Klipsch Chorus II initial impressions

An an update on my Chorus 2 listening impressions:

I've had them hooked up to an Eico HF-81 tube amp for about a month now.
Very Live sounding speakers! Bass is strong. Mids are great. Highs are still somewhat overpowering. I know these speakers are known for being a bit bright but are there any simple ways to tame the tweeter? It sounds like Titanium tweeter replacements helps extend range but do they do anything to tame the treble?

The good news is that these Chorus 2s went from being very temporary in the "speaker stable" to definitely longer term. If I can tame the tweeters they might be long term keepers! They aren't as smooth and easy to listen to as some of my other speakers but they are more "live" sounding than many and therefore add some nice variety.
 
What are you using for a source(s)? That's where it starts.:yes: I run 71 vertical Cornwall II's with the Crites/Eminence tweeters and crossovers. Even with these upgrades, I found them a bit bright with standard CD players, ipods etc. Not so with the turntable. When I added a Channel Islands DAC to the CD, it made a huge improvement. My amp is an Acurus A250 SS which has a reputation of being hot on the top end. Not so now even with a SS Yammy pre-amp which has been re-capped. I would start at the source and work from there.
 
crunkarelli said:
An an update on my Chorus 2 listening impressions:

I've had them hooked up to an Eico HF-81 tube amp for about a month now.
Very Live sounding speakers! Bass is strong. Mids are great. Highs are still somewhat overpowering. I know these speakers are known for being a bit bright but are there any simple ways to tame the tweeter? It sounds like Titanium tweeter replacements helps extend range but do they do anything to tame the treble?

The good news is that these Chorus 2s went from being very temporary in the "speaker stable" to definitely longer term. If I can tame the tweeters they might be long term keepers! They aren't as smooth and easy to listen to as some of my other speakers but they are more "live" sounding than many and therefore add some nice variety.
Click to expand...

I found tn H2 Forte Forte ll and KLF20 that ti diaphragms were smoother more relaxed and effortless sounding. You can install SAE rated F-11 acoustical felt or fiberglass pads under your diaphragms which I have made for all my horns. Interconnects digital cables speaker cables and power cords will also make a big difference as well as your source which was mentioned. Your horns can be improves with careful application of both open cell foam and f-11 felt foam in the throats and felt at the mouth and dynamat on the back side of the horn walls. You can twist up all the driver leads in your cabinets into twisted pairs rather than the loose stock arrangement. Good luck. Best regards Moray James.
 
moray james said:
I found tn H2 Forte Forte ll and KLF20 that ti diaphragms were smoother more relaxed and effortless sounding. You can install SAE rated F-11 acoustical felt or fiberglass pads under your diaphragms which I have made for all my horns. Interconnects digital cables speaker cables and power cords will also make a big difference as well as your source which was mentioned. Your horns can be improves with careful application of both open cell foam and f-11 felt foam in the throats and felt at the mouth and dynamat on the back side of the horn walls. You can twist up all the driver leads in your cabinets into twisted pairs rather than the loose stock arrangement. Good luck. Best regards Moray James.
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Thanks for the ideas. I'm using a Sony CD-player as the source. It's fine for all my other speakers so I'm not necessarily going to swap it out just for the Klipsch's benefit. The Ti diaphragms have some interest as do the felt and foam mods you mention above. I know there are posts dealing with all of them but can you direct me to the best one so I know the specifics on what you're recommending? Thanks!!
 
I just wish someone would take one of their Chorus II's over to Al so he could design one of his cross overs for them as I'd sure like to hear the difference in these speakers.....
 
That's more or less exactly what I did to get Al to do the crossover for the Forte ll. Anyone who might be interested can take a look at my threads there are not that many. Open cell foam around15 -20 ppi in horn throats from the top of the witch's hat to the transition point or in a horn like a K700 about the first three inches. Felt around the mouth 1/4 inch thick and 3/4 of an inch wide around the inside of the mouth works well. Best regards Moray James.
 
moray james said:
That's more or less exactly what I did to get Al to do the crossover for the Forte ll. Anyone who might be interested can take a look at my threads there are not that many. Open cell foam around15 -20 ppi in horn throats from the top of the witch's hat to the transition point or in a horn like a K700 about the first three inches. Felt around the mouth 1/4 inch thick and 3/4 of an inch wide around the inside of the mouth works well. Best regards Moray James.
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I asked him about it and he said he'd love to do one but he needs an actual working speaker to design it. If I was close enough I'd have taken mine...
 
I was never a big fan of the K-7 something tweeter especially when they went with the plastic, OK polymer, diaphragm. I'm sure some of the modifications would help but eventually you realize, you just can't polish a turd.:no::D
 
crunkarelli said:
An an update on my Chorus 2 listening impressions:

I've had them hooked up to an Eico HF-81 tube amp for about a month now.
Very Live sounding speakers! Bass is strong. Mids are great. Highs are still somewhat overpowering. I know these speakers are known for being a bit bright but are there any simple ways to tame the tweeter? It sounds like Titanium tweeter replacements helps extend range but do they do anything to tame the treble?

The good news is that these Chorus 2s went from being very temporary in the "speaker stable" to definitely longer term. If I can tame the tweeters they might be long term keepers! They aren't as smooth and easy to listen to as some of my other speakers but they are more "live" sounding than many and therefore add some nice variety.
Click to expand...

Maybe upgrade to the Crites C-125 tweeter. Others may have done this and can report on it.

If they are keepers now rebuild the Xovers. It does make a positive difference in the sound. I purchased my Chorus II's new and after the rebuild I swear they sounded better than when I first got them.

