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Klipsch Best vs The Rest of the Big Boys. Ever done a side by side Comparison?


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I don't know the answer, but I do know the klipschorns are not the top of the line in sound from Klipsch.

 

The last version is, it's the Jubilee, it's the last iteration of the Klipschorn. You can still buy either version

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, LarryC said:

I recognize some, but not all, in the pics above.  Could you put down the respective brands and models, please?  Thanks!

 

Larry

Patrician4 patrician 800 Jbl Everest Jensen triplex imperial, Tannoy Westminsters, Altecs dual woofers and horn Patricians not in order

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I have heard Khorns and the EV Patricians with the 18 inch bass horn. The EV had more bass and the Khorn had a clearer midrange and high frequency sound . I measured the Patrician and discovered the bass was 10 dB higher than the highs. The Khorn measured much flatter.

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An interesting thread. ..While I haven't heard pretty much ANY of these speakers, I can say I loved how the Klipschorn's sound.

 

But there is one area in which the Klipschorn's do not always compare very favorably with at least some of the comparably priced speakers -  that is fit & finish.  Take a look at the following pics that are screenshots from the Klipsch website.  Note how the screws aren't symmetrically positioned on both sides of the centerline, and notice how the rubber trim is sort of slipshod.  Also the bracket supporting the horn isn't centered.  In the bottom pic you can see that some screws are countersunk as others sit above the surface.  This is a sample of Klipsch's Flagship speaker displayed on their website!   Yes, I know it's the sound that matters most but when you're talking about $15,000 speakers (CORRECTION! $12,000), the finish DOES matter to a significant degree.

 

 

Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 10.37.42 AM.png

Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 10.38.11 AM.png

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3 hours ago, Don Richard said:

I measured the Patrician and discovered the bass was 10 dB higher than the highs.

Don, that's quite a bit of bass boost. 

 

I've always wondered if some of those older "high end" loudspeakers were actually like jukeboxes, because they seemed to attract that sort of enthusiast.

 

IIRC, the Patricians have a 30" woofer.  Any guesses as to why EV stopped making them? (First two guesses don't count.)

 

39 minutes ago, ODS123 said:

Yes, I know it's the sound that matters most but when you're talking about $15,000 speakers, the finish DOES matter to a significant degree.

Umm,...perhaps this is your assessment of what's important.  It's not really mine.  The acoustics really don't care about the things that you are concerned about above.  I usually look at the front of the loudspeakers...and my judgement comes from the phonons going into my ears, not the photons going into my eyes...

 

gallery_26262_6_8282.jpg

 

Said another way: does the acoustics of your room match the standard by which you appear to judge loudspeakers by their visual appearance?

 

Of course, I think that the price of Khorns rising from $9K to the price you quoted in 10 years is well ahead of inflation.  What usually occurs when prices rise but value--measured in terms of sound quality in this instance--doesn't...is that the Wall street guys (i.e., the glossy annual report people that make their money on stock options and bonuses) replace the engineers that created the actual value, and/or the overhead costs of the organization start to get out of control.  I think that happened to Altec, among other notable loudspeaker companies.  Living in California in the 1970s-80s had its effects on costs, as well as a typical "bigger is better" corporate slide downward in the quality and innovation of new products produced that weren't tested properly before release. 

 

The same thing is true for JBL products.  All of their drivers are pretty overpriced relative to their competitors--including those designed by German and Italian engineers (e.g., B&C, BMS, Faital Pro, Beyma, etc.).

 

Chris

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While I agree that fit and finish is important,  I don't really feel asymmetrical screws on the back of a Khorn rises to the level of shoddy build quality.  You're NEVER going to see those once they're put in place, and the veneers and finish on the visible surfaces are nice.  While there are levels of subjectivity,  I personally don't think you're going to find a better deal in a USA made loudspeaker than Klipsch Heritage.  

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41 minutes ago, jimjimbo said:

And apparently, you didn't take into account the angle at which the photos were taken.  Everything you mentioned could be PERFECTLY aligned, but you just wouldn't know that from the photo.

