Klipsch Chorus: Gutless?

Kind of an appropriate thread resurrection...

I'm not very satisfied with my Chorus II. Crites diaphragms and crossover kit both installed.

I find them strident and fatiguing. Compared to what? KEF 104/2, Yamaha NS-690ii, and Infinity RS-II and RS-IIIa.

Maybe it's the room, or the placement, or who knows what. Plenty of power behind them, so that's not the issue. There out from the front wall about four feet, and two feet from the side walls.

I didn't really like them in my HT setup, either. Also tried a Jolida 302b tube amp.

I haven't completely given up on them. They have a great rep and I have a bit invested in these guys.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
Kind of an appropriate thread resurrection...
Well it was the original poster who resurrected it after all...

I would have attempted all the mods (Crites, tube, etc...) has I kept my Chorus I pair, I loved them that much. Unfortunately there was only room enough for one pair of huge speakers at my place, so I had to sell once I received an offer I couldn't refuse on a Cornwall III pair.
 
Kind of an appropriate thread resurrection...

I'm not very satisfied with my Chorus II. Crites diaphragms and crossover kit both installed.

I find them strident and fatiguing. Compared to what? KEF 104/2, Yamaha NS-690ii, and Infinity RS-II and RS-IIIa.

Maybe it's the room, or the placement, or who knows what. Plenty of power behind them, so that's not the issue. There out from the front wall about four feet, and two feet from the side walls.

I didn't really like them in my HT setup, either. Also tried a Jolida 302b tube amp.

I haven't completely given up on them. They have a great rep and I have a bit invested in these guys.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Yes at a guess your Chorus ll are too far away from wall or corner reinforcement. Move them back closer to the wall or to a corner and the balance will shift. The chorus was not designed to be placed four feet into the room.
 
it's not the power...I know many here will say that they need power and they may become more lively with a lot of power but I used an EICO HF-81 (14wpc tube power) with mine and the Crites (BECtoo on this Forum) titanium tweeter mods as well as his freshened crossovers...they sounded tremendous...

Bill
 
Yes at a guess your Chorus ll are too far away from wall or corner reinforcement. Move them back closer to the wall or to a corner and the balance will shift. The chorus was not designed to be placed four feet into the room.

So you don't recommend any of the Cardas placement guides or "Golden Ratios" for speaker placement, at least not for these speakers?

I thought with the rear passive radiator they would want to "breath" a little and would need to be out away from the walls.

Want to venture a starting point? Placed literally in the corners and toed in like a true corner horn, or barely any toe in?

I know, just try moving them around a bit and see how they sound. I already have an investment in these guys I may as well try everything I can to make them work. I want to like them.
 
So you don't recommend any of the Cardas placement guides or "Golden Ratios" for speaker placement, at least not for these speakers?

I thought with the rear passive radiator they would want to "breath" a little and would need to be out away from the walls.

Want to venture a starting point? Placed literally in the corners and toed in like a true corner horn, or barely any toe in?

I know, just try moving them around a bit and see how they sound. I already have an investment in these guys I may as well try everything I can to make them work. I want to like them.
My Quartets have the rear passive as well, for them 16"-18" is about right. Any closer and the low end plumps up too much and you lose imaging. Much farther out and the bass declines. I toe them in a bit which makes for a better off angle soundstage.
 
So you don't recommend any of the Cardas placement guides or "Golden Ratios" for speaker placement, at least not for these speakers?

I thought with the rear passive radiator they would want to "breath" a little and would need to be out away from the walls.

Want to venture a starting point? Placed literally in the corners and toed in like a true corner horn, or barely any toe in?

I know, just try moving them around a bit and see how they sound. I already have an investment in these guys I may as well try everything I can to make them work. I want to like them.
Some speakers are designed to stand out forward from the front wall into the room but that is not how your Chorus were designed they are intended to have wall or corner reinforcement. I like to place my speakers using an equilateral triangle so how far back you sit from them sets the spacing. Equal distance centre to centre of each speaker and your head in the centre sweet spot. I fire the speaker directly at my head. This results in the smoothest response. Also with this amount of toe in you can have the inside back corner of your speaker right against the front wall and have no worry about negative impact with the rear mounted passive. It is only when the speaker is positioned co-planar (back side of the speaker parallel to the front wall) that reflections will cause problems for the passive or a reflex vent for that matter this has nothing to do with the passive or vent needing room to breath it is only about reflections and cancellations and with the speaker angled this much there is zero issue with close to wall placement, as I said this is what these speakers were designed for. Hope this helps.
 
