Klipsch's place in the HiFi scene

[HDBRbuilder]

Me:  Have you ever heard, or heard OF, Klipsch loudspeakers?

Another:  No, are they something new?

Me: How many  different movie theaters have you watched a movie in, during the past 20 years?

The other:  Oh...about 20-50 of them.

Me:  Have you ever wished you could get that sound out of your music/theater system speakers at home?

The other:  Of course I have, but those are SPECIAL SPEAKERS, and you can't just go out and buy something like that...

Me:  Yes, you CAN...and if you saw movies in THAT many different theaters,, then you had to have heard Klipsch speakers before now, and you never even realized it!  Go listen to some properly set up Klipschorns in somebody's home...and you will hear everything you ever missed on your favorite music!

 

Really folks it IS THAT easy!  Make it happen!  Word of Mouth has always been the best ad for Klipsch!

[ryanm84]

I was just in a local shop here focusing mainly on theater but still selling "hi-fi".

They knew I had Cornwalls but not my new (to me) khorns.

i got a bunch of comments around being honky, harsh, etc. 

they don't sell klipsch so they can't really do much other than bash. 

I know several people not on this forum that own them and have for years. They don't need to be sold.

one thing I think can be hard to justify if not in a dedicated room is size. My wife had no problems when we were listening to the KG4s, but balked on the Corns until we got into our present house and has been nothing but a fan of the khorns.

Size and space sometimes cannot overcome performance and good looks.

[dirtmudd]

On 9/13/2016 at 8:30 PM, WMcD said:

I believe that part of what we're seeing is just the slick magazine writers relations with manufacturers and trade shows.

 

The writers are required to fill space.  They can only do this is manufacturers send them new products for testing.  Therefore "new" speakers of doubtful value are created and publicized.  Pointless tweek items too.  Foolishness becomes a self-perpetuating industry.  The mags can't turn down advertisers who make outlandish claims for improvements.  E.g. look at these graphs, this superwire works out to 100,000 Hz, you need it. 

 

I daresay that many reviewers don't want to, or don't have the technical background to, made a thoughtful analysis of how or whether a device can sound better.  So they have to resort to subjective reports like "air between musical  instruments."  You need that too, of course.

 

How could science from PWK get respect?

 

A first interesting thing is that PWK championed a center speaker to anchor central performers (Bell Labs, he points out, started this).  Decades later HT requires a center speaker to anchor dialog on the screen, which is also what is used in theaters.

 

A second is that of course is that PWK  advocated big woofers in corners.  At least one recent analysis is how many subs you need and where to put them.  One answer: use two and put them in the front corners.

 

PWK advocated science.  From time to time his wisdom is rediscovered but presented as being "new and improved." 

 

WMcD

 

 

 

 

Here's one review with a happy ending ..

 

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10_3.html

[garyrc]

On 9/16/2016 at 4:44 PM, WMcD said:

Doc might well be correct and others may be correct too.

 

We're used to accepting as gospel that there is nothing wrong with the K-400 and crossover.  The other gospel point is that PWK was absolutely correct to let the K-400 (and other Heritage) run wide open with a high pass filter rather than a passband.

 

The Vacuum Tube Valley review reported an improvement with the Max Potter P-Trap.  It alleviated a "shouty horn." It takes out the 7 kHz glitch.

 

One of our original members (member X) worked with Max on his system including installing the P-Trap.  Actually, years ago he gave me the schematic and said it was confidential.  Maybe Max, who had some affiliation with PWK didn't want to be seen as being critical of PWK. 

 

Anyway, Member X told me that his daughter came into the listening room not knowing of the change and immediately said, "You've changed something."  Therefore, as Doc suggests, some people hear problems which others might not.  Like the Certs twins in the advertisement, "You're both right."

 

We see changed and arguably better midrange crossovers using a passband.  The theater K-Horn is one and the AK-4 is another. along with the KL and KB updates.  Maybe the stage Heresy too (have to find that).  The LB patent crossover is passband with some peaking.

 

The Forte with an exponential mid got very good reviews.  Then the Forte II came out with a tractrix.  They really liked the sound of the tractrix and variations to use it in just about all new models.  K-502?  Roy knows what he is doing with the "modified tractrix" designs. 

 

It's about time that we accept the proposition that older Heritage did have problem with honk or shout and some, some reviewers might have heard it.  Granted, other reviewers just jumped on that bandwagon and became overly dismissive.

 

Add by edit.  I have enormous respect for Chris A and he is saying about the same.

 

WMcD

I believe that, starting in 2002, Heritage crossovers rolled off the K401 and K 55 x driver rather steeply, starting at 4,500 Hz, thus taking out or reducing the 7K glitch.  At least the AK4 and AK5 crossovers for the Klipschorn did.

[JRH]

 

Jumping in at a late date, I would have to largely agree with the posts of WMcD and Chris A.  I started a speech before ALMA with the following quote:

 

To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this fast growing art of "high fidelity" the quackery will bear a solid gilt edge that will fool many people.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Wilbur  Klipsch

 

 

May 28,1953