I saw this old thread and thought I'd contribute something I have learned about the Classics' bass. Like the author of this tread, I thought my 1998 Classics were a bit bloated. After tightening the loose screws on the woofers, it helped, but not enough. I biwired, and that helped too, but not enough.
I next tried biamping, which so sweetened the top end I didn't care for awhile about the low end bloat. As luck would have it, my Proceed preamp allowed for stereo sub output, and allowed the crossover to be set at 120z -- thus matching the Classic low crossover point. Assigning my upgraded McCormack DNA 1 power amp to driving bass alone helped tighten the bass too, yet I still wasn't happy.
Next I wondered if dedicated wiring might help. I had been using high end MIT cables for all, but now decided to use it only for mids and upper range. After some experimentation, I reasoned that silver for the bass end might help tighten things, and so tried Signal Cable Silver Resolution, and wala!!! the bass tightened very significantly, and I noticed no synch problems from using different cables for lows and mid/highs. Thinking a cable with more silver might be even better, I tried 12g pure silver Wegrzyn Silver Slams, but I lost the quickness the Signals provided. I suspected skin effect rendered the thick silver sluggish.
For months I lived happily with that set up, but being an avid jazz listener, I eventually missed the bass "weight" that Silver Resolutions sacrificed to get its quickness. Hmmmmmm, what to try. I wondered if thick, flat copper, like that found in Analysis Plus cables might help, and since a pair was selling cheap here at Audiogon, I tried them. Sure enough, they added bass weight, but I totally lost the quickness of the Silver Resolutions.
And here's where the best thing happened. I'd ordered the Silver resolutions with banana plugs, and the Analysis Plus Oval 9s were spades; the posts on the for bass on the Classics of course allows for both spades and bananas, so I hooked BOTH the Signals and Analysis Plus cables to the bass-end set of posts, and then to my McCormack.
All I could say was "wow" when I heard it. Just the most effortlessly quick and weighty bass I'd ever heard from them. And now, a year later, I am still completely thrilled with them. The only thoughts I've had is trying Oval 8s if I ever see a bargain. Also, I'd like to try silver ICs between the preamp and McCormack someday, but I've been so impressed with Audio Metallurgy ICs I haven't felt the need to change.
Good luck . . . I think the Legacy Classics are great speakers for the price, and with the right wiring can be brought around nicely.
