Any current user of KLIPSCHORN FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS in the Community? If so, what electronics are you using? Thank you.
I had a pair for 14 years. Sold them recently and often regret it.
I thoroughly enjoyed them. Nothing like horn loaded Bass. I used several different tube amps dynaco Mark 3s, custom-made 60 watt push pull kt88 amps and Wright WPA 3.5 monoblocks. Numerous 6SN7 based preamps as well as a couple of passive pres.
I’m sure you already know they need good corners with about four feet on either side of them. They like a big room. Mine was more medium in size 13 x 16 but still performed well. In a small room the sweet spot is small but still very sweet. Mid-range to die for. Female vocals sublime.
Thank you. Aside from my socks, I do not believe I have ever owned anything for 14 years. (Amended: I did have a car once for 17 years, but it was a great car).
They, and the Altec Voice of the Theater, were classic designs. The Klipschorn is highly efficient and a moderate tube integrated amp (PrimaLuna for example) would be the heart of an analogue system in a second listening room. The “guy from Hope, Arkansas” really knew his sound.
Do you mind stating what you purchased as replacements? The Klipsch in the grander scheme of things (Eg. Focale, Wilson, etc) are not unduly expensive.
I don’t own klipsh speakers but when one went to venues I went to classicalbumsundays where they use klipschorns fronted with UK audionote integrated.
Lots of gear came and went but the mighty KHorns were a constant. They are very special. As far as I know they are the only speaker that has been in constant production for the last 40+ years. I think any serious music person should have a pair at least once in their life. They are very reasonably attainable used. you can buy them listen to them for a couple of years and easily sell them for what you paid for them.
My plan was to sell the k horns and buy PWK’s ultimate vision the Jubilee. The three way Cinema speakers have a cult following over at the Klipsch forums in a two-way active format. My only apprehension was not knowing much about speaker measurements active crossovers or any of the science behind it.
When a pair of Oris 150 horns became available in a drivable distance to me, I decided to buy them and dip my toe in the active crossover world.
I’ve spent the last 1.5 years or so getting familiar with REW, speaker measurements, time alignment of drivers, phase shift, group delay and spectrogram plots. I’ll never own another pair of speakers with passive crossovers. The difference is breathtaking. For my money the biggest difference is the time alignment of drivers.
I’ve had three different 8in full-range drivers in the Oris 150 horns. I’ve also cycled through bass bins consisting of My KHorns, L Scalas, Klipsch forte II with everything disabled except the bass section. Eventually I settled on my own built H-frame open baffle bass bins.
You can see my current setup below taken earlier today while I was “cleaning” the basement.
I’m pretty well-versed on all things Klipsch feel free to ask me any questions you might have. My only advice would be if you are buying new to consider a two-way jubilee setup. Actually about half the price of a new pair of k horns. I know a wonderful dealer who has sold many many pairs and can get you up and running with a killer set of Jubilees. The jubilee is much more placement friendly and like I said Paul Klipsch’s ultimate vision. That said, the k horns really are beautiful sounding speakers. I’ve heard a $60,000 pair of focal’s in a room designed for them. The k horns don’t lag far behind. Never had the Good Fortune to hear Wilson’s.
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Your system would be described by my daughters as “awesome.” Clearly, this is a very serious hobby for you, one into which you have become very invested, precise and creative. Thanks for sharing your thoughts (and offer). I am not worried about placement of the K’horns and have a few areas where they would work well. I have not heard the Wilson; I cannot tell if the Wilson son has the same vision. When you get into the stratosphere, you have to have reviews and a customer base to support your R&D.
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Did I miss your program source(s)? It occurred to me sometime ago that in order to do well with a hobby, you must have a focus from which you are not distracted (by the environment, by people and by finances). I personally have entertained numerous concurrent hobbies, you lose the precision on any of them. That said, you can learn a great deal. If you like classic literature and modern pistols, you may well have a breadth of knowledge that others solely in one camp will never learn about the other. In college, they referred to the B.A. degree as a general breadth of interest so you took courses in philosophy, biology, history and mathematics in equal measure except for your major and minor. I would be curious as to your input devices and particular music appealing to you.
