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All New Klipschorn


edwinr

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I took the time and went to a certified Heritage dealer in California to try and listen to them... he didn't have them but could order a pair. I told him that if he ever got them in I might go back to check them out... he told me that he probably wouldn't even tak3 them out of the box if they ever did come in.

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Living in Australia, I would never be able to audition before buying.  It would be a leap of faith.  I was the lucky owner of a pair of AK3's for several years.  They were amazing speakers, but bad corners made positioning problematic.  The new Klipschorn may very well be an option for more difficult rooms  like mine.

 

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1 hour ago, kevinmi said:

I have Klipschorns with enclosed bass bins, and although it does help in opening up placement options, they still sound their best in corners.

 

That was my experience with the four Speakerlab SKhorns used in a mobile DJ business in the 70s.  I enclosed the backs with plywood; not as good as full corners or proper false corners (as described in Dope From Hope), but better than nothing.

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On 12/3/2018 at 5:13 PM, Schu said:

 I told him that if he ever got them in I might go back to check them out... he told me that he probably wouldn't even tak3 them out of the box if they ever did come in.

 

That's disappointing.  I would think Klipsch would require a dealer to have a pair of Khorn on display if they wish to be a "certified Heritage dealer; and would do whatever necessary to make it affordable for the dealer. ..Either allow dealer to hold them on partial consignment or loan them to the dealer outright.    Years ago I was a district manager for a german car company.   To be an authorize dealer, the dealership needed to carry a representative mix of ALL vehicles in the line.

 

One possible solution might be for Klipsch put a few dozen pairs into demo service and allow each authorize Heritage dealer to have it for a designated period of time.  ..Enough time for them to get word out to customers, local audio clubs, etc, and maybe arrange a special listening event.  Other brands do this in my area.  Wilson, Vandersteen, just to name a few.  Each dealer get a a pair for a few weeks, then ship the pair off to the next dealer.   Bottomline: they'd sell more if they made it possible for more people to hear them.  

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On 12/3/2018 at 2:13 PM, Schu said:

I took the time and went to a certified Heritage dealer in California to try and listen to them... he didn't have them but could order a pair. I told him that if he ever got them in I might go back to check them out... he told me that he probably wouldn't even tak3 them out of the box if they ever did come in.

 

Not very co-operative!

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10 hours ago, DizRotus said:

If keeping every expensive Heritage model in inventory were a requirement, I suspect you’d be able to count the Heritage dealers on one hand.

 

But they used to almost do that!  Pro-Audio in Oakland and Berkeley Custom Electronics in Berkeley (15 to 20 minutes apart) had Klipschorns, Cornwall, either La Scala or Belle and Heresy on display, along with a fair number of other brands and models, with Pro-Audio having some very expensive competitors, including B& W 801F.  I was able to A/B the pair of B&W and the pair of Klipschorns for (literally) hours, during low traffic times.  You see which pair I picked!

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Saw and heard the first test model in Hope on the pilgrimage.  Hard to say but sounded pretty good until I heard what they were going to cost. I think they said the bass been was only changed in the way it was assembled to make it easier. I got pics of one being made I could not see any difference in the parts. Im sure there are pics of it on here some where maybe under pics from pilgrimage. I did like the removable grill though cause I want to change my grills to lambs wool. Plan to make another set of motor boards so I can change them out.

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4 hours ago, garyrc said:

 

But they used to almost do that!  Pro-Audio in Oakland and Berkeley Custom Electronics in Berkeley (15 to 20 minutes apart) had Klipschorns, Cornwall, either La Scala or Belle and Heresy on display, along with a fair number of other brands and models, with Pro-Audio having some very expensive competitors, including B& W 801F.  I was able to A/B the pair of B&W and the pair of Klipschorns for (literally) hours, during low traffic times.  You see which pair I picked!

 

Agreed.  ..I bought my new  Cornwall IIIs 10 mos. ago from Worldwide Stereo in Ardmore, PA.  ..At the time they had every Heritage model except Klipschorns on display at either their Ardmore store or their Montgomeryville, PA store.  I was able to hear Heresy's, Forte's and Cornwalls all the same day...And their website (which seems to be updated daily) indicates they have Klipschorns in stock now! (older model I'm guessing).  ..They were so friendly and customer-centered that I'm betting if I asked to hear the K-horns they would have arranged to have them brought from their warehouse and made available to audition (after probably making sure I was serious and looking to make a near-term purchase - which is understandable).  

 

So some dealers are doing this now...

