Speakerlab K - Khorn Clones

[johnhart]

Hello, I am looking with somebody who is familiar with the Speakerlab K-horns.

How do they comapre to the Klipsch K-horns sonically?

Thank you,

John.

[WMcD]

I'm most familiar with my brother-in-laws. I'd say they are very good.

But some comments.

The real McCoy, used, can be had fairly reasonably these days. So I wouldn't make the investment before checking prices.

You'll find some threads on the SKs here.

Regarding the SKs there were many components.

Woofer: a 4 ohm version and an 8 ohm version. Dr. Edgar had some bad things to say about the woofer he played with. A sledge hammer and a trip to the curb was the suggested solution. A Dope from Hope showed some lower level output above 200 Hz.

Midrange driver; an Atlas very much like the push terminial K-55 and current K-55.

Mid horn: There was a metal and a fiberglass. I saw one fiberglass and it was relatively thin compared to the K-401 composit designed by Keele.

Tweeter: There were many options. An EV T-350 (very valuable), an EV-T35 but PWK cherry picked the T-35s for his K-77, and at least on plastic tweeter of lower grade -- looking at it. SKs had the tweeter at the side of the mid horn.

Bass horn: Some fir, some MDF. At one time the plans called for the notch (cutting a dog-ear) in four pieces which opened up the back chamber to form a bigger volume, like the K-Horn, others without.

Speakerlab included some slabs of fiberglass insulation for use in the back chamber. PWK did not use this.

Crossover: None used an autotransformer like the K-Horn. I think the components were always about the same. Some used L-Pads, some switches with resistors, and I think some did not have switches.

Build quality: Most were assembled by the buyer. Attention to building practice was necessary to make the back chamber airtight. The SK manual said that no problem (gap) is too big to not be solved with RTV filler. So you never know what the builder might have done..

Overall the cabnetry of the K-Horn is outstanding. The SK looks home made.

The good part, IMHO, is the SK shares many of the fine attributes of the K-Horns. But you're not getting the fine workmanship and QC of the Real McCoy.

Wm McD

.

[DizRotus]

I agree with Mr. McD.

In the 70s, I owned 4 factory built plywood SKs (8 ohm) with aluminum squawkers and T-35s. The crossovers were pitiful, but the speakers were OK; as good as SKs got. Nevertheless, I'd be reluctant to pay much for used SKs today, due to the likelihood that they're owner built and poorly built.

Good used Khorns are a better value and less of a shot in the dark.

[fini]

Bass horn: Some fir, some MDF. At one time the plans called for the notch (cutting a dog-ear) in four pieces which opened up the back chamber to form a bigger volume, like the K-Horn, others without.

Gil, MDF? Are you sure it wasn't particle board? I've never even seen a Speakercraft clone, just asking.

[WMcD]

Fini,

You are correct to challenge me on this. I did not pay much attention to the material in the two other pair built by other buddies. I think they were some non ply material. Exactly what, I can't say.

I lump MDF and particle board into the bin off all things I hate. Little plastic expansion plugs you get with cheapo furniture is in the bin too. Others have pointed out that some grades of MDF are respectable. I tend to doubt that SpeakerLab in the late 1970's was using the best.

People out there may wish to read PWK's comments on the SKs. They are mentioned, though not by name, several places in the Dope From Hope collection. If anyone needs the DfH, they should search the forum for "Free the Dope From Hope" for my post.

I have some mixed feelings about the SK, particularly as a builder of dozens of Heathkits.

1) The Heathkits were top quality. In many cases they exceeded the products with which they competed.

2) They fulfilled the drive many people have to do it yourself and learn a lot in the process..

The SK's accomplished 2) but fell short in 1).

OTOH, PWK was very stong on the basic benefits of horn loading and the SK's accomplished that. It is obvious he was making a product with great QC and got annoyed that an imitation would be in any way associated with his good name.

It is annoying, to me, that SpeakerLab fell short of the mark and cut too many corners. We do see that over the years they were improving, but not enough to make the SK build quality anything like the Klipsch product. That is too bad because people enjoy 1) and 2) but with the SK -- the only choice -- had to accept silver, or maybe brass, instead of gold.

The crossovers may be a good example. Speakerlab allowed construction on the ethos of a breadboard crystal set. We know the electrons don't care. But it is boarderline insulting even though it does, and has to, work as nearly as well.

Wm McD

[Modified-Tractrix]

No real reason to buy speakerlabs with the deals that can be had on real klipschorns lately. The pair I had failed miserably in side to side tests with my klispchorns. I think most of the speakerlab kit builders thought close was good enough for the construction.

My theory is that due to the bifurcated nature of the klipschorn, construction must be very precise to avoid massive cancellations when the paths merge.

Unfortunately, my speakerlabs are now landfill fodder...

[jtnfoley]

I've got a set, built by a GC who specialized in fine homebuilding. VERY well built,tight as a drum, cosmetically challenged as they were occasionally used as PA speakers at outdoor sporting events []

As stated, the Xovers were junk, especially after they were nearly launched out of my trailer by a Massachusetts Speed Bump (across I93.) The W4000 tweets were also stated to be a weak spot. I replaced the xovers with A4500s with a custom HF filter to flatten out the ST-350 BabyCheeks tweets I picked up on eBay.

My total outlay on them was under $350. Perhaps this year I'll get around to finishing them!

For critical comparison, I've had Quartets and Cornwalls in the same location, and still have La Scalas in my theater. I gotta say that the modified SKs sound pretty good.

[fini]

Gil, I would never challenge you!! []