Beatjunky Posted December 18, 2001 Share Posted December 18, 2001 I know this is a thread that many regular patrons of this site have seen time and time again and they are probably tired of responding to it. I appreciate those who take the time to respond. Yesterday I acquired a pair of Khorns from a gentleman who was their first owner and they are CHOICE. I will be the first to admit it, I am a newb to tube amps and am quite overwhelmed with the amount of information I have received from this forum in the past few days. All sorts of questions dealing with crossover upgrades to replacement of the horns, squawker, and tweeters has led me to believe that I am not prepared for these speakers. Then again that gives me all the reason to learn. I am eager to create the best soundscape possible with my budget but have nowhere near the level of know-how that many of the audiophile's do on the forum. If anyone out there responding to this post has any recommendations as to where I can obtain a basic foundation of literature pertaining to the maintenance, care, and suggested set-up of these speakers it would so greatly be appreciated. Also, any tube amp recommendation would be warmly received. Thanks to all, take care, happy holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin S Posted December 18, 2001 Share Posted December 18, 2001 Beatjunky, first, keep it simple. Save all of the tweaking for much later down the road. Klipschorns are one of the easiest speakers to set up and enjoy. Here goes: 1. Put the speakers in the corners, on the long wall if possible. 2. Set up your listening position as close to 60% of the distance between the speakers as possible. Farther away is better than closer. You are done with set up! If your speakers have a lacquered finish, just dust them. If they are oiled, they should be oiled a couple of times per year. I'll leave the tube amp recommendations to those who think there is something to be gained by using one. My opinion is that your main concern should be to find an amp that is quiet from a sonic standpoint. If your amp produces any noise, your Klipschorns will reveal it. Hope this helps. ------------------ L/C/R: Klipsch Heresy II Surround: Klipsch RS-3 Subwoofers: 2 HSU-VTF-2 Pre/Pro/Tuner: McIntosh MX-132 AMP: McIntosh MC-7205 DVD: McIntosh MVP-831 CD Transport: Pioneer PD-F908 100 Disc Changer Turntable: Denon DP-72L Cassette: Nakamichi BX-1 T.V. : Mitsubishi 55905 SAT/HDTV: RCA DTC-100 Surge Protector: Monster Power HTS-5000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 18, 2001 Share Posted December 18, 2001 I'd agree with Kevin. The first order of business is to get them set up in the room. Do they have the rubber flaps to help seal them against the wall? At one time such material was included with the speakers. I can send you a scan of the Dope from Hope about this. Other owners have improvised with weather stripping. What is necessary to get a good seal will probably be a matter of your particular situation. There was a thread on this but I think it disappeared with the revamping of the website. Congratulations on the purchase. You're going to have a good time listening. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Set them up and listen to them. Don't worry about making any modifications to them for quite some time. You may decide you are perfectly happy with the way they sound just the way they are. As for amplifier recommendations, there are plenty of recommendations on this board. The amplifier choice is a very important one -- make no mistake about that. The most common suggestion is to get a SET tube amp. Although I have never been able to audition a Khorn/SET combo, I have heard nothing but good (GREAT)things about it. I myself have been thinking about taking this route as well. The brands that I have considered are Welborne Labs, Wright Sound Company, and Antique Sound Labs. Of course there are others as well. As far as the SS vs. Tube amplifier question goes, you will get votes from both sides. This is a choice you will have to make for yourself. I myself would lean toward tubes. I have only had one tube amp in my system, but it easily bested every other SS amp I have ever owned -- some of them being very highly regarded (and expensive) SS amps. If possible, you will be able to make the wisest choice by being able to audition the amps at home with your Khorns. You've got some great speakers -- take the time to make a wise amp choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Beatjunky, I recently purchaed a pair of Belles and the people on this Forum have been extremely helpful with tube recommendations. Check out the Bi-wiring Belles thread to read some on the advice provided. I thought bi-wiring would be my answer to more sound from the Belles, but Mobile and Edster put me on the tube trail and I've read and learned a lot in a few days, spent some more money. Still tons of reading to go for me, but I'm beginning to understand the terms and construction of tubes. You will find useful information on most of the web sites. Good luck. I know you'll enjoy those Horms. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobman Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Gil: I am interested in the rubber or weatherstrip seal information. I purchased my 1977 K-Horns a month ago, and I didn't know about this. Does the article state how to set them up properly? Thanks for any help - for myself and other owners! