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A while back I copied out some of Andy (HDBRbuilder)'s comments about the best years for Klipschorns. I offer it here since the content of his insiders point is view is beyond value. This is several of his comments observations and insights melded into one, not terribly well organized piece. - Chris L Austin, Texas "BTW...my personal preferencce for K-horns has far less to do with drivers and crossover networks than it has to do with quality of build and materials used in the build. My preference for factory-made K-horns is for those built between around mid-1977 to around mid-1982. Here is why: 1. The builders at that time generally had quite a few years of experience and took great pride in what they built...true craftsmen! The rest of the workers in the wood shop were also craftsmen...and so was the foreman...who was a stickler for excellence! 2. At the beginning of that time period is about when the baltic birch replaced the previously-used marine-grade fir plywood for most of the cabinet construction, excluding the finely-veneered panels. This is important because not only was that baltic birch stiffer, creating a more solid cabinet structure in the K-horns than the previously-used marine grade fir, BUT it was relatively NEW to our shores. And the U.S.S.R. was sending the absolute BEST they produced here in order to grab a share of the plywood market by making a name for themselves in the high quality of the product they sold here early on! Pretty simple! 3. I prefer GOOD QUALITY solid lumbercore plywood over MDF or regular plywood for a finely-veneered panel medium. During those years, the quality of that lumbercore was still excellent for the most part...very solid stuff...and when cross-cutting it you RARELY saw ANY KIND OF VOID or veneer separation show up! 4. Veneers were better. They were thicker, allowing for easier repairs or refinishing. There was MUCH more care taken by the manufacturers to perfectly match-up the book matches of the veneers on the sheets of lumbercore plywood. Generally speaking the boards the veneer slices were taken from were wider, so that there were fewer SEPARATE sheets applied to a panel...which gives it, IMHO, a more aesthetic appeal...IOW it just LOOKS BETTER that way! And, finally, the grain patterns in those veneers were more often more eye-catching with more figure than similar panels found today. One other point...you could get a WIDER VARIETY of veneers then, because we hadn't banned import of some of those woods yet and availability was better leading to better figure IN those veneers! I am not a major fan of the K-77 OVER the K-77M, or vice versa, so that is a non-issue with me...either one will work for me! BUT, I definitely prefer the K-55V over the K55-M driver...again a personal taste thing. I like the K-33-E just fine...it does a great job driving that folded horn. I have no major preference of the A over the AA or vice versa, BUT I DO have a preference of either of those in good condition(functioning like new) over the AK or AL networks when combined with my preferred drivers. I prefer the K-400 mid-horn lens over the K-401. Even with its occassional tendency to "ring", if that should happen, then the problem is easily solved. SO, that is why I prefer FACTORY-BUILT K-horns from those years. That being said, I would still closely check out a pair from that time frame before considering a purchase, for a number of reasons: to ensure everything was working properly; to ensure the OBSERVABLE build quality met MY standards; to ensure that if any repairs were needed, I could easily accomplish them; and FINALLY, but NOT THE LEAST IMPORTANT REASON, I would want to see WHO built it! I knew ALL the builders during those years, and there are one or two I would rather NOT to have built what I would purchase. After all, if I am gonna spend MY MONEY on somebody else's craftsmanship, I want it to be from a CRAFTSMAN! One more thing...although I may someday purchase a nice pair of K-horns meeting the above criteria from that time period, I am MUCH more likely to just build my own...that way I can be as picky as I want to be! If they were built before 1977, then they were built by experienced builders...my point about PRE-1977 K-HORNS, was that I prefer the ones built using baltic birch panels due to the extra rigidity of the cabinets that medium supplies...it had nothing to do with the build quality in relation to the builders, themselves. Pre-1977, most of the panels used in the bass bin construction were of FIR marine-grade plywood, which is fine, but not as stiff as baltic birch is. The one asset that fir has OVER baltic birch is that on the edge grain (exposed plys), it more readily soaks glue into its fibers, thereby giving a POSSIBILITY of a tighter glue bond at those junctions as compared