Arizona Dan Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and found that some people have used the Altec 511B horn. Is this still a popular modification to make, or has something better replaced it? Has anyone lived with this combination for a few years and still recommend it. Or to put it another way, what is the best horn and driver combination for the Klipschorn. Sincerely Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Dan, I won't add too much because I think that you have some of my detailed thoughts in the other thread. Yes, the 511B mod is still popular. A great bang for the buck, and a nice update to the stock Klipsch mid horn. I used 511Bs with my Klipschorns, and a pair of them now resides on top of my rear Belles, running with the stock Klipsch mid drivers. Pretty nice sound. Nice quite as open sounding as Al's Trachorns, but used 511s can be found pretty cheap out there on the open market. I've lived with the 511s for a couple of years now on my rears and won't be changing them anytime soon. The only real downside to the 511s are their size (as in height). Too big to fit under the hood w/o mods. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Rear Belles with 511s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Dan Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Carl How are you doing? I was wondering how they compared to Al's Trachorns. Al's Trachorn's do cost more, but are easier to implement. What is the going rate for the 511B - maybe with a little luck, one could find them for under $100 each? Has anyone else compared the Altec 511B to Al's Trachorn? Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Dan Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 I like the look of the Belles. They look like little Khorns. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Dan, I'm doing good - thanks. Just living the life finally listening to the system instead of tweaking and tweaking stuff after about six years of an audio journey (alas, but the journey is half the fun). I've seen 511s for 100 bucks a piece or even less. As a result, the price differential is significant and must be factored into the decision. As I mentioned, Al's Trachorns are more open sounding, and to me image a little better in the room (a concerning depending if you do axis or off-axis listening primarily). The Trachorns are also less beamy on the very top end, but that would only come into play if you eventually went to a full range driver, such as Altecs. The other relevant difference in a Klipsch three-way such as a Klipschorn comes at higher volume levels. The Trachorns are smoother at higher volumes, with less of a tendency to "pinch" as you lean into it and really crank 'em. May or may not be that relevant of a difference depending on your overall listening habits. From a visual standpoint, the Trachorns fit "under the hood" while the 511s do not. For awhile, I modded my Klipschorn grills to make the 511s fit under the hood, but it looked funny because they are so tall. As a result, its probably best to put a pair on top in the open as with my Belles. Thanks for the comments on the Belles' appearance. To me, they are the nicest looking speakers ever built. Just a shame that my 511s have to sit on top. The stock K500 Belle mid horn just does not cut it....... Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Bell Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Dan: I've been using Altec 811s with my Belles for a couple of years. They have a wider sound stage than the stock horns and they fit inside the Belles pretty easily. As for the K-Horns, I use Al's Trachorns. They're a worthwhile upgrade to the stock horns. Mick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Dan Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Carl & Mick Thanks for the input. Sounds like Al's Trachorns have a few fans. I have not read any bad comments about them. I do like to crank up the juice once and a while. Since the Trachorns handle power better than the stock horn, this is a deffinite advantage. Handling high power is a priority, but reproducing voices is at the top of my list. Reproducing a full orchestra and having the stringed instruments hold together is also important. Al's Trachorns (including adapter for driver, frame, grill cloth, box and packaging, etc) cost $769. I might be able to find a pair of 511B's for $100 - $200. This is all new to me, so I could be wrong about the cost of 511B's. Anyhow, just doing a little day dreaming. I also read good things about the Altec 311-90. Does any body have any experience with this horn. Is there any advantage using a horn with a larger driver? I guess that is enough questions for now. Good hearing from everybody. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Roland Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I had 511Bs on my K-horns for quite awhile and then Al's Trachorns both using the stock K-55V driver. I never tried to mount the 511Bs inside the K-horn top hat because I wanted to be able to move them left or right to better aim the sound in the room. Built some quick stands for them. They sounded better than the Klipsch squawker horn for certain. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Roland Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 After the 511Bs were sold, I bought Al's Trachorns and made a small wooden bracket (whose design I stole from Al but adapted to a smaller size, again so I could play around with positioning and aiming. I used Bob's tweeters and crossovers, and the K-horns never sounded better. The Trachorn was the best sound I was able to get with the K-55V driver. Enjoy your music! George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 George, didn't you also switch to larger format drivers with larger Altec horns/drivers at some point, such as the 288 or 311? If so, I'm sure that Dan would value your input. I do not think that he is limiting his options to just using the K55 because there are some better options out there. Dan, one of the primary advantages of the horns and larger format drivers such as the 311 (e.g. throats of 1.75-2.0 in+) is their ability to go down lower easier. The 311 horn is design to go down to 300 hz (hence the "3" in the identification), and therefore, less strain on the driver that low. That allows you to move the crossover point lower if you chose (look at my long post on your other thread). The other advantages of larger format drivers are a more open sound even yet and a more effortless and even "larger" soundstage. