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Klipschhorn-Amps matching


rune

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I've had my Klipschhorns for almost a year now,and allthough it's the funniest speaker i've listened too it spits those "s" sounds at me.I know it reveals all the bad sides of an amp,cd-player etc.

So basicly I wanna know what kind of amps and other equipment you are using with these speakers.

I have tried Audio Note kit one and VTL stereo 90 on them,but right now I'm using a NAD302!! and it's killin' man.Deep Purple and Led Zep gets that fat rich lively sound that I like so much without getting too harsh.

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I suspect the cause of your sibilance problem ("spitting s" sounds) lies within your music source. I've listened to a bunch of Cd players and phono cartridges that had this problem.

I suggest you borrow a "high-end" CD player from a friend or dealer (one that does not exhibit this problem on their system).

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John Packard

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I've tried many different sources and it seems like it's the same.Because of my work,I've only used the speakers for about 5 or 6 months.Could it be they need more time breakin in?

Do anybody have a real good rock'n'roll combination for these speakers please let me know?!

Runecwm11.gif

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Rune,

I got hold of a pair of second-hand Khorns earlier in February. At the same time I changed my pre- and power amp to an all McIntosh ss combo (Mc 2105/C29) which were built in the 1970s. A short while ago I added a McIntosh CD player (MCD 7007) and now I am pretty happy with the sound. Occasional harshness I have managed to tame by damping the tweeter and sqawker horns by applying a kind of insulating material normally used for bathtaps etc. If you check on this board under rope caulk you will find enough information. And yes, the Khorns take me to my personal audio heaven most of the timeBiggrin.gif!!!

Wolfram

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Hi Rune....I ditched my SS Carver amp for a pair of 1958 McIntosh Mc30's to run with 1973 khorns and couldn't be happier. Played around with alot of wires and dampening material for my components. Absolutely splendid! Good luck. Tubes and Horns for sure!

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Thank you everybody!

I see a lot of people are using Macintosh on the horns with a good result.I love tube amps,but as the rock fan I am I often feel they are too slow in the bass.

Please continue to write in your combination that your happy with!This speaker is tha bomb!Just look at the Klipschhorns 50+ history and it's easy to see it is doing something right.It's pretty sad to read about the latest reviews in the magazines saying this is the best they ever heard,me and you buying it and a month later we sell it...huu

So thank you Klipsch for this speaker!

Do anybody know what amplifiers Klipsch uses or have used to develop these beauties?

Have anybody tried old Marantzs or Luxmans?

Enjoy!

Rune

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if you like the tube sound and want your Khorns to rock, you will need something powerful, such as the 300B amps, possible music peaks at full volume may require bursts as much as 32 to 64 watts - not out of line for tube amps rated much less than that - and you will probaby need a SS powered sub-woofer - or two - big enough to keep up with the output of the Khorns ...

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horns, tubes, subs, leather couch & female vocalists

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I should add however that after adding subs and tube amps myself, I still find the older CDs, such as Billy Idol and the Police, annoying after a while, especially AAD recordings - they simply have too much "ring" (high-end jitter?) in them, when I switch to newer CDs, or re-releases of the oldies that have been re-mastered, the sound is much better ...

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horns, tubes, subs, leather couch & female vocalists

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dear R,

it's all a matter of electronics, even though CD's and Lp's plays a part.

Try a really good tube amp and you'll be happy. Klipschorn are HIGH END speakers and deserves only the best.

The best sounding amp I've ever heard whith Khorns is UNISON 845 Absolute 45W pc Class A triode amplifier.

See it at www.unisonresearch.com

Cheers

Mauro (and '99 KHorns)

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rune,

may be a long shot, but have you considered that the listening room could be the culprit? a too hard room could at least aggravate the problem.

probably though, it is your front end electronics. i don't have high-dollar gear, but am very happy with the performance i get from my 80W/channel sony ta-f606es integrated amp and sony es cd player. no harshness here. this amp uses mos-fet output devices, which i have come to believe are largely responsible for the smooth, organic sound. so since you like rock, i would recommend solid state mos-fet amps over valves. At least to the extent that price is a factor.

