khorndog Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Greetings I am new to this forum and was hoping I could get some info and possibly questions answered in regards to a pair of khorns i've recently acquired. They were handbuilt seperately, one in 1954 and the other in 1959 (when enough funds were available to build it). I purchased them from the wife of the original owner/builder who has passed on. What a story. When I went to audition them I spent quite some tme there with her and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She knew her stuff and really loved the speakers. They still sound beautiful. ... So the cabinets are built to diagram spec. which she still has in great condition (diagrams) - along with the Klipschorn brochure from 1959 and many other misc literary artifacts. The horns are wood and the mid divers are University SA-HF. The crossovers are K 500.5000 type but are visibly different due to 5 years lapse between construction. Anyway, they are cosmetically and sonically beautiful taking into consideration their age and I was wondering if anyone could provide some insight as to what I have here. They were built to Klipsch tech spec at time of build 54 and 59. Havent opened them yet so not sure of the low end driver nor the tweet due to it being mounted in the horn... any info / opinions would be appreciated Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 More photos please. You have, apparently, DIY Klipschorns. If so, the photo suggests good construction. I assume they have grilles that prevent you from seeing into the squawker horns to identify the tweeters. They're probably Univeristy. It would be good to know the make(s) of the woofers. The capacitors in the balancing networks must be shot by now. You can replace the capacitors in those networks or get new networks and leave those in original condition. BTW your forum name is cool. I'm surprised no one thought of it before now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thanks for the response. Yes they do seem to be made well. But the age of the plywood scares me. 1) Should I be concerned with the age of the wood. I haven't moved them yet and am afraid to. They've been in the same spot for 40 plus years! 2) How do the these horns/mid driver fend against other combos? 3) Wnen I auditioned them, they sounded incredible. Source was an orchestral disk played through a denon receiver and samsung DVD player. The tube mac gear had already been sold. The full sound spectrum was there with great detail. How do I test the caps? 4) During the audition she wasn't afaid to give em juice and like I said they sang.. They got way down low.. So as far as woofers, would it be safe to say that have cloth surrounds? There were no audible signs of surround rot. In any event these things were built with TLC and have been loved throughout their lives. They were really treated like part of the family. To meet the builders wife, who actually was responsible for the finish, and listen to the heart warming stories of the history of the khorns, added another dimension to them that seems priceless. They bought their house of over 40 years based on the accomodating corners in the living room. I'm sure some guys on here can relate. I told her when I pick them up I will be snapping a photo of her alongside More pics to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 1) Should I be concerned with the age of the wood? I wouldn't be. Absent water damage, the wood ages well. 2) How do the these horns/mid driver fend against other combos? They do well. If the bass bins are DIY, their value as audio antiques is probably diminished. Also, it would then make less sense, IMO, to update them. 3) When I auditioned them, they sounded incredible . . . How do I test the caps? Consider leaving well enough alone, except as to the caps. Don't bother testing 50+ y.o. caps, replace them. Contact Bob Crites, BEC on this forum 4) During the audition she wasn't afaid to give em juice and like I said they sang.. They got way down low.. So as far as woofers would it be safe to say that have cloth surrounds? Yes. Whether Stephens, Jensen, University or EV, they should be fine. Cloth surrrounds were typical in the 50s; foam or rubber surrounds were not. Can you say Deja Vu? When I first met the woman referred to in the thread below, she'd already sold her late father's Mac tube gear and had been offered $800 for a similar pair of Khorns. http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/120479.aspx More photos will be nice. Your idea to include the seller is great. Perhaps a photo of the builder is also available. Enjoy the experience. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Thanks for the info and advice Nick I will reach out to Bob for options -Please find attached zip for more pics... keep the feedback coming... Thanks, Mike khorns.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Mike, Please get more photos of the cabinets, especially the bass bins. Do you have a camera that you can't also use to order pizza?[] I'm not yet convinced that these are DIY. The widow's recollection of "some assembly required" may be consistent with factory built. A tardy welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Nice! And welcome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 The labels... great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Bruce, Do those look DIY to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 They look like the real thing to me...but...no badges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 LOL -as far as camera It was all I had on me at the time... will get some higher res shotsasap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 Sidebar convo.... My current setup is McIntosh c2200, 2xMC252, RF-7 I was thinking dumping an MC252 and going c2200, mc275mkIV, khorn thoughts? suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 LOL -as far as camera It was all I had on me at the time... will get some higher res shotsasap Mike, Glad you can take a joke. So far it looks like they're the real thing or excellent DIY efforts. Rcarlton said, "They look like the real thing to me...but...no badges?" "Badges? . . . We don't need no badges . . . " Please see the photos in the thread (http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/120479.aspx). Those were '54 & '56 Khorns with nary a badge in sight. Perhaps PWK wasn't into badges in the '50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 LOL -as far as camera It was all I had on me at the time... will get some higher res shotsasap Here is another... I will post scans when they are in my possesion literature sample.zip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 They look like the real deal to me. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 LOL -as far as camera It was all I had on me at the time... will get some higher res shotsasap Mike, Glad you can take a joke. So far it looks like they're the real thing or excellent DIY efforts. Rcarlton said, "They look like the real thing to me...but...no badges?" "Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges . . . " Please see the photos in the thread (http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/120479.aspx) referred to above. Those were '54 & '56 Khorns with nary a badge in sight. Perhaps PWK wasn't into badges in the '50s. I hope they are but have a feeling they are as you put it. 'an excellent DIY effort'. The new pics will tell. and thanks for the badges clip...lol here's what I thought of... Thanks for all of your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 And I was thinking................http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqomZQMZQCQ&feature=related BTW the system you where thinking to use with the K-horns works well with my Cornwalls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khorndog Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 wanna trade a 252 for a 275? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuisis Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Those are pretty close to the ones I bought, and that Neil referred to earlier in this thread. I have a 54 and 56. The crossovers look identical to one of mine. I haven't done anything to the crossovers and they sound great. I'll get around to it, but I don't see the need right now. I'm sure you will enjoy them, I listen to mine several times weekly. I still get funny looks the first time my friends see the speakers, until they start playing. Enjoy Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 wanna trade a 252 for a 275? No.[H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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