greg928gts Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Sounds like it would be a real nice upgrade for my 1981 Khorns. I can't help but notice a lot of people on this board have ALK'd Khorns. Are there any cons besides spending the dough? I like the fact that the mid level is adjustable . . . isn't this a form of equalization? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 The AlK's are designed for the K-77 and K-55-V drivers, you might want to check your Khorns to see if this what you have. Some of that stuff changed in the '80's but think it was later than 81. Al stops in here regularly and has a site named www.alkeng.com where you can find info on the crossovers. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 ? LOL dont get me started, ive been there done that, the ALK is the only thing i havent done LOL Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Greg I ALKed my '83 Khorns. I am very happy with them. If you have the same network I did, the AK, you will notice a big improvement. I was totally happy with my AK for years and got the bug to upgrade from this forum. I did an A-B test one with the AK, other with ALK. I noticed the bass became less boomey, much more tight and responsive. The Midrange sounded much smoother, the AK had a slight megaphone PA speaker sound to the vocals compared to the ALK. I also noticed the sweet spot in my listening area widened and more area became enjoyable to sit in. Very happy with my ALKs JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Originally, Al had K-55-Ms in his Belles and used that to design and test the crossovers. The K-55-V is a direct swap for the -M with no changes required. In my La Scalas, the transition from the bass horn to the mid horn became completely undetectible with the ALK crossovers. Instruments were more easily recognizable and the bass was louder. Initially, my ALKs replaced Type AL networks in one pair of my La Scalas; the other pair have modified Type AAs (upgraded caps). Compared to the modified AAs, the ALKs have hotter tweeters. The difference is more in the range of flavor, rather than a jump out in your face difference. When tested in a "specialized" anechoic chamber, the ALKs were remarkably flat in frequency response. I highly recommend the ALKs. Go to the web site and you can see other user comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 What the $$$ factor ? "ballpark" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Ballpark? $500 a pair, +/- ... I can't really remember, but email Al for a current quote. I put a pair in my 76 Klipschorns, initially for the reason that mine have the Atlas drivers, which, on occasion, we're known to "honk" in the 9 KHz range. I ALK'ed my Cornwalls and Belle, and could hear the difference there (the Cornwall crossovers were $$$) and knew that the Klipschorn mod would not be disappointing. One really nice feature is the variable tap adjustment for the squawker ... Depending on your amp, you may wish to attenuate the default setting ... My AES 25 SuperAmp was so forward in the midrange that I wound up knocking it back 7db. It's a very simple adjustment since Al's networks come with very nice and thorough documentation. With the Eico and SETs, I switched them back to the "normal" setting. Bingo. You can build them yourself but don't skimp by going to cheaper parts. Al's margin is only $100 or so, and there is a lot work that goes into building these. I chose to have him do it, and they're works of art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 I take it thats usd not canadian play money ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 I have the AA network, the K-55-V mids, and the K-77-M Tweets. Thanks for the feedback. I've been to the website and also contacted Al and got a price of $500 for the pair (reasonable I think). But I'm always looking for more opinions and observations. I'm surprised nobody's jumped on the E.Q. comment I made, considering all the negative comments towards E.Q.ing that come from so many audiophiles. The ALK's seem like the type of upgrade that many audiophiles seek and with the adjustable mid . . . seems like tonal tampering to me! Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Greg You have AA's.... Those are a lot nicer than my AK networks were. There was a big debate (heated) a few months back on this BBS over AA vs ALK networks. I personally can't coment on the AA. You may want to take a look back in the BBS archives for them. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 I cant comment on the E.Q. question, but I don't regret having got myself a set of ALKs. When replacing my stock AAs it was like the lifting of a veil which I hadn't noticed was there before - and the adjustable mids are certainly useful if you use a variety of amps. The ALKs are like the Khorns one piece of equipment that will (hopefully) never have to go. Wolfram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Is this a form of "equalization"? Yes, in a way. But there is nothing wrong with equalization. All of crossover design is a matter of adjusting the frequencies, and levels of groups of frequencies, which are fed to the drivers. The original Klipsch design does the same as the Al K. design, if in slightly different way. As a technical point, it is fair to say that most aspects of speaker design have equalization issues. E.g.: Direct radiator bass drivers work over a wide range because the mass of the diaphragm cuts down (equalize) on high frequency response. Many horn designs make up for poor high frequency response of the drivers. The horns focus the high frequences and thus have some gain, on axis. I've been experimenting with Al K.'s design in connection with a home built project and find it works very, very, very well. The use of the "swamping resistor" and choice of taps on the autotransformeris wonderful and solve a lot of issues. Al should not have used the term "swamping". There is nothing muddy about it. My hat is off to him. The filter network sees a load which is largly unaffected by the driver impedance, which is quite ragged. The driver sees a low driving point impedance. And the level is adjustable with the taps. No, I don't see any electrical downside to Al's design. It is quite marvelous. Plus, he publishes the design, and tells you where to by parts so you don't have to buy it from him. There is one down side worth mentioning. It does not change lead into gold. Al is working on it. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 Gil, Thanks for the kind words. As for the "Swamping resistor", what else could I call it? Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Whoops. Al is right to taking me to task. If I'm critical of the terminology, it is turn about fair play to put me on the spot. One initial thought (in my own defense) is that crossover components don't usually get descriptive terms outside of C1 or L2. On the other hand, I can understand that the resistor has an important function, not common in crossover design. I'll have to think of something whimsical. The Magical Mystery (Conduc) Tour? Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Gil, How about some "BS" like "unused power recouperation element". That makes it sound like some kind of eccology friendly gizmo! In truth, that's its only drawback. If you run your system loud enough, it will get hot! I mean REAL loud though. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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