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I have always likes those speakers alot.
I had a dealer (McIntosh) in Birmingham who had a used pair in mint condition who said he could not move them. He had them hooked up to a used solid state receiver that was a mistake.
I asked him to buy a Jolida JD 1000 (100/ch EL34 based integrated), which he did to mate with them. Within a week he sold them with the Jolida. It was a magical, full bodied sound.
Unfortunately he did not have any affordable Mac tube gear, even used at that price point. Here, the tube sound made all the difference.
I would bet that the revised Klipsch Classic series would mate well with Jolida or other affordable tube gear and make for a whole lot of fun. They are a little pricey, but I still think a good value.
They do seem to bring out the best of many tube amps. I had the pleasure of hearing the Cornwalls with a Quad tube setup last year, and the sound was magnificent!
Klipsch speakers always have had a valuable something to contribute. I've never had Cornwalls, but twenty-five years or so ago I had a pair of Hereseys and also a teenage son. They left the household together. They sure suited his musical taste and were seemingly bullet proof.
If Chad Kassem is successful, perhaps that good old brand will enjoy a resurgence. His recent catalogs have featured the entire line including the corner horns, and I think Klipshorns have shown up in demo rooms at recent shows. I'm sure the company management has changed over the years, and I don't know what that might say about the current product line.
Perhaps one of the guys who've attended recent shows have heard them and can offer some reactions as well as some insights relative to the company.
I would think the entire line(s) of Klipsch would benefit from tube amps considering their horn loaded characteristics. It would sure be a good place to start.
My youngest grown son likes how they look. Oh, wait, they are listening devices! Looks SHOULD take a lower priority. Hopefully. He is still an audio work-in-progress. Great drummer, though.
I think the Classic Line looks excellent.
If looks mattered that much, no one would ever buy a Watt Puppy. Some are unbelievable, however, like Whispers - gotta hide those ugly devils if you're crazy enough to give them house room. Put them behind curtains like the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and pay no attention to them.
I must admit, though, that it was the looks element expressed by "she who must be pleased" that turned me from Harbeths to Sonus Fabers. I've never been sorry, though.
I agree, whether it is Sonus Faber or Vienna Acoustics, their cabinetry is first rate. I have always liked their sound as well.
The Watt Puppies...I am still trying to get what you get for $28K. We know that freq response does not tell the whole story, but I would expect better in-room performance than at WP's and better Watt/Puppie integration. I guess I need to go hear them for myself.
The detail retrival issue is another matter. Kind of like the Flying Mole that seems to catch the attention of the Phile staff during CES, enough to warrant a closer look. And then...The Results, Please!
Mickey liked the Wav Ac amp at $350K and it measuered more like the Watt Puppie 8. The ears are tricky devices.
Whispers are beautiful, fit, finish, extremely well done. Pictures don't do them justice. Works of art. You are too conditioned to thinking a speaker should be a rectangle, box, with square corners. and then ther is the incredible.....................SOUND. Somehow a Wilson for $28K, never heard this one, BUT I am doubtful and using just ASSumtions that some 8" woofers AIN'T be moving air for soemthing called realisim, SLAM, IMPACT! Plus i must be old school, i like kinda a wood finish, that kinda looks like furniture, the Whisper finish is better than any furniture in my house.
MF? What doesn't he like that isn't EXPENSIVE, and meaures poorly? Did Julian Hirsch get reincarnated? But at least Julian Hirsch dealt with stuff for mortals. And actually did measurements to support his writings, not audio blither blather, about stuff that is like politicans talking, when they are done, it's huh? Is MF a lobbyist for the obsolete? The miswired, the technically underperforming, yet Mikey, he likes it....unlike the former younger Mickey on tv, hated everything, Mickey grew into liking it all. From wall outlets, demagnetized plastic, what don't he find inaudible? Ya gotta publish MF hearing tests, maybe just maybe he DOES have hearing beyond everyone else!!!!
You're right to some extent, Carl, I'm too conditioned - too conditioned, that is, to the difference between beauty and ugliness. You also might want to look again at Sonus Faber speakers - no rectangles, not a square corner anywhere. But what do a couple of errors of fact matter. Nobody's perfect - not even you, and beauty, some say, is in the eye of the beholder.
Carl, the Whispers are not the best speakers made. From what I've seen they have in common with cheap Bose speakers CHEAP STAMPED STEEL BASKETS! Carl do the Whispers have stamped steel baskets like Bose speakers or am I wrong?