to those same junctions for baltic birch...it necessitates using a bit more glue to make up for what is "sucked into" the fibers there. The fir also required a bit more drying time for that glue, since more of the glue was used there. Baltic birch on its end plys has less wood and more glue due to the number of plys in it, so it does not take as much glue nor does it take as much time for glue set-up to occur at those junctions...BUT it also requires the builder to lay out a perfect glue line at those junctions to ensure the bond is strong enough, since there is less fiber for the glue to bond with. So, it is necessary for the builder to pay more attention to detail using baltic birch. That kind of attention is gained with EXPERIENCE! Another point I was trying to make is that the foreman of that era and prior to that era was a stickler for perfection, so he was constantly going around and spot-checking the work of the builders to ensure it met his high standards. So, I would personally have no or few worries about cabinet build quality for K-horns prior to 1982-83. It was AFTER this time that the loss of the majority of the old hands and the ascession of one particular foreman may have adversely affected K-HORN build quality. As for LaScalas or any of the other cabinets, it is really not that big of an issue. LaScala build is with 3/4" cabinet grade birch plywood, so there is lots more glue surface available on end ply surfaces than there is on 1/2" plywood construction as seen in most of the K-horn bass bin. It is easier to ensure good solid bonds on the LaScala because every junction of the plywood is readily accessible to wipe extra glue into the joint immediately after securing that pre-glued joint with the fasteners. On K-horns, there are many points where only ONE SIDE of a junction can be observed to ensure proper glue squeeze-out and wiping glue into that joint can be done, therefore it is strictly up to the reliance on experience of the builder to ensure the joint is properly secured. One other note...the foreman I mentioned as having not been quality-minded was a builder before becoming foreman, but HIS work was also heavily scrutinized by the previous foreman...who often chastised him and had him make necessary corrections during the build process. Harry was one helluva foreman...he was very picky! He had a demeanor that allowed for a learning curve for those new employees who were hired into the wood shop, provided those employees were willing to learn to build to his high standards. He had an eye for potential in an employee...normally being able to size-up whether a new employee had the makings of a craftsman or not early on. If that new employee did NOT have those attributes, he was sent elsewhere fairly rapidly. Unfortunately, Harry stepped back to being the senior builder due to health reasons. When that happened, around 1979, he recommended that TWO builders jointly assume the foreman role in his place. Those two guys (Charles and Ronnie) were also good foremen, but they left for greener pastures around 1981-82. That is when the foreman I have mentioned (no name here, to protect the guilty) took over and quality of build was superceded as the priority by numbers built. In all fairness to that foreman, I have to reiterate that all but four builders in the wood shop at that time were new people, and the powers that be wanted to maintain the previous high production rate from the time when all the builders were very experienced, so it was difficult to be in a push-pull situation which required the numbers needed be completed without hiring additional employees...so in order to retain his job, he had to produce those numbers, even if it meant quality had to suffer somewhat! When I worked at Klipsch, Robert Wyatt, nicknamed "Bois d' Arc", built a half scale pair of these. He used the best he could find in drivers for the smaller size horns, and when frequency-tested by Mr. Bradford in the testing booth, although the bass horns provided that familiar horn-loaded bass, they began to roll-off just about where a Heresy rolled-off. After Robert found that out from Mr. Bradford, he was kinda disappointed...but laughingly said to me "That sure was a helluva lot of work to just end up with a pair of Heresys!" Robert told me that a number of years back those mini-K-hons were stolen from him. If they ever turn up anywhere, they should be easily-recognizable, though! They looked exactly like a pair of full-scale walnut K-horns...likely the only ones ever built to that tight of specifications by a genuine K-horn builder! BTW, Robert is still at Klipsch...heads the new warehousing unit the company built a year or so ago! I gotta hand it to Robert...he started the same week that I started, at Klipsch. He built parts for way too long before he was moved into a permanent building slot. There