A Project

[vasubandu]

I sent a question to the Klipsch historian but I already know the answer.  @Emile was regaling me stories of his KPT-904, which made me want to run off in a new direction and find them, and I realized that I have no idea what else is out there.  There should be a database that I can look things up in and sort however I want.  With part numbers and specifications, years made, etc.  Does such a thing exist, or do I need to make it?

[Jirachi]

How can you make a database if you don't know all the information to put in there?

[dtel]

The only thing I can think of is only for heritage speakers. It's pinned to the top of the 2Ch section.

 

 

[Ceptorman]

@vasubandu just buy a pair of Jubilees and be finished with your search 

[vasubandu]

@Ceptorman the research is the point. The speakers are ancillary.

 

But that brings me to my next question.  What columns does the perfect spreadsheet need?

 

Height

Width

Depth

First Year

Last year

Manufactured location

Series

Woofer Number

Woofer Size

Woofer Type

Woofer part No.

Woofer Crossover Hz

Woofer Crossover Part No.

Tweeter Number

Tweeter Size

Tweeter Type

Tweeter Crossover Hz

Tweeter Crossover Part No.

Mid Number

Mid Size

Mid Type

Mid Crossover Hz

MId Crossover Part No.

Construction material

Color 1

Color 2

Color 3

Weight

 

 

I don't know the right terminology, but you get it.  What would we possible want to know?

[dtel]

One thing that seems to be asked often is more about the different families of models, like the RF family, the Quartet, Forte Chorus family, Kg's, Tangent. And where they fit together overall and years each was sold, and if possible a rough cost this to get an idea of the overall picture and hierarchy plus this will show a timeline from klipsch.

 

Then the configuration of each model, with this you can see a similarity and progression of each different family. Everything you listed is great but it would have to also be viewed simply as to rank of each. Some of what you listed may be hard to find out, but holes here and there in info is not a big deal, the overall general info like that is really helpful, like what was done with Heritage.

 

It would be great for people to look at this kind of info displayed in a way to make it easy to see where each model stands in the overall family. Someone runs across a speaker for sale they could look where each model stands and know what they are looking at.

 

Also some extra notes on models that seem to stand out over the years as a little better overall compared to where they stand in there family and overall Hierarchy.

 

This would be alot to find, organize and display and making it easy to understand. But you can see where something like this would even answer some of the questions you have, just think how hard it would be for people that didn't ask the questions trying to get the overall picture as you did.

 

One thing that would have to be considered is it has to be accurate as possible and include all models as to not mislead people using it to help make decisions when buying or collecting.

 

Years ago I was one example, I was original wanting a all Heresy HT, kept looking but couldn't find anything within a few hours, then someone sent me a message saying there were some Forte ll's for sale 2 hours from me. I thought great, but i had no idea what a Forte ll was, never heard of it and had no idea if it was better, worse or equal or even size compared to what I wanted, a Heresy. I had to get on here and quickly ask and try reading enough to know if I wanted them, I ended up going with the overall opinion and just go get them. Which turned out to be the right way to go, but I had no idea. 

 

[vasubandu]

@dtel that is kind of exactly that I was thinking. And I think it is inexcusable that it does not exist.  I will contact the museum since they supposedly have the records.

[dtel]

57 minutes ago, vasubandu said:

@dtel that is kind of exactly that I was thinking. And I think it is inexcusable that it does not exist.  I will contact the museum since they supposedly have the records.

Your right it's inexcusable it's not documented. Even considering the size of the company it was, and still is run like family company, which means to me somewhat not as organized as it should be at times with some things. It's easy for me to say this not having to do it. 

 

Uh, I hate to say this, I volunteer for the museum, my wife is the secretary, I volunteer working on the building and general whatever needs to be done, we have been there alot over the last year or so trying to fix, move and organize everything. It's where and how I get pic's of many things

 

The building and land plus all the speakers in it was officially transferred from klipsch to what we setup as an official nonprofit organization.  The historian is the same person who did it when Klipsch owned it, he retired and is donating his time, his name is Jim Hunter, really nice guy.

 

The reason I said I hate to say this is because I know how much work needs to be done and with only Jim living in the area he is stretched thin. 

 

To give you an idea, after the transfer we started, new sump pump and cleaning out the flooded basement to make usable storage space. Some heavy duty warehouse type shelving was donated by Klipsch and we put them in the basement to house some things that could be stored down there. An 18 wheeler trailer that was setting behind the plant was also donated and moved to the backyard of the museum, it was full of old horns, drivers and other things from the history horn loaded audio, prototypes, molds for making horns, a little of everything.

We rearranged upstairs in the museum to make some room because we cleaned out PWK's office, everything including a room that was nothing but filing cabinets wall to wall around the room. All of this went to the museum across the street only to be very slightly gone through and partially categorized.

