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Words of Wisdom


Travis In Austin

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From Audio, an interview of O. Gadfly Hurtz 

 

Audio: What should a speaker do in order to he popular with the general public Are most buyers looking for accuracy of reproduction

 

Klipsch: First off, I don't even consider myself a member of the general public. I know that my own requirements in a loudspeaker are those I've discussed. Judging from what contact I have with the general public, though, I conclude that 99 percent of the general public doesn't even
know what accuracy of reproduction is. My company is for the one percent composed of perfectionists who buy these expensive speakers.

 

audio: How do you react to the statements by some audio enthusiasts that all horn-type speakers have intrinsic coloration - a particular sonic character, as it were that is inherently unnatural sounding

 

Klipsch: Many years ago I recall reading an article about the retirement of David Sarnoff as the Chairman of the Board] of RCA. He was reminiscing in the story about one of the earliest electric phonographs, developed by Victor just after it had been acquired by RCA, It sounded miles better than the phonographs of the day, but Sarnoff remembers someone in marketing listening to it and saying "I don't think it will sell; it doesn't sound like a phonograph." There's a good point there: Many people would prefer that a music-reproduction system sound like a machine, rather than like music. If you take any kind of speakerhorn or direct radiator - lop off the lows below 300 Hz, attenuate the up-per treble, and inject some scratchiness, people will say "it sounds like a horn." That's because it has a restricted frequency range; it would be like using one of our Klipschorns with only the' midrange driver connected. It would sound like a Twenties phonograph. The point I'm making is that so-called horn coloration is a function of the frequency response. A wide-range horn, like any of the speakers we make, will have no substantial coloration. You can make any horn sound like any direct radiator, if they both have wide, flat frequency response. But the horn will always sound cleaner because it will always have higher output for lower distortion. That's why I'm in the business of making horn speakers.

 

 

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