Bill W.

I think I remember that thing being a $39 Emerson CD player! Clearly the speakers are where the action is when it comes to big performance gains.

Hi Mike,This may sound funny but it keeps changing. Usually its the last recording I played. I just listened to a 30 year old direct-to-disc recording of Virgil Fox playing the pipe organ at Garden Grove Community Church in California. One of the best organ recordings I have in my collection. This is stunning on Jubs. P.S. Thanks for your assistance with the EV data. You made it easy for me!

boom3,You are absolutely correct. I was paraphrasing[:$]

Hi Seti - Yes we are using the Jubilees for live bands. The word has gotten out and the musicians invite their friends to come and enjoy the performance because they have never sounded better. We booked a regional singer/songwriter who sang for the closing ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. She enjoyed it so much she has been back to perform twice.

Bill, Have you moved them back/forth? Moving Jubilees isn't too high on my "10 things I want to do before I die" list. I once wondered what you would do in your off season... leave the Jubilees at the restaurant or grunt them home? Hey Coytee,Yes I have moved them home to Arizona with me for the winter. Being without them for six months would be too much to bear. Actually, I wanted the opportunity to make a detailed comparison between the Jubilees and each of my other systems without the interuptions I would face at the restaurant. I have learned more in the last month than I have learned in 30 years!

The patio has side walls but no roof. Dimensions for the patio are 27' wide x 75' deep. It is remarkable how good the sound is with no "room issues" to deal with.

I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures to post - gotta get a digital camera!!!

