Dampening Klipsch horns for better sound - worth a try?

[Josh in DC]

Hi fellow Klipsch nerds,

 

I'm new to Klipsch speakers - just picked up a pair of Klipsch Forte IVs that I'm really enjoying. Came across this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X12FkoQHcTg&t=1s) from the Boston Audiophile on how to dampen Klipsch horns for "better" sound. Seems quite easy and inexpensive to do.

 

Have others experimented with this? Any advice? Would reducing resonance actually make for a less exciting listen? Wondering why Klipsch wouldn't have dampened the horns in the factory if it clearly improved the sound for most listeners...

 

Thanks for your advice and sharing any experiences,

Josh

Edited April 27, 2022 by Josh in DC

[Shakeydeal]

I think this mod helped with older designs. To my ears, the newer models are much smoother in the mids. I don’t think damping the horns on a FIV would be all that beneficial. Just my take.

[CWOReilly]

I feel like I had read that it didn't help plastic horns at all.

[pcbiz]

It's a very old mod that works very well. I did it for my Heresy I, Chorus II and La Scala I speakers. Worked every time. I had done all three by the time I saw the Boston Audiophile's video, but everything he says is spot on.

[Schu]

For horns without flange rings or external bracing it might help.

[garyrc]

13 hours ago, Josh in DC said:

Hi fellow Klipsch nerds,

 

I'm new to Klipsch speakers - just picked up a pair of Klipsch Forte IVs that I'm really enjoying. Came across this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X12FkoQHcTg&t=1s) from the Boston Audiophile on how to dampen Klipsch horns for "better" sound. Seems quite easy and inexpensive to do.

 

Have others experimented with this? Any advice? Would reducing resonance actually make for a less exciting listen? Wondering why Klipsch wouldn't have dampened the horns in the factory if it clearly improved the sound for most listeners...

 

Thanks for your advice and sharing any experiences,

Josh

13 hours ago, CWOReilly said:

I feel like I had read that it didn't help plastic horns at all.

 

13 hours ago, Shakeydeal said:

I think this mod helped with older designs. To my ears, the newer models are much smoother in the mids. I don’t think damping the horns on a FIV would be all that beneficial. Just my take.

@Josh in DC

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I doubt if it would help the newer ones. 

 

New and old, they have a flange that is screwed down.  In the old days, when the horns were screwed down, PWK couldn't pick up any resonance with his equipment.  Even when the Forte I was premiered, one critic, having not noticed any horn distortion, said, "so much for horn distortion."  But, who knows ... you might try it if you are energetic and willing.  If you do, please do one only, then have someone put the two speakers next to either, cheek by jowl, almost touching, when you are out of the room and not cheating (not looking).  Then return and listen extensively to each speaker one at a time.  Then have your friend either reverse the speakers, or not, without telling, and then please compare the two.  This would be a "single blind" experiment, so to approach a "double blind," have your confederate either leave the room before you re-enter, or wear a bag over his/her head.  This would have one step less confirmation bias than what the guy on YouTube did, but, of course, is not as refined as many repeated trials with control for order effect and carry over effect.

 

Please let us know your results.

 

I suspect at least some placebo effect in the YouTube results.

 

By the way, IMO, the term is "damping," not "dampening."  A ton of audiophiles make this mistake, including the guy on YouTube.   An amplifier has a damping factor.  Car and bike suspensions have damping.  Some old tone arms had viscous damping.  In my recollection, including in physics class, it was "damping" from when I became an audiophile (late '50s) until about 1967, when Star Trek erroneously used the term "dampening."  Then, they did it again.  And again.  Just as when CNN mis-defined "Factoid," Orville Redenbacher corp. mis-defined "overachiever," practically every screenwriter, novelist and journalist used "subconscious," over the usually preferred "unconscious," etc., etc., the acirologie multiplied and lasted and lasted.  One reason I will continue to use "damping" is that I can only too clearly visualize what an audiophile would look like while "dampening" his components.

[dtr20]

I've never tried it, but I did ask Bob Crites about it years ago. He said not to bother, especially with the plastic horns. Not saying it won't make a difference, just passing along info I was told.