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All new my eye.  More like slightly updated.  Without being able to use the adjacent walls as an extension of the bass horn they certainly aren't going to dig as deep frequency wise regardless of what the specs say.  I'll keep my old fashioned ones thank you very much.

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On 12/3/2018 at 8:10 PM, edwinr said:

Living in Australia, I would never be able to audition before buying.  It would be a leap of faith.  I was the lucky owner of a pair of AK3's for several years.  They were amazing speakers, but bad corners made positioning problematic.  The new Klipschorn may very well be an option for more difficult rooms  like mine.

 

 

I never worried about the rooms, I never listened to them demoed, I just had faith that Bell Labs knew what they were talking about so I just bought them.

JJK

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On 12/7/2018 at 8:12 AM, ODS123 said:

 

That's disappointing.  I would think Klipsch would require a dealer to have a pair of Khorn on display if they wish to be a "certified Heritage dealer; and would do whatever necessary to make it affordable for the dealer. ..Either allow dealer to hold them on partial consignment or loan them to the dealer outright.    Years ago I was a district manager for a german car company.   To be an authorize dealer, the dealership needed to carry a representative mix of ALL vehicles in the line.

 

One possible solution might be for Klipsch put a few dozen pairs into demo service and allow each authorize Heritage dealer to have it for a designated period of time.  ..Enough time for them to get word out to customers, local audio clubs, etc, and maybe arrange a special listening event.  Other brands do this in my area.  Wilson, Vandersteen, just to name a few.  Each dealer get a a pair for a few weeks, then ship the pair off to the next dealer.   Bottomline: they'd sell more if they made it possible for more people to hear them.  

 

great idea if you want to have a thoroughly trashed set of Khorns after only a few moves, these things are very heavy. Dealers are notorious for not giving much of a care about other companies loaner gear. I imagine this to be an age old problem and not just for Klipsch. High priced gear is a tough one especially for so many shops which for the most part are just getting by these days. A project like this would require a set of true shipping containers like what would be used to ship a grand piano for tour purposes and most shops would probably not have the storage space for the shipping containers and few shops out there will have a room large enough with solid corners in which to demo properly a Khorn. I think there is/are good reasons why you see so few shops with Khorns or LaScala in stock.I think that the true enthusiast  who wants a pair of Khorns or LaScala's will order a pair new and get the veneer he/she wants at the same time otherwise most look to the used market place as these speakers last a life time. This is just my two cents worth on the topic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 12/7/2018 at 7:12 AM, ODS123 said:

 

That's disappointing.  I would think Klipsch would require a dealer to have a pair of Khorn on display if they wish to be a "certified Heritage dealer; and would do whatever necessary to make it affordable for the dealer. ..Either allow dealer to hold them on partial consignment or loan them to the dealer outright.    Years ago I was a district manager for a german car company.   To be an authorize dealer, the dealership needed to carry a representative mix of ALL vehicles in the line.

 

One possible solution might be for Klipsch put a few dozen pairs into demo service and allow each authorize Heritage dealer to have it for a designated period of time.  ..Enough time for them to get word out to customers, local audio clubs, etc, and maybe arrange a special listening event.  Other brands do this in my area.  Wilson, Vandersteen, just to name a few.  Each dealer get a a pair for a few weeks, then ship the pair off to the next dealer.   Bottomline: they'd sell more if they made it possible for more people to hear them.  

This is what the dealer (a very well known retail and mail order shoppee) had on hand..

 

30602561937_b8290173f1_k.jpg

 

45543592691_57f5769754_k.jpg

 

They both were on the main floor and not in any of the three listening rooms. This place was packed, there must have been literally 40 or 50 pairs of speakers spread out in the store... all high-end but not many hooked up for sampling.

 

There were Forte III's hooked up in one of the rooms, but the LS and Cornwall were by the front door.

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1 minute ago, Schu said:

This is what the dealer (a very well known retail and mail order shoppee) had on hand..

 

30602561937_b8290173f1_k.jpg

 

45543592691_57f5769754_k.jpg

 

They both were on the main floor and not in any of the three listening rooms. This place was packed, there must have been literally 40 or 50 pairs of speakers spread out in the store... all high-end but not many hooked up for sampling.

Kevin is the man.   I have dealt with him and made several decent sized purchases with him.    For those thay don't know, hsi business is upscale Audio in CA.   Can't recommend him enough.   Come with the real andhell have the utmost respect and patience with you. His home is SOOOOOOOO nice and VERY large (also his showroom). 

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