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FYI, I had a Prima Luna prologue preamp and amp for a short time. The pre was great, the amp not so much. Noisy. Better with EL34 tubes than KT88.
The efficiency is amazing. The Wright monos with 2A3 tubes were only 3 watts and plenty loud. They were my favorite amps with KHorns. SET + KHorns are a match made in heaven.
Good luck with your quest!
I’ve got lots of digital throughout the house. But in my main room with the KHorns it was 90% vinyl. Lots of tweaking and swapping early on. Vinyl rig has been pretty consistent for the last 8 to 10 years. No real changes. Since venturing down the Room rabbit hole I’ve been getting more serious about a digital source and contemplating a simpler life, possibly without vinyl. Not sure I’ll be able to get there.
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I’ve been a lifelong runner, avid cyclist (6 different road bikes too many wheels to count) and an award winning Home Brewer since 1995. They each ebb and flow. Not riding the bike too much lately since a collarbone fracture that saw 8 screws and a plate installed.
Music and running always a constant. I think too much of anything is bad. It becomes a job and not fun if you obsess too much. The digital thing has been a welcome distraction from vinyl. New stuff to learn. I like the learning as much as doing. So much out there we DON’T know…fun to find out
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I share that: Learning strongly competes with doing. There is a fascinating world out there, and am unable to become solely immersed to the exclusion of other things. I do believe that biking and running however is a very different use (and impact) of neurochemistry. I had a friend (internist at the medical school) that was running 8 miles x 2 per day. Injured himself, could not run for two months, became clinically depressed. Interesting fellow: gave my one daughter a t-shirt that read “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I am Schizophrenic and so am I.”
Sorry about your injury. 8 screws and hardware in a clavicle is not fun. Then I bet the fall itself was impressive. BTW, with your system, and vinyl capacity, it would be a challenge to find digital that could compete.
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I have a story to tell.
Late 70s, in college and I’m renting a house with my cousin Chaz. Total party scene. Now Chaz had saved up his money and bought a pair of Klipsch corner horns - the biggest speakers I’d ever seen. We squeezed them in the living room and needed to seal off the front door for one of the corners.
So Chaz had just setup the speakers but couldn’t really test them because we also happened to have a family get-together that afternoon. Aunts and uncles, grandmother, little cousins… everyone was over. Had a good time (we all get along well) and the party is winding down. The last ones to leave are Aunt Carol and my grandmother.
Now because we had blocked off the front door to accommodate the speakers, everyone had to come and go thru the back door, which meant walking the length of the house along the driveway.
So anyway, Aunt Carol and grandma are the last ones to leave, and as soon as the backdoor closes Chaz jumps at the stereo and cranks up Welcome to the Machine, Pink Floyd. Half a minute later Aunt Carol is knocking at the back door - she forgot her purse. We turn the music down and retrieve the purse. And as she’s leaving, she turns and says they were halfway down the driveway when grandma cried out “My God, Carol - the house is shaking!”
Pink Floyd’s Welcome to the Machine and Klipsch… bouncing the rubble.
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That’s a great story and very cool mental image.
Still using a vintage pair (early 70s) that I have owned for 40 years in my main system. Just love them!
The crossovers were replaced with a pair from Bob Crites about 6 years ago but the drivers are all original.
20W Earle Weston Troubadour amp. Sometimes a 2.5W Miniwatt as well which rocks!
Antipodes DS server/streamer using Roon
Denafrips Pontus DAC
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Currently trying out a pair of extreme slope active crossovers on my K’horns which usually have AA crossovers.
They are home made and the sound is soooo different. Not sure whether I like them too much but you get used to anything eventually I guess. They seem to play better with SS amps and I’m using a borrowed one atm.
I have an old SS Luxman integrated that I will have re-capped and try that before I make a final decision on the crossovers.