This was a great endorsement of the speakers this thread is about (until you got to the part about all the other speakers that are better - which is fine, but) I just wanted to point out how great your description was of the 4.5 system. I have not heard them, only the 4.2 which is an earlier model (new in '91 I believe) with a PR instead of a port.
I always recommend a recap of the very simple crossover and a Crites titanium diaphragm for the 4.2. Absolutely loved em, especially on 40W of Class A SS. I suspect it would make the 4.5 sound stellar as well.
Sorry, I digressed, toxcrusadr... This is what happens when you love home audio this much! LOL!! And thanks for the compliment. I really do appreciate it.
Like you, I also used the KG4.5's with a good solid state Class A amp... the venerable Yamaha M-60, which has something like only .003% distortion. On horn-loaded speakers, like Klipsch, distortion is much more easily noticeable, so with such a low level on this amp & Class A power (up to 10 or 12 watts, Class AB above that) plus 2 ohm stability & 160/200 watts per channel into 8/4 ohm loads... well, I think you get the picture. The sound was impressive to say the least. Tons of tight, deep bass & smooth, sweet highs. I like your idea of doing the Bob Crites titanium diaphragm upgrade on the 4.5's tweeters & doing a recap on the crossovers, but which caps should I use? Brand? Type? Size even? What about upgrading resistors or coils, if applicable? I've never seen the crossovers in them, but I figured if one is going to upgrade part of the speaker/crossover, one might as well upgrade all of it, if reasonably possible. What about replacing the internal wiring with more "audiophile-grade" stuff & which brand & type would you suggest? I was thinking of resealing/recaulking the interior of the cabinets also. Soldering the interior speaker wires was another thing I was considering. I haven't been inside them yet but wondered if there is any insulation/polyfill inside them? If so, is it possible to upgrade that as well, with maybe "rock wool"?
As is, I've found that these are excellent speakers for home theater & very good for two-channel music as well. Like previous posters have said, a 3-way old-school Klipsch Heritage set-up will sound better to most people, but simply remember how much more expensive those speakers are versus the 4.5's & for home theater the 4.5's are simply viscious. The OP got a huge streak of luck the day he came across those, especially for that low of a price. Congratulations!!!
For anyone who has a set already or is thinking about getting a set of 4.5's, you won't be disappointed AS LONG AS you use good, clean equipment in front of them... that's the key to listening/owning horns, hence why owners absolutely love listening to them with tube amps, in 2-channel of course. For home theater owners, try to pair the 4.5's up with a good, large Klipsch center, like the KG2.2V. It makes all the difference in the world. Horns are super fast, efficient, and have a lot of impact, hence why they are used in 99.9% of every theater nationwide. So don't try to use a slower, less efficient, softer hitting speaker for a center channel with the 4.5's, or ANY horn-loaded speaker for that matter... it just won't sound like it should.
