jmslaw

Very interesting to hear about others' experiences with the newer Khorns. Fritz: I considered the 60th Anniv. version, but I was concerned about the closed back. The venerable design of the original is what sold me on them in the first place. I can understand those without good corners might really appreciate the closed backs, but I have devoted corners and was concerned that they might not "couple" to the room as well. Do you feel they energize the room as well as the original design? Do you still put your's in the corners? I also think Klipsch missed the boat on styling. While I think the lacewood is beautiful, I think the top section should have also been lacewood to match the entire speaker. The two-tone approach doesn't appeal to me. Better yet, Klipsch should have offered the 60th in a rich heirloom finish like mahogany or brazilian rosewood. Taking a regular pair of Khorns, upgrading the wiring and crossover components and clothing them in a premium finish would have been the perfect Anniversary version. Oh well, at least they look better than the 50th Anniv. versions. Joe: NO, this is my main system. I still have the CJ Premier 8xs amps, but, frankly, the Mac 275s sound even better. Yes, I still have the TNT mk.3 and would sell to a local buyer only. I'm using the Grado reference now, as I prefer the higher output. Regards. Jeff

Well, I've just completed an entire day of listening to my new 2007 Walnut AK-5 Khorns and I am mightily impressed. Having owned the 2002 AK4s before these, I am very familiar with the modern Khorns, their strengths and limitations. I have owned MANY, MANY very high-end speakers over the years, most recently the Soundlab Majestics, Soundlab A-1s, Snell XA Reference, Thiel CS6, Magnepan Tympani 1d just to name a few. I have always come back to the Khorns, feeling they are the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard, and in the right set-up with the right equipment, they come very close to the good planars in the areas of detail and tonality. My AK-4s always seemed a little "boomy" in the bass compared to the best planars and lack the "air" on top, though the highs were definitley sweet and, despite the 15khz upper limit never seemed lacking in top-end extension. The differences I discern between the AK4s and AK5s are subtle and may be a product of my new amps. I have moved to an all Mcintosh system ( MC275 mk.5 monoblocks, C2200 preamp, MVP861 SACD, VPI TNT mk.5, all connected with PAD Venustas cabling) and, therefore, I cannot make an absolute comparison, having never listened to these new amps with the AK4s. Still, I have listened to the AK4s with the above-listed equipment and the Mac 2102 in place of the new 275s. The AK5s are dealer demos, so I assume they are adequately broken-in. If I try to describe the differences in any particular frequency range, I'm not sure I could accurately discern much difference, save the bass, where I definitely feel that the "boominess" is less pronounced, though still noticeable. Again, I make these comparisons having recently owned $35,000 Soundlab speakers which had the tautest bass I have ever heard. With that frame of reference, the Khorns' bottom-end just doesn't hold as tightly, though I'm not exactly sure instruments in real life sound as tight, either. Give me a good recording of the 1812 Overture and I'll take the Khorns anyday over the big planars, which can't begin to approach the explosiveness of the mighty Khorns. I haven't gotten enough of a handle on the rest of the differences yet to make any meaningful comparisons, but I'm really enjoying my system. The fact that these $7500 speakers can compete with, and in some areas surpass speaker systems costing MUCH, MUCH more is very impressive. Certainly for large-scale symphonic works, the only speakers I have heard which can reproduce such scale as the Khorns are the large Genesis speakers. I will report on my further impressions after I have had enough time to really appreciate these fine speakers. I would like to hear from any other owners of the newest version of the Khorns to hear their impressions, and, particularly, would be interested in hearing from any 60th Anniversary model owners. Jeff

Rob: Don't worry. I have my Khorns on corners which are 20' apart and my listening position is about 16 feet away. I have tried the position in the 45* sweetspot and find I prefer to be further back, behind the "intersection" For purposes of bass reinforcement, you will be better off closer to the rear wall, anyway. It sounds like your room is a nice size to let the Khorns breathe.

Thanks, Dean et al, that's what I needed to know.

I know Gizmo Rosenberg used a Marchand with his big Tannoys. What about a 2-way ARC EC-22? I do not want to do anything to my AK-4 crossover. I simply want to connect the woofer terminals to the low pass and the mi/tweeter terminals to the high pass and adjust everything from the ARC (or other unit) Thanks, Jeff

I own a pair of 2002 Klipschorns. I have been driving them with Wavelength Cardinal x-1s and feel the lower end lacks the oomphh that a good push-pull amp provides. I, therefore, want to use a different more powerful tube amp on the bottom. My question is which crossover should I consider. I don't want to sacrifice transparency. Do I need a 2 way or a 3 way? Where should I set the crossover points? Thanks!