are a number of reasons why his move up to builder took so long, but it was still kinda a slap in his face for it to take so long. He would help me build up Cornwalls and Heresys quite often before he got his own permanent builder status on K-horns...We got along greatly! Sometimes it would annoy the foreman, though...we had a "big-time" when building, joking and carrying on, but still well-exceeding the expected daily quota with a quality product! TO be honest, few of my helpers were ever as good as Robert was! One of the reasons he built the half-scale K-horn to begin with was to show he had an intimate knowledge of the speaker to those who may not have realized how good he was at building them! Robert is just as much fun to talk to today as he was in the past...I had a grand visit with him a year and a half ago! 2. 1985? THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD YEAR FOR K-HORNS?? Hmmm...lemme see...Bois'd Arc started building them around early 1982, and IF HE BUILT the ones from 1985, he would have had about two-three years experience (but only a portion of those years would have been devoted to K-horn construction, alone)...that is good enough I guess...but if anybody else was the builder in 1985, he/she likely had less than 6 months building experience that year...and...of course...all of the old hands at building them who had ten or more years experience were gone by 1983...most were gone BEFORE 1981...so...if you want to relate consistency of quality of BUILD...I wouldn't exactly say 1985 was anywhere NEAR a good year... As for some of the components used in them in 1985...that is debatable too! The good year for a K-horn should be based on a combination of three things...expected QUALITY of build would be MOST important, since that is where the real expense lays....next would be components used...since that is where the middle expense lays...then type and/or consistency of quality of materials used in cabinet construction. 1985 does not top-out on any of these lists! I am not saying that a K-horn built by Bois'd Arc would be a bad one...quite the opposite!!...but he was NOT the only builder in 1985...he just was the only builder at that time who had any REAL experience who was doing it that year!! BTW...I also know who the foreman in the woodshop was that year...and the degree to which a foreman places quality of build in relation to numbers produced has A LOT to do with my perception of the odds of getting a well-built cabinet!! That particular foreman had a LOT of experience in the wood shop, but he was a numbers man...NOT a quality man! He was also the foreman the last couple of years I worked there and we butted heads quite often...especially when he said things like..."don't waste time getting that miter knocked out perfectly evenly on that bowed panel...they can take care of the overhang in the sanding room...and if they sand through the veneer trying to do it, we can just paint it black and ship it out!" It is one thing to tell me that if I am not making an expected quota, but quite another to tell me that when I am exceeding my expected quota by 50% or more daily!! ESPECIALLY when the veneer is something like rosewood on a special order...and it will only take me two seconds to accomplish the job at hand! But, then again, he ran the shop the same way he had built speakers when he was a builder...half-assed, at best! Well, Dean...good things DO HAPPEN...and the powers that be at the company finally realized that particular foreman needed to be shown the exit door! Sometimes it takes awhile to realize where a problem really IS...and when it got to a point where enough old hands, or even new hands who were quality-minded, left for other jobs just because they got tired of that clown's harangues about numbers versus quality...and he finally got the fast but sorry builders he wanted....and the quality began to suffer so badly that it brought SERIOUS attention to him...he got canned! The sad part is that he lasted in that position for a number of years before the honchos caught on to him! I just have to say this too...after he becamne foreman, he sometimes built Belles. One day he walked over to me and just asked me "How many returns on cabinets you have built have you had since I became foreman?" I answered "None, as a matter of fact, I have NEVER had a return due to MY building quality! How about you?" He replied "I have had a few, but I have been here twice as long as you have." At that time I had been there building about 5 or so years. As he left my worktable, and headed back to work on one of his Belles, one of the gals from final assembly was rolling one of his Belles back to him for a needed repair due to his building quality. I laughed so hard, my eyes teared up, and I couldn't see what I was doing, but I continued building "blind"...and nothing