Hales owners discussion

Ohlala, the grills aren't really that hard to get on and off. My suggestion is to lay the speakers on their backs with the bases supported by books to keep the binding posts off the floor. From that position the job will be a piece of cake. I took mine off and put them back on with the speakers upright and without any assistance. Having done so I don't recommend it and won't do it that way again!

As for the washers, you may be surprised at the negative effect of even a little bit of play in the footers. If you try the washer fix be careful about the OD of the washers used. If their OD is too small they might be pressed into the drilled hole where the threaded insert fits in the bottom of the speaker. On mine I added a large OD brass washer about the same diameter as the footer to each shaft and then used smaller ones of varying thicknesses *between the brass washer and the footer* to take out the play where necessary. I've also used this to slightly tip the front of the speaker up as my couch sits a bit high.

How much do you toe your speakers in? Mine are toed in *maybe* ten degrees. That's with the speakers ~75" apart (center to center) and 125" from the listening position.

Mine are around 15 degrees with dimensions really close to your's. My room is pretty bad (need more panels). To ameliorate channel balance and imaging problems cuased by the room, I toed-in as far as I could really go without damaging the tonal balance. I have replaced some upstream components which have transformed my system, but have not had the time to do much with the speakers. During winter break (4 days and counting), I'll probably make a couple panels and some adjustments. Thanks for your advice. I'll see if I can get up the nerve to take the grills off.

I am in a position to pick up a used set of Hales Revelation 3's for about $900. However, I am concerned that my Acurus DIA 100 MK II Integrated Amplifier won't be up to the task. It is rated at 100 watts/ch into 8 ohms and 150 watts/ch into 4 ohms. Any and all opinions are welcomed.

I've got T-5's with the exotic wood finish, both of which are placed in an open room environment with a slight toe-in to each speaker. They are approximately 7' apart and about 18" from the back wall. Unfortunately mine are way under powered (Denon AVR 3300 105 watts) As a recent audiophile told me... "you haven't even heard your speakers yet." I need a good pre-amp and amp that'll push out at least 200 watts into 8 ohms to really maximize the sound of these speakers. Even with the limited power they get I must say they sound very good. I've done zero experimentation with the set-up and probably won't until I get the new equipment upstream on board.

I've got a pair of T5's also and I think they are sounding quite good. I've recently started tweaking my system with some very positve results. My Hales have 3" cones under them(one brass in front and two stainless steel in back)and that made a positive improvement in all around performance. My room is 13'X 18' and the ceiling is 9' high. I have the speakers perfectly symetrical to each other in the room. The speakers are 6' from the front wall and 3.5' from the side walls. I am using a Pass X250 amp which should be enough power. The only complaint I have is that I'm not getting a good 40Hz to 50Hz bass response. The 40 to 50 Hz is there but not nearly as good or loud as all the other frequencies I can measure. I'm using room treatment on the side walls(foam made for audio) and I'm using pillows in all corners which has helped the sound but I'm not really getting a strong 50Hz and I'm barely getting 40 Hz but I'm getting a strong 30 Hz. Since I've treated my room my sound is way better. I don't miss the reflections I didn't even know I had until I removed them.
My speakers are 88" apart(center to center of speakers) and my listening position is about 100" from the speakers. I have treated the front wall and as well. I pinned a cotton bed sheet folded over a few times to the back wall and I find this helps. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.