First, a little background... Almost a year ago I began the quest for a pair of Jubilees for playback of live and recorded music at our restaurant. We knew that customers responded very well when we upgraded our sound system to include Heresy Industrials in the main dining room and LaScala Industrials on the outdoor patio for live music applications. We recently expanded our outdoor patio with a small performance stage and additional seating and were looking for a speaker system with the ability to cover a large area with very uniform response and state-of-the-art sound quality. The LaScalas were only used for live music and are not suited for continuous duty outdoors and the resulting exposure to the elements. I had read all the posts regarding the Jubilees and felt they might be a great choice for our application if a weather-resistant version could be produced. I submitted a special order request to Klipsch specifying Jubilees constructed of marine-grade plywood. The request was approved and the speakers were built and delivered to our restaurant in September. There are those who feel it is not wise to purchase expensive gear without the opportunity to hear it first. I have always followed that advice until now. What made this situation different was two factors: Lack of easy access to a pair for audition and the very extensive writings of forum members that described in detail their perceptions of systems I am very familiar with. When I can accurately correlate my perceptions and experiences to those of other writers, I learn to trust their qualitative descriptions of the strengths and weaknesses being discussed. This has allowed me to place alot of weight on their descriptions of a system I had not heard prior to ordering. I should include some information here about my equipment to provide some context for my comments on performance. I have owned Klipschorns since I bought my first pair as a freshman in college in 1975. Over the years, I have added one or more pairs of every Heritage model in existence to my collection. I listen to each Heritage model on a regular if not a daily basis so I am very familiar with the characteristics of each model as well as the differences between models. Needless to say, I truly enjoy the lifelike, dynamic presentation that Klipsch systems provide. The collective value of descriptions of the Jubilees by owners and others who have heard them have created very high expectations for their performance. I felt that some of the reporting may have been "over the top" until I had the opportunity to hear them. I must say that I was not prepared for the level of performance they provide. The Klipschorn Jubilee is easily the finest loudspeaker system I have ever heard. I will attempt to characterize different aspects of their performance by comparison with other Heritage models rather than other brands of speakers which many readers here may not be familiar with. Bass Performance... In comparing the Jubilee with the Klipschorn, the bass seems equally deep yet two factors emerge in favor of the Jubilee. First, overall frequency response is smoother including the absence of the mid-bass hump found in the Klipschorn. This results in a more natural sounding bass presentation indoors and out, especially noticable on male vocals and streams of successive notes on the scale where differences in volume are readily apparent. The second factor which stands out is the overall sonic characteristic of the bass which is related to the reduced exit angles of the Jubilee bass horn. Many people describe the upper bass region of the LaScala as being "fast, more real, or more distinct" than that of the Klipschorn. the same characteristic is present with the bass from the Jubilee. Also associated with this is the tendency of the Klipschorn to direct more bass energy along the walls, off axis of the speaker and its treble system. This can make the Klipschorn sound bass-heavy off axis and thin on axis in some rooms. The Jubilee does not display this characteristic because it has very well-behaved polar response across its operating range. IMHO, the Jubilee bass horn is a home run, a significant performance gain over its predecessor. Treble Performance... Paul Klipsch often said "The treble is where we live." Clearly, he realized that accuracy in the treble region was very important for conveying the sense of realism and detail present in music. It is true that far more time was devoted to the development of the treble system of the Klipschorn than the bass horn. Despite this, The creation of the Jubilee itself is evidence that he was always looking for a way to improve the treble performance of the Klipschorn by expanding the frequency range of the bass horn, allowing the use of a single-driver treble horn top end. In my view, this has been accomplished in spectacular fashion with the 402 horn k-69 driver combination. There are three factors which stand out here. An extremely smooth frequency response, with no hint of coloration in the midrange and the outstanding polar pattern where on-axis frequency response does not diminish as one moves off-axis. the result is very even coverage for every listener's position. One can't fully appreciate this quality until you experience it. The third factor is the gain of cohesiveness of all treble events by the elimination of a crossover point with separate drivers operating in the 6000hz region. Eliminating the need for this crossover point is much more important than I had realized. I have heard many different treble horns over the years, but this has been a real eye-opener. The treble horn system of the Jubilee is the best I have ever heard, period! Overall System Performance... Perhaps the best part of the Jubilee system is how well the bass and treble horns integrate with each other to form the "whole package". Very smooth frequency response, outstanding polar patterns that match up extremely well, ultra-low distortion and absolutely no hint of "coming apart" sonically when they are driven hard. One may think that this system doesn't start to sound good until it begins to get loud. Not the case at all.. The Jubilees provide more audible detail at whispering levels (60 - 70dB) than any system I can think of. Comments from Listeners... First, I want to say that I have been busy rediscovering hundreds of hours worth of my music (reel to reel tape, vinyl and cd's) There is alot of music behind the music I could never hear well before now. At the risk of alienating some readers, some of the "defects" that I have attributed to recordings turn out to be the speakers I was listening to. With a few exceptions, most of my older recordings sound significantly better, cleaner and plain more natural on Jubilees than any of my Heritage systems. The sound of male and female voices as well as applause really tells the story, setting the different systems apart from each other. I will share a cross-section of comments from listeners at our restaurant as well as those from invited guests to our home where I have been A/Bing the Jubilees to our Klipschorn / Belle Klipsch center system , as well as a TSCM system and the LaScalas, Cornwalls and Heresys. "OMG... Where did you get those?" "This is the best sound I have ever heard" "Can I come back with my wife? she has GOT to hear these!" "I would rather have a pair of those than my new truck." "I have got to find a way to get some" Not everyone has been happy. I have seen anger from a few people who have very high $$$$ home systems that by their own admission just got bested by a pair of Jubilees at a fraction of their investment. That is very hard to reconcile when they have been putting all their resources into a "trophy system" that took years to build up. If there is one common element to the negative comments, it revolves around the utiitarian look of theatre black cabinets and the lack of furniture-grade options for consideration in a home environment. If that aspect ever changes, look out! I will place my order for a second pair for home use! I'll be happy to respond to any specific questions any of you may have. Sincerely, Bill W.

Hey there Coytee, We've been soooo busy! I haven't had time to do anything but work 16-18 hours a day since I saw you. Our competitors hate us....Guess why??? Talk to you soon Bill W.

