DTLongo

A. You mummify them! See pics, four in all, I hope they come through. The professional movers did a great job and the '03 Khorns and '04 Belle arrived in great shape. I've been off the forum since March in the course of this move but now am about set up in my new place in Delmar, MD, so expect to be back here from time to time.

Hurricane Katrina's pictures got my attention last year here in seaside Maryland. So, in mid-March I am moving away from sea level some 25 miles inland and a little higher up to just north of Salisbury. MD. With me are going my 2003 Klipschorns and 2004 Belle, with professional movers, I hope the speakers arrive as mint as they are now. (They are in perfect condition.) I have been using them in a 7.1 HT system with RS-35 sides and rears and a Pioneer 50" plasma HDTV that is a real video pleasure and which sits atop the Belle center. Yet in my experience, the Khorns + Belle seem to come into their own on music rather than movies. IMHO and experience, they are "wasted" on much movie not to mention broadcast/cable TV material. Partially this is because the qualty of soundtracks varies all over the place. And partially because the video attracts eye + aural focus on the screen, and the sound beyond a certain quality level becomes secondary. One aurally just does not "hear" Khorns as critically when watching movies as when listening to pure audio. My new (older) house I am moving to does not lend itself to a full-bore Khorn home theater such as I presently have. So, an epiphany of sorts struck me a couple of days ago: place the Khorns + Belle in a dedicated audio-only "music room" arrangement in an area of my new house which lends itself to that with excellent corners, and set the HT up elsewhere in the place more compactly with more modest but good audio. For starters I can begin with a pair of classic Large Advents I have for the front mains, and the RS-35's plus a center channel speaker to be determined, depending on what will fit below the TV in whatever stand I finally wind up buying for it. It should be interesting. Has anyone else had the experience of going back "down" from such an ultimate HT installation to a pure-audio one?

Hurricane Katrina's pictures got my attention last year here in seaside Maryland. So, in mid-March I am moving away from sea level some 25 miles inland and a little higher up to just north of Salisbury. MD. With me are going my 2003 Klipschorns and 2004 Belle, with professional movers, I hope the speakers arrive as mint as they are now. (They are in perfect condition.) I have been using them in a 7.1 HT system with RS-35 sides and rears and a Pioneer 50" plasma HDTV that is a real video pleasure and which sits atop the Belle center. Yet in my experience, the Khorns + Belle seem to come into their own on music rather than movies. IMHO and experience, they are "wasted" on much movie not to mention broadcast/cable TV material. Partially this is because the qualty of soundtracks varies all over the place. And partially because the video attracts eye + aural focus on the screen, and the sound beyond a certain quality level becomes secondary. One aurally just does not "hear" Khorns as critically when watching movies as when listening to pure audio. My new (older) house I am moving to does not lend itself to a full-bore Khorn home theater such as I presently have. So, an epiphany of sorts struck me a couple of days ago: place the Khorns + Belle in a dedicated audio-only "music room" arrangement in an area of my new house which lends itself to that with excellent corners, and set the HT up elsewhere in the place more compactly with more modest but good audio. For starters I can begin with a pair of classic Large Advents I have for the front mains, and the RS-35's plus a center channel speaker to be determined, depending on what will fit below the TV in whatever stand I finally wind up buying for it. It should be interesting. Has anyone else had the experience of going back "down" from such an ultimate HT installation to a pure-audio one?

"The second way was to use a direct audio cable from the headphone port that split into left and right RCAs and connect that into the extra dvd inputs on the back of the receiver." My laptop worked fine conected that way on CD's, audio files and Internet radio. It is a relatively new (less than 1 year old) Compaq. I'm out of town so I don't have its specs right handy. Maybe your problem is an older laptop with a perhaps older and weaker sound card. Yet, if it runs headphones OK, it should be able to run an aux or similar high-level input on your receiver OK.

Perfect mint-condition scratch free 1987's, $3,500 - $4,000, based unscientifically on what I've seen here on the Klipsch forum over the last three years or so. If scratched, scuffed or other than mint, $2,000 - $3,000. Others may feel those prices are on the high side but I don't think so. Best though that your buyer can rent a van or something to pick them up since commercial shipping would be a challenge. I paid $6,500 for my new '2003's that year. If I had to sell those still-mint beauties I would not want to take less than $5,000. $1,750 for my 2004 Belle that cost me $2,500. But none is for sale!

