Klipschorns in my room?

[hanaleimike]

Hello Gentlemen,

I currently have Cornwalls and love them , in fact the Cornwalls sound so good right now, that it's hard to believe it could get any better, but I have thought that before. I am currently looking at a beautiful pair of Klipschorns on the mainland,( I'm on Kauai) that will take considerable effort, time, airplane travel and expense to acquire. I am hoping you guys may be able to help me decide if it's worth the trouble.

My biggest issue is with placement. The room is 16x26 with a 20' vaulted peak, and they must be on the short wall. They will have corners, but there will be only be 2-4 feet of clearance before furniture on each side. The Cornwalls are slightly turned out from 45 degrees and in the corner. I tried them at 45, but the highs were slightly rolled off as the axis of the speakers was about 1 foot in front of me. Klipschorns must be placed in the corners and fire at 45 degrees, so can I assume they will behave in the same way, or is the disbursement pattern slightly different with the khorns? Because they are on the short wall, I would have to site much to close to have them fire directly at me.Can I cheat out of square a bit without sacrificing performance? I have wood walls and could fir them out at a slight angle if needed.

I have been reading posts and reviews all day and have read everything from,"if you have corners get the Khorns, you won't regret it" to, " I have had khorns for 20 years and was never really happy with them, I recently bought Cornwalls, and the Khorns are gone". I have read that the khorns are more open, effortless with better bass, (if placed properly) which is why I have to hear them, but the speaker market here on Kauai isn't too hoppin' so if I get them here and prefer the Cornwalls I'll be stuck with them.

Associated gear is McIntosh c220, MC352, vinyl and digital.

Any relative insight or experience would be greatly appreciated

Thanks,

Mike

[Marvel]

Welcome!

You are strating with a good sized room, which may be one of the more important things about placing Khorns. Some people have successfully turned them out a tiny bit, but you could also build false corners, and aim them anyway you want.

I can't imagine the cost to get a pair of Khorns out to the islands and can understand your worries.

Bruce

[tube fanatic]

A number of years ago I owned K-horns which were placed on the 15 foot wall of a 15 X 25 room. Because of the 45 degree angling, my listening position had to be about 10-12 feet from the speakers to achieve proper imaging. This was definitely a bit of a nuisance, as the preferred listening position would have been much farther back. I'd definitely consider this if achieving a wide, deep sound stage is important to you.

[JJkizak]

I would not even consider using the short distance although it would work OK. But then again using the long distance with one of your Cornwall's as a powered center channel would be Nirvana. Make all changes necessary to use the long dimension.

JJK

[Don Richard]

I have a couple of friends using short wall placement with Khorns, and all that was needed was to loosen the tops and aim them where desired. There is a thread right now in Update and Modification section of the forum on a neat way to do this:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/131987.aspx

[hanaleimike]

Thanks for the replies, not as encouraging as I hoped though.

I understand the basics of how they work, and that the short wall is not the best place, but what I am trying to figure out is if they will sound better in this position then the Cornwalls do, and if there anything I can do to tweak the toe-in if needed? I have read about loosening the tops and changing the angle slightly, and it's probably my best option. I currently sit back about 9.5-10 ft from the front wall with the Cornwalls and they sound great, by my measurements with a 16ft short wall and 45 degree corners would put the axis at 8 ft? If I can get them to sound better then the Cornwalls at this distance I am sold. Also, the room has a large sliding door in the middle of the long wall and a kitchen at the other end, of the short wall, so there is no possible way to use the long walls. The ceiling also opens up to a loft with 12ft ceiling and is 10x 20' long, so there is more volume there as well.

Will the Cornwalls work better in this situation? I think they were designed to be on the long wall too, right?

Right now I am listing at almost nearfield, although I sometimes listen from 18-20 ft or 8 feet and off center, along the wall on a couch, they sound good everywhere really, but the sweet spot is at about 9-10 ft. Does anyone listen to the klipschorns this close?

If the Cornwalls sound good in this position on the short wall, can I assume that the Khorns will sound better? not the best they can possibly sound, but better then the Cornwalls?

They are beautiful, but if I get them here set them up and they don't better the Cornwalls I will cry.

[tube fanatic]

If it were my decision, I'd stay with the Cornwalls since you have total flexibility as to their positioning. I doubt that the K-horns would render any improvement which would be worth the expenditure. I failed to mention in my note above, that I have also owned Cornwalls which were used in a variety of room sizes/configurations.

[hanaleimike]

Thanks for all the replies, I have read many positive reviews from people with smaller rooms then mine, and I see pictures of them on the short walls quite often. I'm sure I can get them to sound great. I have to hear them, I'm getting them. Should be here in 2 1/2 weeks. Any crating tips would be appreciated. I was just going to shrink wrap, surround with 2" semi-ridgid foam, and 5/8" plywood. I could use 3/4 as the weight is not an issue on the boat.

Thanks again,

Mike

[DoubleJ]

Hi:

Here is a thread I started some time back that may give you some additinal information.

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/85510.aspx?PageIndex=1

Thanks

JJ

[sootshe]

Have you thought of building in the backs? This would give you a lot more flexibility in placement. I"ve never heard a pair configured this way, although I'm sure others will chime in. From what I've read this should give you the same or possibly better bass performance with the ability to place the speakers at whatever angle you choose.

[hanaleimike]

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd give a quick update for those who might be at all interested. I flew to California, bought them, crated them up in the rain, shipped them, and they arrived 2 days ago. I am extremely happy with my decision, and the difference between these and my Cornwalls is greater then I could have ever imagined. Thank you for all your opinions and comments.

Mike

[Chris A]

I am extremely happy with my decision, and the difference between these and my Cornwalls is greater then I could have ever imagined.

Sometimes you just have to go on faith alone... [A]

Congratulations and many hours of listening enjoyment,

Chris

[LarryC]

I'm glad with everyone else that it worked out so well for you. I'm late to this party, but was going to say that a 16' short wall should be OK (mine is only 11' wide!). From what I've seen and heard, 26' is too long for K's without a center channel. The other thing is how different the K's sound compared with the Cornwalls, with what some think is a slightly weak bass. How good they sound can depend on the room and the kind of music you listen to.

Did you get post-2002 K-horns with the AK-4 or AK-5 crossovers, or an earlier vintage?

Larry

[garymd]

Glad it worked out. 16' is almost perfect for Khorns but I guess you know that now.

And yes, in the right setup, Khorns will demolish the mighty Cornwall!

Congrats!!

[hanaleimike]

Thanks Gentlemen. Larry, they're 1981, and I am changing the crossovers to "A" from "AA". For such a monster speaker, they sure blend into the room nicely.

Mike

[Marvel]

They tuck into the corners rather nicely, and takeup less space than my LaScalas. I've only heardthe 60th Anniversary Ks during one of the Klipsch events. Sounded stunning.

Congrats on picking them up. I won't even ask what it must have cost to get them over to the islands.

Bruce

[LarryC]

Beautiful room and accoutrements of depth in lifestyle, Mike. That pic could be an ad for K-horns as in the old days.