Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I'm picking these up this weekend from a friend. He is second owner... original owner bought them in 1968 and they stayed in the same room for their entire lives until my friend picked them up a couple of years ago.. The trim on them looks interesting - are these a different version than a standard Klipschorn? KIMG0133 by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr KIMG0134 by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr KIMG0135 by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 To me, those appear to be very well made DIY finished kits, or more probably, decorators. It will be useful to see inside the top hats. In any case, they look very nice and will probably sound great also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 That looks like a standard version of a Khorn called a B collar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 10 hours ago, wvu80 said: That looks like a standard version of a Khorn called a B collar. You’re correct Dave it, “. . . looks like a standard verion of a Khorn . . “ but close inspection suggests to me it is an excellent copy. The top of the top hat appears to be thinner than normal, as does the bottom of the top hat at the collar. The raised trim around the perimeter of the front of the bass bin is unlike any factory Klipschorn I can recall. The edges all seem to have a slight roundover, rather than the sharp edges of Klipschorns. I happen to prefer the roundover look and it’s less prone to nicks than the sharper corners, but, it’s not original. All in all, I still vote for excellent custom cabinetry on a decorator or kit. A peek inside the top hats should go a long way to resolve any lingering mystery. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 I just sent him a message to get me some more pics... Now I'm a bit nervous... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, DizRotus said: All in all, I still vote for excellent custom cabinetry on a decorator or kit. You have a good eye! 👁️ Those speakers are from 1968 and I am unfamiliar with that era. If the label still exists that should tell us if that collar is factory or not, but I'm leaning in your the direction of your analysis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 4 minutes ago, Escher said: I just sent him a message to get me some more pics... Now I'm a bit nervous... Don’t be. You’ll listen to them more than look at them, and I predict they’ll sound great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 We settled on $1200... fair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 On 5/23/2018 at 9:29 PM, Escher said: We settled on $1200... fair? Depends on what’s under the custom cabinetry. It’s probably fair if they are functioning decorators in a tuxedo. If kits with God knows what for components, then I’d be “a bit nervous” too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 1 minute ago, DizRotus said: Depends on what’s under the custom cabinetry. It’s probably fair if they are functioning decorators in a tuxedo. If kits with a God knows what for components, then I’d be “a bit nervous” too. Luckily my buddy is pretty savvy in audio and I doubt he'd miss a knockoff... But I'll be a lot happier when i see a pic of that PWK logo on some drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 16 minutes ago, DizRotus said: 20 minutes ago, Escher said: We settled on $1200... fair? Depends on what’s under the custom cabinetry. It’s probably fair if they are functioning decorators in a tuxedo. If kits with a God knows what for components, then I’d be “a bit nervous” too. The $1200 is a good price if those are really Khorns. The average price for Khorns 1960-71 (Type A crossover) is $2285 by my data. The problem now is to determine if those are really Klipsch, as @DizRotus suggested. I looked at some older pics on the web and I found the B collar but none have a roundover on the tophat. If they are Speakerlab K horns (Khorn clones in both factory and kit form) they are worth about $350 and don't sound good like the Khorn does. Here is a good pic of the Speakerlab K, but I don't know what year. http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/klipschorns-maybe.797276/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 19 minutes ago, wvu80 said: The $1200 is a good price if those are really Khorns. The average price for Khorns 1960-71 (Type A crossover) is $2285 by my data. The problem now is to determine if those are really Klipsch, as @DizRotus suggested. I looked at some older pics on the web and I found the B collar but none have a roundover on the tophat. If they are Speakerlab K horns (Khorn clones in both factory and kit form) they are worth about $350 and don't sound good like the Khorn does. Dave, this is my night to be contrary. Some Speakerlab Ks sound extremely good, but some do not. The variables are many, which is why they are not valued like the real McCoys. Are you saying $350 each for Speakerlab Ks? I’m still expecting decorators under the skin, in which case, all is well. See the differences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 1 minute ago, DizRotus said: Are saying $350 each for Speakerlab Ks? Pair for $350. They usually don't have much value. As you say we really need to look into the back or inside the tophat to figure out what that speaker is. The Speakerlab K XO's don't look anything like a Klipsch XO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 Another pic - possibly decorators with trim added... the top hat seems recessed at the same level as the front panel.. KIMG0137 by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr Of course my friend is offline now so I can sweat about this tonight... lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 7 minutes ago, wvu80 said: The Speakerlab K XO's don't look anything like a Klipsch XO. And Whoopi Goldberg doesn’t look anything like Beyoncé. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 11 minutes ago, Escher said: Of course my friend is offline now so I can sweat about this tonight... lol! Sorry about that. I think you should reserve judgement until you can get a pic of the back which should have a label. If not a label a Khorn will have the letter "G" stamped into the back of the tophat on the edge for 1968. Even if the label is missing we can confirm with certainty if it is a Khorn. This is from my old La Scala with Type AA crossovers, but the stamping is in the same place. This one is T, so 1979. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Escher, The workmanship evident is excellent. The insides probably exhibit the same attention to detail. If genuine Klipsch is not under the skin, will you be able to back out of the deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Dave, Decorators don’t come with top hats. The components and the tailboards will be the clues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escher Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 1 minute ago, DizRotus said: Escher, The workmanship evident is excellent. The insides probably exhibit the same attention to detail. If genuine Klipsch is not under the skin, will you be able to blackout if the deal? Probably - I did already paypal him the $$ this evening. But we've done audio deals together for years and he's a stand up guy. Funny thing is, I saw them three years ago and simply can't remember them now... at the time he wasn't interested in selling and I did't have the cash regardless... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, DizRotus said: Decorators don’t come with top hats. The components and the tailboards will be the clues. Technically the number is not stamped into the tophat (if it has one) but into the bass bin. I think with some some pics of the back @Escher should be able to make a definite identification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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