I have the same question. If they're designed to be snuggred snugly into corners, how can the new ones with sealed backs be be toed-out or toed-in without losing some of the bass effect? I don't understand. I do like the idea of a transparent panel over the crossover though. Mine are opaquely-sealed in the bass bin The transparent feature aside though, I think I prefer my "open architecture" '03's. Still, if one likes the overall clear, transparent stunning sound of Klipschorns, even $11,000 is not too much to pay for a special set of those truly world class speakers. I regard my front array of Khorns plus Belle as my "three Steinways."

By "them" were you referring to the 901's or the Klipschorns? I am running the Boses with a vintage 1990 Pioneer VSX-5700S 100 wpc Dolby Pro-Logic receiver in a secondary HT system set up in an exercise area. That old receiver beast just keep truckin' along and sounds great, Pioneer built a goodie with that one. It has preamp-out - main-in jacks on all 5 channels, so I run the Boses through their equalizer as front mains, and nondescript small Radio Shack speakers for the center and surrounds. But the Boses carry the system and I frequently switch them to straight-stereo. I run the Klipschorns with a 2005 Harman-Kardon AVR-235 7.1 channel Dolby Digital receiver. It is rated at only some 65 wpc but with the efficient Khorns and Belle Klipsch center, that hardly matters. Khorns are notoriously amplifier-sensitive and I went through two or three other receivers including a brand-new Pioneer Elite before I settled on the HK. Before I decided to use the Khorns in a HT setup and got the Belle center, I ran the Khorns straight-stereo with the old Pioneer VSX-5700S receiver and boy, did they sound good. On the other hand a Sherwood straight-stereo amplifier, and a relatively new Onkyo TX-DS575 Dolby Digital receiver sounded awful, poor imaging, poor bass or a combination of both bads, and the Pioneer Elite had poor bass. Go figure. .

I am a minority of one here but as I have previously posted, the 901 Series VI is not a bad speaker. It actually is really good sounding, good bass, good imaging, uncritical placement as long as you can stand them out a foot or so from the wall. I still maintain the 901 VIs are just about the only worthwhile price-versus-value items Bose makes. The much less exalted 301 bookshelf speakers are another. Without rehashing my previous posts, I will only recap that I have both 901 VI's and relatively new Klipschorns (2003's), still run both systems in different areas of my house, and still thoroughly enjoy them both. No, the 901's can't run with the Klipschorns at full, live rock concert hall volume levels with the Khorns' stunning clarity and effortlessness. Yes, below those extremes they do what they do quite fully, clearly and nicely. And they look good too, and are one heck of a lot more easily placed than Klipschorns. On the other hand, having to use them with their equalizer is a pain. Still , for a high-quality straight-stereo installation , they are worthy higher-end speakers at even their price new (some $1300) and , if they are in sonically and cosmetically excellent condition, a very good buy at half that price.

I am a minority of one here but as I have previously posted, the 901 Series VI is not a bad speaker. It actually is really good sounding, good bass, good imaging, uncritical placement as long as you can stand them out a foot or so from the wall. I still maintain the 901 VIs are just about the only worthwhile price-versus-value items Bose makes. The much less exalted 301 bookshelf speakers are another. Without rehashing my previous posts, I will only recap that I have both 901 VI's and relatively new Klipschorns (2003's), still run both systems in different areas of my house, and still thoroughly enjoy them both. No, the 901's can't run with the Klipschorns at full, live rock concert hall volume levels with the Khorns' stunning clarity and effortlessness. Yes, below those extremes they do what they do quite fully, clearly and nicely. And they look good too, and are one heck of a lot more easily placed than Klipschorns. On the other hand, having to use them with their equalizer is a pain. Still , for a high-quality straight-stereo installation , they are worthy higher-end speakers at even their price new (some $1300) and , if they are in sonically and cosmetically excellent condition, a very good buy at half that price.

My lady friend bought the "Polar Express" DVD and we played it on my Klipschorns + Belle HT last weekend. It deserves place among one's audiophile demo-recordings. Whoever sound-engineered that must have loved the sound of big old railroad steam locomotives up close and personal. When the train made its appearance early in the movie the house and sofa literally shook, and it was mostly the Khorns' doing since my Velodyne subwoofer was barely cracked on. Further proof that when true bass is there the Khorns will do it justice. Anyway, I suggest that you add "Polar Express" to to your audiophile best test-list together with such as the Telarc "1812" CD and DVD's such as Top Gun and Crimson Tide.

My lady friend bought the "Polar Express" DVD and we played it on my Klipschorns + Belle HT last weekend. It deserves place among one's audiophile demo-recordings. Whoever sound-engineered that must have loved the sound of big old railroad steam locomotives up close and personal. When the train made its appearance early in the movie the house and sofa literally shook, and it was mostly the Khorns' doing since my Velodyne subwoofer was barely cracked on. Further proof that when true bass is there the Khorns will do it justice. Anyway, I suggest that you add "Polar Express" to to your audiophile best test-list together with such as the Telarc "1812" CD and DVD's such as Top Gun and Crimson Tide.

