cjgeraci Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 And no, they are not Dean's. As many of you know, I've had three Belles across the front, two w/ Trachorns and modded Altec Valencias in the rear. I thought that I was done for awhile.............. Well, situations present themselves you know. A couple of weeks ago, Sheltie Dave, I and my five-year old son headed upstate on a five hour round trip journey to Maron Horonzak's place (Mark Twain Lake) to pick up a pair of late '60s decorator Klipschorn bass bins. Maron and his lovely wife were wonderful hosts, and Dave & I were treated to Maron's fantastic system, including his modded Klipschorns with Smith mid-horns and all JBL drivers up top. A cut of acoustic piano on Maron's system still lingers in my head as one of the most realistic reproductions of piano that I had heard on a system. Thanks again, Maron!! This past weekend, much to my wife's dismay, I spent most of the weekend rearranging equipment racks, etc. in my basement to implement Klipschorns!! The Klipschorns are now 23 feet apart in solid corners with the seating position about 11 feet back (and the Belles to the side/rear). Of course, the K-33s, ALK Trachorns, ALK Sr. crossovers, and the Eminence tweeters from the '77 Belles immediately went into the Klipschorns. Inside the rear Belles now reside the internals from my Altecs (811s/806a, 416Z, and Beyma tweeters). Maron painted the decorators K-horns flat black, and veneering the front will have to wait until after the beginning of next year so that I can catch up on other things. I also decided to transfer the Trachorn grills from the Belles to the decorator bins. I still need to build some side and proper tops (to complete a refined top hat). But for now, sonically I am set. And how do the Klipschorns with Trachorns sound????? Incredible. With my Peach and modded Jolida CDP tube player on the front end, I decided to try one QSC PLX 1202 with the Klipschorns. Let's just say that I have them in solid corners ....real good. Bass is tight, low and incredible. The monster SVS has been relegated to movie duty for now (until I can get it properly dialed in). The Trachorns are well, Trachorns, and if you have never heard a pair of them - you really do not know what you are missing. Still my favorite-sounding mid horn. And yes, with the dispersion patterns of the Trachorns and the Eminence tweeters (baby-cheeks), these Klipschorns can image. The Belle/Altecs perform surprisingly well (run by a modded Dynaco St 70). I still need to move the crossover point a bit for the Belles to completely dial them in, but the Altec bass driver works pretty well in the Belle bass bin (and yes an 811 can fit under in a standard Belle top). All in all, the Belles still sound pretty impressive with Altec drivers. I still need to play around with the room and rehang my fiberglass panels and move the bass traps. But, for now, running modded Klipschorns in the front and modded Belle/Altecs in the rear sound good, real good.............I do not believe that I will be wanting Jubilees anytime soon. And the center Belle still stands ready for DVD-Audio and movie duty. To my ears, I now have nirvana in this open basement, and I will not stop smiling any time soon. The only thing for next year is the Marantz 8B rebuild, and then the Klipschorns get that jewel. Oh, and thanks, Dave. Truly my audio partner-in-crime. Thanks. Pics to follow. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Decorator Klipschorns. Still some top hat work left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Front right side of setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Front left side of setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 20, 2006 Author Share Posted November 20, 2006 Rear Belles w/811s. Still need to enlarge the grill opening to let the 811s breathe....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Wow! Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Congrats & those rear Belles are beautiful. JT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lo123 Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Hi Carl, cannot imagine something sounding better than your system back in August but it sounds like you've taken it up a notch! Did you rotate the entire system 90 degrees onto the wall where the sub was placed back in August? Can you play the K-horns in 2-channel without the Belles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwhaples Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Very nice system! Congrats on the safe trip. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Thanks, Carl. I think I'll stay away for a couple more days, to eliminate any possible beaming and channeling from your lovely wife. I have been pestering Carl for four months about these bins, and he finally came around. Now he's SMILIN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Congrats Carl! I bet your system sounds great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 Hi Carl, cannot imagine something sounding better than your system back in August but it sounds like you've taken it up a notch! Did you rotate the entire system 90 degrees onto the wall where the sub was placed back in August? Can you play the K-horns in 2-channel without the Belles? Thanks everyone. Larry, yes, I rotated the entire system 90 degrees to fit on the long wall where the sub was placed in August. All the equipment has remained the same from when you heard the system, with the exception of upgrading the turntable cartridge (love those Grados!) I can play the Klipschorns in two-channel without the Belles, and we were enjoying some nice Mozart last night off of vinyl in that mode. I can still run the rear Belles, however, for music and/or movies in either the rear mirrored two-channel mode (with front and rear speakers being fed by the Peach) or as part of the 5.1 mode, which you also heard while you were here. You are certainly invited for a reintroduction to the new system. If you have the time sometime, just pm or email me. All in all, it sounds even better than I imagined. The journey was fun, but it is also nice to be at this place..... Carl. P.S. Yes, Dave, you were bugging me about the bins for awhile. But, they were worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Very nice. Are you using a PWK min box for the center Ch, or do you have an HT receiver or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 For the center and 5.1, I am using a Classe SSP30, Mk II, a pretty nice 6.1 separates prepro that is about three years old. It is left over before my conversion to tubes. A great sounding prepro, and that is why I haven't sold it yet. The Classe is fed by the Jolida CDP and my Denon 2900. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Carl....Glad too hear you,v got the Khorns up & running.....For your Audio room, Instead of hanging the fiberglass panels, I would suggest running down to Bro. Mells gallery and getting a few of his large paintings. Hang them over the fiberglass panels... As you remember the paintings I have make good sonic diffusers....On the Piano recording I,l try to get you a copy. Bob Schwimmer on a Bosendorfer Imperial Piano. (97 keys) Your pics look impressive . Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 21, 2006 Author Share Posted November 21, 2006 Appreciate it, Maron. Yes, I guess that I will have to try the paintings over the panels approach. After all, I would not want to waste perfectly good acoustic panels. [] Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Most excellent Carl !!! Your system must sound almost as good as mine.[] ENJOY!!![ip] Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 CJ - I'd like to know what the other room dimension is. What is behind your 11' back listening position. Room is 23' x ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 25, 2006 Author Share Posted November 25, 2006 Lisa: My main audio room is setup in a small basement, which overall is about 23 feet by 22 feet. Approximately five feet behind the current seating position is our HVAC located in the middle portion of the basement (uggh!!). I also share the basement with our five-year-old son, and his play area is on the other side of the HVAC. In the perfect world, I would have the rear Belles farther back. Right now, the rear Belles are about 5 feet or so, located in the side/rear. As Larry noted, I used to have the system turned so that the front Belles were about thirteen feet in front of the seating position, and the rear Altecs were about ten feet back. I turned the setup, however, to accomodate the nice hard corners in the basement (with the Klipschorns). In the future, if the two Belles are too close, I could also return the system back to its prior location and build one false corner (for the left K-horn). But...............so far, it sounds incredible. Like I mentioned, I still have to rehang my fiberglass panels and bass traps and dial in my sub. But, for now, its all gravy. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted November 25, 2006 Author Share Posted November 25, 2006 For those who want to see what one of Al's Trachorns looks like in the flesh, sans grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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