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Klipschorn high end


bkrop

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Yeah, don't worry about the specs. Most guys can't hear squat over 16khz by the time they're in their mid twenties. The highest tones I can hear on my Stereophile test CD's are at 12.5khz. (So much for MY audiophile credentials!) The next highest tone, at 16khz, is completely inaudible!

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My hearing still measures almost to 19k or so. I can hear the alarm carrier systems in department stores . The only others that seem to hear this are females.

All this high frequency loss with you loons might acount for this love of high power solid state on this big ole horns! heh.... Yeah, dont get all bent out of shape.

I am just still trying to figure out how my hearing is still so good after playing in live bands three-four times a week and listening to loud music for longer than I can remember.

kh

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Good question, since it shows how much confusion there is over what is important in audio specs and what is nothing but a statistic.

While it is true that a young person can hear as much as 20,000 cps, that is only at relatively loud volumes. Much of what we hear is less than 13kHz. In college, I could hear the whine of TV sets and my ears tested above 17kHz (though nobody else did, and no females took the test). In fact, there are no acoustic musical instruments whose first note is above the 5kHz top-end of the piccolo. It is only the harmonics of the note which ascend so high.

Generally, most of music is reproduced by drivers covering 200 Hz to 3000 Hz. See the musical scale at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/judging/. Ultra high frequencies help define musical notes, make it seem more realistic and tighten the image. All of these features are attributes of tube amplifiers. So it is little surprise to me that more traditional systems with cone and SS amplifiers would find the extra icing of high frequency response to their liking: it is giving them something they are missing.

I wouldnt worry about extended high-frequency response, much above 13kHz, as much as I would consider super-high sensitivity and a flat response. For my peanuts, a sensitivity above 95-dB/w/m and a response within 2dB are far more important.

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I've owned Klipsch Heritage for 23 years now, and I've always thought the tweeter could sound just a little nicer. Not necessarily extend up higher, but just be a little less harsh.

Get right up close to one while it's playing at low volume, it's very "sharp" sounding.

I'm sure these piezzo type tweets are very durable, accurate, and efficient, but I can't help wondering what it would be like to have the tweet be just a little "sweeter" sounding, for lack of a better description.

Greg

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art ludwig has some excellent info on these issues, check out:

http://www.silcom.com/%7Ealudwig/EARS.htm

for his description of why high end extension is important even if we cannot hear tones above 16k (in my case).

check out the other informaiton on this as well; about time alignment, phase, etc.

As an ex-nasa scientist, EE, all around smart guy AND audio enthusiast, Art has really poured his heart into trying to understand and explain audio phenomenon.

My hat's off to Art! check him out!

regards, tony

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Greg,

The K-77-M tweeters in your K-horns are not piezoelectrics. They are normal coil-driven compression drivers. Your stock crossover is a Type AA, a very nice crossover. I have a pair. You should try 3 tweaks. First disconnect one of the KLiP diodes to disable the tweeter protection. At 2 watts input, the diodes chop off the voltage to the tweeter; it is NOT subtle. Next, buy a set of "Z" brackets from Klipsch to flush mount the tweeters to the front of the motorboard. It will require enlarging the hole so the tweeter horn will slide through. This will audibly smooth the tweeter. Finally, spend the bucks to replace the tweeter caps with Hovlands, great improvement.

E-V rates the tweeter at 105 dB/w/m, 5 watts continuous and 50 watts program, if you have the late model diaphragms with tinsel leads (2/20 if not). You should not have any trouble without the KLiP circuit if you behave and don't clip the amp. A properly executed L-pad can attenuate the tweeter 1 or 2 dB and help with the timbre, if you still think it is too hot.

Flush mounting the the cap change will "sweeten" the tweeter.

Some (most?) of the K-55-Vs have a 9 kHz "bounce" or return in the frequency response. Some people hear this and call it "harsh" I don't seem to have/hear it in mine. There is a "P-trap" addition to the crossover that will solve that. Search the BBS for a description. Ths K-55-Ms are said to die at 6k and don't have the bounce. Another solution is the ALK crossover. His bandpass on the squawker attenuates the bounce a fair amount and they sound great.

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