maxg Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 As some of you may recall I have a near neighbour who was interested in swapping his Belle Scala's for my Heresy's plus accuphase amp. His logic being that the Belles were too big for his room and his amp (separates - Luxman pre and power with matching Luxman CD player) was not up to the job. Anyway yesterday I went round to their house and whilst there had a listen. It was dreadful. Almost no power - no bass control, zero sound stage - really awful. All I had to do was to bring around the Heresy's and my amp and these speakers were mine - my sound blows this dross out of the window. Instead what do I do? I start by moving the speakers closer together and towing them in. Then I cut the speaker cable up and reconnect (noticing that the previous connection was so loose it came of in my hand). Having built the stage (and moved most of the furniture around) I check the output level of the CD player (which is on half) and turn it up to full. Finally I saw the interconnects - which were the sort of cable given away free with a computer speaker and change them for 2 spare pairs of mogami's I had at home. When we fire up the system the difference is just incredible. Concrete sound stage, proper bass, full warm deep sound from both sides. They are ecstatic. We still have a problem with some reverberation from the wooden unit behind the speaker that seems to pick up strongly on a double bass. I have still not fixed this but I improved it with the addition of a wall bracket and proper screws/lugs to securely fix it in place (the mod is hidden behind the speaker). Anyway the last thing on their mind is an upgrade (downgrade) now. What an idiot I am!! Quote
buylow Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 I wish I had a neighbor like you. ------------------ Mains: RF-3 Center: RC-3 Rears: RS-3 Sub: KSW-12 A/V Receiver: Yamaha HTR-5250 DVD Player: Yamaha DV-6280 CD Player: Yamaha CDC-506 VCR: Toshiba TV: Toshiba 55" Projection Quote
jelliott100 Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 The sacrifices we make for our friends. ------------------ --Elliott-- Heresy Mains (Birch) Heresy Surrounds (Walnut) RC-3 Center (Because a C7 won't fit!) SVS 20-39cs/Samson S700 Denon 2801 JVC D-Series Pioneer DV-525 Quote
Randy Bey Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 Yes, but it's nice to do something good for your neighbor compared to a permanent sensation of having taken advantage of him. Quote
fini Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 I agree with Randy. Your good deed will return to you tenfold. WOW! Can you imagine what THAT will sound like? fini Quote
Quenten Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 We are defined by the examples we set. I loath the day one of us crosses to the other side! A round of applause please!!! Quote
JLOUNDER Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 Have you invited your friend over for a listening session yet? JL Quote
mace Posted July 30, 2001 Posted July 30, 2001 maxg, Wow... first off, pretty neat that a guy can be so helpful and selfless as you are. Secondly, it amazes me that someone could have a speaker in the class of the Belles (I've never heard them myself) and make them sound bad! Mace Quote
maxg Posted July 31, 2001 Author Posted July 31, 2001 First off - try not to think of me as this altruistic do-gooder. I am merely an inveterate tinkerer who cannot bare to see something poorly implemented and can't resist wielding a screwdriver when the opportunity arises. One of you asked if they have been round to hear my system. They have. It is the main reason they were interested in a swap - despite the lower cost of my setup. I have also been back round there to do a little testing and comparison of my own. Conclusions are as follows: 1. The Luxman setup does not drive Heritage speakers as well as my Accuphase E211. Whilst it does control the bass well enough there is some sibilance. Further, the amp does not drive the speakers fully until the volume is at a relatively high level (no meter sorry - but significantly above speaking level) I have suggested to them that they should still look at getting a new amp. I do not think they will go for tubes as it is a house full of people who know next to nothing about audio (one audiofile in the house) and who will never wait the 30 minutes for hte tubes to warm up. 2. The bass problem (reverberation) is significant. Strangely it would be much less of a problem for the Heresy's I originally wanted to swap. They cannot move the speakers away from the wall far enough as the room dimensions wont allow for it. 3. One of the speakers has strange overtones in the bass. I think a service will sort it out and this is probably not unreasonable for a 15 year old speaker. Right now I would say I still have the better sound (especially with my tubes) but they have more bass and more volume than I am able to produce. Even with all of the above, though, they still have that magic Klipsch sound that can send shivers down your spine. So was it all worth it? Yes, if I am going to be honest, oh yes. The pleasure I get observing the difference we achieved is really something. I also know that one day I will get a pair of Belles and with my accoustics and my amps I am going to rock this house off its foundations!! Quote
WMcD Posted July 31, 2001 Posted July 31, 2001 You did the right thing. We're proud of you. Now you're gonna be an authority in the community. Congrats, Gil Quote
HornEd Posted July 31, 2001 Posted July 31, 2001 maxg, no matter how many miles apart we Klipsch Forum members may be... I trust we can always remain this close to the model you set in helping a fellow Klipsch owner. For whatever its worth, this board is full of folks who have done similar things for a long, long time. It is part of what makes the random rat that scurries in scurry out... or take the higher road. Now, if we can only get this Klipsch Spirit to flow into the powers that are responsible for making the Heritage Line a deliverable reality! From all accounts, the new Ref lines are better than sliced bread... but there are still a few of us that like the old unsliced taste of Klipsch in our ear. You make us all proud of who we are and what we are becoming. And, Mystery Guest will allow you two almost unpardonable hostility outbursts to be used as needed... ... or my name isn't HornEd! Quote
Mystery Guest Posted July 31, 2001 Posted July 31, 2001 Outbursts granted..... ------------------ The token female for the Klipsch Fan Club Tour 2001 Quote
HornEd Posted August 15, 2001 Posted August 15, 2001 Gee, BobG... sitting here rapt in Klipsch sound... wrapped in a Klipsch Gear... sippin' some cool Klipsch enclosed suds... makes me want to pick up my fuzzy Klipsch Board and jot down the hidden advantages that speaking one's mind on the Klipsch Forum can bring. Somehow your name is always on top. Thanks for making this Forum so much of what it has become... and thanks for Federal Expressing yourself so eloquently. Now, if I could only hear an RF7 at my local authorized dealer... HornEd Quote
Shock-Late Posted August 16, 2001 Posted August 16, 2001 quote: Originally posted by mace: maxg, Wow... first off, pretty neat that a guy can be so helpful and selfless as you are. Secondly, it amazes me that someone could have a speaker in the class of the Belles (I've never heard them myself) and make them sound bad! Mace Well, actually, what's so funny about klipsch speakers is that they have the potential of sounding horrendously BAD when incorrectly set-up, way more so than a "banal" pair of loudspeakers. That's why so muh people say klipsch are junk...they didn't hear them in the right set-up. Quote
JLOUNDER Posted August 16, 2001 Posted August 16, 2001 maxg, The bottom line is that both of you ended up with a better sounding system than before the deal was made. Except for some minor tweaking your neighbor will enjoy the true Klipsch sound he didn't know existed. That's truly a good neighbor. JL Quote
ShapeShifter Posted August 17, 2001 Posted August 17, 2001 maxg, I commend you on an exceptional display of integrity in resolving your neighbors plight. Such selfless acts are an indication of ones honesty & integrity; that's a great moniker to wear through life. I believe the benefits received for displaying such character are immeasurable. Thumbs up form me. Wes This message has been edited by ShapeShifter on 08-17-2001 at 08:40 PM Quote
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