jdyer Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Is there anything to be gained by rewiring Khorns with a more modern wire, such as Cardas SE series? And if not, then what is the benefit of using any speaker cables other than Monster, which is what the speakers are wired with? Can the run from amp to drivers be better than its weakest link? Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Save your money! Unless the cables in your speaker are turning green the difference you will hear when you replace the wire will be totaly subjective. There may be a slight improvement becasue you "refreshed" the connections where the spade lugs connect to the network barrier blocks, but that's all. The cables to the drivers are only a few feet in length. Even you they were suddently ZERO ohms resistance the difference would be miniscule compared the resistance of other components in the speaker, like the voice coil resistance of the drivers and the like. Forget it! Al k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardhead Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Al is probably right, BUT rewiring your speakers can't hurt, it gives you some place to spend your money, it helps you learn a little about your speakers, and it's fun. I rewired mine, and I couldn't tell any difference in the sound, BUT I got all the other benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 There is no solution because there is no problem. PWK was the greatest speaker designer of his time. If he thought things would be improved with "better" wiring, internal or external, he'd have done it. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 It's true that rewiring a speaker can't hurt UNLESS you waste big bucks doing it with fancy cable some sales guy talked you into buying! Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdyer Posted February 9, 2005 Author Share Posted February 9, 2005 Thanks for the answers, but to reiterate the question, if there is nothing to be gained by rewiring the Khorns with a more modern wire, then how can there be anything to gain by using any speaker cable other than the same Monster cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I was being a bit oblique in my answer. So are you in your question. The bottom line is that there is no objective data to suggest that there is anything wrong with ordinary wire in the settings in which we use our speakers. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 To answer your question about Monster Cable nothing is gained if you already have it. But if you don't have Monster Cable then nothing is gained by forking out the extra cash for Monster Cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 ---------------- On 2/9/2005 11:34:56 PM J.4knee wrote: To answer your question about Monster Cable nothing is gained if you already have it. But if you don't have Monster Cable then nothing is gained by forking out the extra cash for Monster Cable. ---------------- If you like the look of Monster Cable, teh Home Depot sells 12 Ga wire that looks just liek it for about $0.45 / foot. Personally, I like the speaker cable that the Home Depot sells that is made to be installed in your walls. It has a grey jacket. The nice thing is that if you ever redo your flooring and pull your baseboards in the process, you can put the stuff in the wall. It looks like some fancy designer stuff too, but without the price. (Tell your buddies that it is the new Monster Grey Jacket wire). Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarfred Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Finally some people who are finally able to stand up to all those idiots that think there is "a real benefit" gained from using "monster" cable. The only benefit gained is for the people that manufacture the cable and the hype. Yep.. Home depot carries all the speaker cable you will ever need. Bravo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Save your money for SCSI, DVI, HDMI, Coaxial, and Toslink cables. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, it is well known that Gil wrote: ---------------- PWK was the greatest speaker designer of his time. If he thought things would be improved with "better" wiring, internal or external, he'd have done it. Gil ---------------- and while the first sentence is certainly true, the second is patently untrue, and I shall attempt to prove it. I say this for the fact that PWK also supplied the Heritage line of horn loudspeakers with the 1958 design EV T-35, a tweeter known at the time by the designer and the larger audio community as a whole to be deficient in the reproduction of high frequencies, even for the time in question. Other tweeter choices existed, yet were not chosen by the designer for reasons as yet unexplained. I put it to you, the jury, that the reason was ECONOMIC in nature, and not that the tweeter in question was regarded by PWK as being "the best available" at the time, that is, presenting an un-improvable level of performance. It could be surmised by the above facts that PWK was not particularily concerned with providing an "improved" product for the sake of performance alone. I propose that PWK was only motivated to make so-called improvements WITHIN the economic guidelines that he alone established based on his business skills, which were quite formidable, I might add. Hence, the falsehood of sentence #2 pertaining to wiring, which is known to be regarded as electrically trivial by the designer, an engineer by vocation and training, who is reported to have recommended in writing that virtually any "zip cord" would be sufficient and could be used in his speakers. It