I built that day came back either! In the over seven years I was there, I had NO RETURNS due to my building quality at all! That in itself means more to me, PERSONALLY, than anything else I accomplished there! JMON, In no way was I saying that all the K-horns built in a particular year are worse than ones built in any other year...based upon quality of build. I was referring to the ODDS of getting one that either had un-noticed problems, or had to have a factory repair or correction made to it prior to leaving the plant. Generally speaking, the company has done quite well over the years in ensuring that nothing substandard from the Heritage line leaves the plant...IOW...errors in quality are most often caught prior to that point. BUT...my point is that there were ALWAYS a handful of "problem-children" that made it to a dealer or customer before a problem was discovered in build quality....and that in certain years, when the lower mid-management in one or more departments was more concerned with numbers produced than in quality of workmanship, there was naturally a greater possibility that more unnoticed bad builds made it out the door. Bois'd Arc was an excellent builder...in anything he built...he took PRIDE in what he did! On the other hand, there are always a few folks who only show up for a paycheck and are more concerned in meeting their quotas than in doing a good job...this fact is compounded when the foreman of a section is ALSO more concerned with numbers than quality. In all likelihood, the vast majority of speakers that made it out the door during ANY year were of adequate build quality...since problems generally were caught before that point, and corrected. I just prefer years in which the speakers were built with BETTER than "adequate" quality by EXPERIENCED builders who took great pride in their work and who were able to meet or exceed quota expectations while still putting maximum quality into their work. As in all things manufactured, there are certain minimum standards that have to be met for a product to pass inspection. BUT, that does NOT dictate that the MINIMUM standards are as far as an employee should take things when involved in the manufacture of that product. I am a firm believer in not only meeting minimum standards but in EXCEEDING those standards of quality to the best of one's ability. Sadly, there are many who do not see things as I see them! IOW, if one chooses to take up a craft, he/she should ACT and PERFORM like a CRAFTSMAN, not like a clock-puncher! In all likelihood, your K-horns are just fine! 3. Although this changed here and there, try looking on the upper rear of the tailboard. Sometimes the builder code is stamped in there. Also, try looking at the EDGES of the top panel of the bass bin...the panel that is veneered...look on the open end grain of the poplar lumber core there along the rear angles...there should be a builder code on that for most of them built during that time frame... The problem with K-horns is that bass bins units were made by one set of builders, whereas the upper cabinets were often made by the folks building the BK's. D-style K-horn cabinets are another story. Most builders stamped their code into the bass bin itself and ALSO stamped it into the edge of the veneered panel that was mounted to the top of the bass bin later on...to ensure that the bass bin could be traced to the builder. Hope this helps some. Fini, I don't know who the first "O" was, but the second "O" was for Ola Mae Davis, who sanded the unit. Your K-horns were built prior to the time that they began using two-letter builder codes and sander codes, for the most part. The factory expanded in late summer 1976 to twice its previous size, which brought more workers into it, thereby necessitating the changeover to two-letter build and sanding codes as folks got trained up as builders and sanders. My code varied from whether I was building solo or with a partner from 1976-1983, but if there was a letter "A" in the builder code during those years, it was me. The only sander that had an "O" of "OD" code from before I started working there until about a year before I left was Ola Mae Davis. Her health began to go and she retired about 1982...she was no spring chicken by then anymore. Bois'd Arc began building K-horns around 1980-1981, if I remember correctly. His builder code had an "R" or "RW" in it...his first name was Robert...he is still with the company today, but not building. Prior to his building K-horns, he was one of the primary parts builders and often came over to be my partner after I started building. He spent time building everything but BK's up til the time I left in September 1983. About the time I got there or a bit afterwards one of the K-horn builders named Oran left...he had been a builder for a number of years but was retiring...his code may