This is an interesting question. My front array is Klpschorns plus a Belle center and yes, I have wondered about them being overkill and even distracting, as opposed to a more compact speaker array positioned closer to the 50" HDTV. In the nature of things, when immersed in a movie one is following the visuals, the plot, etc., and doesn't pay that close attention to the sound. A lesser system would be adequate most of the time. BUT, when there's some movie you really want to crank, it is GREAT to have those Khorns and Belle take everything easily in stride, no distortion, utter smoothness, very exciting. But yeah, most of the time they're overkill for HT. But then again there's pure music listening too, and for that they are anything but overkill. They're the clearest, most precise and most effortless speakers I have EVER heard in my 63 years. Dream of an audiophile's lifetime finally to have them. Audio Steinways.

Well, I went back into the receiver and DVD player instruction manuals since, in Digital mode, the two components were not talking to each other very well. The receiver would not "hold" the digital signal when I jumped to other DVD chapters or switched to another source and then back to the DVD player. But by adjusting the DVD player's output between bitstream and PCM and such exotica and through some trial and error (neither of the manuals was very clear), I acheived stablity between the two units and am now doing playback in 7.1 channel Dolby Digital II EX mode. Truth to tell, the clarity and steering-imaging is noticeably better than in any of the matrix modes. The system really hums now. Still though, if the source material does not have much surround signal I find it satisfactory to switch back to straight seven-channel-stereo mode.

This is a genuine query. Am I the only HT aficionado who finds that, to my ears, "seven channel stereo" mode sounds wider, better, fuller and more surround-enveloping than other supposedly de rigeur modes such as Dolby Pro Logic, Dobly Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx (seven channel), HK Logic 7-channel, etc.? Here's the situation. I have a 2004 HK 235 receiver with the abovementioned modes running a top-class speaker array of 2003 Klipschorn mains, a 2004 Belle Klipsch center, and side and rear Klipsch RS-35 surrounds and a Velodyne subwoofer. So help me, after a year of listening to everything under the sun from hard rock to symphonic to all sorts of movies, simple old "seven channel stereo" sounds to me the best. My brain tells me the other modes "should" be better. My brain tells me that those modes "should" localize sounds in the surround channels better. But my ears tell me that any of those surround modes, while they focus dialogue more precisely and narrowly in the center, tend relatively to collapse the other sound around that dialogue. Seven-channel stereo, by comparison, makes the center dialogue a little more diffuse, not much though, while broadening out the other sounds all around. The bass seems significantly better, too. As to localization, helicopters, etc., still seem to fly behind, above and over without significant loss in surround-localization, at least to my ears. So, experts, what is wrong with this picture? I will sincerely appreciate your views. Has anybody else trusting his or her own ears had the same impression?

Without getting in to a lot of technical detail that is over my head, my two cents: Mine is a late-2004 Pioneer plasma 50" HDTV. I have a limited cable HDTV selection out here, Discovery HD seems to be best, virtually photographic. DVD's though, on even a modest player, come through on the HDTV plasma as very pleasing, filmic, quite equivalent to a movie theater in quality if not in screen size. The color renditions and gradations are especially smooth, subtle and impressive. But then a couple of days ago on cable I stumbled on a QUALITY HDTV broadcast of "Amadeus," a film I know very well on DVD. The difference was awesome, no kidding. The DVD is good, but the HDTV was almost three-dimensional. The costumes especially. One felt that one could reach out and virtually stroke the fabric. Alas, rarely does even an HDTV transmission match that quality. When it does, it is (again) awesome. But it really depends on the quality of the source material. At its best, in terms of clarity, sharpness and "tactility" HDTV blows away even the best film/projection movie theater.

Does anyone have and can post analogous reviews of the Klipschorn from Stereo Review or elsewhere?

My viewing distance is 8 1/2 feet and I have a 50" plasma HDTV. Go for the 61". I wanted the TV to sit atop my Belle Klipsch center so went with the plasma with its sleek pedestal stand. Unlike a 50" or larger RPTV, the stand does not overhang the sides of the speaker and the TV looks very nice there. Plasmas over 50" are prohibitively expensive. Iif I had it to do over again I might say hang the overhang and go with the larger size RPTV. The clarity of even non-HDTV sources such as DVD and even regular cable TV is such on HDTV-capable sets that even at a modest 8 1/2' distance, a 61" screen would be no means be overkill. I do love the color fidelity, clarity and overall quality of my Pioneer plasma. On even normal program material it totally eclipses my 32" Hitachi CRT TV that it replaced.

