Nickal

I have contacted Jensen about supplying a 13uF capacitor to replace the standard type fitted by Klipsch and so that I do not have to parallel 2 capacitors of higher quality to obtain the necessary value. No manufacturer has a stock capacitor of the required value which represents an upgrade to that fitted. Fortunately Jensen can manufacture a 13uF paper in oil capacitor although a minimum order of 25 pieces is required. The cost is as follows in Danish kroner: Aluminium paper-in-oil: 275Dkk ($35 approximately) Copper paper-in-oil: 510Dkk ($65 approx) If anyone is interested please contact me so that a block order can be placed with Jensen. These prices are exactly those quoted to me be Jensen - the only additional charge would be for postage and possibly any other import duties outside the European Community. Nicholas Kalavanas

Thanks for the information on the Jubilee (I could not remember its name). However, the Oris horn and Lowther unit are available now and would be a lot less expensive as an upgrade compared to replacing the khorns completely - at least in England. I would really like to know if someone has tried the combination suggested, how they 'married' the two units, and if it was worth the effort. Nick

Ray, From what I understand, a new k-horn design was (almost?) finalised which used a single tractrix horn unit to operate from about 800Hz upwards and a bass unit, slightly larger than the current khorn unit, would cover the lower range but would use 2 smaller drive units to extend the upper operating range to the higher than present bass x-over point. I do not know why this new version was not manufactured, but cost and potential market size may have forced its demise. The important element was the elimination of separate mid and treble units and the corresponding x-over components. Most correspondence about khorn upgrades relates to retaining 3 drive units and simply using better quality horns, or different x-overs eg ALK design. The beauty of the Oris horn with a khorn bass (if it is compatible), is that the there are now only 2 drivers and minimal or no formal x-over - and as Randy states - it may be possible to rely on the natural roll-off of at least one, if not both, horns. If, like me, you like OTL (or single-ended) valve amplifiers such a simple speaker design could offer a 'better' frequency range compared to Lowther type single drive-unit speakers, and a genuine improvement over the current khorn.

Has anyone used the Oris 150 tractrix horn with a Lowther drive-unit to cover midrange upwards, coupled to a k-horn bass unit? Such a combination would use a single drive unit for ~200Hz - 22kHz and probably require a simple x-over. It may therefore offer a worthwhile improvement in sound and may not be too far removed from the changes proposed by Paul Klipsch in the revised (but since abandoned) new k-horn. See www.lowther.nl