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1990 Klipschorns Model Type B


jmysza

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Hi gang,

 

First time poster. Thanks for being here. I just went and looked at a pair of Klipschorns (1990, type B, oiled oak). They are in amazing cosmetic shape aside from a few minor nicks - original wicker grilles... all original K-55-M squakers, K-77-M tweeters, and AK-3 crossovers. They were sitting in the middle of a small room side-by-side hooked up to a crappy Yamaha A/V receiver and a JBL active subwoofer??! They sounded pretty awful. I turned off the subwoofer and tried to remove all of the DSP from the amp (don't think I was 100% successful) enough to verify that the tweeters/squakers/drivers were all functional. The only music source I had for the demo was unfortunately over-processed FM radio. I'm aware of the fact that when I get them home and put them in the corners they will sound better and have increased bass response.

 

The current owner said he inherited these from his neighbor 2 years ago when he moved, and exclaimed "they don't make these anymore", and "they CRANK".

 

My longterm goal would be to tri-amp them with active 3-way crossovers and possibly replace some of the diaphrams. He says (true or not) that a guy is coming on Sunday with cash, so I have only a short time to decide. He's $1500 firm for the pair. What do you all think... should I go for it?

 

- Justin

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I don't even own a pair of KHorns and from what you're describing I'd do it in a heartbeat.  $1500 is a really good price from what I've seen.  Leaves you room for some upgrades if you feel that you need to after you get the home.  Once properly placed, driven with better upstream gear, I can only imagine how happy you'll be.  My vote is to open the wallet and load them up.

 

Edit:

They do still make the Khorns, base units are $6K each, 70th Anniversary are even more.

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That's a great price for the condition you described. I'd recommend you take a friend with you to pick them up because:

(A) They are heavy

(B)You'll need a getaway driver since it sounds like a steal

 

Goooooooo! :emotion-21:

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Great price!  GO!

 

There is also NO NEED to replace the diaphragms in a working driver.  Though, there are some better sounding drivers available, particularly for the K-77-M.  I believe I have read there are no longer any replacement diaphragms for the K-55-M. 

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As everyone else has said, $1500 is a no-brainer, you don't even need to research or think about it.  If you get them and don't like them you can resell them and make a least $1000.

 

Check your PM.  I sent you a research tool.

 

And welcome to the Klipsch forum.

 

-Dave

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13 minutes ago, jmysza said:

Thanks all. Renting a van and picking them up tomorrow!

 

Cool!  I just missed a nice pair of Cornwalls yesterday.  Keep us posted on your progress and your opinion of how they sound.  I'm living vicariously. 

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  • 3 years later...

So here we are 3 1/2 years later and these are absolutely my favorite things in the world. As they are being used as the “mains” in my recording studio I decided to power them with 2 solid state Schiit Aegir’s used as mono blocks. When I push them however, they do get a bit harsh. So, I’m thing upgrades… and I thought I’d reach out to the experts ; )

 

1. Would a new set of Crites AK-3 crossovers have a noticeable impact, given that the speakers have existing 1990 AK-3 crossovers in them?

 

2. I would love to jump to Volti Audio V-TracII horns, but the price is a bit rich for me right now. Any other suggestions to tamp down the harshness at louder levels and warm things up?

 

Any and all input is welcome and much appreciated. Thank you!

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10 minutes ago, jmysza said:

1. Would a new set of Crites AK-3 crossovers have a noticeable impact, given that the speakers have existing 1990 AK-3 crossovers in them?

Noticeable impact?  Ummmm, no not much.  Go to a new AA network build.

10 minutes ago, jmysza said:

 

2. I would love to jump to Volti Audio V-TracII horns, but the price is a bit rich for me right now. Any other suggestions to tamp down the harshness at louder levels and warm things up?

Yes, go to an AA network build and you can tame the mids with two very simple changes.  PM me if interested.

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No Affiliation -

 

klipsch  offer Factory klipsch capacitors for sale via @JEM Performance,  they can troubleshoot your AK-3  Crossovers or repair them with  new klipsch capacitors -

JEM Performance is The klipsch Certified  Heritage crossovers repair center  .

 

 you can reach JEM  via PM  @JEM Performance  or   412-401-6915 /email   theaudioroom@verizon.net 

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My suggestion is to first be very precise about what the "problem" is.

 

Refreshing the capacitors might help, but you can do this cheaply by getting the raw parts from Parts Express (search the threads) or even "bypassing" them (search the threads).

 

Bigger improvements (IMHO) can be achieved by room placement  and making sure you have good corners (search the threads on "false corners") and snug in the corners (search the threads on "pipe foam"). 

 

 All this should be done before any mention of JEM or Volti

 

Some day you might even thank me for just having saved you from spending a bunch of money (IMHO). 

 

Good Luck,

-Tom

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