Also Whispers have 15" drivers because they are dipoles...and the Watt/Puppy can get away with an 8" driver because it is a reflex. Two entirely different types of speakers delivering different amounts of bass using different technologies. NOW I know that you're so dumb you continue to claim that the Whispers are better but they are not in fact better they approach the solution in a different way.
Yup. Cheap stamped steel baskets. Keeps the price down Emminence I think from what I wass told they are OEM'd to their needs and specs. Seems to work, they do it right. 8" are midranges in most places I go. the analogy of fanning yourlsef with a guitar pick to cool yourself is great, it doesn't do anything, ya need a larger fan. BLOSE trys to convince people that they can fill a room with "lifelike" sound using miniture speakers, through ports, chambers and all kinds of stuff.....Works grate if ya want single note bass...Put in anything and out comes 80Hz, boom boom boom. I have a few BLOSE units, I've used, boom boom boom, but they are small, so they fit easily. 8" drivers for a woofer on a floor standing speaker is bizzare, those size drivers are like for mini monitors, when they are right in your face on a console, not room filling at all. How's them $28K speakers doing, must be some great BASKETS in their.....8" midranges, maybe they forgot to put woofers in. Maybe you think they should charge more for the Legacy stuff, then you would consider them better? They is super fine, natural, lifelike, lotsa IMPACT and lifelike SLAM...it's alive. But I have heard them with much less power, and they didn't sound as good, even though they are very efficient, they really do it better with MORE WATTS. don't ee how an 8" driver as a woofer is gonna be anything lifelike, low distortion, clean clear bass, etc. But I know now that STEEL BASKET speakers are a problem, thanks.
It wouldn't matter if they gave them away. You own them, you've stated as much and I don't want them. In no way do I want to be associated with you.
Yes your Emminence..... http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=113steel cast, Al. What floats your boat basket? Which do you consider superior, since you said cheap stamped steel, must be no good. even though they OEM teh drivers to do what teh desinger wants them to do, if steel basket gets teh job done, what do you know that the designer of the Whispers don't? Which "audiophile" concpet needs to be met. Actually the newest versions are out, with new cones, etc...maybe still those "cheap stamped steel" baskets. If they used cast Al, then the would be good asystem?. What effect does teh basket have on teh performance of teh woofers? If these met the needs of what BD wanted them to do. Legacy does make stuff that price does matter. Not just use whatever is teh most expensive just to be expensive, that's bizzare. Getting teh results for teh least is actually design work. Clever engineering does it, not just using teh most expensive, with no benefit
What type do you desire? http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=113steel#proseries
I've already spent more than three times what you have in your entire system on gear. All you do is push JUNK! AVA retread JUNK like your Haffler AVA retread JUNK, and disco speakers. You know a lot of people like yourself who have CLASS C systems don't cause nearly so many problems. Why don't you run along. You treat the money you invested in your system as a small fortune. Its JUNK.
I would like to buy Wilson Maxx 2's but given the price instead I'm going to build them. Got it. You know if Stephen would ban your ass I wouldn't have to sit here and be bothered with you.
http://www.eminence.com/resources.asp One item mentions baskets, STAMPED STEEL is usually fine for most applications, AND Eminence epoxy paints their's , not mere zinc coating on teh outside like others, so Eminense is a superior driver, teh steel will never corode. Eminense is the primary maker of speakers for everyone that matters...along with Celestions, Audax Fostex, some ribbon makers, Eminese is teh largest...What do you know about steel baskets that BD doesn't? Cheap, or maybe good design work, it gets the job done, maybe you need to pay more, and get nothing in return, you must be a real "audiophile", or nudnick
You have run of the mill system components. My statements have finally sunk in. You are beginning to see the faults in your own system. Now run along. Quit pushing your JUNK and Haffler/AVA retreads. We are sick of hearing from you and I don't want to be banned for talking to you. I am not here to argue with you.
All powered from run of the mill Leviton duplex's. Run of teh mill everything. What's cool, is how all the run of teh mill components work to do teh extrodinary, reproduce MUISC LIFELIKE, SLAM IMPACT It's ALIVE. Great design work by some really good desingers, at AVA, Legacy RAne Philips, Benchmark etc..they took run of teh mill stuff sold it for a mortal reality based price, and it produces incredible MUISC. Thanks for congratulating me on succesful use of run of the mill stuff. I don't need no stinkin' 1/2 face plates, and $400 tennis balls, or $90 pieces of wood, with burned in logos.....I can never asscend to your level of over the top nonsense. But the music is ALIVE, run of teh mill at it's finast. But i did save $200 on my car insurance. Using Run of teh Mill insurance too.