[Rolox]

Well i did cover the rear side of my plastic mid horns with two layers of sticky bitumen sheets and i can definitely hear an improvement. There is Also a YouTube video of a guy who did the same on his Cornwalls IV. Worth doing IMO but you will void the warranty.

[Schu]

Don't you need to be experiencing significant spl in order for resonance issues to become a thing... I don't listen that loud.

[jjptkd]

Not all of the plastic horns were created equal the KLF and Epic series horns for example are extremely thin compared to the older k-53 / k-61 / k-510 horns. I'm not sure if Klipsch thickened up the k-603-m for the Cornwall IV but if not I can imagine damping material would probably help because of its larger size and thin walls.

[jimjimbo]

Dampening the metal horns is definitely worthwhile, no matter the SPL you listen at.

[Audible Nectar]

On 5/2/2022 at 7:51 AM, jimjimbo said:

Dampening the metal horns is definitely worthwhile, no matter the SPL you listen at.

 

Agree with this. I double-dynamatted my new Cornwall midrange horn rebuilds and am rather surprised at the results. I did the same to my new stamped metal woofers to even more good results. 

[pcbiz]

On 5/3/2022 at 11:32 PM, Audible Nectar said:

 

Agree with this. I double-dynamatted my new Cornwall midrange horn rebuilds and am rather surprised at the results. I did the same to my new stamped metal woofers to even more good results. 

 

Wow! Never thought about two layers of damping; I've always used one. I think I'll try that on my vintage La Scalas.

[Dave MacKay]

1 minute ago, pcbiz said:

Wow! Never thought about two layers of dampening; I've always used one. I think I'll try that on my vintage La Scalas.

 

If you do, and if you have the necessary gear, would you please take some measurements with REW before and after making the change?

 

I'm interested in this topic but (unless I missed something) all of the feedback about improvement has been anecdotal and subjective. I'd find it interesting to see the actual difference that the damping makes.

[pcbiz]

13 minutes ago, Dave MacKay said:

 

If you do, and if you have the necessary gear, would you please take some measurements with REW before and after making the change?

 

I'm interested in this topic but (unless I missed something) all of the feedback about improvement has been anecdotal and subjective. I'd find it interesting to see the actual difference that the damping makes.

 

Sorry, I don't have any measuring devices, but I'm sure someone else doing the mod has.

[seti]

Crockahooey

 

 

[JimMeader]

The good news is for about $20.00 you can by the mat and try it. If you do not like it then take it off no big deal.

 

I did it to my 1987 La Scala's. Was there a difference to me, yes was it a big difference No.  These type of changes make minor changes to the sound at most.

 

The single biggest difference you can make to your system is speaker placement in YOUR ROOM.  Go to YouTube  and do a search on speaker placement, it may not seem like a big issue but it will make the biggest difference in any system.

 

Enjoy the Music

[Peter P.]

If you want to dampen your Klipschorns, hit 'em with a hose.

 

If you want to damp your Klipschorns, that's another matter.

 

😀

[pcbiz]

On 5/4/2022 at 9:58 PM, JimMeader said:

The good news is for about $20.00 you can by the mat and try it. If you do not like it then take it off no big deal.

 

I did it to my 1987 La Scala's. Was there a difference to me, yes was it a big difference No.  These type of changes make minor changes to the sound at most.

 

The single biggest difference you can make to your system is speaker placement in YOUR ROOM.  Go to YouTube  and do a search on speaker placement, it may not seem like a big issue but it will make the biggest difference in any system.

 

Enjoy the Music

 

For my Heresy I and Chorus II pairs, damping material on the mid horns made a substantial difference for the better.

 

For my La Scalas, not as much. However, when I used the Dynamat brand for damping my La Scalas, the difference was substantial. The off brand I used for my Heresy and Chorus speakers was too thin to make a difference in my La Scala mid horns.

[hron61]

Rope caulking is what I used on my Forte 1 horns years ago. 

Was a nice improvement, no more harshness.