My understanding is that Klipsch makes the Klipschorn (and Belle) to order. I believe the wood panels are computer-cut but everything else is done by hand. Which means that, in addition to the inherent difference in wood grains, each speaker is an "individual" in terms of fine handwork details. In any event, when my '03 Khorns arrived after a six-month wait, great was my disappointment to see sloppy smeared glue around one of the "Klipsch" nameplates. What to do, return the expensive behemoth for that small defect and wait more months? With a needle, careful work and patience I was able to pry out and clean up and touch up with a tiny bit of flat black paint the dried glue, so you can't see the defect any more unless you put your eye right up to it and look hard. Otherwsie the speakers were, and are, MINT.

It took me six months to get my 2003 Klipschorns through a dealer in southern Delaware who no longer handles Heritage. Another dealer in Dover, DE, does, Sound of Tri State. I paid $6500 for my '03 Khorns. A 2004 Belle ordered through Tri-State cost $2500. At the Pilgrimage last year in Indy I asked how many new Klipschorns Klispch currently sells annually. The Klipsch rep was not very forthcoming (proprietary info, I guess), but I was left with the impression not more than a few dozen, if that. Remarkable speaker, and a bargain at its price in comparison with ultra high end speakers, with which the Khorn fully holds its own performancewise.

I have a set of the current Bose Quiet Comfort noise-cancelling headphones and like them quite a bit. Pricey at $300 but very comfortable and good. Everything including the battery is built into the headset, as opposed to the earlier version which used an outboard little box, a real nuisance. The noise cancelling feature really works to knock down STEADY outside noise, a dramatic improvement, say, aboard an airplane or while mowing my lawn. Transient sounds, such as speech or a phone ringing, will still be heard. For $149 Bose also makes a "Triport" model of non-cancelling headphones. I just picked up a pair as a departing gift for the president of a local organization I belong to whose term is ending. They resemble, are as comfortable and sound as good as the Quiet Comforts, though without the sound-cancelling feature, of course. I, frankly, recommended to the group and we bought the Bose headphones for the name recognition - seeing that it's Bose he will think they're something "special," and we did want thereby to convey the impression we think he's been a pretty good guy. Yeah, Bose's marketing machine is that effective. Incidentally, I hadn't been in the Bose store at Rehoboth, DE for a long time, and took a listen to their current top of the line Lifestyle system ($4000) in their home theater. It was loud, clear, somewhat listenable, and has neatly styled, sophisticated electronics. But the weak point remains the speakers. Yeah, the little cubes are "invisible" and the bass module will play loud but it seemed to reach down to only 60 hz or so and the whole system sounded mechanical, honky and fatigue-ing, like in a bad movie theater. But then again, I'm spoiled by what I have at home.

Left Khorn + cat.

Stuff all purchased new, prices approximate but close from memory: 2003 Klipschorns - $6500 2004 Belle Klipsch center channel - $2400 Four 2003/2004 Klipsch RS-35's for side and back surrounds - $800 HK AVR 235 receiver - $500 Sanyo DVD player - $200 Older Optimus audiocassette recorder/player - $200 Older nondescript RCA hi-fi VHS VCR - $200 Velodyne S1500R subwoofer purchased around 1996 - $1400 Various cables and connectors - $100 2004 Pioneer 50" plasma TV - $5,000 Total so far: ca $17,300 plus remodeling in 2004 to enlarge the room and provide better corners for the Khorns - ca. $22,200 = grand total ca. $39,500 Wow. Still, at my age of 63 the setup is an audiophile's dream come true. Been kicking around with this hobby since teenagerhood in the 1950's. I am now done (for a while). Couple of pics are on the "Let's See YOUR Home Theater" string on page 20 toward the bottom.

Gary, I should be here on or after September 6 or so. My older son's getting married in the D.C. area Labor Day weekend. My Khorns (& Belle) await thee and thine.

Hey Gary, do you ever still get out here to Ocean Pines MD? If so give a yell and let's get together some time when you're out here next. Meanwhile, what's your solution to the Klipschorns + Telarc cannons' "challenge"? Do you run your Khorns with a sub? What sub?

Klipschorns will handle those cannon shots. They're the only speakers I've had that can do so with ease at volume. On the other hand, the Khorns fall off below 35 hz, below where, obviously, much of the cannon challenge is. I don't dare play the Telarc "1812" recording very loud when my subwoofer is switched in. But by themselves at volume the Khorns give a VERY impressive rendering of that formidable recording.