have been the "O". Charles and Ronnie built a large number of K-horns from right before I got there until around 1980 or so, even though they were co-foremen by around 1980. Charles normally used either a "C" or a "CH"...ROnnie used either an "R" or a "RB"...BUT Roy Byers also used "RB" for a number of years...but Roy was normally only building BK's at the time...so that his use of the same code was a non-issue since it was only seen on BK's. 4. Building a Khorn at home: Originally, Klipsch used marine-grade fir plywood in the construction of the bass bin. This plywood was specially selected for Klipsch to be void-free. By 1976 or 1977, however, with the advent of "glastnost", Klipsch was able to make the changeover from the marine-grade fir plywood to baltic birch plywood. Some of the bass bin was made out of baltic birch(approximately 1/2" material), while the rest of the bass bin, excluding the front panel, that required 3/4" stock was made using Georgia-Pacific 3/4" plywood that was also hand-selected to be void-free, AND it had SEVEN inner fir plys with two outer birch veneers, instead of FIVE inner fir plys with two outer birch veneers (as is normally found on 3/4" birch plywood you see). I recently saw a pair of NEW LaScalas at the local Klipsch dealer, and they were also built using this same grade of plywood. Klipsch special-ordered this stuff, so I don't know if you can get it just anywhere. The splitter was made out of knot-free pine number 2 construction "2x4" material, as were the glue blocks used in the construction of the pyramid section of the bass bin. The H/F motorboard itself was made out of this same 3/4" birch plywood, with a piece of pine 2x4 glued and nailed to each end, then grille cloth was wrapped around it and stapled down at the rear, before being inserted into the H/F cabinet and secured with screws to glue blocks there. The decorative front panel was made out of 3/4" veneered poplar lumber core plywood, unless it was a decorator model, then it was the same 3/4" birch. It is IMPERATIVE that the front panel, which is what the entire bass bin is built ONTO, be as SOLID a material as possible! The same for the horizontal panels atop the bass bin and the H/F cabinet, and the panel between the bass bin panel/riser, and the bottom of the H/F cabinet....also the side panels of the H/F cabinet...these all used the same material. Glues used: I would NOT recommend using the Elmer's carpenter's glue. Originally, SOME of the construction was done with professional woodworker's white glue CONCENTRATE, that was mixed-down with water to thin it somewhat and allow a bit longer working time before glue-set-up occurred, and the rest was done with a powdered urea/formaldehyde glue that set up quite rapidly after being mixed with water. My recommendation is to use tite-bond wood glue, since it so closely replicates the factory white glue used...and you can use it for the ENTIRE assembly. There is an art to mixing powdered urea/formaldehyde glue to get the right consistency AND still allow yourself enough working time so that the glue doesn't set-up prior to when you WANT it to do so! Hint! Hint! So, just go with the tite-bond. There is ALSO an aquired "art" to applying glue to critical LONG surfaces, such as beveled edges of the bass bin side panels, or miters on Cornwalls, Heresys, and such. We used flattened-out TABLESPOONS, with the old heavy military style stainless steel models much preferred by most of the builders. Some of the builders brought in old tablespoons from home and threw them in a box we pulled em out of whenever we needed a new spoon. During the Hunt brothers' attempt to corner the silver market, I brought in a large number of military spoons, replacing some of the old STERLING silver spoons in the box with them...and sold off the silver ones...LOL! Nobody complained, since they liked the heavy stainless spoons better to begin with! You lay the wood panel down with the bevel or miter facing UP towards you; spread the glue on the surface HEAVILY, then use the edge of the spoon to clean-off the leading edge of the bevel about 1/16" back from the edge...you gotta be able to do this rapidly, get the panel into position, then fasten it down, then "wipe" excess glue back into the seam, while, at the same time, cleaning up any extreme excess....with damp paper towels. Not as easy as it looks! The bottom panel of the bass bin is ACTUALLY a part of one of two sub-assemblies called "wings" due to their side-view dihedral kinda shape. Since the panels in the "wings" are cut from 1/2" material, I don't think you will be having the bottom of your k-horn project be 3/4" material, unless you decide to modify dimensions of the bass bin sides, the front panel, etc...in order to do this. Basically, you have the front panel laying on its face ,then you add the splitter wedge, the