Rooms with higher ceilings often tend to sound better due to the reduction of early reflections from the speakers. The better a speaker controls its coverage pattern, the less energy spills out to create early reflections. The Jubilee excells in its control of the dispersion pattern and provides outstanding coverage throughout the room with minimal energy available for early reflections. The result is a system which is less sensitive to a room with low ceilings or other less than optimum conditions.

Model H-700 is an early version of the Heresy, available in a decorator or "raw" version as well as the more common veneered furniture grade. These ARE NOT Heresy Industrials and are not rated to handle as much power as even the standard Heresy.

Congratulations Roy! I bet Paul would have been facinated with this advancement in horn technology. I would fully expect this to develop into widespread automotive applications over the next few years, perhaps its biggest commercial application. Keep it up! Bill W.

Sounds like the fuel tanks are in the wings, jettisoned wheels are needed for support of heavy, drooping wings until there is sufficient lift for takeoff but upon landing, the weight (and drooping) are no longer a factor.

Steve, Was there a die-cast version of the K-600 midrange horn to replace the original sand-cast type as was done for the K-700 on the Heresy? (late 70's I'm guessing)

Mike, The Heresy uses a K-700, slightly shorter than the K-600. I don't know the crossover point on the KP-250 perhaps lower? There was a DFH bulletin from PWK in the mid 1970's about the change in crossover networks, I don't have the date available here. Personally, I feel the acoustic cancellation in the crossover region caused by the network change made the Heresys sound a little too thin in the lower midrange and favor the sound of a standard, not reversed polarity network in every A/B test I've heard with Heresys.

Mike- I think that 700hz void is due to the out- of phase condition created by the reversed polarity of the midrange and tweeter relative to the woofer on Heresys beginning with the type E crossover (for home use) as well as the crossovers used on the industrial versions. Earlier versions of the standard units had the drivers all wired with the same polarity. If you had a Heresy with a type D network or earlier, you would be looking at a rather different plot.

Hi Beekman, Are these still available? I won't step in front of anyone else but I'm just up the road in Silverton and can pick up anytime. Thanks, Bill

Well...... Free refills on the MUSIC, as for the refreshments..... SORRY!

Coyote, 402 and active (Gotta keep Roy happy!)

Coyote, The Jubs will be done in marine-grade plywood to make them more weather-resistant for outdoor duty. Seems unwise to attempt this otherwise, considering the investment and their performance. I'm really looking forward to this! (Can't wait to see the look on my customers' faces as well as my competitors.)

No ETA yet, I'm sure it will be a little while before I know.

Jubilee Update - Klipsch approved my special order request! Payment made! Order submitted![] I'll keep everyone posted as things progress.

Shawn, you are correct in pointing out simple amplitude levels and the Haas effect as contributors to the lateral shift. I experimented with an old K-5-J midrange horn on top of a center channel Belle Klipsch and a simple switching network, to select between the K-5 and the stock K-500 in the Belle. Although the K-500 has an overall smoother response, there was clearly less lateral shift with different listener positions when using the K-5. It is very good in the horizontal plane (90 degrees) over its intended bandwith.

Hi Bill, The order for the Jubilees goes in next week! It takes time to get this type of special order evaluated and approved - BUT KLIPSCH SAID YES!!!! I don't know what the production timetable will be but I'll keep you posted. Looking forward to meeting you this summer! Best regards, Bill W.

Dean- At the risk of getting off track, I will add these comments: In my experiences with 3-channel stereo, the center channel would benefit significantly by having an improved polar pattern in the horizontal plane. When using a Lascala or Belle Klipsch as a center channel in a shallow room, there is a noticable shift in the apparent location of a soloist as you move laterally in the room, due largely to the reduction in off-axis response in the treble. A change in the listener's position results in a greater angular change relative to the center channel than the flanking speakers. For this reason, a Klipsch - engineered two - way upgrade should provide for updates to the Lascala & Belle Klipsch also (If they were ever so inclined!)