is this mindset that we call into question as also being economically biased, and reinforced by a pre-WWII engineering education. So Gil therefore stands accused of perpetrating a statement of "questionable veracity" on the forum community which I may add is somewhat unusual for him, but never the less, his standing being held in such high regard in these vaunted halls and that regard lending a weight of credibility to his postings that would otherwise be denied to others of less dignity and learning - so much so, that, in this case, a highly respected and trusted member has perpetrated a virtual "crime against knowlege", the seriousness of which is compounded by the high regard the acused has earned in the past. The state rests, your honor. How vote ye? Guilty or not guilty? DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 D-man I agree. My crossovers in the 74 khorns looked completly different from one another. The values all added up to be the same but it does seem that Klipsch used whatever was around the shop to get things done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Example #1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylanl Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Example #2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 Your honor I object! Only part of the testimony given, was cited by our esteemed council. He neglected to include clarification made by The accused. The bottom line is that there is no objective data to suggest that there is anything wrong with ordinary wire in the settings in which we use our speakers. I move for a complete dismissal of all charges levied against our esteemed forum member on the grounds insufficient foundation and a general lack of evidence to support such a charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 I'll judge this one. Case dismissed!! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 ---------------- On 2/11/2005 4:49:42 PM BEC wrote: I'll judge this one. Case dismissed!! Bob ---------------- Hey wait a minute. My K-Horns were factory wired with Monster Cable, the stuff must be great!! Oh well, I didn't make a motion for a third party interpleader and I missed the discovery deadline anyway. But wait, I am a necessary party (as far as I am concerned), have standing and the question is ripe for adjudication. Res judicata should not apply here (means that teh matter i ssettled and someone else cannot drag you into court) and I move for a new trial De Novo. (Actually, legally I can't do that). I think that I got caught up in all of the excitement, I am actually on the side advocating that wire doesn't matter!! This law stuff is confusing. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdyer Posted February 12, 2005 Author Share Posted February 12, 2005 Pardon me for being obstinate or oblique, as someone pointed out, but I'd really like to hear more of your arguments on this. First, I don't think there is anything magic about Monster; in fact, I'm going to throw it in the garbage Monday when new cables arrive. Some of the repliers above seem to feel Monster is not worth the money, and yet others seem to argue that Klipsch would only use that which is "best". Then why do they use Monster? If a lot of corrosion on internal wiring is bad, then a litle corrosion,ie, discoloration, must not be ideal. If considering rewiring, wouldn't it make sense to use an enameled copper wire, which never corrodes? I guess I phrased my question poorly. I really want to know if any of you have rewired/recabled with anything other than large-guage copper and what the results were. Cardas, which I gather is a good cable company, has engineered a series of wire specifically for SET's and horns. I ordered a pair of the cables. If you DIY, a pair of 15 footers is less than a couple hundred bucks. Given the systems listed in this forum, that doesn't seem like a heck of a lot, and I think it's fair to say we as a group will spend a good bit of money for small improvements. Someone said to save your money for cables, etc. What if you're already tweaked-out in those areas? Is there nothing to be gained with wiring/cables other than Home Depot lamp cord? I realize high efficiency speakers are less sensitive to wiring than low efficiency speakers, but I go back to my earlier question: If it doesn't matter, why did Klipsch spring for the OFC Monster, and if they thought the Monster was better than lamp cord, doesn't it stand to reason that there might be some newer technology wires out there which can improve on characteristics such as bandwith, soundstage, and clarity? Thanks a lot for your replies. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 ---------------- I really want to know if any of you have rewired/recabled with anything other than large-guage copper and what the results were. ---------------- Well, a couple of times in the past, I rewired my K-horns with Siltech, reputedly a high grade of silver wire. Overall, I thought it was slightly clearer, but also added quite a forward presentation of the whole range, and was excessively bright during the really long time it took to break in. The bass may have ended up being slightly less full. Some will prefer that kind of trade-off. I do think there can be differences in wire, but they can be very system specific -- YMMV, definitely. Be sure to measure the total and individual lengths needed before getting the wire. I have usually needed about 11' per Khorn, in a continuous length at the outset to allow cutting individual pieces to the right length. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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