tigerwoodKhorns Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 My newly acquired Belles sound flat compared to my K Horns. I hooked the Belles up to a tube amp that was part of the deal (made by Dynaco, says "Dyna" on the front) and they sounded flat to the point that I needed to adjust the treble and bass. I then hooked the Belles up to a Denon 5800 receiver and found that I needed to add about 6 db on the treble and 4 db on the bass to make them sound right. However, they do sound good with the adjustment. This is probably a blessing as I am going to use teh Belles for home theater and the K Horns for two channel. My K Horns did not need any adjustment when hooked to the Denon and they seemed to be asking to be hooked to a tube amp. The Belles did not react the same. The Belles use an AB crosover and teh K Horns use an AK. I hear that the AK is not very good, but the K Horns do sound much better. (Teh Belles do sound good, but they really need the bass and treble adjustment). ANy suggections? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Crossover component upgrades. The Belle horn is smaller and the so is the bass horn so they are not going to have the depth or the big presence of the Khorn. After all the Khorn is King! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 Its more than the bass. Thh treble sounds flat. At first, I though that a tweeter was blown, but I confirmed that it was working. They really need the boost to sound right. What upgrades would you suggest. I don't want to ALK the Belles because I will have to ALK 4 heresys to go along with them and that can get very expensive. ---------------- On 11/23/2004 3:03:34 PM Frzninvt wrote: Crossover component upgrades. The Belle horn is smaller and the so is the bass horn so they are not going to have the depth or the big presence of the Khorn. After all the Khorn is King! ---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Since the Khorn shares the same drivers and horns as the Belle, I would venture a guess that it is the ROOM, the Belles top cabinet is arranged lower to the floor, and therefore, the room would certainly have a different sound with them in it vs. the Khorns. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I have never heard that description before. It is making me rethink building them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdc Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 How old are the Belles? Maybe they need some crossover replacements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 There is something wrong with your Belles. There should not be that much difference. Especially in the same room. It almost sounds like the previous owner mod'ed the AB's to increase the midrange. You should be running them flat like your Khorns. The only difference between your Khorn and Belle sound should be the low bass responce, and the midrange will be very, slightly less promenent. Most people would not hear any difference in midrange. FWIW - I run stock Heresys for my sides and rears with my front three channels ALKed, it sounds great. You do not need to ALK all the way around your HT. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 That does sound like something is amiss with the Belle crossovers. It would be interesting to put the Khorn crossovers in the Belles to see what you hear. I'm not clear on the difference in the type A or AA would be from the AB, but not a huge diff, I'd think. The Khorn mid horn functions to a lower frequency, but o.k. for testing. Hopefully the Belles would sound closer to right with the AA's., I'd think that both crossovers would use the same autoformer. I'd be curious to see if the K55 is driven off the same tap on the autoformer on the Belle and on the Khorn crossover. A change there would make a noticable difference in the squawker output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I have to ask the obvious question. Did you confirm that the tweeters are working ? Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Polarity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 Something is obviously wrong. A correctly working Belle or LaScala can never sound "flat" - even when compared with the Klipschorn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 You really need to make sure the tweeters are working and that the diaphragms aren't toasted. If the tweeters are working, you then have to make sure that someone hasn't screwed around with the network (incorrect taps being used). If everything checks out O.K., we can then entertain the thought of an out of spec capacitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShapeShifter Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 Klipsch Bells should certainly not sound flat. I would not immediately replace crossovers or other network components until I confirmed that all drivers work properly and the crossovers are indeed the culprit. The best way to check the tweeter and midhorn operation is at low volume, with your ear directly at the front of each. Speaker positioning is also critical to good performance, mine sound better away from back wall and in from the side walls. Definitely check polarity as others have stated. If the problem still exits after the other recommendations, then see if you can borrow a pair of AA or A Crossovers to determine if they make a substantial improvement in their sound. Patience and perseverance will reward you in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 the ak-3s are probably one of the best sounding crossovers that klipsch made...which ak do you have in there? what year in the belle? maybe you could try swapping your khorn crossovers into the belles for a few minutes to hear what it does to the treble and midrange...it does sound like you have either blown your tweeter or that the crossover needs re-freshing...tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j-malotky Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 The AK network has the low Freq crossover in the bass bin, and the high in the top cabinet. There is no "easy" way for him to swap it out. JM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 I forgot, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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