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I had a pair that seem to require a lot of good clean power to work properly. I believe the Chorus II was an improvement.
 
I have had a few sets of Chorus I/II and always felt they needed a sub. Power helped, but I just ended up using an SVS sub for that lowest octave. I did love them anyway, but bass just wasn't what they did well.
 
Well you may be onto something Dale. Maybe my hearing has changed. Or maybe my taste has changed. But the fact remains that my Chorus don't sound like I "wish" they sounded. In answer to some of the questions raised: yes, they are in phase. Yes, I have changed equipment many, many times. No, I haven't changed position because of the room layout etc.

Awhile back I picked up a set of KG-4 and I immediately liked them more than the Chorus because they seemed to be "bassier." Most of the music I listen to is electric blues, or blues rock. And everything seems to sound more like I want it to sound when I use the KG-4.

At any rate, after all of these years, the Chorus are bigger speakers than I want and I plan to part with them in the near future.

I appreciate everyone's input very much. Lots of good advice and food for thought.
It may well be time to replace the crossovers.
 
I just traded for a pair of Chorus 1's and I love them. I am using an Onkyo/Integra M-504 amp and I get solid bass and 92db of sound pressure at my LP with 1-2 watts. At 10-20 watts I am scared..:yikes:
 
Placement in a room for the speaker and listener is everything when it comes to bass. As other have said try moving them around. Just for fun pulse your speakers with a 9 volt battery . See if all the woofers move outward with the positive terminal of the battery touching the positive red terminal. If not you do have grounds to be complaining. Then if everything is ok reconnect the speaker lines and do the same test after disconnecting the line at the amp. remember white or red is positive and black is negative. All should move outwardly. All it takes is for the polarity for one woofer to be reversed and the bass will disappear..
 
this is simple, place the speakers 1' from the back wall, facing straight ahead , have the horns facing forward to the sides of your seating position. Problem is the woofer needs more power, but the horn is to loud so you cant turn the woofer up enough, The wall will help with lows, and pointing the horns past you will help with the highs, room eq is needed. Then feed them some power.
 
Is it just me or is the Klipsch Chorus about as gutless a speaker as there is? By gutless, I of course mean "NO BASS!" I've had mine (purchased new by me) since the late '80s and they just don't get it for me anymore and will soon be put up for sale. Just wondering if anyone else has suffered this disappoinment.

You're not in sales are You?:D

I don't like my speakers, I'm going to sell them.
Anyone want to buy them?:D
 
You're not in sales are You?:D

I don't like my speakers, I'm going to sell them.
Anyone want to buy them?:D
He was just disappointed, like loosing a friend and you are not being one. Relax!! Plus this thread is quiet old he has moved on.
 
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He was just disappointed, like loosing a friend and you are not being one. Relax!! Plus this thread is quiet old he has moved on.

Relax,
It was entirely in good nature
(I understand sometimes print comes across wrong)
It wasn't a BT FS thread.
Also it was old, so I felt a little humor wasn't out of line.
I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.
Also , I am not in sales and my presentations can be somewhat lacking.
Clearly not casting stones.
 
So many detractors to the Klipsch Heresy for the same reasons. When the Heresy is positioned as designed there's quite adequate bass, and what bass there is is very musical. But the proper placement (on the floor) unless in a very large room can hurt imaging.

Not to worry, a pair of 12" subs used as speaker stands elevate the Heresy perfectly, and allow for much easier placement away from the front wall. How do they sound this way you might ask? Well, the Klisch Heresy sound is preserved, only BIGGER with the ability to reach 25hz now.
 
I don't care how old the thread is--I just find it endlessly amusing. The LAST thing I would call the Chorus is "gutless". Now the Heresy--whole different story--even the new ones...
 
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