thinking about my existing setup and making it better need help

[dcg28]

so, currently i'm running 4 klh rave 12's running all 4 in parallel w/ an onkyo tx-nr838, no matter what i do, i cannot get them to produce bass. ( i've moved them, i've turned the bass up, and then vocals lose their clarity, I've tried running just 2 of them fearing they were under powered, i've double tripple checked the wiring making sure things weren't out of phase, i've checked the amplifier settings to make sure they are set to large speakers. they are being run w/o a subwoofer configured. i've tried going to heavier speaker wire, i checked to make sure the 12" speaker has the proper impedence) so all that being said, i'm thinking about buying some plate amplifiers specifically for the 12" driver and i could use the power from the receiver for the other 2 speakers in the cabinet. but i really don't know where to start, i've found some plate amplifiers, but i don't know what would be good, i know i could technically make this work. any input please let me know if anyone else has run into issues with these speakers.

p.s. i've had these speakers for many years, they sound very good to my ears, i had a cheap receiver for most of the years that i had these and they were under powered, i always blamed it on the receiver. i just cant get them to put out a good bass thud. maybe my expectations were too high. but i would greatly appreciate the help. also if i'm in the wrong area please let me know--

 

[DD66000]

Just add a sub or two. XO the KLM's around 80~50 htz.
That way you leave the 3-ways where they image best and place the subs where they provide the best bass output.

Being you've had those speakers for quite sometime, I'll assume you have had them setup in a multitude of rooms, in different residences.....but only now find the bass lacking.
So that would point to the room being the problem. A sub would solve that problem.

I had the same problem years ago...had JBL L55s for 5 years, very good bass.
Then I moved into a new house that had a great room (LR&DR) 15'x23'.

The size was not the problem, but the ceiling line was. 8' to 14' elevation for the first 13' of the room length. Then a wall dropped from that 14' elevation to 8' and then an 8' ceiling for the rest of the length of the room....producing standing waves in the bass range.

I bought a new system with a sub (one of the first ever sat/sub systems) problem solved.
Placed the L55s in a back room, 12x13x8, they were producing bass again.

 

[fmw]

Time for a subwoofer.

 

[TLS Guy]

First of all running two pairs of speakers instead on one pair is never a good idea. The speakers interfere with each other.

The next issue is that you will need more than subs to solve your problem.

Those speakers have a mid range of the squawker variety. They were basically cheap TV speakers, with a narrow nasty peaked response.

Now what a lot of people perceive as bass is actually midrange. In addition those older speakers never went low.

You can add a sub and drive it hot, and that will give you bass, but not accurate reproduction.

If you really want to improve your sound, you need to start from scratch with your speaker system.

 

[TheWarrior]

Agreed, you do not need subs, you need new speakers!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

read last post in this thread:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/please-help-real-or-fake-klh-speakers.477030/#post-6172906
Pretty much same as TLS said about. Time to shop for new speakers

 

[dcg28]

i guess i'll be looking for some new speakers, i have had them setup with subs before, and didn't like the way it made things sounded, ( i had them paired with a cerwin vega lw-12, also paired with 2x polk psw505, yes i tried tuning them to sound good, (setting crossovers and volume levels) ) i just figured with 4 12"s they would give me some good bass. if you guys say these speakers are crap, i believe you. i know they were fairly cheap when i originally bought them. but they (to me) sound better than the polk monitor 70's that i bought for my upstairs tv room. also hooked to an onkyo tx-nr838, i was just hoping there would be a way to make these just a little better. any recommendations for something that would be better for bass than the polks, or the klh rave 12s, along with having good imaging for movies, budget around $1500

edit:
i feel like possibly a new passive crossover for these speakers might do the trick, i know i probably sound like a broken record, but i don't know whether or not that would do it either. i feel like modifying what i've got is a better option, only because i've heard alot of speakers at a local audio store. (klipsh, definitive technology, polk, jbl, and infinity) all sold here, i've gone in and listened to them each, klipsch and definitive tech are probably the best sounding, but they are out of my price range, polk would be my next choice, but they don't give me the feeling that i've been looking for, and jbl and infinity (to my ears) are crap. (i don't want to start an argument about which speakers are better), because at the end the day hearing is perceptive. and i like the way my klh sound better than most i just need a little more bass, ( another question would adding an 8" speaker to these cabinets do the trick, using the existing crossover for the 8", and then powering the 12" with a plate amplifier?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Philharmonic AA with hsu vtf3 mk5 sub. If you need more volume : ascend acoustic cmt340

 

[zieglj01]

I would move on from the KLH, there are some real nice speakers out there.
And, do check into the Philharmonic AA as has been recommended.

 

[herbu]

Philharmonic AA with hsu vtf3 mk5 sub. If you need more volume : ascend acoustic cmt340

dcg28,
Regarding BSA's suggestion, you may find this discussion useful...
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/quick-recommendation-on-tower-speakers-500-pair.97564/

I gonna go out on a limb here and say I doubt you will find anybody here who tells you the AAs & mk5 are a bad choice. I'll go even farther out on the limb and say I suspect you will be amazed at the improvement over your current system. Do not allow yourself to be tainted by the smaller size. Your ears will thank you.