The museum building is full, and Klipsch has been nice enough to let us store things in the plant on shelves. I am talking about roughly 15 huge boxes, the boxes are the size of the standard pallet they are setting on. A crazy amount of stuff not even in the museum.

 

It's a staggering amount of "stuff", after looking at it all to me it's priceless. The good thing is PWK and his company never through away anything, all the way down to his personal banking records back to before the company was founded. All this "stuff" is now great for making a museum to honer his life and accomplishments, it's just a shocking amount of things that needs to be organized and documented to be stored digitally.   All of this while over the last year setting up a board with different committees to oversee everything and also raise money to keep it all going, there are telephone conferences sometimes weekly organizing and making decisions.

 

I am not going to lie it's a shocking adventure how much work it is and that it's surviving and slowly growing. 

 

This is just a little part of what's going on, sorry to go on so long, but it's only fair to try to explain it to you a little of what's going on with the museum.

[vasubandu]

@dtel what an amazing story. Maybe you will end up with the email I sent.  The web message is broken.  There are companies than can come in and digitize everything. They know how to do it.  Maybe Klipsch will pay for that.  It sounds like a case of neglect which is sad because there is a story to be told through the speakers, and they are letting it slip away.  I suspect that the only way to make this happen would be to enlist the support of the company.  Do you have contacts there?

 

Thanks for the information.  It was very enlightening.

[dtel]

Yes all the way up the line to the man who bought the company when PWK sold it, very nice guy who wants this to happen, he did donate it all for this to happen. Don't worry nothing is slipping away, we have more than anyone could imagine, it will be an unbelievable documentation of PWK's story, history and artifacts. 

The first time I got to meet Mr John, the man who bought klipsch when PWK sold it how much I appreciate him donating the building, artifacts and land to make this a museum, he looked at me and asked why ? Kind of shocked, I answered because it's a great story that needs to be preserved. He poked me on the shoulder and smiled and said "exactly", it should be shared.

 

They all talk regularly, from the secretary to the president of the company, many of them are on the board of directors I was talking about. They "klipsch" have helped greatly, all the way down to donating speakers that were sold to raise money to pay bills, normal things like building improvements, insurance, new AC, and electricity and security system to keep it running. Many people including forum members stepped up and volunteered time, money and services to make this work.

We looked into companies like that to help but the cost is really high and more organizing work needs to be done before something like that could work. It's more or less tons of "stuff", I say it like that because there is so much of a lot of everything.

 

I have to say I have met and got to know some great people doing this, if it all stopped now it was well worth it already, it it's been amazing, fun and tiring at times.

[vasubandu]

We should be able to leverage this into something bigger. The Klipsch story needs to be told. 

[dtel]

It's happening, it kind of slowed down a little with the holidays, which was really a nice break.

I could help more if I could be there more, we live almost 8 hours away, this makes it hard,  and have been there more times in the last few years than I care to admit. Part of what makes it tough for us is we also organized (with much help) the Pilgrimage the last couple of years and that's slot of work also. So we always seem to be going to Arkansas.

But, remember I talked about becoming close friends with a guy who designs all this stuff, well the last 4-5 years or so is how and why this happened. This alone is worth it all.

 

Also another person I have known a long time is involved in this also, we have become good friends, we all take turns going to each other houses just to hang out. South Mississippi, South W Louisiana and Hope Ar, we get together at one of the 3, next in about 2 weeks in SW Louisiana, 3 hours for us, 3-5 days average, eating, music and of course general It's always the three of us and wives and family's, and sometimes the next guy I need to say something about that we became friends with because of all of this.  

Remember I talked about a friend who is buying all different audio things, he is also involved in all of this, he invited down to his house a couple of months ago in Fla, it was crazy. We said we had not been South of the space center in Florida, so he took us on over a week long tour of South Florida, Palm Beach, Miami, and down to Key West, fun and funny guy.

 

Just trying to put the picture together for you,  I don't talk about this stuff very much, or at least how things just happen to happen.

 

Sorry for going on, again.

[vasubandu]

Very exciting news.  Had a long talk with the Klipsch historian Jim Hunter, and he agreed that we need this.  He is delighted to have me put it together.  I told him that it would belong to museum as long as they did not charge for access.  He has some information and access to more information, but I may have to sign a nondisclosure agreement to see it.  He was very excited and positive about the idea.  It occurred to me that the database needs pictures too.  This could be a really worthwhile project, and I think that a really good book would come out of about the history of Klipsch speakers.  

 

Anyone want to help?

[dtel]

Sounds like a good project, go for it. It is really needed.

[vasubandu]

@dtel that is exactly what he said.  It is needed.