is the call of the closed minded.  If you like I can build you one in an all MDF chassis.  Just don't drop it.

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14 minutes ago, Dave A said:

I wonder Jason what the vibrational fatigue limit is on MDF before it starts to crumble.

 

About a 3 foot drop will fatigue MDF into a crumbled mess.

 

7 minutes ago, Tizman said:

ODS123:   If you like I can build you one in an all MDF chassis. 

 

LOL

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Doesn't having an MDF motorboard mean that the motorboard is completely enclosed in a plywood shell?  If so, any accidental impacts would then make contact with this plywood shell first, thereby protecting the motorboard somewhat.  That's  much better than an MDF corner covered with veneer.  I would still prefer a double layer of plywood or thicker plywood over the MDF though.

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6 hours ago, Tizman said:

ODS123:  Using a 200 Watt amp for just the first 4 Watts, and most likely less than the first 2 Watts is a poor use of your Mac.  I also love the look and build quality of the Macintosh amps.  American classics.  But fetishistic obsessions with particular brands does not make your choice of amp an appropriate or sensible one.  There is no question that all of the speakers that you have owned previously would not have done a SET amp justice.  All of them used DR transducers, and had sub par sensitivity and dynamics.  The fact is that you are selling yourself short by not experiencing a SET amp now that you have a set of speakers that will actually sound good with one.  "Not interested" is the call of the closed minded.  If you like I can build you one in an all MDF chassis.  Just don't drop it.

 

My Mac is total overkill, I'll grant you that.  ..In much the same way that a Ulysse Nardin watch is overkill; sure it's accurate but an equally accurate watch could be had for a LOT less.   And I don't understand why you think enjoying tone controls, mono switch, and input leveling are fetishistic.  ..How boring a fetish if they were ;)

 

No thanks to tubes.   If I want to add coloration/distortion, I'll get an equalizer so it can be easily defeated when not in use.  

 

 

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10 hours ago, Dave A said:

Its a shame that the new Heritage series does not offer Baltic Birch construction as an option. I would think it would cost less to build and it satisfied many Klipsch customers for decades. It would cost $72 dollars for two 18mm 60" x 60" sheets of Baltic and $46 dollars for one sheet of 25mm baltic. Cornwall's are how much for a new set? Pure penny pinching at it's finest. Now I would imagine Klipsch pays far less for material by the truckload. These are my prices for this quantity from Mid Tenn Lumber.

 

I disagree - MDF doesn't cost less to build and ship.  To build, maybe, but not to ship as MDF is considerably heavier.  ..And probably harder on tools as well.  MDF is used b/c it's density and surface is more consistent sheet-to-sheet, easier to shape, splinters far less while being cut and easier to cut.

 

Klipsch uses Ply in their Pro series b/c those speakers are intended for places where they are suspended/ mounted thus requiring anchors which are more reliable in ply than MDF.  

 

From the KI-396 SMAII data sheet.  These speakers are intended for:

 

• Performing Spaces
• Auditoriums and Houses of Worship • Bars and Music Clubs
• Small/medium Sports Facilities
• Theme Parks and Leisure Venues • Transportation Facilities

 

Given your antipathy for MDF, which Klipsch uses for EVERY speaker line except the one you happen to own, then why spend so much time on this site?   It's seems a bit ungracious to take up residence on Klipsch's user forum then endless trash their construction materials.  And don't say I've done same.  Most everything I've said has come directly from Klipsch's data sheets (eg. comments regarding materials, intended environment and limited F/R).  Yes, in the other thread I did intimate that the Pro series may not be intended for as discriminating a listener (an inference I drew from it's intended application) but I quickly acquiesced when BH corrected me.  

 

I wonder how he feels about you endless trashing EVERY one of their current speaker lines but Pro Series.

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On 12/18/2018 at 9:31 AM, ODS123 said:

So, again, if you’re new to this hobby and you’re budget constrained, give serious thought before devoting a big chunk of your budget to a pricey amplifier, cd player and cables.   ..Spend the bulk of your money were it matters most: you’re  (your) speakers.

 

… o O (first time I ever fixed something)

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25 minutes ago, windashine said:
On 12/18/2018 at 10:31 AM, ODS123 said:

matters most: you’re  (your) speakers.

 

… o O (first time I ever fixed something)

 

The original subject was A/B/X testing.  Thread drift moved it to comments on enclosure material (I have no problem with thread drift nor the subject of the thread drift) and now now it just looks like a pissing contest.

 

C'mon.  As a forum we are better than this.

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This website is sponsored by people who build many fine speakers with MDF cabinets, and also many speakers built with plywood cabinets. I have several pairs of 30 year old Klipsch speakers of both types that are still good as new. Please feel free to buy your favorites and continue supporting this forum with your POSITIVE and FRIENDLY comments.

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2 hours ago, ODS123 said:

 

I disagree - MDF doesn't cost less to build and ship.  To build, maybe, but not to ship as MDF is considerably heavier.  ..And probably harder on tools as well.  MDF is used b/c it's density and surface is more consistent sheet-to-sheet, easier to shape, splinters far less while being cut and easier to cut.

 

Klipsch uses Ply in their Pro series b/c those speakers are intended for places where they are suspended/ mounted thus requiring anchors which are more reliable in ply than MDF.  

 

From the KI-396 SMAII data sheet.  These speakers are intended for:

 

• Performing Spaces
• Auditoriums and Houses of Worship • Bars and Music Clubs
• Small/medium Sports Facilities
• Theme Parks and Leisure Venues • Transportation Facilities

 

Given your antipathy for MDF, which Klipsch uses for EVERY speaker line except the one you happen to own, then why spend so much time on this site?   It's seems a bit ungracious to take up residence on Klipsch's user forum then endless trash their construction materials.  And don't say I've done same.  Most everything I've said has come directly from Klipsch's data sheets (eg. comments regarding materials, intended environment and limited F/R).  Yes, in the other thread I did intimate that the Pro series may not be intended for as discriminating a listener (an inference I drew from it's intended application) but I quickly acquiesced when BH corrected me.  

 

I wonder how he feels about you endless trashing EVERY one of their current speaker lines but Pro Series.

Well THIS reply will make Dave crawl back in his hole, hmmph!!  Love Klipsch the sound and disagree with construction material only.  Have a pair of Chorus I's here in the shop right now that are stellar along with  some Forte II's, and also a lot of train terminal stuff like KPT-456's, KP-201 and 115 and 250's and MCM 1900. But then you would not know how much I like Klipsch because you do not have an inquiring mind. Every time I have had other brands of speakers I am disappointed.  Happy for you that you stepped up to Klipsch finally but your ego has run away with your mind and both are lost together in elitist audio land.

 

  OK troll effort rating for trying to manipulate what I say about Klipsch construction material like I am singling them out. I talk bad about anyone who uses MDF because it is crap and don't single out any particular company. If all speaker companies use MDF then all of them suffer from beancounteritis.

 

  So what do you think about using a Xilica 4080 with my Super MWM's + K-402 horns? Think I should just do a KPT-942 set up instead? Or should I go buy shiny knob stuff and stick with the next set of Cornwalls I get in?

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