The best SS amp I had on the speakers was a McIntosh MC150 with a C712 preamp. It was what I could afford at the time. I tried different amps/preamps but always went back to the original setup.

In 2007 I went to 100% tubes. MX110 preamp/tuner a MC40 monoblocks. It changed the character of the speaker and they became more laid back. I was just getting back into listening to classical and jazz. It worked out great. Tubes are the way to go with these speakers.

If you want to blow the doors off your house you can do that to. For awhile I was using MC2500 500 wpc amp.
 
wgrr said:
Maybe upgrade to the Crites C-125 tweeter. Others may have done this and can report on it.

If they are keepers now rebuild the Xovers. It does make a positive difference in the sound. I purchased my Chorus II's new and after the rebuild I swear they sounded better than when I first got them.

The best SS amp I had on the speakers was a McIntosh MC150 with a C712 preamp. It was what I could afford at the time. I tried different amps/preamps but always went back to the original setup.

In 2007 I went to 100% tubes. MX110 preamp/tuner a MC40 monoblocks. It changed the character of the speaker and they became more laid back. I was just getting back into listening to classical and jazz. It worked out great. Tubes are the way to go with these speakers.

If you want to blow the doors off your house you can do that to. For awhile I was using MC2500 500 wpc amp.
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:headscrat, are you talking about the Chorus II or Cornwalls? To my knowledge, correct me if I'm wrong, the Crites tweeter is used in the original Heritage models, La Scala, K-horn, Cornwall etc. I do not think they are compatable with the later "Heritage" models but, again, I could be wrong. You would certainly have to do a bit of cabinet modifications so they would fit correctly to maintain an air-tight seal.
 
Jenkster: you are right the CTS125 is a drop in replacement for the K77 series of tweeters. The original APT tweeters from Eminence were built by a Polish company and they are really good units. Then Eminence figured they could save some money and they would make in house. Well say goodbye to the good tweeters. Bob Crites tracked down the original manufacturer in Poland and had them build him original units and so we get back to good tweeters again. The CTS 125 drops into the Khorn the La Scala Cornwall's Heresy anything which had the K77 tweeter. The other speakers uses a K79 or a variant of it and they all use the same diaphragms (which can now be upgraded to titanium by the way). The CTS125 is (as was the original) a phenolic diaphragm and it sounds excellent as far as I am concerned the CTS125 is a better tweeter than the K77. Hope that this helps some. Best regards Moray James.
 
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Hey Rex, I did get the Acurus back from my friend and fellow AK'er as a stop gap, at least temporarlily, until I found an amp with two outputs. The M-4 is that amp. I'm sorry if I kinda' hijacked the thread, my apologies.
 
Hi guys, after a careless mistake last night I punctured my Klipsch Chorus ii woofer with about a 1 inch L shaped tear when another speakers grille fell over hitting it with the corner. Does anyone know where I can find a original Klipsch chorus ii woofer. The one thats ribbed all across woofers fiber surface. Not the smooth cheaper look of the after market version klipsch sold. Heartbroke! Thanks Bob, Bloomington illinois
 
MagicMan said:
Hi guys, after a careless mistake last night I punctured my Klipsch Chorus ii woofer with about a 1 inch L shaped tear when another speakers grille fell over hitting it with the corner. Does anyone know where I can find a original Klipsch chorus ii woofer. The one thats ribbed all across woofers fiber surface. Not the smooth cheaper look of the after market version klipsch sold. Heartbroke! Thanks Bob, Bloomington illinois
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I have a NOS woofer in box for a Chorus II that came with the pair of Chorus II speakers that I got from the original owner. It is the real deal, but it is a newer one from Klipsch from the early 2000's. Not sure if it will be an exact cosmetic match to your original, but it will be an exact electrical and functional match. PM me if interested.....
 
some folks blame the tweeter when it is actually the mid thy have problems with you can try the damping suggested above and see first before you blame the tweeter don't forget dynamat damping on the horns in the Chorus not required on the chorus ll as the horn body is so thick and solid. Ti mids are a big improvement in all these speakers. Both mid and tweeter drives can be damped internally and externally for improved performance. Someone on the Klipsch forum was worried about internal damping fouling the voice coil and or the diaphragm itself, all I can say is if you cannot foresee and address such issues in the first place then such modification work is simply not for you and you should leave well enough alone. Much improvement can be had at the same time if you don't have a clue you can do just as much damage. All you five thumb people know who you are.
 
moray james said:
what you describe here is not the case so something is amiss. Your mid horns may be out of phase but thin mids is not what these sound like when they are working properly. See if you can sort out your mid range issues if you can then you might be interested enough to do some work on them if you can't then perhaps you should just cut your line and fish elsewhere. The Forte ll is one of the finest balanced speakers Klipsch has ever made and the Chorus ll is a copy from the mid horn up. I don't dispute what you say is going on just that there has to be a reason for it, find the reason or you will be throwing the baby out with the bath water. If you are handy with a soldering iron you might consider re flowing all the solder joints on the xover board easy and fast. I would also suggest you solder the spade connectors as that may be part of your issue make sure you use only enough solder to wet the wires and the connector, don't let any solder wick into the female spade. Good luck and keep us posted. Best regards Moray James.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to throw my hat in the ring on the midrange too. If yours are "thin" then something is wrong brother. If you're just going to flip them, then don't bother. Unless you want to correct them before you flip them... which would seem to be the most profitable, and honorable. You gotta hash out whats going on with them.
 
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