it's just a box

[leftwinger57]

Hi again, As I was dealing w/ my own problems I've been reading some of your gear and mostly the Heritage Series like the Heresey,Cornwalls ect. Now please don't take this the wrong way but to the novice /neophyte it just looks like a box. Just a screwed and nailed box w/ front firing speakers. No baffles,no ports ,no stiffeners just a box and it cracks me up how Mr Klipch was such a genius in this simple design.

I would add that at the time his x overs were the best out there.

[Quiet_Hollow]

...and it cracks me up how Mr Klipch was such a genius in this simple design.

He was an engineer raised by an engineer. Somewhere along the way he found his own voice, and the rest was history.

[Chris A]

Sometimes the beauty of engineering design isn't apparent to the casual observer. Also note that PWK was an engineer in that product price and reliability were also paramount - I think a lot of "audiophiles" miss this point and to do so is to miss the point entirely.

The use of such inexpensive drivers to produce such good-sounding speakers is genius on his part as was the continued simplification of crossover designs over time to increase the reliability of the speakers (no, I don't believe that his crossovers were the best performing, rather the most reliable and they accommodated driver and part variability well). Where else can a product go 25+ years of continuous operation with only the replacement of a couple of capacitors due to part aging?

Another really big deal is producibility, which most folks also miss. PWK ran a business not a boutique: his designs were producible. His initial Khorn bass bin design, while being the least producible, was nevertheless a solid product. All other products he produced had in mind the price sensitivity of his customers. Keeping scrap rate and performance variability down due to part and assembly variances isn't something that happens on its own. PWK eventually found a way to make the Khorn bass bins producible, too, albeit with some intensive touch-labor talent selection criteria and good touch labor training.

Also note the full product production testing (shown on the stickers on the back of Heritage products). PWK found a way to provide a production testing facility populated with relevant test equipment and trained personnel to staff it. That isn't cheap, including the anechoic chamber in Hope.

Chris

[moray james]

I think it would be fair to say that PWK was able to figure out what mattered most and to prioritize things so his finished product met the intended design goals and they were able to be produced to make a profit for the company. Everybody got a fair shake out of the deal.

You are right in that a better cabinet would be of benefit but you are not likely to see anybody build at the level it sounds like you would like to see at anywhere like the price you would be happy shelling out. That`s where DIY enters into the picture. Well thought out structural reinforcement of cabinets can make a signifcant difference. If you don`t mind doing the work and making the necessary adjustments then you can save a lot over doing the job from scratch yourself. Below is a link to a thread where there are some pictures of a pair of KLF 20 and a pair of Quartet that I worked on this past summer. Hope this is of interest. Best regards Moray James.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=372783&highlight=klf20

[JJkizak]

Just a box---change it a bit and maybe it would sound like a box., instead of a monumental achievement.

JJK

[T.H.E. Droid]

You must be looking at different speakers than we are. Take most of the popular designs on the market during the heritage years and you'll see an overwhelming preponderance of direct radiators, where all Klipsch heritage designs use horns for at least the midrange and high frequency. That's a very substantial, fundamental difference, and one you can hear.

[leftwinger57]

Iwasn't talking performance we all agree that they are a good speaker. But when I was just looking at a Heresy I see a shipping crate. One I might add that I would love to own but just on looks ther'es no denying they are the Volvo of the 70s..

[moray james]

I really don`t know what you mean. Aside from the fact that PWK and co chose reasonable cabinet volumes and set up the passive to do the necessary job there is no magic to Klipsch cabinets. They are well built but a good chunk of the money invested was spent on a very nice veneer job. They are not any more than what should be expected at the price point and are better than many comprable product of the day at the same price point. Better boxes make better speakers. I am not knocking Klipsch in any way.If you take alook at Tannoy cabinets of the late seventies you will find much more robust construction quality as an example. Rigid double layer baffles will make for a significant improvement in performance as will internal braces and stiffening. Tieing the panels together will prevent them from resonating at lower frequencies. Panel braces on the panels will stiffen them forcing the first resonant mode up beyond the band pass of the driver in the cabinet. double flaired vents when used are an improvement over the type used in the KLF and Epic series. Perhaps you do not agree. If so I would have to say that you are mistaken in your belief. The less box talk you have the better the speaker will sound. Empty unbraced cabinets are not what you want to put your speakers into but if that is what you can afford and that is good enough to meet current day market expectations then that is what you do that`s what PWK did it was all he could do. We are discussing DIY options to improve these great old speakers. PWK`s cabinets do sound like boxes because that is what they are. If you want better you will have to build better. What`s wrong with that? Best regards Moray James.

[psg]

On the flip side, the La Scala, Belle and Klipschorn were pure genius.

[moray james]

I agree but then they are very special kinds of boxes. The terms Klipsch and horns have grown so much together that they seem to have really become one. The phrase Klipschorn is recognised world wide today. Best regards Moray James.