brucelee6783 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Hi guys, newbie here. I have several questions. I've heard so many different opinions that I have started to second guess myself over and over. With the considerable amount of money that K-Horns cost, I want to be absolutely sure that I'm getting the best sound quality possible. I'm aware that sound quality is often subjective to the listener, but I want to remove as much subjectivity as possible. What's the optimum setup? A stand-alone receiver? A stand-alone tube amp? A combination of receiver and amp? A home stereo amp, or what about a pro audio amp? What about other options that I may be unaware of? I've read that Harman Kardon receivers pair up great with Klipsch speakers, but is this true for all Klipsch speakers? There are many, many models and wattages of HK AVR receivers from what I've researched. Some of them are as cheap as $120, and the most expensive one I've seen costs $2,000. That's quite a lot of money that could be potentially wasted buying the wrong receiver. What about tube amps? My parents talk about how great these things are. I don't know much about them myself. My parents are vinyl junkies and definitely old school when it comes to these things. Can someone give me a crash course? I work as a nightclub DJ. I have experience with pro audio. I own QSC and Crown amps. I'm very familiar with how to use these products and most el-cheapo home stereo equipment....but I'm just at a total loss of where to begin with expensive Klipsch speakers. These bad boys are in a league of their own, certainly. How do the K-Horns stack up against Palladium P-39F's? Am I trying to compare apples and oranges? Someone told me that the "Heritage" line of speakers are all the tried and true original designs of PWK himself, and they are the ones that have stood the test of time. Can you go wrong with either product line? Would you trust newer products that have hit the market since the passing of PWK? Something tells me to get the K-Horns. My parents own an old pair of Heresy's that sound fantastic. I purchased the Mode M40 headphones several months back and I was less than impressed, sadly. I know that the best option for deciding on which speakers and amps suit my taste would be actually listening to them in person. Sadly, the only Klipsch dealer around here in a realistic driving distance is Best Buy, and they only carry entry-level Klipsch products. I would need a place that sells HK receivers, tube amps, and K-Horns and such and to top it off, they would have to be willing to let me listen to all the potential combinations of amp and speaker combo that I could ever conjure up. Well, obviously that isn't going to happen. So, what do you guys think? Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bracurrie Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Are you thinking about buying khorns or do you already have them? If you have them when were they made and are they stock? Also important is the room and speaker placement. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Welcome to the forum! Klipschorns love tube amps! Also, they are very efficient speakers, so most people don't use much more than 1 watt when they are listening. Sounds crazy, right? Klipschorns (or as many call them Cornerhorns) HAVE to have corners to work best. This is the thing that keeps many people from buying them. You can construct false corners which does work, but is ugly in my opinion. Describe the room you would be using them in (post a drawing is possible) including windows seating, etc. With that, we can tell you if you are a candidate. The Klipschorn is among the best sounding speakers ever made, ever! Palladiums are boutique and priced as such. They are excellent and highly reviewed. If you do not have the corners, consider the Cornwall speakers. If you want to also utilize a sub then the LaScala is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 "Best' is highly subjective. You'll have to answer that yourself after hearing a lot of different amps. This may take you a couple years of arranging auditions. My 'Best' is a 45 SET amp. A 2A3 SET amp is my second choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 What's the optimum setup? A stand-alone receiver? A stand-alone tube amp? A combination of receiver and amp? A home stereo amp, or what about a pro audio amp? What about other options that I may be unaware of?See http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/p/154887/1631200.aspx#1631200Also note that your room and where you put them is at least as important. What kind of music do you typically listen to? BTW: welcome to the forums! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Heard these on a dozen different speakers, three times now on Khorns, best sound for the money! http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1212/garber_fi_x4.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 love the solid-state Outlaw receiver though on Khorns otherwise, passive dual amplification is my ticket with solid state on bass bins and tubes on top Pallidiums are wonderful, but my friends with Khorns got them for a song or two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Brad : I'm thinking about buying them. I have a very large living room. Not sure of the square feet. It's roughly the size of a fast food lobby area. Mustang : Thank you! Yes 1 watt does sound crazy! When speaking of wattages, are the forum members typically referring to RMS? Yeah, the 2 corners that I'd be placing the K-Horns in are 90 degree angles. What does boutique mean? Fancy looking? (Shopping mall presentation?) Where would you typically place Cornwalls? Are La Scalas known for not having heavy bass? Cut-Throat : Couple of years? Ouch! What's a "SET" amp? Is that a name brand? Chris : Thanks! I typically listen to classic rock and electronic dance music. Colin : What's a bass-bin? Your friends got them for a song or two? What? You mean to say they purchased K-Horns just to listen to a few specific songs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 The type of amplification you choose also depends on your budget. Quality, new, tube amps can be had for under $1k after which the sky is the limit. Imo, tubes are the only way to go with K-horns. Within that category are various circuit configurations all of which will sound different from one another. No one can tell you which you will find most enjoyable. The best option is to purchase from a source which allows a money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied (Decware, I believe, still offers that and they offer tube amps of all different types). And to answer your question about what a SET amp is, read the description here: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/a-survey-of-amplifier-types-tas-217-1/?page=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Thanks TF. How does one interface with tube