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EV Sentry IV vs Sentry III vs Khorns?

absolve2525

absolve2525

Super Member
I'm curious about these compare... I have modified Khorns currently with upgraded Volti tractrix mid horns, so it's not really a good stock comparison, but a pair of sentry IV popped up locally and I'm tempted to go check them out. I recently picked up a single Sentry III, which is very similar to the IV but much prettier, and I intend to use for center channel use. The woof on the III needs reconed, however, so I'm going to load it with a TAD 1603. Any input on the Sentry would be great. How low will the IV go?
 
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The Sentry IV is a fully horn loaded system and only goes down to 50 hz as per EV's measurments. I measured mine many times and never got a response much below 60 hz, however at 60 hz the bass will it you in the chest like few other speakers given their efficiency. The mid-horn tweeter combo on the Sentry IV is also very good.

Never heard a pair of K-horns but I did have a pair of Cornwalls and the Sentry IV's mid/top end was much better imo. I had to run a sub with both speakers to get the type of bass I was looking for.
 
Of the four Sentry IV's that I have all 4 need woofer foam.... And that is 2 woofers per cabinet. :( Never did get around to refoaming them. I can only imagine that they sound pretty sweet however. Just warning you on the foam bit.
 
I've had a pair of Sentry 3's around for about 10 years now. Had to refoam the woofers when i got them too. Also have a full 2nd set of drivers and crossovers around, thinking I'd eventually build a second set, which I haven't done.

The 3's will go lower than the 4's, as they were designed to. And they do it with good dynamics and efficiency. But they do need room to be at their best. The driver spacing across the face is enough, that for me, they have trouble melding the drivers together and not hearing the different frequencies coming from different drivers.

But that's to be critical and might not be so different from the Klipsch. They did use some of the EV drivers, so some parts of their presentation could be pretty similar.

Hope some of that helps.

EV3
 
The Lascala's are a little shy of very full, for my tastes. What they do have is good. I'd expect those two to be fairly similar extension, number wise, and most would desire something to augment lower.

On the otherhand, the Sentry 3's, with the EQ used as designed, you do get another nice chunk lower and would be much less inclined to want any low helper.

The nice thing about any of those, is the high efficiency means just about any amp can apply for service. The down side being giving them room to meld is hard in most rooms. You have to have at least some room and enjoy the dynamics they present as an important part of your tastes.

EV3
 
LaScalla's go down to 51 Hz, Sentry IV to 50 Hz, Klipschorn to 33Hz and the Sentry III's to 28 Hz.

I've listened to all and to my ears the Sentry III's win hands down. They are just a lot smoother, well balanced, and less "in your face " then Khorns. YMMV... I suffered from listener fatigue with Belles, Khorns, Chorus, and Forte's. I liked them but just could listen for too long.

I have my III's in a smallish room, approx. 12 x 30, and they do just fine. I'm sure a larger room would open them up more but I don't have one ! :D
 
Can't help with your question, but my Sentry IV (Series II I think) 12" woofers have cloth accordion surrounds. They sound nice, but I concur, they need subs.
 
I went to check out the Sentry IV. They're not hooked up to listen, though. Accordion surrounds on the woofers, both tweeters are early ST-350 with round end caps. They're in OK shape, some paint splatters and one mid horn has a layer of black paint over it. The other mid horn has a small crack in the corner but has been glued. Top horns are in road enclosures. Unfortunately I can't quite get over the PA roadie black finish for use on a living room. Maybe for the garage... Lol
 
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That's definitely an idea. Are the cabinets considered sturdy enough for hifi use? I don't want resonances from the 5/8" walls to muck things up. I see one fellow reinforced his with extra layers.
 
You can also remove the super tweeter and the mid horn, lay the bass bin on it's side and bolt the mid horn to a wood sled and the tweeter above that, lining all of the voice coils up, and they would be at the perfect height for couch listening and a great elevation to go along with a wide screen TV and low stereo rack (28"). :) For $300, a great find, to heck with the WAF! (Actually, my wife told my sister in law that I liked her, but I love my stereo and she knows how I would choose if chose came to shove.) :)
 
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In case you missed this picture in the other EV thread, here it is. Compared to the homebrew Altecs with 418-8H seriese II Guitar speakers, 802-8D drivers and 32B aluminum horns, the EV Sentry IV II have more bass, but nothing has the sound of the Altec horn for near field top end. I gave the EVs to my son, but alas, he listens to Country, so I am sad... Get a Behringer FBQ1502 Ultragraph Pro Dual 15-Band EQ for real tone control, and use it's sub base out to a Crown XLS 1000 Power Amplifier to a pair of Alpine 10" car subs in .75 cu ft sealed boxes for all of the bottom you could ever want. :)

http://www.parts-express.com/behringer-fbq1502-ultragraph-pro-dual-15-band-eq--248-726

http://www.parts-express.com/crown-xls-1000-power-amplifier-2-x-350w-at-4-ohms--245-500

 
I went back to take another look. Apparently the woofers are EVM 15L! Two per cabinet. I have no clue how they were able to hook them up to play; the wires extend from the backs and go nowhere. I'm guessing there's a crossover inside the horn case. Maybe not! I'm going back on Monday, when their audio video guru is supposed to be able to hook them up to test. The guy says they're from an amphitheater where they were hanging. Here are some photos.
 

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You definitely need the crossover to run these speakers, here's a pic of them for reference.
 

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The crossover should be bolted to the mid horn and the woofer should have a 1/4" phone jack input on the side of the box.
 
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