 

umm..  not buying it.  A different angle isn't going to make a screw appear higher on the trim board.  ..Or account for why the rubber trim is crooked on one side.

 

Look, I'm a fan of the brand.  I just spent $4000 on a pair of Cornwalls, and I love them!!  But I'm still going to be objective.  The back side of their flagship speaker should display greater attention to finishing detail.  I agree they sound awesome.  But if bought this pair, I'd be asking for replacement.  ..Or if I were to order a pair I'd tell them to be mindful about all screws being symmetrically placed.  How hard would it be to have a jig or template that helps ensure proper screw positioning and to turn every screw in until it's consistently flush?  Check out their cheapest pair of bookshelf speakers and you'll see better finish on the back.  

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Klipsch Heritage speakers are handmade.  My personal experience confirms that screws are not in precisely symmetrical locations.  In my experience, such deviations from robotic symmetry do not in any way affect the performance. In the final analysis, Klipsch Heritage speakers are still in production these many decades later for a reason.  Most of the other speaker models referenced above, perhaps with arguably better fit & finish, are not still in production.  Why do you think that is the case?

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22 minutes ago, Shiva said:

One can still get a pair of Tannoy Westminsters, though a tad pricey.

 

Of course, you're correct, I knew that and should have recalled it.  Nonetheless, the argument still holds.  To the best of my knowledge, Tannoy does not still make a model that is essentially the same as one being made in 1948.  In any case, comparing the cost of Tannoy's best to the best offerings from Klipsch is comparing oranges to apples.  Irrespective of the cost disparity, many prefer the sound quality of Klipsch to Tannoy.  Factoring in the huge cost differential only makes the Klipsch an even better bargain.

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3 minutes ago, ODS123 said:

 

umm..  not buying it.  A different angle isn't going to make a screw appear higher on the trim board.  ..Or account for why the rubber trim is crooked on one side.

 

Look, I'm a fan of the brand.  I just spent $4000 on a pair of Cornwall.  And I love them!!  But I'm still going to be objective.  The back side of their flagship speaker should display greater attention to finishing detail.  I agree they sound awesome.  But if bought this pair, I'd be asking for replacement.  ..Or if I were to order a pair I'd tell them to be mindful about all screws being symmetrically placed.  How hard would it be to have a jig that helps ensure proper screw positioning.  Check out their cheapest pair of bookshelf speakers and you'll see better finish on the back.

In all honesty,  it would probably be easy to make a jig to ensure perfect alignment on those screws on the back.   I just doubt anyone ever cared.

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2 hours ago, ODS123 said:

An interesting thread. ..While I haven't heard pretty much ANY of these speakers, I can say I loved how the Klipschorn's sound.

 

But there is one area in which the Klipschorn's do not always compare very favorably with at least some of the comparably priced speakers -  that is fit & finish.  Take a look at the following pics that are screenshots from the Klipsch website.  Note how the screws aren't symmetrically positioned on both sides of the centerline, and notice how the rubber trim is sort of slipshod.  Also the bracket supporting the horn isn't centered.  In the bottom pic you can see that some screws are countersunk as others sit above the surface.  This is a sample of Klipsch's Flagship speaker displayed on their website!   Yes, I know it's the sound that matters most but when you're talking about $15,000 speakers (CORRECTION! $12,000), the finish DOES matter to a significant degree.

 

 

Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 10.37.42 AM.png

Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 10.38.11 AM.png

You worry way too much about things that nobody will ever see....BTW, are all the drawers in your furniture STAINED AND FINISHED on the BOTTOM surface of the drawer bottoms??  Same type of comparison.  When you have actually had to BUILD the complicated Klipschorn, you would understand WHY some things are the way they are.  Symmetry of the unseen is of little importance.  Some screws are countersunk because they CAN BE...the roundhead screws you mention are not countersunk simply because doing so would weaken the flange of the horn lens at its mounting points.  You can't even buy a Porsche nowadays and roll a ball bearing down its fit points and see it NOT wiggle as it rolls like you could have done in the 1950's.  It is what it is. 

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