playntheblues Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 WOW, here we go, audio hell! LOL just kiding. After even further consideration I think you are right the Horns from Ed won't cut it. I have narrowed down my choices (with all of your help thank you!) A pair of cornwalls run with an Antique sound lab AQ1001 50 watts or 29 triode, and 3 Heresys with there new wave amp which is 20 watts per mono block. The other choice would be to swap out the cornwalls for Klipschorns (still have an issue with building corners LOL) but I'm not sure my room would be large enough for the K-Horns. What do you all think? Are we getting close to a great system? Musical taste is...blues, classic rock and we watch alot of Music DVD's...SRV,eagles,Paul Macarney etc. etc. I am also thinking that a sub woofer may not be needed???? Hmmmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playntheblues Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 I have just noticed that there is a pair of Forte speakers Locally for sale cheap. 1986 model for $400. Hmmmmmmmmm, Should this be a consideration as well? Thanks, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Guy---Either Khorns or Cornwalls will sound excellent. One guy will say this and another guy will say that but what it boils down to is this; you're gonna have to listen to some Khorns and Cornwalls and decide for yourself. But you're in the ballpark anyway. I wouldn't use subs with either speaker, both go pretty deep and with excellent power and low distortion. Besides, subs that would work properly (match lack of compression and low distortion) with either speaker are problematic, most subs would degrade the sound rather than help. Why bother. My opinions ya understand. www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 No mention of budget anywhere in this thread. If the sky is the limit, there are other options besides what have been discussed. Let me chime in with my 2 cents worth. I had an "HT" setup with my khorns, which is to say the two channel output of the TV went to "aux" in on my preamp, so I could play movie sound over the khorns. Slide "The Matrix" into the DVD and select the helicopter scene. Most everyone who submitted themselves to this said "I GOTTA get me one of these HT rigs!" That is with two channels, I should repeat. They all seemed to miss the idea that they were not hearing surround, subwoofers, etc. Was it Tom Brennan that said that people like horn speakers because they were used for so many years in movie theatres? Can't remember, but khorns play very well in the HT environment, even with just two. Emphatically agree on the power amp suggestions so far. They are very sensitive to junk amplification, ie. most bruiser amps I've heard. Go high quality, SS if you must, but always high quality, and you will be happy. I have never heard a sub that holds a candle to the khorn low end. Nope, the khorns don't go to 20hz, but you would be surprized at how little musical info there is down there. If you want your HT earthquakes to shake the floor, well, sell all your equipment and buy Velodyne subs and some nice Best Buy speakers. Your room is perfectly adequate for khorns in terms of size. You might want to eschew conventional wisdom and put them on the 16' wall if possible, otherwise build the false corners (nothing more than some 2x4s and sheet rock or plywood) and put them about 18' apart along the 26' wall. My woodworking skills are limited to licking envelopes, but I feel comfortable that I have the skill set necessary to build false corners. BTW, I dismantled the HT setup because HT is, in the end, boring. You will probably find more long lasting enjoyment in music than in car crashes and explosions. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I think that the bigger the big old horns are the better, so the Forte are a good start, especially if you can listen to them at your house for a few days before buying or if you can return them if you do not like them. But if you do, they are good start; they are the horn sound so they will let you decide on the amplifier you want or what ever your next step should be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playntheblues Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 Well I have had plenty of time today (as I have the rest of the week off) to read all of your comments, due some research etc. etc.. The plan I like best is....... drum roll please.......... buy a set of K-Horns (if I can find them locally) and try to set up a very nice two channel system and see how that sounds by it self for Ht. Along that line does anyone have thoughts on ALK's crossover? Is it worth the investment? Also Zen has a 7 watt amp. Zen Triode Dual Mono Integrated model SE34-I, and the other choice is an antique sound lab amp.. Are there any thoughts on these amps. or other ideas? Also which the very best preamp for the $$$$'s ? Thanks again, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playntheblues Posted January 2, 2003 Author Share Posted January 2, 2003 OOPS, I had an after thought. What years are best for the Klipschorn? Thanks, Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 My advice would be to stay away from the ALK network and the Decware Zen amps. Any year you can find locally will be a good year. I think some prefer the older, 76-82 model years. Get yourself a nice tube amp, search the archives for about a ton of info on them. You should only need about 5-10 watts to blast out that size room with khorns. 8 watts shakes the dust from my rafters in a similarly sized room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Cornell Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Well You can do what i did, start at KG-3s, and go up the line, and stop at what you like best, WELL i didnt LOL Klipschorns first Regards Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Guy, I don't know about HT with two speakers, especially Khorns. A good center is the most important speaker for HT. And you aren't going to have the Khorns real close to your TV. If you use the TV speakers for the center, it's going to sound awful mixed with the Khorns. Most people here like the ALK crossover networks. You should read some threads on them in the archives. Probably most of them are in updating older speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBrennan Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 PaulParrot---I disagree MOST emphatically that the center speaker is the most important in an HT system Paul. IME one can do fine without a center speaker if high-quality mains are used that can anchor a center image well. It's harder to get good coverage in a theater than in a home and the center speaker is a theater practice not needed in many homes. The center speaker may be needed in some home situations but I don't think that generalizing that it's always needed is justifiable. The quality of the main left and right speakers will determine more than anything else the systems clarity, range and dynamics. I used to use a pair of Altec A7-500s with an Altec 605A as a center speaker, you aren't going to get much better than that. When I pulled the 605 out I missed nothing at all in terms of centering the stereo image. Now I use Altec A5s with wide-dispersion multicell horns, A5s that would work in an 800 seat theater; believe me brother, a pair of A5s sound way better with movies than almost any 3 speaker array you can imagine. At last I've reached HT Nirvana: the same sound I heard in 1959 when my Dad took me to see the roadshow presentation of Ben-Hur; filmed in anamorphic 65mm with multi-track magnetic sound. Film sound has not been bettered since, THX and digital sound notwithstanding. Back to the future indeed. :-) www.chicagohornspeakerclub.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 I kind of agree with Tom here. I sure never felt the need for a center channel -- even with the lowly RF-7 Klipschcones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted January 2, 2003 Share Posted January 2, 2003 Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the hook-up described above. If you're just taking L and R out of a DVD machine, two speakers will be okay. I was thinking about DVD being 5.1 channels, and the idea being just to use the front L and R outputs of those 6 channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornwaller Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 If you have one of the newer generation HT amps (for example) my Yamaha, there will be an output or 'mode' for a phantom center channel--where the signal is decoded for no center speaker and with the correct front mains (in my case Corns) the centering and imaging of the center is terrific! Just make sure the speaker placement is ideal for the optimum stage and go for it....Then later if you find yourself in the mood, add another heritage as a center and see what you think. Cornwaller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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