Rock and Roll System

I based my comments on the fact that most live rock has an EXTREMELY high distortion factor along with being reproduced by a speaker system that is primarily horn based. Duplicating that scenario as close as possible will give you the most "realistic" reproduction of that type of event. Keep in mind that i'm speaking from two different points of view. I have worked / still do work as a professional sound engineer. I also enjoy "jamming" to some of these same bands at home.

Since most "mid fi" amps tend to compress and smear when pushed hard, this produces similar sonics to the Crown, Carver, Carvin, Crest, Peavey, BGW, Yamaha, etc... amps that are used at these events. The horn section / large woofer used as a mid will break up and distort in a similar manner to what you hear when bands are "jamming" at a concert. This also helps to recreate the "grunge" that accompanies the normally "cleaned up" but still highly compressed recording. The fact that the Heresy runs a 12" for the upper bass / midrange just like MOST front loaded PA cabinets also helps to duplicate that same type of presentation.

As to volume, concert level for hard rock / metal requires a MINIMUM of 108+ db's AVERAGE at the LISTENING POSITION. If you're not getting "chest compression" on kick drums, it is NOT loud enough or your system doesn't go low enough at volume. I experienced this watching the primarily "acoustic" band "Days Of The New" at a distance of appr 60' from the stage. As many of you know, this band is not "heavy" at all.

If you listen to your speakers at one meter, use the figures presented by the manufacturer. Otherwise, you'll have to measure for yourself in your room at your listening position to see what you think is "loud enough".

For the record, Klipsch La Scala's are rated to produce 128 db's at one meter. I know for a fact that they can do at least 118 db's average at a 10' listening distance. They do not sound as good as Heresy's in unmodified form, but will play louder and sound less strained doing it. For rock and roll, more power is better and too much is not enough : ) Sean
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PS... WHAT ????? Did you say something ??? : )

Forget the Heresy's - get KHorns. NOTHING plays louder or with more punch - and you'll *never* need more than 100 watts per channel. Your room *requires* a big speaker, the KHorns fit that bill and produce substantial bass output, too.

There are more than a few speakers out there that will play louder than K-Horns. The problem with the Klipsch's is that they WILL go into compression when you start throttling them. This is much less noticeable than with most other speakers simply because they have far greater dynamic range to begin with. If they used better drivers, this would not occur.

If you want to hear some good "pre-built" horns that use VERY high quality drivers ( TAD ), check out the CAR's ( Classic Audio Reproductions ). These will sound much better than even the most highly modified Klipsch and play even louder. The vocals are also better, as they use front loaded drivers, no "cavern" to deal with in terms of a folded box. Sean
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I like Sean's recommendation of Classic Audio Reproductions speakers. Very enjoyable long-term, with excellent dynamic impact. Soundstaging isn't their strong suit, however - a more conventional system like the big Dunlavy's would do better in that respect. Overall, though, the CAR T-1's would probably be my first choice for a 110 db+ rock/jazz/blues speaker.

Duke, where ya been ??? Is business THAT good that you don't have time to play on the puter anymore ??? : ) Sean
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