I am not afraid to say I always have the Loudness on. I dont listen at very high volumes normally and things just sound better with it on.
The Clone Wars: Henry Kloss And Radio Shack
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I am not afraid to say I always have the Loudness on. I dont listen at very high volumes normally and things just sound better with it on.
f0427ea
Super Member
I'm right there with you , very nice speakers..... I've got a set of 4 driving them with a Lafayette LR-221 presently (but they sound nice with anything I've hooked them up too) very nice offering from the Shack....
I have had mine hooked to my Marantz 250/1060, Yamaha VR 1040 and now Fisher RS 2007. They sounded great with all of them. I dont think they are particularly sensitive and seem to really perform well with a decent amount of power. In that respect they are a lot like my KLH 6s.
I have tinnitus and Klipsch speakers are like nails on a chalkboard to me.......or any horn tweeter.
Just like the KLH 6 sounds nice with with lower watt receivers I totally believe the O-5s do as well. I noticed a pretty decent difference with the KLHs I own when I went from a 35 wpc receiver to a 60+ wpc unit however.
A buddy came over today to listen to the Optimus speakers. I have the A25s sitting on top of them hooked to the Yamaha 1040 and the Realistics to the Fisher 2007. We played several different albums and genres. We previously did the same with the KLH6 vs the Dynacos. We both far preferred the KLH6 then. And now?
Optimus 5 for the win. We both had the same opinion that the O5s and the KLHs sound quite a bit alike. And that sound we like better than the A25s.
That is not to say the A25s don't sound great, because they do.....especially for their size. But there is something really special about the KLHs and the Realistics that beats out the Dynacos.
Let the flames commence!
Optimus 5 for the win. We both had the same opinion that the O5s and the KLHs sound quite a bit alike. And that sound we like better than the A25s.
That is not to say the A25s don't sound great, because they do.....especially for their size. But there is something really special about the KLHs and the Realistics that beats out the Dynacos.
Let the flames commence!
The smallest unit I have now is a 35 wpc STA 85. I tried it for a few hours with the 5s and they indeed sounded fine at lower volumes. At higher volume bass heavy music does not have the punch that is heard with the 60 to 125 wpc units I have paired them with.
I used to have nothing bigger than a 55 wpc receiver but I realized that some of the speakers I was using really needed more power most of the time to really shine. I dont listen to loud music much really but I just started thinking that there is zero disadvantage to having the extra power.
I bought the STA 85 because I love them but other than that 60 wpc is as low as I buy now.
I have a Kenwood 8010 (125 wpc) and a MCS 3260 incoming and I am done for a while. I went from receivers then got into integrateds and tuners but went back to receivers because I just like them better......except for my Marantz 250/160 combo.
quiet
Addicted Member
Well I got an even bigger shock for you. I use my 5B's more than my OLA's
Yup, I kept listening and listening and was more and more confused at first. Sometimes when I hear a speaker I really like it at first then ending up selling it. But the more I listened the more they sounded like my KLH 6s. I mean, how can they sound that good? That is when my buddy came over who used to work for me at Home Depot. He is almost 20 years younger than I am. We listened to two or three songs on the O5s then the same songs on the KLHs. I had all four hooked up the the CR 1040 and just switched from A to B. I had both speaker adjustments set in the Normal position. Neither one of us preferred one over the other. Kind of a win for an old speaker over a completely rebuilt set.
Totally crazy.
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Slowly sold off my Nova 7b's, Optimus 1's, and recently my Optimus 21's. All restored.
Found I couldn't play loud enough without listening fatigue and would bottom a woofer occasionally on the 7b's with the styles of music I listen to. The 21's sold for just shy of three bills. The others, a touch less.
Finally, the opportunity presented itself last summer to acquire what I was yearning for, the 8b, (for a price I wanted to pay), with the intention of doing the Videoladys mods. But not just the 8b's, also the Nova 8's in one fell swoop @ half quarter century each. Both sets have now been recapped and a little dope to the 8 surrounds for good measure. In the queue for refinishing.
