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Which Klipsch subwoofer to complement Khorns in a 5.1 system?


RAFellows

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I have a 5.0 setup with Khorns for the L/R mains, a R-34C for the center and RF7’s for the surrounds (will be replacing these with LaScalas). I keep reading that a dedicated subwoofer for the LFE channel would help on movies, even with the Khorns. I’m looking at the SPL-120 & SPL-150. I’m thinking the 150 would match up better with the Khorns. What do you experts think?

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On 4/18/2021 at 3:05 PM, RAFellows said:

 I’m thinking the 150 would match up better with the Khorns.

you  could try 1  SPL 150  if you only need 1 sub-  but  2  would be even better 

 @Paducah Home Theater   is our Resident Klipsch Dealer and a Forum Member

   
   
     

 

     
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There's no Klipsch subwoofer that will keep up with the efficiency of a Klipschorn.

And please, for the love of all that is sacred, get rid of that center speaker and either run a phantom center or an appropriate Heritage as a center!  🙂

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I agree on the center channel thought, originally it was going to be a LaScala and I might still do that. What are your thoughts on the LFE channel? The Khorns don’t do well in the <25Hrz range and I’ve read that movie sound has info in that range in the LFE channel only.

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12 hours ago, wuzzzer said:

There's no Klipsch subwoofer that will keep up with the efficiency of a Klipschorn.

 

Well....there IS.....  but he might not like the size (though he'd love the performance).

 

Once one goes over over to the dark side (cinema stuff) it's hard to go back.  That said, I do agree with you with the Heritage/residential stuff.  

 

1 hour ago, billybob said:

Get one of those new inexpensive 12 inch Klipsch subs from Costco to try.

 

Back when my LaScalas were my main speakers, (around 1990)  I gave up looking for a sub that would keep up with them.  Nothing that I could find seemed able to fill the need so I "got by" with also using my EV's to fill in the bottom end (Interface D's that I'd turn on in addition to the LaScalas)

 

With Khorns and they way they can pressurize a room.....  I wonder if anything less than a horn loaded sub would lead to long term frustration.  Yes I know.....horn loaded sub isn't large nor huge, it's epic in size so that's a negative to counter its use.  After all, what good is a sub if there's no more room, in the room for you!!

 

 

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17 hours ago, RAFellows said:

I’m looking at the SPL-120 & SPL-150. I’m thinking the 150 would match up better with the Khorns. What do you experts think?

I don't think that any direct radiating subs will do the job (unless you have a very small listening room)...but that's me.  I think you'll eventually end up looking again for something better than what you've been looking at.  And I think you'll eventually kill the two subwoofers you mentioned, because they don't have enough efficiency to put out really low frequency acoustic energy below 30 Hz continuously (like your Khorns do--down to ~32 Hz in good room corners).

 

I use two DIY TH-SPUDs (one in each corner behind each Jubilee bass bin), but most any horn-loaded sub with bass extension down to below 20 Hz will do.  In my experience, direct radiating subs produce too much harmonic distortion and phase/group delay growth down low at the needed SPL that robs the performance of clean output and of good audible bass response.

 

Richard (Coytee) owns a Danley DTS-10, one of which which would do nicely.  It's big, but the shape/form factor allows you to integrate it into the room. 

 

Klipsch does produce a big horn-loaded sub (the KPT-1802-HLS), but it is so large that it would dominate everything else in the room and you'll likely have trouble getting it through any doorway.  So Klipsch doesn't produce a reasonable-sized horn-loaded sub for home hi-fi duty (in my experience) and the 1802 is tuned a little too high for home theater duty (in my experience) so it has to be EQed quite heavily to reject its 40+ Hz response that it really wants to put out.

 

There are a lot of DIY horn-loaded subs out there--notably those by Bill Fitzmaurice (you must pay for the plans, and there are builders that will build them for you if you negotiate a price--but these are not like tapped horn subs in terms of their form factor).  I think there are other horn-loaded subwoofers that do just as well or better.  I'd ask the members here about horn-loaded subs that are good to below 20 Hz.

 

I also recommend crossing over from the Khorns to the sub no higher than 40 Hz.  For the La Scalas, you'll have to cross at 60 Hz or above.

 

JMTC.

 

Chris

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Thanks everyone for your knowledge and direct thoughts on my situation. I’ll abandon the SPL direct radiator type sub and start looking at a bass horn design that I can fit into a adjacent storage room. I have two spare K33E’s I can use to drive a large horn.

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On 4/18/2021 at 2:05 PM, RAFellows said:

I keep reading that a dedicated subwoofer for the LFE channel would help on movies, even with the Khorns.

 

Even if your mains are flat to 10 hz it would still typically help.  The problem is that unless you have a high end pre/pro that can reroute the LFE channel to your mains, you're just throwing all that content away, which is very significant.  

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On 4/18/2021 at 2:05 PM, RAFellows said:

 I’m looking at the SPL-120 & SPL-150. I’m thinking the 150 would match up better with the Khorns. What do you experts think?

 

My personal opinion is that direct radiating subs could work but those are a little colored for the K horns.  I'd try to get something that is known to be super tight / accurate / neutral.  A lot of folks would describe such subs as "fast" although that term makes me cringe so you didn't hear it from me.  Although, for LFE purposes, the SPL-150 could work just fine, ideally two of them.  I'd never use that combination for music with a crossover in place myself.  You'd be surprised at how much 20-40 hz LFE goodness can come out of two of those subs considering their price.  

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1 hour ago, Paducah Home Theater said:

Al, the SPL-150 could work just fine, ideally two of them.  I'd never use that combination for music with a crossover in place myself.  You'd be surprised at how much 20-40 hz LFE goodness can come out of two of those subs considering their price.  

great idea   -

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/18/2021 at 2:05 PM, RAFellows said:

I have a 5.0 setup with Khorns for the L/R mains, a R-34C for the center and RF7’s for the surrounds (will be replacing these with LaScalas). I keep reading that a dedicated subwoofer for the LFE channel would help on movies, even with the Khorns. I’m looking at the SPL-120 & SPL-150. I’m thinking the 150 would match up better with the Khorns. What do you experts think?

Up for building one?

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