You've got a good CLASS C bunch of components if you're lucky. Now relax.
Class AB actually. In more than one way.
Based on the comments you make and how intelligently you speak I don't believe you have a Stereophile class A/b system. Its fun to collect lots of gear and that is what you've done so don't worry be happy.
If you want lay out each of your components, interconnects, and speaker cable and tell us what the ratings were for the components by make and model number in Stereophile and what year Stereophile they were RANKED and REVIEWED in go for it. A review alone almost does no good because they generally don't rank the components within the review. I bet you have a solid class C system for most of your gear. I wouldn't be ashamed but I think you haven't got anywhere near what a class A system is either. You like to talk a lot, and that's an understatement.
Facts are that you've got AT BEST class C refurbished Haffler amps primarily driving it all and the complete signal goes through the compromised amps with restricted LF/HF output, depth, and added grain. Do you notice any sibilance or muddiness through those amps? I don't think you would know so what am I asking you for anyway...you just like the function of loudness.
And I didn't want to bring up the stamped steel baskets because its such a sore subject with you but you mentioned Celestion speakers. I don't know if my Celestions had stamped steel baskets, I had Celection 100s. Celestion never made a class A speaker and they were good for the money, but cheap. I know and I owned Celstion 100's and they were good but not class A either I think they were class C.
Stamped steel baskets? I see a market here. Speakers have magnets, steel is magnetic, you have to have a speaker basket demagnatiser. Patent Pending.
Multiple small drivers do work and do have certain advantages. Combined cone area can be larger than a single large driver and move the same amount of air with less travel. The smaller drivers will also have less mass and thus be more responsive. Of course there is always a downside. Maybe someone here can tell me what they are.
Phase problems with multiple drivers- probably not an issue at large wavelengths.
Reduced power handling- after being divided between multiple drivers, not a problem.
Cool factor- your friends won't be impessed with your small woofers. Oh well.
AVA rebuilds OmegaStar EX .01% distrotion DC-500kHz slew rate at 800V/uS..there ain't nothing limiting nutin honey, you are truly unimformed 1200-1400mono 4 of em new fast driver boards, new exicon mosfets super fast linear Ain't it nice to be so ill informed about reality?
Holy moly dude, Celestion the speaker maker not the box speaker assembler, you are surely CLUELESS Between Celestion and Eminence they are a major maker of drivers. OEM do you understand OEM for teh guys who assemble and put stuff together. I now understand how you don't understand. Go read a list of components.....
Reduced power handling from multiple drivers? ow do more drivers take less power, me think in bizzaro world, but not here. More drivers, move more air with less distortion, and can handle watts. Checkout the concepts. 2 15" woofers will move a lot more air with much less cone movement than 3 8" woofers for the same sound levels. Same with midranges, not a new idea, just good basic design. I wonder why they hang multiple cabinets at live events, each cabinet houses a few drivers, wind up with dozens of drivers moving a lot of air, using a lot of watts....and dispersion is uniform to the entire area, when done right. Nobody has yet developed a single driver that will play at realistic levels, for all freqs. Checkout pipedream speakers row of ribbons to satisfy....
You obviously didn't get it Class AB in more ways than one...refering to the amp ckts...etc.....if you don't know Class A AB etc for amp ckts, do some reading
800v/uS? So at 20Hz that would be 50,000uS times 800v. 40 million volts. See, I told you that I didn't need no stinken engineren degree. Just make sure you use one of them unlimited power sources.
I bet your Misfit output amp, despite it's specs, doesn't have the pace of a tub amp with lots of distortion and a highly inductive output stage.
Huh???? What the hey are you talking about 40,000V Pace, how is that in electrical terms? What characteristic is that in electrical terms? Like keep the pace, marching soldiers? Once you have heard what a properly designed amp ckt sounds like, you will understand. nothing added, nothing subtracted, no distortion, no edge, no grain, no bloat, no artifacts that detract from REALISM.
That's why ribbon tweeters are so great FAST it matters, just like electrical ckts slew rates fast is better. And having ones that far exceed most others is pretty cool, it just kakes it all sound great, power, fast, no distortion, gee, the perfect amp and pre amps. Priced for mortals
Reminds me of my first issue of Stereophile. Front cover advertised something about a couple of class A amplifiers.
I read and reread the articals but could not understand the class A front cover claim. These were definetly class A/B amps. Many issues later I finally figured out that class A was not a technical thing but a report card rating.
Now you are quoting the same ad speak that you so dispise.