NOTICE to Marylanders:

Due to extremely low sales within the state of Maryland, complying with state sales tax became a source of problems. I have chosen to no longer accept any sales in the sate of Maryland. If you are in Maryland, find a friend in another state to handle the transaction without my knowledge or be prepared to prove you have tax exempt status.

How to order ...

There is no on-line ordering system! I always like to talk to my customers both to make sure they are getting the correct thing for their particular speakers and to safely get credit card information. You should contact me by phone, email or fax.

Payment methods ...

* VISA, Discover and MasterCard accepted * Credit cards are the preferred method of payment. No deposit is required.

PayPal payments will be accepted but will require a 50% deposit. To cover PayPal foreign currency exchange fees, a 4% charge will be added to overseas transactions. Note: The email address and PayPal address are NOT the same. Contact me before making PayPal payments.

Shipping ..

Since the loss of a $1400 set of networks during the Christmas rush I will now require a signature when any networks are delivered. I really don't like to inconvenience my customers this way, but I need confirmation of delivery. I will also no longer ship anything during the month of December.

* I ship within the US by FedEx ground. * US Postal priority is used outside the US. (Shipping details)

Delivery time...

I do not have the networks built and in stock! I need to order parts for the network orders that are on my waiting list and build up and ship these before I order parts again. Getting parts takes time. I can not keep all the major parts in stock for such a variety of network options. Cash flow demands that I operate this way. Lead time will usually be between 4 and 8 weeks depending on your position on the waiting list and part availability.

Some details about delays

The ALK Engineering warranty...

Any crossover network or horn upgrade you buy from ALK Engineering will be worth the money you spent for it, or within the first two weeks, I will buy it back so long as it is unmodified and undamaged. All you will lose is shipping cost if you don't like it.

** About Bi-Amping **

Bi-amping is the practice of utilizing separate amplifiers to run the woofer and the high frequency drivers. It also requires an active crossover network AHEAD of BOTH amplifiers. This is a point beginners don't understand. Most of my crossover networks are NOT compatible with this procedure. If you have to ask why, you don't want to even consider bi-amping. It's a BAG OF WORMS! HOWEVER: A version of the AP15-6000 network is available for use with bi-amping. It will be designated the AP12-6000T. Similarly, a bi-amp version of the extreme-slope ES5800 (ES5800T) is also available. These will allow the squawker to be attenuated rather then the tweeter in a 3-way system.

** A word about on-line audio forums **

I have concluded that I will never participate in any of the on-line forums ever again. Vendors such as myself are treated like dirt by the moderators (unless you pay to sponsor them) as well as forum members who assume their only motive is to peddle their stuff! I don't need forums to promote my stuff! I have intentionally had myself banned from these forums so that I will never again be tempted to log on to them.

The Klipsch company forum. - It seems that the Klipsch forums have changed. In the past, a vendor would be chastised by both the members and the moderators for using the forum as a sales tool even if suggesting what he sells legitimately solves a problem posed by a member. Now, a vendor can even start a new thread to show off his wares. His thread is considered HIS and no one may dare divert his effort. If the product happens to be snake oil, identifying the fact naturally points to the vendor as a quack. Anyone doing that gets chastised and even banned for "personal attacks". I got tired of answering the same questions over and over again years ago. I don't need the forum to sell my stuff so the only incentive to log on is to point out the snake-oil! The moderators don't have the technical expertise to do it. Now that NO ONE can do it, I might as well take my best shot and tell the moderators to go ahead and ban me! Now that I am banned, I rarely bother to even look at the forum! There is nothing I can do about the snake-oil anyhow. I can sleep nights again!

AudioAficionado.org <== This forum assumes new members are dirt until they prove otherwise!

AudioKarma.org <== These moderators are extremely narrow-minded!

Stereo Net Australia. <== I'm still a member in good standing on this forum. This is because there is very little Klipsch activity there so I have no interest in it. I just have't had much opportunity to get into trouble there!

The advice and information offered in any of these forms is mostly Bull$hit by amateurs who know little or nothing about what they are saying. Any attempt by competent people to call out snake-oil products is met with resistance. This causes those who actually know (usually vendors) to say nothing. The moderators will not point out the snake-oil leaving the entire forum as a exercise in the blind leading the blind!

Another example of the narrow-mindedness of the Klipsch forum moderators:

A tread was posted asking if the transformer taps could be moved on my Forte crossover network. One of their prominent resident "experts" (Deang) told them that the taps could not be moved. I created a new account just to correct the error and not only did they ban me again for doing it, which doesn't bother me a bit, but removed the entire thread! This is nothing but draconian stupidity! Now I have to delete the cookie their software deposited on my browser to stop me form even looking at their stupid forum! That will take me about 5 minutes. --- Update: It only took seconds to remove the cookie!

IDIOTS!

A suggestion: If anyone has a question about my network designs, ASK ME, not the "experts" on the Klipsch forum!

Al Klappenberger