Klipschorn 70's Vs 80's

[theoman]

sorry for the newbie question. I am a long time Audiokarma guy retting into Klipsch's. why are the one's made in the 80's going for 1/2 the price of 70's. is it like a fine wine? I was looking at the la scalas with my mcintosh tube amps but I maybe able to get into a pair of 80's Klipschorn's

[ricktate]

Well i would like the 70s more but if you can get 80s model go for it. I did find air leak in my 70s model in the back woofer air chamber but was fixed pretty easy. Maybe they all have little air leak from glue cracking, not sure no one else has checked thiers. I can tell you how to check it. Rick

[pzannucci]

Theoman,

Are you talking actual sale price or what people are asking? Many folks may believe that 70's version are worth more than an 80's because it's "vintage". Also the older ones had alnico magnets that some people seek (I'm not sure why with many drivers) I have had multiple pairs of K-horns and have paid less for the 70's than 80's. The 80's versions usually have much nicer finish on the cabinet that will drive up the price.

[djk]

Marine ply>Baltic Birch>Luan

I like the models out of Baltic Birch best, they changed in the early 80's.

Marine ply is OK too.

I would look for the newest one that still had the type AA network.

Edited October 26, 2013 by djk

[WMcD]

I've never seen any data to suggest that '70's are that much different than '80's in performance. As mentioned above, if you're seeing different prices they may be just asking prices rather than sales prices. There are so many variables even if you can find sale prices. Condition, location (shipping) and time. I have to think that at the depth of the recession the second-hand market had some bargains. There is a lot of noise in the system.

I will say that you should make every effort to buy K-Horns rather than LaScala's -- even if your room is not ideal. The bass of the K-Horns can extend an octave lower and the mid and tweeter are up higher, which helps.

WMcD

[NBPK402]

Well i would like the 70s more but if you can get 80s model go for it. I did find air leak in my 70s model in the back woofer air chamber but was fixed pretty easy. Maybe they all have little air leak from glue cracking, not sure no one else has checked thiers. I can tell you how to check it. Rick

I have some LaScalas made in 1978... How do I check them for leaks please?

[ricktate]

LaScalas are not prone to leaking and would be harder to test than a K horn if you can believe that. But you can do it just like i did my K horn.. make a sealed cover over the slot inside the cab. Then use the access panel or make a new one with a small hole in it to use low pressure air hose with rubber end so you can put some air in then cover it with your finger should hold air till you take finger off. You should hear any air leaks....on the K horns you could actually see the access panel move from the pressure.

I actually made a plexiglass access door so I could show friends how little the woofer moved pretty cool I thought. Rick

[ZAKO]

The woofer in the Khorn will not put that mutch pressure to make anything audible,,,The cone movement would be less than 1/8 of an inch

[ricktate]

I did not mean the woofer would move the panel. It was a reference that the back air chamber was air tight when you put air in it. Mine are 1972 and had huge air leaks on both. Probably from glue cracking and maybe ruff moving around. In fact you do not even need to drill hole in access panel to test most of the screws that hold it on go into the air chamber. Rick