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My sincere apologies to my KG 5.5s

NewRetro

NewRetro

New Member
"I would like to publically apologize to my 5.5s. I had fallen out of love with them. I spoke ill of them for what I perceived to be their lack of midrange and lackluster performance at low volumes. This week a friend gave me my first ever tube amp - a modified Magnavox console amp. I was wrong. The 5.5s are pretty sweet."

As a product of the 80s I have been solid state guy raised on the stuff sold at my local shop Bryn Mawr Stereo. So they pushed Nakamichi, Denon etc if memory serves. In the time that I have owned the 5.5s (25 years?) they have been powered by a Yamaha mx-600u, Carver m1.5t, a Marantz PM5 and a Marantz SM-800. Little did I know that this modest decades old tube amp could make them sound like a completely different speaker. I had been planning to order the Crites upgrades and will likely still do so. But I am relieved to be back on board with the KG 5.5 With 3 kids my wife isn't super psyched about me dropping bank on stereo stuff so I cannot say how happy I am with the new sound and zero investment. I am fool for not trying tubes sooner. Describing sounds is hard for me but my wife calls it "wet and tingly." I think that is aptly described.

I don't know if this belongs in the tube section or the Klipsch section. I am a long time reader and a non-poster.

Thanks Audiokarma. Stay cool.

JP
 
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Good for you in that with a little effort you were able to uncover another dimension to the Klipsch sound. I had a pair of KG 5.5s that I gave to my cousin. I thought they were great speakers for rock n' roll. Enjoy them just as they are and when circumstances allow, i.e. cash flow and WAF, or wife approval factor allow, drop in some new Crites crossovers and titanium diaphragms for the tweeters. That should serve you in good stead for many years to come. Welcome to AK, stick around there is plenty of free good advice here in the Klipsch forum as well as the rest of the site.
 
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RT Fan said:
Good for you in that with a little effort you were able to uncover another dimension to the Klipsch sound. I had a pair of KG 5.5s that I gave to my cousin. I thought they were great speakers for rock n' roll. Enjoy them just as they are and when circumstances allow, i.e. cash flow and WAF, or wife approval factor allow, drop in some new Crites crossovers and titanium midranges for the tweeters. That should serve you in good stead for many years to come. Welcome to AK, stick around there is plenty of free good advice here in the Klipsch forum as well as the rest of the site.
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Titanium midranges for the tweeters? How about titanium tweeter diaphragms for the tweeters instead? :confused:
 
I lived in Rosemont, PA. which was right next to Bryn Mawr. As a highschooler, I would go to Bryn Mawr Stereo and stare at all the stuff I would never afford. They had a huge section of Mac gear which puzzled me even then as tubes had been mostly gone by the time I was in high school. I still can't afford what they sold, but I have done pretty good at scrounging since then.
 
Depending on the damping factor of a tube amp the response of a speaker can change over 6 db from one 1/6 octave to another depending on the reactance of the drivers, resonance of the enclosure, and the reactive magnitudes introduced by the crossover. Now these changes in the response and allowing the woofer to be more free of the control of the amp can be a plus in some instances. Maybe this is one. I used my Hersey's with a SS with a low damping factor and the sound was very pleasant and free from artifacts that could make long term listening tiresome.
 
KingBubba said:
I lived in Rosemont, PA. which was right next to Bryn Mawr. As a highschooler, I would go to Bryn Mawr Stereo and stare at all the stuff I would never afford. They had a huge section of Mac gear which puzzled me even then as tubes had been mostly gone by the time I was in high school. I still can't afford what they sold, but I have done pretty good at scrounging since then.
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The first two things I bought there was a Luxman R-113 receiver and Nak CR-2A cassette deck. ...with the dough I had saved delivering the Morning Call (shout out to Allentown, PA) The thing I just can't get past is thinking at the time "Man this new black stuff is soooo much better than the 70's stuff" and "Why would I listen to records? CD's are awesome!" It is so funny how things change. Apart from CD players and the KG 5's I don't own very much made after 1980.

I do miss killing time in that store.
 
Ross6860 said:
Wait until you start buying vintage tubes...the Crites mods will look like a bargain.;)
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I am afraid to even go there! Frankly, I find it intimidating. My stereo knowledge is modest to begin with but I literally know zero about tubes. I haven't even touched the thing since I placed it. "Hmmmm….looks pretty fragile. I sure don't want to break anything"

The Magnavox chassis is bare bones. It does have the inputs, a power switch and speaker posts. At the moment, WAF is low on the aesthetics. My first order of business will be to get some nice pieces of wood to dress it up a bit....maybe a Magnavox badge. It looks like some folks have done a nice job with that.

I am sure I am not the first to say "No I won't be doing that!" and then a month later be asking you " Where do I start in trying different tubes?"
 
twiiii said:
Depending on the damping factor of a tube amp the response of a speaker can change over 6 db from one 1/6 octave to another depending on the reactance of the drivers, resonance of the enclosure, and the reactive magnitudes introduced by the crossover. Now these changes in the response and allowing the woofer to be more free of the control of the amp can be a plus in some instances. Maybe this is one. I used my Hersey's with a SS with a low damping factor and the sound was very pleasant and free from artifacts that could make long term listening tiresome.
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I am not wise in the ways of physics. But I must say - every time I see a pair of Klipsch 3 ways locally for a reasonable price I ask myself "What can I unload or trade to make the financial end disappear?" I have never owned a pair of the heritage line speakers and have had the KG 5.5's in my main setup for as long as I can remember.

For example, there are pair of nice Heresys locally for $400. I have some nice JBL L36's and a pair of pristine Lancer 44's that I could part with but everybody wants cash. Trying to trade the KG 5.5's has been a comical mission. "Here - take these enormous speakers that are not great at low volumes but can get infinitely loud" The other 3 ways seem a bit more pricey, but I think when the situation presents itself I could make the Heresys happen.

Thanks for the input. I am dry sponge at this point happy to soak up some knowledge. For a mid-life crisis, I guess this is pretty harmless.
 
Jim Petch said:
The first two things I bought there was a Luxman R-113 receiver and Nak CR-2A cassette deck. ...with the dough I had saved delivering the Morning Call (shout out to Allentown, PA) The thing I just can't get past is thinking at the time "Man this new black stuff is soooo much better than the 70's stuff" and "Why would I listen to records? CD's are awesome!" It is so funny how things change. Apart from CD players and the KG 5's I don't own very much made after 1980.

I do miss killing time in that store.
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also, the location near me was on MacArthur Road in Allentown - so it was satellite location.....
 
You were lucky to have a place like that to druel on stuff. I had Service merchandise and Montgomery ward.

the first nice stuff I saw and in fact the first time I ever saw McIntosh was in a car audio shop...and carver stuff but didn't know anything back then.

The Klipsch KG 5.5 is popping up a lot in this forum, this is the 3rd thread with KG5.5 in the title.
I can build cabinets and configure any speakers I want. I have Altec, ESS, B & W, and many others but the KG 5.5 are special to me, maybe build a diy set with aftermarket drivers next time I get the bug.
 
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