skeeter wings assemblies, the motorboard for the woofer, the four traps(trapezoidal panels), then you add the subassembly called the pyramid to this, then you add the wings to top and bottom, then you add the bass bin sides, and you are done with the bass bin, except for details like no-see-um for rear vents, the tailboard, etc. Then you add the top panel, and begin building the HF cabinet as a separate unit to be attached by wingnuts later on. D-style has no real upper H/F cabinet, but the H/F motorboard is just and upward extension of the bass bin front panel, basically. C-style cabinets have no panel atop the bass bin, but instead use the lower panel of the H/F cabinet as the top of the bass bin once the units are joined. B-style have a top panel on the bass bin, AND a RECTANGULAR riser between that panel and the bottom panel of the H/F cabinet. Gil is right...this project will be both a final product AND a prototype for you, since you have never done this before. The cuts have to be EXACT with minimum tolerances NOT GREATER THAN 1/64"...which is not that easy to do, unless you are very experienced in fine woodworking and have an excellent table saw, etc. It is very easy for one to begin this kind of project with the best of intentions, and lots of money tied up in materials and such...only to find out that some little mistake in the process has rendered the final product a major waste of time and money. There are lots of other horn designs that are much easier to build. My advice to a novice at building k-horns is to just buy em cheap on ebay...after all, even the new builders at the plant had experienced builders at their sides for the first couple of dozen or so times they were involved in building them...AND EVEN THEN SOME OF THEM GOT SCRAPPED! But, if you intend to sail "full steam ahead", then good luck! Remember ONE thing, though...be sure that you do everything EXACTLY like it is suposed to be done...be sure that everything you need for each phase of building these is readily at hand...be sure to have a helper standing by...CLOSE BY...while doing this...and if things don't work out, then chalk it up to experience and drive on! One last hint...there can never be TOO many long bar clamps around when you really need them!! Hint! Hint! I hope you didn't take my advice of just buying a pair of k-horns cheap on ebay to mean that I don;t believe one is capable of building k-horns on his/her own. That is not the case at all. It is just cheaper to do it that way. For example: You can pick up a pair of K-horns in very nice condition for between 1500 and 2500 bucks on ebay, depending on how wiling you are to wait for the right deal to come along. Now, this of course does NOT include crating and shipping costs, but you can wait until you have a pair close by and pick them up yourself. So, let's figure 2500 for the speakers, and another 100 bucks or less for the round trip to pick them up...total cost of around 2600 bucks. Here is what it costs you to BUILD a pair of these: Components: Minimum of $900 total investment based on current ebay price averages, not including shipping costs: $200 for 2 each new (or used) K-33 woofers $150+ for two K77 tweeters (used) $300+ for two K-400 midrange horns $100+ for two K55V midrange drivers $150+ for two AA networks $50+ for wiring and fittings Now, let's look at the MINIMUM investment of $937 in materials for the project, using walnut veneered plywood for the cosmetic portions of the cabinets: $400+ for 4 sheets of MATCHED walnut veneered top grade 3/4" plywood(even alot more for lumber- core stock!) $350+ for 10 sheets of 1/2" baltic birch plywood (this comes in 5'x5' sheets and, yes, it takes this many or more!) $60+ for 1 sheet of 3/4" 9-ply cabinet grade plywood $2 for one straight-grained, clear fir or pine 2x4 $40+ for one high grade 60 tooth 10" tablesaw blade. $10+ for sandpaper and such $20+ for glue and such $25+ for staples, screws, and other fastener hardware, not including the staple gun, the compressor, the nail gun, and the drill/screwdriver, drill bits, screwdriver bits, router, router bits, router jig materials, etc. $30+ for sealer and finish, not including spray gun and other associated equipment. TOTAL MINIMUM INVESTMENT in materials/components is $1837.00 (this does NOT include any of YOUR time/labor, and is the MINIMUM investment!) Now, other than your pride in ownership of something YOU personally built, let's look at the fair market value of the final project after completion, assuming your home-built ones are equal to the quality of, say, a pair of 1978 factory made K-horns...based on recent "deals" on eBay: 1978 KLIPSCHorns in GREAT condition: $1500-2500 Yours in GREAT condition: $500-1000 See what I mean? For the MINIMUM cost of components and materials ALONE, you can BUY a factory pair, used in great condition."

