G-Money Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 Good day forum members, kind of a tricky question here. I have noticed Klipsch (and other popular speaker companies)has gone away from 3 way speakers and using smaller woofers in there more recent lines, is the mid-range and 15" woofers a thing of the past? Has speaker technology come this far that a tweeter and an 8" woofer can produce as well as a tweeter, mid-range and 15" woofer? Could it be more people are looking for a stricking piece of furniture as aposed to quality sound? I have a hard time believing that the RF-7 for instance can compete on the same level as my Chorus II's in a blind taste test. What do you think Paul Klipsch opinion would be on this subject? I ask this as I will not have the oppertunity to audition the latest speaker lines for some time. I am stationed in Japan and will be here for several years. Your thoughts would be much appriciated, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Robin Posted August 3, 2003 Share Posted August 3, 2003 It all depends on the size of the dog! Hello i am in arkansas and i have a friend here that knows several electronic`s people in Japan If you will e mail me direct i will get some info from him about the people in Japan and fwd it to you so you can go take a look if it is not out of your way Thanks Bill KJ5DQ@AOL.COM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Money Posted August 3, 2003 Author Share Posted August 3, 2003 Hi KJ, I am accually in Okinawa, an island to the south of the mainland...not quite as hip as Tokyo. I have looked this island high and low for a decent audio shop, to no avail. Back in the 80's and early 90's, the base exchange had all the top-of-the-line stereo equipement. Unfortunatly, the exchange sold out to the needs of the officer corps...the best I can find now is BOSE (YUK!!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 G-Money, The trend is toward the use of powered subwoofers , so 15 in. woofers in tower speakers are a thing of the past. Some Klipsch fans prefer the older speakers like Cornwalls that have the 15 in. woofers. You can buy used Heritage like Cornwalls on eBay, but the shipping would be expensive to Okinawa. The currrent thinking is to take the load off of straining receivers and multi-channel amplifiers by sending power hungry frequencies below 80Hz to a powered sub. Hence a two way speaker can do an outstanding job; it also simplifies design and makes for smaller speaker footprints. I really am quite happy with my RF-7s and RSW-15. The combination is perfect for my listening habits of 75% HT/TV and 25% music. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted August 4, 2003 Share Posted August 4, 2003 Part of it IS technology. The materials of the woofer and compression driver cones are better than ever. With modern testing techniques, woofers can be created that have less distortion than ever. An 8" bass driver is never going to be able to perform like a 15" at lower frequencies. Mr. Paul's first K-horn was a two-way and his last design, the Jubilee, was a 2-way design. He would generally approve. He was never a fan of direct radiating bass drivers, though he built several, and complex crossovers. If a design using direct radiating woofers achieved low harmonic and modulation distortion, he would approve, I think. The current RF-series, with dual woofers, may well qualify for his approval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Posted August 5, 2003 Share Posted August 5, 2003 Interesting question. Regarding the modulation distortion - I asume your are talking about frequency modulation distortion. This is completly unrelated to the material used but a physical property of a moving object (here the woofer) that has a second movement superimposed on it (i.e. a low frequenccy and a high frequency), the higher frequency will pitch with the lower. Paul Klipsch wrote about this in his 'Dope from Hope' articles, the criterium that defined modulation distortion is expressed in a maximun swing of the woofer in inches (or millimeters), a frequency shift of 0.35% RMS was annoying, diaphargm movement of 1/4 to 1/2 inch will produce noticable flutter - 30 Hz and 400 Hz testtones. . In the old days a large woofer was used to stay within the limits, now we see double woofer designs, a double woofer design obviously reduce the amount of swing as well. Bottom line : considering the importance Paul Klipsch put on this years ago the question becomes whether the present line stays within these limits. Best regards ... Jef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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