amps? RCA? Binding post? 1/4"? XLR? Do they typically have 2 channels? Do you recommend tube amps by themselves or in combination with a receiver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete H Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Brad : I'm thinking about buying them. I have a very large living room. Not sure of the square feet. It's roughly the size of a fast food lobby area. Mustang : Thank you! Yes 1 watt does sound crazy! When speaking of wattages, are the forum members typically referring to RMS? Yeah, the 2 corners that I'd be placing the K-Horns in are 90 degree angles. What does boutique mean? Fancy looking? (Shopping mall presentation?) Where would you typically place Cornwalls? Are La Scalas known for not having heavy bass? Cut-Throat : Couple of years? Ouch! What's a "SET" amp? Is that a name brand? Chris : Thanks! I typically listen to classic rock and electronic dance music. Colin : What's a bass-bin? Your friends got them for a song or two? What? You mean to say they purchased K-Horns just to listen to a few specific songs? First of all, welcome to the forum but I've got to know...........................would that be Wendy's, Burger King, Sonic or another fast food lobby as we all know how much their size can differ. LMFAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 Think of a very large McDonald's or Burger King. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Thanks TF. How does one interface with tube amps? RCA? Binding post? 1/4"? XLR? Do they typically have 2 channels? Do you recommend tube amps by themselves or in combination with a receiver? It can be as simple as connecting some #16 lamp cord (fine for runs of up to 20 feet or so) to the binding posts on the amp, and the other end to the K-horns' binding posts. Personally, I recommend integrated 2 channel tube amps (i.e. no preamp needed- just connect your source to the amp and that's it). They can be individual mono amps, or a stereo amp (even there, differences can be pronounced depending on the design. Email if you want detailed discussion of that issue). Simple, effective, and as mustang guy said above 1 watt/channel is often all that's needed. Over the years I've very rarely had to build anything with more than 5 wpc for any K-horn users. But, depending on the size of the room, and how loudly you listen, the needed power can climb very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 I'm having a lot of anxiey about what to buy. There's just so many choices and variables to consider. I did a Google search for "too many choices". Wow, apparently people have even written books about consumer anxiety. Wow...first world problems, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I'm having a lot of anxiey about what to buy. There's just so many choices and variables to consider. I did a Google search for "too many choices". Wow, apparently people have even written books about consumer anxiety. Wow...first world problems, eh? I think that it is a far stretch to think you can buy one amplifier for a pair of Khorns and live with it for the duration. I would guess that almost everyone on this forum has gone through at least a half dozen amps, before we settled on a couple that we like. I am down to about 3 for my Khorns now. All SET amps. a 45, 2A3 and a 300B. Again my recomendation is to try and find a pair of Khorns near you that are driven by tube amps and when you find an amp you like buy it. Keep listening to as many as you can and then you can join the rest of us in selling used tube amps and buying replacement ones. That is the nature of this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwander Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 brucelee6783, Have you listened to Klipschorns yet? You seem quite determined to get a pair. Do you know someone with a pair that you can listen to. Most people either love them or hate them. I think you need to determine that first. They have alot of requirements to have the best sound. They are not drop it in and forget speakers. They need TLC to sound their best. I am running a Musical Paradise M-301 6wpc amp on my Khorns. They sound great. An excellent value. My main source is a 30 year old Sony ES cd player. My backup amp is a Nakamichi TA-4A receiver from the 80"s. That amp kicks *** on the Khorns. Khorns don't need much power to get really loud and distortion free. Save yourself some money on the electronics. I did not listen to Khorns before buying them. It was a risk I took because I did listen to La Scala's and Cornwalls before. I liked them and figured the Khorns would sound even better. I would not have bought the Khorns cold turkey. I ended up getting Cornwalls also to use in HT setup. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Cut-Throat : Something tells me you are exactly right. What you said makes perfect sense, now that I think about it more and more. iwander : I've heard Heresys and Cornwalls before. I love the way those sound. I'm also willing to risk buying K-Horns without hearing them first. I bet that Nak amp is fantastic. Nak gets a lot of respect from me after hearing some of their car audio equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwander Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 What is your budget? Since you have heard Cornwalls, I believe you will love Khorns. What is your media source? CD's, SACD's, mp3's. Cheapest would be Khorns, intergrated amp and cd player. I believe $3000 would get you started on a killer sound room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucelee6783 Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Money isn't much of an issue for me. My media sources are vinyl, cd, 320 mp3, flac, and wav audio files. I haven't bought the K-Horns yet, what all does your figure of $3,000 cover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwander Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Khorns used $2200. Oppo DVD player $500. Musical Paradise M-301 integrated tube amp $300. That should be enough to you started. Used options include Nakamichi TA-4A receiver $250. Yamaha A-1000 integrated amp $200. Regular CD player $100-200 with DAC $300. CD player used as transport only. DAC will do the decoding. New equipment will be higher in price. If you are looking for new Khorns, I would suggest making a day trip to Hope, AR and pick up something from the Klipsch factory. My guess is 4hrs each way from NO. I would try the used route first and upgrade to new later. This will let you become familiar with the sound in your own room. You will then be able to tell the differences as you slowly upgrade. This is a disease and addiction after taking the plunge. My next upgrade will be titanium tweeter driver and caps replacement on the crossovers. I did it to the Cornwalls and it was well worth it. Prepare for it and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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