...And an email! - Chris

Here's a shot that won't make you click on the link:

Thanks for the kind words, everybody. No one seems motivated enough to pick up the phone or drop me a line though... So I will give it one more shot here before these go on Craig's List and then the dreaded eBay... Again, original drivers, nice veneer, crossovers rebuilt by Bob Crites, built right around the height of the quality years of cabinetry in Hope... And the horn loaded sound is THRILLING. If you have any interest now is the time to act! thanks, Chris

Hey - I have a sweet pair of Scalas available in Austin. The link to the for sale posting is below. I haven't gotten any nibbles yet and I haven't tried to sell em too hard either... I really do love em. Price is a little flexible since this is my second go round here... Let me know! http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/578740/ShowPost.aspx Chris

These were veneered to order by the guy I bought them from, an air traffic controller in Houston. I put the wrong link to the other one in my earlier message, so here is the other one: http://home.grandecom.net/~cplyons/Left_Scala.jpg

Well, now that my Khorns are in place and sounding great I need to find a home for my beloved Scalas. These are finished in Cherry veneer with nice mouldings. Take a look: http://home.grandecom.net/~cplyons/Right_Scala.jpg http://home.grandecom.net/~cplyons/scala1.jpg These are from 1977, Serial number for the one in this photo is 9R653. I can't read the SN from the other (faded out), but they appear and sound identical and all the labels look the same, so I presume they are from the same run and probably sequential. All the drivers are original and they sound FANTASTIC... in some ways better than the Khorns in my listening room. But I won't be living here forever, so the scalas gotta go. The AA crossovers have been rebuilt by our own Bob Crites to be switchable between A and AA configuration. For my review of the rebuild, please see this old thread: http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=55854&forumID=71&catID=19 I have also damped the squawkers with rope caulk and stuffed the top chamber with insulation. These are truly ready to install and enjoy! Here's a pic of the other one and the back: http://home.grandecom.net/~cplyons/Right_Scala.jpg http://home.grandecom.net/~cplyons/scala3.jpg Price from right here in Austin is $1,000.00 Let me know...

Audio Karma has a good one: http://65.219.61.150/forums/ Also you might try the Vintage board and the Tube board at Audio Asylum. Chris

Yeah, I guess those feature some of the early Baltic Birch so favored by Andy (HDBRBuilder). Dr. W skillfully sanded (and sanded and sanded some more) and lacquered em nicely. NO STAIN! Chris

---------------- On 7/1/2005 1:41:25 PM rewyllys wrote: I'm the original owner of a pair of Klipschorns, purchased in Austin in 1980: Model No. KC-BR, serial nos. 12S978 and 12S979. They are in excellent condition. I'm selling them only because my wife insists that they will not fit in our music room after the remodeling that we're about to start. I've attached a photo of one of them to this post, and I'll gladly supply a photo of the other upon request. Ron Wyllys ---------------- To quote Wayne (from Wayne's World, natch)... "They will be mine, oh yes... they will be mine." Just put the deposit down with the esteemed Dr. Wyllys and will pick up my first Khorns come Saturday! They are every bit as beautiful as they appear in the photo. AA networks, metal horns, good 1978 (not 1980) wood... Perfect white grilles... I am truly in the catbird seat!! Now I gotta sell my La Scalas!! Chris

Do a search on my username and you will find posts detailing my experience with Bob's "freshening" of my La Scala networks, bringing them up to the A/AA convertible. To sum it up I would say I would RUN to get this done again. Bob is the Best!! Chris

rewyllys - I sent you email yesterday. I am ready to buy! I live in Austin and have been searching for some locally. I also saw these on Craig's List. Please contact me!! Chris Lyons 512-928-1516 zplyonz@yahoo.com

Just to put the nail in the coffin, I enquired if he might accept less if the $3000 reserve isn't met, here's his reply: No, I will not accept less. If I don't get that amount, then I will keep them. My wife will just have to live with it. Regards, John ...Not that I blame him...

OK, presuming someone who can't read a schematic or wield a soldering iron, how much does such a person have to spend to buy a reasonably decent (not the best) sounding SET amp on say Audiogon?

---------------- On 3/9/2005 5:10:38 PM Painful Reality wrote: In a plainer language, I wouldn't touch this amp with a 20 feet pole. I'm a skeptic when it comes to this flurry of cheap amps from China. I know some are good but most are pure junk. Of course it's only $125. But again would I go and spend $5 at Waffle House to see what a waffle taste like... Probably not! Even if it is only $5, as I can anticipate the results. SET amps have a big drawback compare to PP amps. In a nutshell, with SET amps the output transformers are more critical to the final result than PP amps. In a PP amp, a good designer will be able to "find a way" around a pedestrian output transformer and manage to pull a decent amp. With a SET If you have crappy output transformers, you can kiss goodbye to good sound as no amount of brilliant design will overide this. The moral of the story, a cheap SET have less chance to be sounding decent than a cheap PP. Now I hope I won't have to book a flight to Austin Texas, I'm pretty busy these days. ---------------- Dear Jeff/Painful - You told me exactly what I needed to know, and I'm grateful. Even though this thing costs only "the price of a night on the town", I would prefer the night on the town to a likely mediocre audio experience. Good luck to the seller and whoever winds up with this... And BTW Painful, if you do ever find yourself in Austin, give me a shout - Bitter End Porter on me. Thanks again, Chris L Austin Texas