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arizona Dan Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Thanks George and Carl The picture of the 300B is interesting - Thanks. So far, it seems like those who have tried the 300B have ended up with Al's horn. Is it because of sound or looks. Carl, you are right - I am interested in learning about the sound of some of the larger drivers - just curios, but if any body has any input, I would love to hear from you. Having fun listening to the Eagles Greates Hits. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Roland Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Hi Carl, Right you are! I had to try a pair of Altec drivers with my K-horns and paired a set of Altec 290-16 drivers with 311/60 horns. The openness and clarity of this combination was the best sound overall I ever heard with my K-horns. I guess one can tweak endlessly, but if I were going to stay with the K-55V driver, I'd recommend Trachorns. If you are interested in these large-diameter Altec drivers, they are really smooth and detailed. In my experience better than anything attached to a K55V. Enjoy your music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Registrar Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Everybody who answered the original question is way ahead of me on the learning curve, so I apoligize if my question is simple, etc. Are there uprade horns for the Cornwalls? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Hi Carl, Right you are! I had to try a pair of Altec drivers with my K-horns and paired a set of Altec 290-16 drivers with 311/60 horns. The openness and clarity of this combination was the best sound overall I ever heard with my K-horns. I guess one can tweak endlessly, but if I were going to stay with the K-55V driver, I'd recommend Trachorns. If you are interested in these large-diameter Altec drivers, they are really smooth and detailed. In my experience better than anything attached to a K55V. Enjoy your music! George, thanks for the update. Where are you crossing them over? All the way down to 300 hz? I appreciate the Altec tip, but actually I've gone my own different alternative Altec direction. I moved the K55Vs to my rear Belles and put a pair of new Altec 902s (Great Plains) on the Trachorns (up front with teh Klipschorns). After fooling around with various midbass mods (including a pair of 8 inch JBL drivers per Khorn), I finally setlled on Forte drivers to cover the 300-1000 hz. That allows me to cut the smaller Altec driver at 1000 hz, and it sounds much cleaner up there. In fact, its so good up front that I may not be upgrading anytime soon.......The K55 does not do bad with the right crossover and horn, but there are much better options out there is one is so inclined. Thanks for sharing. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Everybody who answered the original question is way ahead of me on the learning curve, so I apoligize if my question is simple, etc. Are there uprade horns for the Cornwalls? Thanks in advance! Jay,Not much that would fit inside the cabinet. I think a couple have put the 511B Altec horn on the top of a Cornwall cabinet with good results. Just not as pleasant to look at. Bob Crites has made his CornScala, which is the equivalent to a Cornwall bass bin and LaScala K400 mid horn and his CT125 tweeter. That seems to be a nice combo, but it's still 'outside the box' so to speak. The Corn's depth is part of the problem. You can't fit the larger horns in the cab due to the depth (front to back). Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Roland Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Carl, I never fooled around with changing the crossovers. I used Bob's crossovers. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Registrar Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Thank you Marvel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkytype Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Dan, The Altec Lansing 511B will easily fit in the top housing of a Klipschorn if you are willing to use a plunge router bit to provide channels for the 511B's top and bottom mounting flanges. Go to Al's web site, http://www.alkeng.com click on Klipsch Loudspeaker upgrades, extreme slope and then scroll to the bottom images which shows of one of my Klipschorns after placement of the extreme slope networks and the 511B with a Beyma CP-25. Since the router's groove wouldn't show and I had no intention of selling my horns owned new since 1979, the mod wasn't a big deal. Some have trimmed the 511B flanges, but that's a lot of work without the proper tool(s). Is the 511B worth the upgrade from the K-400? You bet. I have since upgraded to Al's Trachorn and never looked back. To my ears, there is a greater improvement going from the K-400 to the 511B than from the 511B to the Trachorn. Since I started with the extreme slope mod first, the improvements in mid horns and tweeter assemblies were probably easier to discern. Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB Slammin Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Upgrade horns for Cornwalls? Yes, yes there are.......[] (I married a blind girl[H]) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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