Okay, let me ask about Klipsch...

[ptwining]

Okay, let me ask about Klipsch.

Hpw the hell does he get such efficiency out of such a cheap pile of parts? Somebody help me understand...

Not like La Scala (which I understand) but like the KG2. Okay?

Regards,
Tom

[3-LockBox]

Originally posted by ptwining
Okay, let me ask about Klipsch.

Hpw the hell does he get such efficiency out of such a cheap pile of parts? Somebody help me understand...

Not like La Scala (which I understand) but like the KG2. Okay?

Regards,
Tom

I vaguely remember the KG2s (and I'm too lazy to look them up). I never knew the KG2s or anything Klipsch put out to be 'cheap'. But I can speak from experience. I built my own set of three ways using fairly efficient woofers, mids, and tweeters. My woofers are rated at 90 db and I have two per cabinet (fairly good sized cab), so I have two voice coils in parallel; I should have at least a 6db increase there. My mids are fullrangers rated at 92 db, I'm running them wideband (400hz to their own rolloff) The tweeter is more a supertweeter.

I don't know how it sums, but its pretty efficient and its cheap. I got a good hunch that Klipsch used better drivers than I do. And a better design.

Different drivers have different effiency ratings. Some are more efficient than others. Some people actually like low efficiency designs. Go figure.

[angsuman]

Hmm well besides the Klipsch heritage the products which are very very high efficiency, the newer reference and synergy series are also surprisingly efficient. I've always wondered how they get so much sensitivity out of those "cerametallic" woofers, and why I haven't seen similar high efficiency metal woofers in the DIY market.

[Jackal2k3]

Are you calling the materials they start with cheap for klipsch? Cause once they get done with them they cost hella lots. And building the right speaker set with full range, good response and properly built boxes sounds good.

[ptwining]

What I meant was that the KG2s have small cheap 1/2" pressboard cabinets, a low part count and still produce loads of sound.

The sound is very forward and honky to my ear but I can say that everyone who's heard them has offered to buy them.

Anyway they (Klipsch) clearly traded great sound for lot's of sound. It's that they got that out of such a minimalist device that astounds me.

Amazing.

Regards,
Tom

[anatech]

Hi Tom,
Look at other similarly priced speakers. I don't think Klipsch is building on the cheap.

I used to do warranty on the product line, and others. R & D costs money too! So does shipping.

-Chris

[ptwining]

Maybe my use of the word "cheap" was wrong. Maybe a better way to express it would be - "compromise."

Klipsch has made some blaster products - most people my age remember the La Scala's in their college dorm room.

I don't mean to **** on Klipsch, quite the opposite in fact! How they get that much SPL out of that box is amazing. I don't like the fact that they built to a budget and made a speaker that captures the ears of 80% of the people for 80% of the musical range.

Seems a bit "commercial" to me - the "no compromise" attitude that The Good Master Paul held has been sacrificed on the alter of mass-marketing.

Like I said, there hasn't been one person to listen to my KG2's that hasn't offered to "do me a favor" and "take them off my hands"!!!

Won't happen I'm afraid.

MWUHAHAHAHA!

BTW - anatech - where can I get the drivers for the KG2? One tweet is beat and the other needs a woof (or will soon). Can't find 'em anywhere.

Regards,
Tom

[kevinkr]

I'd give Klipsch a call, their customer service is reputed to be very good.

[dshortt9]

One answer MAY be that Klipsch does not use any baffle step compensation and measures the SPL level at 1 Khz to spec the speakers. I have made a a a pair of speakers using two 10" mid/woofs from the RF-7's in a bipolar arrangement. One on the front and one on the back of the cabinet - driven in parallel. Push Push. This compensates fully for baffle step and the speakers sound well balanced in the low end. My SPL is about 96 db - not the 102 db claimed by Klipsch. Tweeters are Heil AMT BTW.

[Pano]

I got my own pair of what I call the "Faux Klipsch".

Two 6.5" Tang Band drivers topped by a Selenium horn and driver.
Efficient, but not as much as the Klipsch stuff. Their numbers amaze me, too. How do they get that kind of sensitivity out of those boxes and drivers?

Do your Klipsch have a narrow sweet spot? I've read that they do.