Not sure if I will ever get to the Videolady mods.
I doubt these lowly Rat Shack loudspeakers will leave my possession.
I am not one now, nor have I ever aspired to be a dolphin.
YMMV
Found I couldn't play loud enough without listening fatigue and would bottom a woofer occasionally on the 7b's with the styles of music I listen to. The 21's sold for just shy of three bills. The others, a touch less.
Finally, the opportunity presented itself last summer to acquire what I was yearning for, the 8b, (for a price I wanted to pay), with the intention of doing the Videoladys mods. But not just the 8b's, also the Nova 8's in one fell swoop @ half quarter century each. Both sets have now been recapped and a little dope to the 8 surrounds for good measure. In the queue for refinishing.
Not sure if I will ever get to the Videolady mods.
I doubt these lowly Rat Shack loudspeakers will leave my possession.
I am not one now, nor have I ever aspired to be a dolphin.
YMMV
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LOL you and me both.
I had my Nova 7s in the back of my wagon getting ready to give to another AK member when they were STOLEN from the WalMart Parking lot. Mine were pretty tired and not worth fixing up. I have a set of Nova 6s inbound (loved them and kicked myself in the ass for selling them) but those and the O5s and the Nova 4s are the Realistics I will be keeping.
Right now I have A25s, but I think I am going to sell them. KLH 6s, Imperial 6s, Imperial 5s, Sansui SP70s (8in two ways that sound great), CS 88s which are being given to another AKer close to me and a zillion Minimus 7ws that I use for surround and computer use. And a set of Nova 4s which are really surprisingly good.
I think I am done for a while. One of the reasons I have so many different speakers and receivers is because I enjoy how different they all sound.
For the first time swapped out the Realistics from the Kenwood 8010 to the MCS 3260. The KLHs sound freaking incredible........ I will never use them with less than 60wpc for sure.
The Realistics still have a lot more mid range than the KLHs but without 125qpc driving them they lost some bass for sure. The MCS drives them easily but I had to turn it loud to get the bass I had beco.e used too.
Which sounds better? Now I have no freaking idea! They both sound really good and really different. I will have to listen for a few day to get a better idea.
I did decide i am getting the grills on the KLHs recovered with a brown speaker cloth that I ordered from Ebay. One of them has a stain and I am not feeling the off white anymore
The Realistics still have a lot more mid range than the KLHs but without 125qpc driving them they lost some bass for sure. The MCS drives them easily but I had to turn it loud to get the bass I had beco.e used too.
Which sounds better? Now I have no freaking idea! They both sound really good and really different. I will have to listen for a few day to get a better idea.
I did decide i am getting the grills on the KLHs recovered with a brown speaker cloth that I ordered from Ebay. One of them has a stain and I am not feeling the off white anymore
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woofercooker
Well-Known Member
If you ever do the VL mods, one thing to consider is that the VL mod will sound less loud by 3-4db and less forward sounding in the upper midrange and highs. Some people had complained that the new mods were missing what they were used to: the highs. The original design (crossover) had the mids and tweeter were sharing some of the same frequencies. I believe the tweeters were doing some midrange duty, too. I have the Optimus 5 with a standard recap and sound pretty damn good. But when I received a pair of Nova 8b with the upgrade crossover and A/B the two I noticed the Optimus 5 were louder but tended to blare at loud volumes. The sound stage became a little messy. With VL Nova 8b that didn't happen. Very balanced sounding. And for those who still feel that the tweeter on the VL speakers are too lame/dark sounding, one could always put in a Brighter sounding HF cap in the tweeter line like a Jantzen Silver cap or a Audyn-Cap plus...instead of the cheaper Daytons that are in VL recipe.
I have tinnitus also. everything I have now sports silk dome or paper tweeters.
