Hello everyone, my name is Kevin B and this is my intro post.
I’ve been lurking on this site for a few years. I’ve also bought a couple of upgrade kits from Danny as well as made a visit out to GR Research for a listening session. So needless to say I drink the Kool-Aid and I’m a true believer everything Danny has to say and sell.
I know everyone loved pics (as do I) so I included a lot of pics below to give a visual aid to my intro.
About me:
Gear:
Integrated Amp: Luxman L509-X
CD / DAC: Luxman D-03X
Phono Pre Amp: Luxman E-07
Turntable: Dennon DP-59L
Network Streamer: Bluesound Node 2I
Speakers: Klipsch Fort III (Updated to Fort IV drivers with GR Research upgrade kit)
Sub Rhythmic F12G
Power Conditioner: Monster Power Reference PowerCenter HTS 5000
2. Gear Rack:
My house is peer and beam construction, so my living room is basically a giant drum head that shakes and vibrates. Pair this with my preferred medium of vinyl records and I had a big problem of bass isolation I needed to solve. So, after seeing the price for high end racks I figured I could do better (or at least good enough for me) myself. I welded together a frame made of square tubing. I then filled that with sand to lower the resonate frequency way down. I made some MDF panels for the sides that matched my speakers. I used butcher block for the shelves and rested them on vibration absorbing rubber cups. This worked better than I expected. As my equipment changed, I ended up shortening it from 3 shelves to just 2 so it fit my needs better and stayed down below my TV.
3. Existing Klipsch Forte Speakers:
I bought these Forte III speakers new back in 2020. They were a significant improvement from anything I had before that. But I quickly learned there is always a bigger fish and after listening to Wilson Audio speakers and others I new I needed to make an improvement.
First, I purchased a Forte III Upgrade kit from Danny after seeing his YouTube video talking about it. I loved all the clarity and tightness it gave these speakers. I did loose bass, but it was an easy tradeoff for the clarity I gained. So I added a cheap subwoofer I had buried in a closet and felt pretty good about it.
Second Klisch released the Forte IV. I noticed they only changed the mid and tweeter horn drivers and upgraded the crossover. I was able to source the exact same drivers that Klisch used in the Forte IVs. I took my speaker to GR Research and left it with them for a little while so Danny could design me a new crossover. Once that was done, I got them back home and replaced the cheap sub for a Rhythmic F12G. This setup was light years better than the Forte III.
4. Listening Room:
I have a smaller home with a large central living area at its center. My system is positioned against an 8’ wall with an entryway behind it to the left and a dinning room behind it to the right. There are also no traditional corners to the left or the right as they lead to other room in each direction. (You can see all of this in the pics below). I’m thinking (you tell me) this gives me some advantages and disadvantages. Advantage that I can hang my speakers out a little bit and cut down on the reflections from my 8’wall. Disadvantage that I can only separate them out 8’ without being in the way of egress around my house. You can see I added acoustic panels behind the stereo, speakers and to the left and right of the TV. This is because I was getting a lot of reverberation from the sub off the TV’s soundbar back down on my turntable. The panels are 4” deep behind the stereo and speakers and only 2” to the sides of the TV. This cut down the bass significantly. It also shrunk my sound stage. My theory is that I’ve cut down on the reflections I was getting off the wall that I mistook as imaging and now I’m just hearing my speakers (and their limitations). This has led me to looking into my next set of speakers…
5. Next Set of Speakers:
I really only got into HIFI during COVID 2020. Before that I appreciated music, but I didn’t sit and appreciate it. A Bluetooth speaker was good enough at the time. Once I decided I wanted to dive into HIFI and make a hobby out of it, I started doing a lot of research. If you just listen to talking heads on YouTube you might end up with what they like and not what you like. On one hand I crave imaging above everything else. Then on the other hand I have a monthly gathering for my neighbors where about 15-20 folks come over, and we all cram in my living room and listen to records. In those cases, we listen loud and it needs to rock, hard! So, I’m trying to balance both of these needs. Good thing about GR Research is they have several options to pick from.
Here’s the speakers I’m considering next (in random order) with my thoughts on the pros and cons.
NX-Otika with 2 Double Trouble subs
Pro: They should be able to bother image like crazy and be dynamic.
Cons: I don’t know if I have enough space on either side of my rack to keep these from living out in the pathway of my front door or dinning room entrances.
Old-School Bully
Pro: They will no doubt rock the house and with the sub built in to the bottom they will easily fit in my space.
Cons: Will they image as well as I want them too? Better than my existing Klipsch do?
New Record Day colab Maddie
Pro: Danny and Ron say they image better than anything they’ve ever heard. Love that
Cons: I think I will still need subs to pair with them. If so will they fit in the space I have available? How big is the base on the Maddie?
New Record Day colab third option???
While introducing the New Record Day speakers, Danny mentioned a third speaker that would have a built in open baffle sub. 3 x 8” drivers in a U configuration.
I would love to know if this speaker is still potentially in the works, as it sound like exactly what I need.
For now, I wait to see what I’m going to do. At some point this year I’ll reach out to Danny to see if I can make another visit. Check out his new listening room and try out all of these speakers to see what’s best for me.
Nice to meet you all!
