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Khorn Upgrade-itis !


colterphoto1

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1972 KWO bone stock, one owner, I've rarely played them. 

 

Considering the following:

 

Have BEC AA networks installed currently

 

Have K55 solder lug types with new OEM diaphragms I installed that I could swap out for the old push-pin types. 

 

Alnico K77 is week on one side. Looking into getting OEM EV type diaphragms for those

 

Have BEC CT125 type tweeters in stock.

 

 

 

Other considerations:

 

Newer Klipsch K77F types that would mount from rear and project through the motor board, eliminating diffraction

 

Klipsch AK5 network upgrade kits that would be costly, but a ferocious upgrade and make available for sale all the above parts. 

 

Stay Klipsch but experiment with K510/B&C driver (which I'll have here once I get the KPT904M from Bill Hendrix). 

 

 

 

Anybody tried any of the above? It's a bang for the buck scenario, I really think I'd be happier with a splendid pair of vintage Khorns in my gallery room than these Jubilees (NO They're not for sale, geesh), and if I could improve performance the Khorns would stand a better A/B chance, or be more saleable should I go an entirely different direction. 

 

 

I do remember my buddy IndyKlipschFan had an 80's pair of oak Khorns that he added backs and the AK5 kit to and they sounded great, but we never did much really critical music listening with them. 

 

And YES, I'd do each mod one and a time, and use the SMAART system to take curves and do listening tests A/B for each and every step of the upgrade process, as I've preached for years! 

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I guess I am confused. I have owned a pair of K-Horns for about 10 years (early 80's version). I have also had Klipsch jubilee bass bins with either a 510 horn up top and now a K402 horn up top.

In my house (tried 3 different rooms) there is no contest. The Jubilee systems clearly out-perform the K-Horn. I loved the sound of K-Horns, but the Jubilees are better. As I recall, you have all the pieces required to set up the Jubilees, What is the difficulty?

Reach out and we can help you.

-Tom

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Jubilee is big and ugly, and totally unforgiving of the non-top-notch front end components and source material. I hear hiss, pops, ticks, hum, everything with them. 

 

I already have ugly in my workshop MCM1900, and will have in the new HT KPT904. 

 

This room in the house I'd really prefer to have something 'nice'. I hate to say it but for the lack of listening I do in there (ok nearly none to date), a system that's better than 99% of the population is quite possibly good enough for me. Most of my current music listening is through the MCM or forte II in the home office, sometimes the 5.1 system in the family room which is LS with THX subs. 

 

 

There is something about this room where a Klipschorn just ENERGIZES the room better than the Jubilee. 17x25 with 2x 1/2" plaster board (not drywall), a couple of very large windows, and Brazilian Cherry floor. Massively hard surfaces but enough diffusion and absorbtion in there that it sounds lovely. Somehow the Klispchorns just cook the Jubilee bass, and yes I have the bass boost 30hz bump on.  

Edited by colterphoto1
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^ does that really make sense? Because I know the KHJ are clearer, but something makes me just want to have Klipschorns in there. Auditory memory being what it is, once I stop comparing them, and with some small tweaks, I'm pretty certain that I'll love the Khorns. 

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Why not the 60th anniversaries, seems you could sell the Khorns you speak of easier than the 60th anniversaries.  Plus the 60th anniversaries all ready have enclosed backs, and all the updated components. But if it where me, I would try the K510 when you get it.  If you like it have a nice crossover built for them.  But if you thought the K402 was reveling, you might find that the k510 is as well.  One mistake I made with my Khorns, was not starting with original components before adding in all the "upgrades".  I just never gave them a chance, now that I have heard my current setup I could never go back.  I would love to compare a Jubilee to a Jamboree and the K402 to the EV HP640. Good luck, its the journey that makes it fun. 

 

if I ever get Klipschorns, I am sealing the backs first opportunity I get.

 

Keep in mind you still need corners to get the full bass extension, this just helps make it easier to seal to the corner.  

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A friend brought another alnico K77 over today. We measured three of them with pink noise and RTA, they were ALL OVER THE PLACE. Looks like I'm search of a pair of nice matched tweeters. And I've probably sold a dozen or cabinets with K77's in them over the past 6 months. arrggh

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I would like to hear a pair of Al/Dave's B&C DE120s.

I like the sound of the K-77 (sorry). If you have a pair that were never blown from the same set of cabinets, they should be pretty close.

I agree with Duder, I would sell everything in that room except for the CD player and the turntable, set up the 60th Anniversary Editions, and then use the money from the things sold to invest into some decent tube gear.

Alternatively, you can keep it simple: Sell most everything, and just buy a nice Music Fidelity Integrated - and build a pair of networks using the Jensens or Jupiters. You can always do tubes later if you want.

If you ever pass through again, I have a demo for you comparing two things. It'll be fun watching the lights come on.

The K-400 isn't as bad as everyone thinks. It runs into trouble when you push things hard, and has a slight nasally quality when compared to any of its wood tractrix counterparts. However, if watch your volume levels and can deal with some coloration, it does an admirable job. I've pretty much done it all, and I'm not freaking out over here because I'm using K-400s. Sure, change the horns if you have the money, but do the networks and the deal with the downstream stuff first. I obviously don't agree with Al that the first that should be done is to rip out the horn. We used to argue about this quite a bit - I'm falling back on my practical experience, I still think a network change out is more dramatic.

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i wanna first qualify myself as a "nobe." i have never owned khorns. but, i wonder why every owner doesnt enclose the backs. seems to take care of the only constant problem you heat aboot khorns. the problem of sealing them properly in corners.

I sealed mine air-tight against the walls, floor and upper unit, then lag bolted them to the house foundation. Not to mention the varied spacing staggered vertical & horizontal studs (also braced and lag bolted to the foundation) filled with rock wool in the space between the studs & covered with 1/2" solid core marine grade plywood & 5/8" sheet rock 8' out from the corners  :wacko:

 

Other than that the next biggest improvement with Khorns involves the room acoustics.

Edited by artto
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Agree about the walls.

The measurements was on Klipsch clones and the annotation is the other way around. In a proper corner with both walls concrete the horn kept going to 40-50 Hz. With the outer wall still concrete but the backwall in flimsy plaster the response below 80 Hz or so lost 5 dB. Mesurements were made 30 years ago using a Technics SH-8000.

 

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