Hmm - something is very wrong.
Now, I don't expect them to perform at their best on heavy pillar stands, but they sound very odd indeed - the treble has gone!

Compared to the Epos 14, and a pair of LS3/5s I have on loan (thanks Steve G) they sound extremely dim.
The effect is a bit like when you spend all night at a really loud party, or a concert and your ears get 'shot'.

The tweeters are working & sound fine on their own.

Is this how a Kan 2 is balanced, or am I doing something very stupid?

Am I simply hearing the effect of the forward mid?

Rob. (puzzled)

quote:

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Compared to the Epos 14, and a pair of LS3/5s I have on loan (thanks Steve G) they sound extremely dim. The effect is a bit like when you spend all night at a really loud party, or a concert and your ears get 'shot'.

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This sounds deeply suspicious, one thing Kans have is lots and lots of treble. Your stands are far from ideal for them, but the top end should still be fine.

Is there any evidence of tampering, i.e. do the grills look like they have been previously removed? I am curious as to whether the tweeter has been damaged or replaced with an incorrect one… if so get your money back immediately. A very bright torch well aimed can reveal what lurks behind the grills, the Linn modified Hiquphone tweeter that should be fitted has the Linn logo moulded into the mounting plate, and you should be able to see clearly whether the dome has been pushed in or otherwise damaged - the tweeter is mounted very far forward in Kan IIs so can suffer abuse quite easily.

quote:

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Is this how a Kan 2 is balanced, or am I doing something very stupid?

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You have got the bi-wire links in and done up tight?

Tony.

PS How is Steve G? don't here from him much these days...

What were you expecting, a cheap-shot at your vinyl source? Keep us posted!

Rico - musichead

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I beleive a careful vacuuming of the tweet can sort it out a bit, too.

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No need to tale the grills of for this… the tweeter is near enough the grill cloth to suck the dust out with a gentle (and very careful!) hoovering. I suspect the problem is far more severe than this though, if you asked me to make Kans sound treble-light without damaging them I would honestly not know where to start!

I caution against attempting to removing the grills, as if you leave even the slightest evidence your dealer may dodge out of refunding your money, even if they really are not working properly.

Tony.

PS Don't worry if they are knackered, as long as you can get a refund, you can get a fabulous pair for what you paid. My absolutely mint condition teak final spec Mk IIs on stands cost me 220 quid via Loot…

If you are not bi-wiring, bi-amping or active:

MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE METAL BRIDGES INSTALLED BETWEEN THE BASS AND TREBLE SOCKETS ON THE KANS

The chances of having 2 shot tweeters are slim - but possible. Hold your ear to the tweeters when the amps are on but not playing music - you should hear hiss (a different kind of hiss to the woofer).

If no joy, then jump up and down on the courier's or dealer's head.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

I'll pop out to the shops in a mo for a torch to do the inspection.
There is no evidence of tampering and the grills look fine, if a little dusty.

The guy I'm buying the stands from should be delivering them tonight (nice chap) so I'll drag him in for a listen and second opinion.

Refund? - I hope so too, if it comes to that.
This is the 1st pair of speakers I've bought without a dem, something I would never normally do. Twas because they were old and 2nd hand, your honour.

Rico,
My 'dodgy' Kans actually sound better fronted by the Gyro than the CDI!
You must pop over one day so I can show you what a real TT can do....

Rob.

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My 'dodgy' Kans actually sound better fronted by the Gyro than the CDI!
You must pop over one day so I can show you what a real TT can do....

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Rob, now I am confused. Are you going to buy an LP12, or are you suggesting that this art-nouveau cakestand foreign-sandwich contraption (I love Mr Petrik's 'tag') really is capable of leaving the CDI in the dust?

Seriously though, I'd love to pop over for a listen some time, late next month perhaps? I'm sure I could learn a thing or two about system setup.

Rico - musichead

Chris.

Rico - musichead

if you listen with your ear against the speaker and can definately hear treble from the tweeter and bass/mid from the other driver then this is OK.

However, you might be surprised how high a mid driver can go on it's own. Hell, I was surprised how high the B139 bass drivers in my Isobariks went (when fed a full-range signal). Apparently there was once a speaker on the market that consisted of only a B139 and a tweeter. Weird!

cheers, Martin

The stands turned up on Thursday night and I asked the guy (and his son) selling them to have a listen to the Kans.

He described them as 'a bit flat' , which I thought was being polite, but they both thought they were 'not right'.

Probing through the covers with a torch clearly revealed that the tweeter domes had been pushed-in - mystery solved.

I should have sent them straight back to the dealer, but I decided to have a go at fixing the problem. Some years ago I rescued the dome of an old Heybrook tweeter using double sided tape, a fine sharp needle and a vac. Real Blue Peter stuff make no mistake...... but effective.

Anyway, five minutes later I'd popped the domes out on the Linn tweeters, after removing the covers by cutting the cloth and removing the frame from the inside so as not to damage the cabinet.

After a general clean-up I re-covered the the frames using some speaker cloth from Maplin (identical to the linn stuff) and replaced them using some blobs of silicone, not glue, in case they needed removing again.

The result? - I've got treble!
Boy, have I got treble!

They sound fantastic - I'm playing stuff thats been languishing on the shelf for years, and it all sounds superb.
The frequency response is clearly all over the pace but it doesn't matter 'cos the music sounds so great.

The 'Cakestand' hasn't stopped spinning all day (its now 12 midnight) and i'm still listening.

Does the Cakestand leave the CDI for dust?
No, but it is clearly superior in every way - as it should be.
I've yet to hear a CD player that can beat a well sorted cake... sorry, TT. I'd rate the CDI (and 2/CDX which I've heard) at somewhere between a P3 & a p25 - ie bloody good but not
that good.

But - I've had the CDI for a couple of weeks now and it gets better by the day as it (presumably) warms up. I changed the interconnects from Cord Cobra to the Naim lavender type and installed Black Snaiks a week ago, so its been powered up sor seven days.

Anyway - enough rambling.

Anyone fancy a cream puff?

Rob.

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Apparently there was once a speaker on the market that consisted of only a B139 and a tweeter. Weird!

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Hey Rob - are those Kans still singing?

Rico - musichead

Yep - the Kans are still singing, especially now that I've got them properly set up on Linn stands.

The balance takes a bit of getting used to - but I'm slowly adjusting.

Send me your email address & we can arrange a dem with the Cakestand.

Rob.