I would buy a pair of Jubilee in a heartbeat. I'll pay a deposit now. If Klipsch were smart they would unveil the "PWK Memorial:, a statement speaker. It could even be a Klipschorn with premium parts, say Monster Sigma Retro gold wiring, expensive caps, etc. They could produce a premium finish like Bubinga wood and I GUARANTEE they would sell as quickly as they could produce them.

The Klipschorns are sold. FYI, I replaced them with Impact Airfoil 5.2 4 piece system, driven by Levinson No.33 monos. The impacts at nearly 5 times the retail cost of the Khorns is MARGINALLY better. I will certainly miss the Khorns and feel they are the finest speakers anywhere near their price.

Well, it took a pair of 35k speakers for me to consider selling my beloved 2002 Klipschorns. Check my ad on Audiogon. First buyer with $3600 to pick them up in Baltimore gets them. They are essentially as new, save for one binding post which doesn't tighten all the way, but has no effect on usage. Please don't try to haggle. These are like new and there is a waiting list for new ones at 6-7k. Regards, Jeff

I have owned CJ Premier 8A's (6550's); the 8xs triode version (EL34's); Wavelength Cardinals (W.E. 300bs); Vaic VV52s, and McIntosh 2102 (KT88s). I am currently alternating between the Mac amp and the Cardinals. The Mac amp is 100wpc and is more than I need, but the sound is more dynamic than with the 300bs at 12wpc. Yes, I know that I NEVER exceed 10wpc output as evidenced by the Mac meters, but the bass has more ooomphh and I really don't notice any loss of transparency or midrange purity. It is for this reason that I prefer the KT88 outfitted Mac amp on my 2002 (AK-4) Khorns. Oh, and the amp sounds best off the 8 ohm tap, not the 4.

I own a pair of 2002 Khorns which employ 2 sets of binding posts: one for lows and one for highs. I had been using bi-wire cables, but just acquired a pair of single-run cables. The Khorns come with a pair of Monster jumper cables, but they are spade like my speaker cables and the 2 sets of spades do not fit into the binding posts. I did acquire a set of Cardas jumpers w/ banana connectors. Should I use my speaker cables on the high posts or low posts? (connecting the Cardas jumpers to the unused post)Does it make a real difference which posts I use? Thanks!

James: I think you hit the nail on the head:It isn't just the incredible sound of these speakers; it is also the nostalgia, pride of ownership, knowledge that these speakers last forever, etc. Being a Klipschorn owner trancends mere sonic parameters. One joins a venerable fraternity.

Tony: My point exactly. I have owned several speaker systems which cost WAY more than my Khorns. I sold all of those in favor of the Khorns. It isn't a matter of being able to spend more; rather it is about not NEEDING to spend more. My system has never provided so much enjoyment.

William: Yes, arguably there are "better" speakers than the Klipschorn. I, personally, have owned speakers which retailed for $90,000. and have heard MANY of the so-called statement systems out there. The bottom-line is that for 10 times the money, one only gets a slight increase in performance over the Khorns, typically at the extremes. For $7500 retail, they are an unbelievable speaker, and I prefer them to virtually every megabuck speaker I have heard. It isn't a matter of "blinders", it's a matter of preference.

DM: Good analysis of Khorns' strengths. Yeah, they really do disappear. A very effective treatment I am using is corner bass traps in the 2 non-Klipsched corners. They really help better-define the lowest frequencies. I don't think I am having problem getting low bass, certainly not now, anyway. I was, however, not getting very tight and well-defined bass prior to installing the Wavelength cardinals. Even the big CJ8s left the bottom a little flabby. I think the Cardinals are operating in their comfort-zone as opposed to the bigger amps which were merely in idle. I used the Stereophile Test disc 2 to determine that I have usable output to 31.5hz and can detect some bass at 25hz. That's plenty low for me, and now it is controlled. As for soundstage, I feel the Khorns are competitive with the best imagers around. Unlike most planars, the image doesn't fall apart when one moves 6" from the epicenter. Colin: You have to review the latest version of the Khorns. The world deserves to know this 50+ year old design is alive and well!