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JDMcCall

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The best sound I have ever heard coming out of a pair of KHorns connected to a solid state amp is from an Accuphase E407. We also tried the smaller and cheaper E211 which I would rate as the second best.

There is something about the combination of Accuphase and Klipsch that really works beautifully. I use the E211 to drive my Heresy's but when I grow up (lol - I am only 36) they will be replaced with Horns.

The stuff that dreams are made of.

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I have to agree with all the tube amp owners..I've had KHorns for almost 20 years now, and have experimented with solid state amps, from Harmon Kardon to Krell to Accuphase..maybe I didn't buy the $5K plus models, but spent a lot of money experimenting! I am happy with Adcom equipment, using their GCD750 CD player, and their GFP565 preamp (which I highly recommend over the top of the line GFP750!) but I traded in all their poweramps, the GFA535, 545, and the 5802 , along with the above-mentioned amps, for a flea powered 8 watts a side Assemblage tube amp (SET300B) and it made all the difference in the world! All the ringing went away..and the harshness! This amp is a spinoff of Sonic Frontiers..well respected. As for the lack of bass..and yes, I suppose SS amps have more..I opted for a Bob Carver Sunfire sub..which took care of that problem, no sweat!

Bottom line..as stated above..Klipsch/tubes..it doesn't get better than this!!

Best Regards,

Steve

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Happiness is coming

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Thanx everybody for the replys!

Keep on postin' em!

Doesn't anybody from the Klipsch company read these sites?I would really like to know some of the amps they are using when developing Klipschhorn or Klipsch in general......I guess it could be interesting for all the happy people(Klpschowners) to know this..!?

Play that funky music ....!

cwm29.gif

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I'm sure the Klipsch staff checks this board as frequently as they can. Perhaps they don't mention what they use for testing/development because they don't want a tacit endorsement which might offend many of the other equipment manufacturers who make amps that also sound good with Klipsch...MHO.

DD2

This message has been edited by dougdrake2 on 09-18-2001 at 10:33 AM

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I just recently swapped my solid state McIntosh MC-2105 for a pair of Anthem AMP1's, 40 wpc; Anthem is the "value line" for Sonic Frontiers ... "Value line" is a misnomer because these smallish amps list for $1100 but are built like $3000 amps. I tried one on a whim (Ebay for $500) and connected it to my old Cornwall II's and they sounded MUCH better than the McIntosh. Don't get me wrong ... the Mc is a BEAUTIFUL amp ... just sounded a little shrill ... The Anthem with it's stock EL34 tubes sounded beautiful at even high volumes. So, I sold the Mc and bought a second Anthem to drive the rear Heresy's. The sound is simply divine! I'm driving the center Belle off the Denon just because I don't have the room for my MC-30 in the cabinets (just too much heat) ... but the Belle, with Al K's crossover, sounds just fine. It's only in play in the "5CH Stereo" mode or as soundtracks in movies. Sounds good as it is. I think I'm just about done in the amp rotation department. Time to sit back and enjoy.

I also started looking around for a DVD player upgrade. I bought my Toshiba 3109 really cheap on Ubid ($100) but it plays very well in audio and video modes. Have yet to see/hear something that I like better, esp. for the dineros. Has anybody been just plain knocked over by a DVD player doubling as a CD player?

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Klipsch 1968 ALK Cornwall "II"s (LF/RF)

ALK Belle Klipsch (Center)

Klipsch Heresy (RR/LR)

Klipsch KSW-12 sub

Sonic Frontiers Anthem AMP1 (driving Cornwalls)

Sonic Frontiers Anthem AMP1 (driving Heresy's)

Denon AVR-4800

Toshiba SD-3109 DVD

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