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Gil, I could also do with the info on the seal you've mentioned. Any help/info from you would be highly appreciated! Thanks. Beatjunky, like others I've enjoyed reading a lot about Khorns and ss/tube amps on this board. Recently I've purchased an integrated tube amp and ever since I keep my McIntosh amps for my second set of speakers. For the Khorns I certainly prefer my tube amp! But of course you'll have to decide for yourself. Try to borrow whichever amp you fancy...and enjoy the music!!! Wolfram ------------------ Without music colour becomes pallor, man becomes carcass, home becomes catacomb - Edgar Allan Poe system: 1973 Khorns with ALK crossovers REL Stadium II sub Cayin 743 D integrated tube amp McIntosh Mc 2105 McIntosh C 29 McIntosh MR 77 McIntosh MCD 7007 Thorens 520S SME 3012-R Ortofon SPU Classic GM E Cyrus aEQ 7 phono stage with PSX-R power supply Alternative speakers: Quad ESL 63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 I would play around with moving your seat once you have the horns settled in the corners, if you can, by finding the sweet spot, you will get the best imaging, the most enjoyment from the music and learn how changes affect the sound of your system, then I would come back here to see what suggestions people can make to improve any problems. I have powered big old horns with tinny boom-boxes and they sounded okay, you might listen to music for years before you get the urge to upgrade. Only when I wanted to improve something did I make changes. I am not a vinyl junkie, but lots of very good sound with little risk can be had with a decent turntable, a very solid platform, a musical cartridge and a pile of clean $.25 records - otherwise, I would look at a very deep-bass sub-woofer or a delicate flea powered tube amp or both- of course, that is not want I did! I started at the other end, improving the CD player, the pre-amp and then adding sub-woofers and tube amps, each upgrade I got more from my horns, and you will too. ------------------ Colin's Music System Cornwall 1s & Klipsch subs; lights out & tubes glowing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 I'll have to scan that DfH and attach it to a post. Please bear with me because there is a lot to do before Christmas. I'd qualify this as one of the few factory approved tweeks. Conceptually, it is quite easy to understand. If you look at the back of the K-Horns, you'll see that the 90 degree walls of the corner are the walls of the last section of the bass horn. Those are the wedges formed on either side from the "tailboard" to the grills. Note we're just talking about the lower unit, not the top box with the crossover, midrange and tweeter. The "tailboard" is the piece of plywood which is about six inches wide and extends from the floor to the top of the bass unit. It is a bit narrower at the bottom to accomodate a decorative baseboard in some rooms. You want a good seal to the wall. The seal line starts at both sides of the bottom of the tailboard starting at the back edge of the tailboard and continues upward to the board forming the top of the bass unit. Then it goes forward along the edges of the top board, to the grills. You'll appreciate that this L-shaped line on either side is where the bass horn abuts the corner of the room. That is where you want a seal. My guess is that is best done with some stick-on, foam, weather stripping from Home Depot. If you can find something about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch in cross section, or larger, that will do the trick. People report better bass. It is inexpense and reversable. It might also save some scratching of the wall. So you can't go wrong. When I built my units, I closed off the back with plywood. So I haven't done it myself. Regards, Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer9911 Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Congrats and welcome to the Heritage Family BJ, I have the Oiled Oak finish on my Khorns and oil them puppies twice a year since birth, nothing fancy, Ole English Oil to be exact, recommended from a cabinet refinisher (spring, then when winter starts to set in, dries em big time in the Great White North). He's doing my La Scala's in oak veneer to match as best as possible. You'll know when they dry, they start to develope a white-ish film\stain on the surface of the wood, like a salt stain so to speak. Just let them eat up the oil, thirsty. I also just rewired them with Monster Cable M500 top and bottom. Someday hope to own a set of ALK crossovers for em. My 93's come with the rubber liners(never used them). The only thing I did was the ole Mr.Red Green trick, (duct, or 100 mile an hour tape as we knew in the Airforce) on the back corner of the horn and nuzzled it in, that's it and no wall rub. I don't crank em LOUD in enough to seal them in as stated. IMO opinion, I will not "biwire" my Khorns...never, but may "bi-amp" them someday, when I live, maybe, in a hockey rink...GO OILERS GO My amps are Marantz MA700 mono blocks(SS) per horn through the Marantz SR18EX A\V Receiver. Enjoy, you'll smile from ear to ear and go blose? This message has been edited by boomer9911 on 12-19-2001 at 10:45 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Gil, thanks for your response. Naturally Christmas IS a busy time so waiting for the relevant DfH is no problem. Still I am looking forward to it. Wolfram ------------------ Without music colour becomes pallor, man becomes carcass, home becomes catacomb - Edgar Allan Poe system: 1973 Khorns with ALK crossovers REL Stadium II sub Cayin 743 D integrated tube amp McIntosh Mc 2105 McIntosh C 29 McIntosh MR 77 McIntosh MCD 7007 Thorens 520S SME 3012-R Ortofon SPU Classic GM E Cyrus aEQ 7 phono stage with PSX-R power supply Alternative speakers: Quad ESL 63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 Here is the DfH. I thought I'd seen drawings of the flaps described, but that must have been from something of which I do not have a copy. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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