MD1032 Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 OK, so I definitely got an awesome internship this summer that pays pretty well and upgrading my system is definitely on the order. I currently have a pair of B3's that are pretty outstanding for the price that I paid for them and they basically replaced my PM4.1's and became my "college" setup. They don't have quite as much bass without the dedicated subwoofer of the 4.1's, but they have a much better overall sound, plenty of balls, and way more detail. What they are definitely lacking is low bass. The fact is, the two 6.5" drivers manage to put out a pretty disgusting amount of bass and it already sounds like I'm using a subwoofer, but I listen to a lot of pipe organ music, and the really low frequencies just don't really come out that well without boosting the really low lows in foobar. I can't really feel the 32's in my gut like I can in real life. A subwoofer would easily fix that problem. Also, I love bass. Who doesn't? Right now, I'm running these from the Sonic T-amp. It's got enough power to drive these, but if I push it, it easily starts to clip and distort, so I'm looking into some kind of amp upgrade. Recommendations there would be appreciated. I do not want to spend too much on the amp. I use my parents' Pioneer SX-3700 when I'm at home, which is a vintage Pioneer 45 WPC beast that really powers these speakers well. However, for obvious reasons, I don't want to take it to college. Basically what I mainly want to do is really juice up my sound system. I'm moving into an apartment next year and I'll have a lot of room. I'm either going to sell the B3's and just go with some big ol floorstanders like the F3's (which I've heard... they were really impressive), or just chuck these on a stand, and buy a subwoofer (such as the corresponding sub-10 or sub-12 subwoofers). I'd appreciate guidance in that regard. I mean, this could go in many directions. There's loads of Klipsch speakers on ebay at pretty great prices, plus the occasional craigslist listing with some great Klipsch gear. I could go crazy, and I need to ask here first before I do! I'm going to be making plenty of money this summer so I'm flexible in that regard, but I'll have plenty of other expenditures in the upcoming transition-to-apartment stage here, so I wouldn't like to just go crazy and spend thousands on this. Recommendations with ranging price ranges would be helpful. I've tried posting asking for help in this manner before, but I didn't get much help, and I didn't have any money at the time. This time is better. Thanks a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoudnClear Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 You'd do well with a pair of Cornwalls off of craigslist. Lots of bass and ready for serious college partying. Receiverwise, watch craigslist or ebay for a used Harman Kardon, Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo receiver. Any of these over 100 wpc will be built well enough to power any speaker with command. For the HK, anything over 65 wpc. $600 for the cornwalls, $100 for the receiver and you're rocking for real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted April 22, 2008 Share Posted April 22, 2008 Panasonic makes some receivers which use the Tripath type chip. The chip used by Panny is actually TI. Dave Mallete has rave reviews on his Panny digital receiver. Cornwalls are good. If you want a smaller footprint in a tower type, Forte II is a killer choice. Also, the HK 430, 739 or 930 are fine vintage receivers and are easy on the wallet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD1032 Posted April 22, 2008 Author Share Posted April 22, 2008 Hah, well honestly, these speakers will be used to rock, but not party. I'm very much concentrated on the sound quality. If the Cornwalls or Fortes (what are the main differences?) offer better sound quality than the B3's, then great. I've never heard them, so I wouldn't know. But if you think they're that great, sure, I'm willing to go through the process of selling these and buying a new pair of speakers. I just took a look on ebay and it looks like the Cornwalls are a little on the pricey side. Shipping is obviously astronomical and the starting bids on some of them are outrageous. The Fortes seem so be cheaper... why? But hey, if you guys really think I'll be happier selling these rather than just buying a subwoofer, I appreciate your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted April 22, 2008 Moderators Share Posted April 22, 2008 Hah, well honestly, these speakers will be used to rock, but not party. I'm very much concentrated on the sound quality. If the Cornwalls or Fortes (what are the main differences?) offer better sound quality than the B3's, then great. I've never heard them, so I wouldn't know. But if you think they're that great, sure, I'm willing to go through the process of selling these and buying a new pair of speakers. I just took a look on ebay and it looks like the Cornwalls are a little on the pricey side. Shipping is obviously astronomical and the starting bids on some of them are outrageous. The Fortes seem so be cheaper... why? But hey, if you guys really think I'll be happier selling these rather than just buying a subwoofer, I appreciate your input. The Forte's are a little cheaper because they are smaller and was a less expensive speaker than the Cornwall to start with, I would guess ? To me there is not a huge difference in the sound of the two, just a little different in different ways. I have put them side by side and was surprised that there was not as much of a difference as I would have expected . I know I may get jumped for saying that but that's what I heard, a difference yes, huge difference no. Try to find whatever you want within driving distance, be patient it will happen, and if you decide on Forte's try for the Forte ll if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD1032 Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 Thanks for the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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