SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hello all, I recently have had the pleasure of doing some business with Bobs business B&K Sound and had the pleasure of placing an order to his son Michael for their replacement Autotransformer's and Titanium Tweeters. And I got to say this is a very serious upgrade that is not taken lightly by myself. I have spent considerable time and money into my Fortes outboard crossovers and have enjoyed the fruits of my labors but these two upgrades are some of the Fortes biggest strides in sound quality. And not that the others are not ground breaking but for the funds for these its a must have. I encountered some resistance from a few of my friends and I must admit I was a little apprehensive about Titanium as metal tweeters don't seem to be the most welcome additions to many people especially in the non Klipsch crowds. But Bob has made it clear he has no audiophile notions! And when he said these Titaniums were smooth! He meant smooth! And I'm all for that! And more! I installed the Autotransformer's and gave them a listen first! I could hear the bandwidth extension right away! And I got to tell you I didn't know if I was keeping them as I thought they seemed bright so I thought! That is until the Titaniums were installed! The resultant sound has left me stunned! So Bob wasn't kidding when he said the Titaniums are smooth and flat! Making the stock units sound ragged and harsh in contrast! And his Autotransformer's have revealed a whole new meaning to midrange effortlessness making the stock units sound compressed at higher levels and lower rez. For me Mr. Bob Crites is a Klipsch "Godsend" SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Beautiful; I'm seriously considering the same thing for a pair of Forte-I's. I really like the autoformers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Do those sit on top of the speaker? If yes, how is the wiring done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Those don't look like stock crossovers. No they sure aren't! But the basic values are. And Thank You! Groomlakearea51 Here's a picture of of the stock network without the auttransformers mounted to them next to the outboard version. These will be coming next week! You can see some results of listening test performed here by Tony Gee of Netherland, And I concur with his evaluations. With the Mundorfs. http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html This by far the most fun I have ever had! and the most satisfying. Every change has been audible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I just finished sending in the check to Bob for the purchase of two New Crossovers. These babies will make my 78 Cornwalls Sing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I like it, but where does it live????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Do those sit on top of the speaker? If yes, how is the wiring done? I have had them on top of the speakers but its better being away from the drivers magnetic flux influencing the network. The input terminals and output terminals for each driver are at the rear of course and the Forte's have three sets of terminals on the rear of them each driver has its own wiring all of which was upgraded to Audio Quest Midnight for the bass and Audio Quest Indigo for the midrange and tweeter Amp to Networks is Audio Quest Clear all of the wire was purchased used and for penny's on the dollar from a local audio dealer that had a lot of used stuff just laying around.I have used Velcro to fasten them all in a bundle all going down to where the original speaker binding post were. I have substantially cleaned up the wiring as I was using Hovland Music caps with bypasses The Hovlands are a love, hate relationship perhaps I'll relisten to them having the Titaniums in place Here they are now in my living room that I share with my girlfriend that I have compromised with her in my system setup. Even compromising like this I still have an awesome sound stage, If I had a dedicated room the system performance would certainly be greater as it would be dedicated 2 channel only without all the video and furniture stuff but I'm not complaining. Sometimes when I have my local audio club members over I move stuff out to optimize listening more. SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 I just finished sending in the check to Bob for the purchase of two New Crossovers. These babies will make my 78 Cornwalls Sing ! I have heard of no regrets of Bobs work! SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brac Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Wish I lived in the same state, I would love to give those a listen. I just picked up a pair of Forte II's I need to do cap's as a min. My wife wouldn't be happy trying to dust those networks. (her living room) I clean my own Khorns (My HT). Pretty Sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Is anything on your networks soldered? I would leave the Mundorfs in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Is anything on your networks soldered? I would leave the Mundorfs in! No nothing is soldered, other than the Autotransformers, Everything else is fastened by allen screws in the terminal blocks. For the most part the Mundorf Silvers are staying I may use the Mundorf Silver/Golds in my amps, providing I really like the Duelunds and so far Tony Gee has been right on in his evaluation of the Mundorf's and I expect that the Duelunds will even be even better than the Mundorf's as his evaluation said. SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Beautiful; I'm seriously considering the same thing for a pair of Forte-I's. I really like the autoformers!! Here's a good close up of the two side by side please note the winding and core sizes and you can hear it as well! Adding the Titanium tweeters after the autotransformers is what really impressed me! I don't know as if I liked Bobs Autotransformers with the stock tweeters and I can't seem to figure that out! Even though one has nothing to do with the other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Tony Gee has been right on in his evaluation of the Mundorf's Well, isn't he like using Magnepans or something -- he's just one guy one in one room. He rates some caps subjectively lower than others, some that I would rate higher -- like the Thetas for example. Always crimp or solder. The idea is to form a gasless connection and to have the lowest contact resistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 He uses various loudspeakers. From his site http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html "The results of this test are meant to give you a basic idea of the sonic differences between capacitors when used in loudspeaker filters. I test all the capacitors in the signal path of tweeter and midrange circuits in loudspeakers crossover, I mostly use values of 4,7uF and 10uF to be able to make direct comparisons between different brands and types and try them out in both series- and parallel crossovers. The capacitors are tested in various speakers, varying from the ones I happen to be building at the time to a few standard speakers like my HATT's. I also use solid-state and tube amplification, analogue and digital source equipment and several different interlinks and speaker-cables during the process of evaluation that takes several months of extensive listening. Testing is done by listening to various good quality recordings on CD and vinyl and everyday FM radio. Over time I have re-evaluated my previous conclusions as new capacitors entered the contest, widening the listening platform. The only measurement done is to check the value of capacitance to make sure they were in within the margin stated. I have given each participant a rating. This scale is based purely on sound quality; price has been left out of consideration" He's been right for my needs but! I guess its just his opinion after all and I believe there are combinations that will work for people and not for people. As I like to say nothing is written in stone. In other words YMMV! As for the crimping I consider the Allen screw which has an edged end on it to provide sufficientpressure to mesh atoms together like crimping within the terminal it is my understanding that crimping is still better than soldering. SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Thanks for the post. Wow. Those crossovers look great and the pics of your system looks like a million bucks. Bob and Michael are both super guys to work with. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Thanks for the post. Wow. Those crossovers look great and the pics of your system looks like a million bucks. Bob and Michael are both super guys to work with. Enjoy! Thanks Daddy Dee! And yes they are good people! DeanG Have you heard the Mundorf's? Or the Duelunds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I had the opportunity to visit SET12's home and listen to his system.........The soundstage, bass and fascinating imaging were qualities I remember most.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SET12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 I had the opportunity to visit SET12's home and listen to his system.........The soundstage, bass and fascinating imaging were qualities I remember most. Thanks SWL, These upgrades are after your visit and I think that you'd find these even more to your taste, Perhaps you might think about a return visit with your uncle and your Forte friend? And of course I owe you a visit as well! Again Thanks Much! SET12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakedmb Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Wow gorgeous crossovers! Nice setup as well. Did you build that crossover yourself from scratch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I put a set of Crites B-3 crossovers in my Cornwalls ............ thought it sounded great, like a new speaker, .... but ... then I just installed a pair of Crites Tweeters ..... dam man .... I have new speakers AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!! .............. Ol' BEC does a pair of KLIPSCH RIGHT !!!! ........ WHOO HOO !!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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