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New Klipschorns room completed


DTLongo

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Enlargement of the room housing my 2003 Klipschorns has just been completed. A four-foot extension ran the room from 12 x 16 feet to 16' x 16', and two windows were taken out to build the right corner. Although 4' sounds small, the difference both spatially and sonically in that cathedral-ceilinged room is remarkable.

This first pic is a general view. Two more pics follow.

This setup is temporary pending arrival of a new Belle Klipsch center on order and expected around July 8. The TV will sit atop the Belle. (Someday I'll get a large thin-screen plasma.) Surrounds on the back wall will probably be Klipsch RS-35's since I think the RS-7's may be too big for the space available.

The three track lights visible in the pic shine on the two Khorns and the wall behind the TV. With the lights dimmed at night by a rheostat, the medium-oak Khorns glow softly and subtly as a movie is playing, a very nice visual effect. Other spots illuminate the sofa for reading.

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pic 3 of 3

Closeup of the left Khorn. The Klipsch plaque on top was a freebie from the company at their June 12 "pilgrimage" open house for forum members. Just above the Klipsch nameplate on the speaker is one of the company's new "jubilee" logo badges that we saw on the 2004 Klipschorns in the Heritage room at Indianapolis. I ordered a pair ($12 each + $5 shipping) and they adorn my '03's nicely.

Tom

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The ceiling above the left speaker is 12' tapering down to 7 1/2 feet near the right speaker where the new addition begins along the line of the track lights visible in the photos. There is a large doorway opening on the left wall and another on the back wall. Ergo, the room is very good for standing waves not to develop.

I will have a better sense of the acoustics after the Belle and the surrounds are set up, but so far so good. Even now, the improvements with Khorns' clarity and with Khorn + Velodyne bass in the sound of movies I am familar with (like Top Gun, Independence Day, Armageddon, Little Shop of Horrors) is impressive.

I believe this ne plus ultra system built around Khorns and the Belle will outstrip even the $11,000 new Klipsch THX Ultra 2 home theater system that wowed our group at Indianapolis. The Klipschorns surely do excel at handling LOUD with uncanny ease and nil distortion. and the big Velodyne, needing its volume control set at only at around 9:30 to match the efficient Khorns, itself loafs along.

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Actually, we were told at the Klipschfest in Indy June 12 that even at maximum low-bass volumes the Khorns' woofers excurse barely half an inch. Hard to believe but that's what we were told. My own experience seems to bear that out. Even at full rock concert low bass volumes the cabinets are so solidly built that they barely vibrate at all. The cabinet solidity and the efficient folded horn design give one the impression that these speakers are just "loafing" under virtually all home conditions, even Telarc "1812" cannon shots. Of course, the fact that the Khorns do naturally roll off below around 35 hz. also has something to do in that regard.

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oops, better measure and pad the side or rear walls there...

true though, the idea of a horn loaded woofer of large dimensions is that it does not have to move a lot to presurize and move the air!

very sweet set-up thanks for posting!

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On 6/26/2004 6:03:56 PM DTLongo wrote:

... even at maximum low-bass volumes the Khorns' woofers excurse barely half an inch. Hard to believe but that's what we were told.

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This is true not only for the Khorn woofers, but for all horn-loaded speakers (Mids and tweets too). This is the reason for the following horn benefits: high efficiency, low distortion, big dynamic range. The high efficiency is a result of the driver's diaphragm not having to move as far to produce the same volume as a direct radiator, thus requiring less power. The further a diaphragm has to move, the higher distortion it will have. Thus, since a horn-loaded diaphragm doesn't have to move as far as a direct radiator to produce the same volume, it will have less distortion. When a diaphram doesn't have to move as far to get to a certain volume level, it can get there "faster" (i.e., it can get loud faster -- better transient response). All three of these are distinct physical advantages that horns have over direct radiators. Why does a horn-loaded driver not have to move as far to produce equivalent volume levels as a direct radiator? This is because the horn couples the air to the diaphragm better resulting in more air movement.

In terms of how horns do this kind of "magic", I am reminded of a cartoon video a long time ago that explained how internal combustion engines worked. It showed that when a gas expands, if you placed a piston over this gas, the expansion would push the piston up. It then showed that if you placed this gas in a cylinder which contained the gas when it expanded, the piston would be pushed much more. The analogy is that direct radiators are like internal combustion engines with just a piston but no cylinder, wheras horn-loaded speakers have the piston and cylinder. It's really pretty simple. I think the main reason you don't see horn-loaded speakers in every home is because of the sheer size they take. Believe it or not, the Khorn actually is a very compact horn speaker, thanks to the genius of PWK.

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I am not a furniture expert, I bought the couch in 2002 because I liked its curvilinear design for use in a home theater. Various tags and docs show it to have been manufactured by LaCrosse Furniture Co. It is a LaCrosse Royale series couch, described as Left Arm Sofa 1460-03/TP 4460-38 and Right Arm Sofa 1460-03/TP 4460-38. The two pieces cost $1299 in 2002 in Delaware. The two pieces are held together by a sturdy metal U-bolt that drops under the cushions into a corresponding slot on each side. Taken apart they are easy to move up and down stairs and around landings and such.

Hope this info helps. Any number of manufacturers now make "home theater" seating and seat ensembles. You can get them with recliners if desired and they include cup holders, which this sofa does not have.

Tom

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