Klipsch KG4 OR Cerwin-Vega! LS-12 Speakers?

August 14, 2019

#320

Gentle reader,

Thank you for taking the time to view my humble blog. It astounds me that so many people do read it! When I began this sojourn, it was just something to do. I had no idea it would take off. 

NOTE: If you are viewing this on a computer, clicking on any picture will open a second window over this one. You click through or use your right and left arrow keys to look at the photos. They will be larger than seen here. If you are viewing it on a device such as a phone or tablet, I do not know if that works the same way. 

It's been quite a while since I have written about the audio systems throughout the house. Mainly because I haven't changed anything. That is until last night. Below is what I did in the listening room.

Below shows what speakers I had in the listening room some time ago. Klipsch KG4s ($10 find) on the outside and somewhat rare Dynaco A25XL speakers closer to the shelves.

The same thrift store where I found the Klipsch speakers I also found a pair of Tannoy C-88s. Both are brands I have never come across in the wild before. 

I was unsatisfied with the treble response of the Tannoy speakers and upgraded to better and more efficient tweeters. I detailed the changes in this article:

Tannoy C-88 Twin Tweeter Transplant Step By Step  

I removed the Dynaco speakers from the system and put the C-88s in their place (above). Because Tannoy put a base on the bottom of the cabinets which are smaller in area that the cabinets, I added spikes to stabilize them. Which they do.

For a brief history of the stereo system and some of the countless changes I have made since 2001, please look at this article:

Forty Three Plus Years Perfecting My Home Stereo System Dynaco to Dynaco Quality Cables 

The C-88s became my favorite speakers and the Klipsch sat unused for the longest time.

At a loss about what to do with the now forlorn A25XL Dynaco speakers gathering dust in the back of the room, I took them to the living room and replaced the stand mounted smaller speakers used along with matching large center channel speaker for movie/TV watching enjoyment. I'd previously suggested doing just that to my wife and she didn't want "big speakers" in the living room. So I waited a week and made the swap. She actually likes the look (once she noticed) and the sound now. "Better to ask forgiveness...."

In "the office", a small bedroom we designated from the beginning to have our PC and a couple of desks in, I have a humble system that sits right next to the computer.

Atop the JAMO amplifier/speaker switch is an Insignia HD Radio which I have a nice cable plugged into the headphone socket. It makes a dandy FM tuner and being "Hybrid-Digital" the music sounds great with "no static at all, FM!"

I have four pairs of speakers in here. The two BOSE 301s my wife bought me years ago to replace the large speakers in the living room, (see a theme here?) are on brackets near the ceiling. 

Directly beneath them were the Cerwin-Vega! LS-12 speakers which were another thrift store find and also the first (and so far, only) C-V speakers I've come across. 

On top of those are a pair of the cult-followed Radio Shack Optimus PRO LX4 speakers. On top of those are my highly modified Minimus 7W speakers of which all that remains of them are the cabinets.

Here they are "naked", in a shot I made when introducing them to you. And yes those are the same woofers. For more information on the transformation of the humble Minimus 7W speakers to amazing, please look here:

Converted my already upgraded Minimus 7 speakers to ribbon tweeters!

SO, since I wanted to use the Klipsch speakers more and found that I use the C-V speakers SO much in this room, I decided to swap them.

The C-V LS-12s have two large rear-facing reflex ports at the bottom edge and the KG4s each have a 12" passive radiator on their back wall. It's not easy to see here, but the speakers are quite far into the room. In THIS room, there is not a lot of room. So, giving the C-V speakers ports enough room was not possible.

This is a simulation-racing rig that sits on the far side of this very desk. As you can see, it is a tight fit. The right speakers can just be seen in the back of the picture on the left/top. 

This is a wide angle shot which distorts the shape of the BOSE speakers. The door seen (with gate) is to the listening room.

That's Heidi, one of our Dachshunds. The Klipsch now in place with the smaller speakers on top. All are coupled by Quake-Hold brand of reusable adhesive. Fantastic stuff. It also holds the Klipsch and Dynaco speakers to their respective stands.

The Klipsch sit out from the wall five inches to allow their rear passive radiators to do their thing. Since they vibrate and do not pass the actual air compressed by the rearward movement of the woofers (like the C-V's do with their rear ports) I feel that they have enough space to work.

The left BOSE 301 speaker, above.

The right BOSE 301, above.

Stuck in the corner sits the right Klipsch speaker and littler ones on top. Both pairs of large speakers are quite heavy. The Cerwin-Vega! models even more so. Fortunately my arms are long enough to be able to reach down and hook my fingers in one of the rear ports.

I had to disassemble all of the racing rig (above) and drag or carry the pieces out of the way. The 42" TV is plasma so really heavy. Then pry (Quake-Hold! REALLY works!) the smaller speakers off of the top of the C-V speakers. I wiggled the beasts out after disconnecting their cables. 

Same with the listening room. Except I had to remove the right Tannoy speaker or risk hurting something by trying to lift the Klipsch speaker from behind the left edge of the stereo rack. 

So, once again, here are the now, all-black, speakers in the listening room. The C-V's will enjoy breathing room and they match the C-88s. With all of the brown in the room, it is a nice contrast.

Just for fun, here is a fisheye shot of the office with the now all wooden veneered speakers. Heidi is on guard while Gretchen snoozes. No matter where I am in the house. The dogs are between me and the door. They take their duty seriously.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my recalling my little adventure. I feel good about it and plan to fully test the large speakers in their new rooms.

Thank you, again, for taking the time to read this and view my images. Your kind words and comments encourage me to keep writing and shooting.

Scott
August 14, 2019
#320