Jump to content

Need Your Help to Verify My Speakers as Klipschorns


Recommended Posts

I called into the Support line and they suggested I reach out to the Forum to see if any of you can test your knowledge to verify whether my speaker are Klipshorns.

We've had these speakers since the 80's -- my husband bought them from his boss, now passed on and we want to sell them since we are now downsizing our home. We recall that they were referred to as Klipschorns, but recently when we spoke to a potential Buyer he thought that maybe they are replicas since they have no serial numbers.

I've attached a few pictures (forgive the backgound and the speaker cloth reversed--the basement and the cob webs) for review. I do hope somebody can give me some clues. Thanks!! Jeanpost-58321-0-71500000-1397494994_thumb.jpost-58321-0-71060000-1397494987_thumb.jpost-58321-0-09980000-1397495008_thumb.jpost-58321-0-37420000-1397494973_thumb.jpost-58321-0-86980000-1397495024_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for responding but could you explain what you mean by "not Klipschorns because several other issues that are pretty apparent"? I don't really know what to look for.

the driver selection, the network construction, the cabinet construction and more importantly the materials the cabinet is made from. there is nothing that is even remotely klipschorn about these speakers other than the basic shape. it's hard to tell, but even the proportions don't look correct.

Edited by Schu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for all your help! The consensus is they are replicas, Budman's reply and ebay web reference of Klipschorns look pretty much the same without the serial number tag but the insides are painted black. I don't want to labor the point, but looking for specifics--can you guys point the specifics out for me. Also, Munkiman--thank you for your response -- you referred to them as Speakerlab Ks K-Horns. I read online that Klipsch built Speakerlab -- do you know is that is true?

Again, thank you all!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

look at picture #2 that you posted. thats particle board. klipsch used plywood back there

the trap door on the right is way to large verses the factory one and the factory one comes with 8 screws to attach it with, yours is glued on.

picture #3 has nothing to hold up the rear of the horn.

crossovers were never installed onto the side of the cabinet. always installed on the flat above the woofer access door.

i believe SpeakerLab had a licence from Klipsch to build their version of the klipschorn, which is probaly what you have. i also think that the name speakerlab is written on that big ole black horn.

Edited by Budman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Klipschorns also have the tweeter above the midrange, rather than off to one side.

My understanding is that Speakerlab built copies when a Klipsch patent expired, and that PWK fought them on principles of intellectual property. Not certain on this point, though.

Some of the Speakerlab K's were factory built, but even more were built from plans and kits, something (the kits) Klipsch never offered. Due to this, build quality is difficult to determine, but well built ones can sound very good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not Klipschorns, nor made by Klipsch. Yes, they are speakerlab copies. Your midrange horn is fiberglass when it should be cast aluminum and say PWK K-400 right on it, your mid range driver is not a K-55, you have the wrong tweeter and it is mounted in the wrong location, on the wrong axis, and it should say K-77 right on it. you have the wrong crossover which should say Klipsch right on it, and it is mounted in the wrong location. Your mid range driver should have bracing. The trap door to your woofers dog house is the wrong size, the wrong shape, and is glued not screwed into place. Your cabinets should be made of Baltic birch non void plywood, not particle board. It is very easy for any of us that have owned them that they are immitations / Speaker Lab clones. Your looking at $500 to $800 maybe on your immitations vs several grand for real ones.

Roger

Edited by twistedcrankcammer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the forum!

I'm thunderstruck that Support couldn't give you the info that we are giving you.

These are almost undoubtedly Speakerlab K (they made more than one version)

I do not believe they were made under license. I think Klipsch went after them, as one other poster suggested. I know PWK was complaining about a company in "The Northwest," without naming it. Speakerlab was (is??) in Seattle. Your online source that said Klipsch built Speakerlab was dead wrong.

PWK hated the fiberboard of the day, because "It won't hold a screw."

All this is not to say they will sound bad (unless they vibrate because of loose screws). One version of the Speakerlab tweeter was the old round magnet EV T35, which Klipsch also used at the time, but Klipsch hand selected them for quality and matched pairs for stereo.

Just don't call them Klipschorns or K-horns when trying to sell them.

Edited by Garyrc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Roger. Nothing in the picture is from Hope, from what I can see. The bass horn wood could have come from Speakerlab. Or the fellow could have built it from the plans.

Klipsch never licensed SpeakerLab to make pseudo K-Horns. In fact PWK threatened to sue them over using the term SpeakerLab "SK".

Speakerlab sold various forms of kits. E.g. just the bass horn wood, a complete kits with hardwood, and just drivers and crossovers. Pick and choose what you want. Over the years the bass horn was MDF or Plywood. There was a crossover with L-Pads, and some with switches. The crossovers appear to be something home made.

The tweeter could be a T-35 ElectoVoice which is basically what Klipsch used but Speakerlab had their own unit too. The mid driver, I'm not sure about. It could be an Atlas equivalent to the K-55 but it doesn't look quite right to me.

We don't know anything about the woofer driver from what you've posted.

Certainly what you have is a very nice work of a craftsman.

Speakerlab never sold a cabinet with the collar or spacer which you have, to my knowledge.

This is not to say the units will not perform reasonably well. But they are not from Klipsch.

WMcD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

As mentioned by everyone else, these were definitely not made by Klipsch. I don't know who made them but Speakerlab is definitely a possibility as mentioned by others. While the Klipschorn was patented, patents are only good for 25 years which is why companies like Speakerlab and Shinall were able to essentially build and sell copies.

As you appear to be looking to sell and probably want to know what they are worth, as they are not genuine Klipsch they will certainly be worth less than the genuine Klipsch-made Klipschorns. Condition is going to be the other determining factor. You can probably research completed sales on eBay for Speakerlab Klipschorns to get a feel for their value. I would guess they would be worth roughly 1/3 to 1/2 the value of a genuine Klipsch Klipschorn of comparable condition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's clarify, Spakerlab sold speakers, plans and kits. I am no expert on these but...

The MDF is suggesting that these were built from plans (Did Speakerlab use MDF?) but the crossovers look like Speakerlab (smoothered in holt melt).

The midhorn does not look like the speakerlab ones that I have seen (which are very similar to the K400). Don't recognize the mid driver either. Tweeter looks like a square magnet K77.

They do have value depending on how good they look in person. These look nicer than many of the Speakerlabvs out there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jean,

The EV driver for the midrange looks like an EV 1828R. You can see on the back of the driver on the perimeter. Looks like the ones I got when I purchased some Klipsch La Scala cabinets with no original Klipsch parts in them.

Here's a pic of my drivers. I swapped them into my fully working LaScalas to see how they sounded, and was pleasantly surprised. Not an exact match (impedance isn't exactly the same), but a couple tweaks on my crossovers and they would be fine.

Bruce

https://flic.kr/p/e8Kfz7

Edited by Marvel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...