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How did you discover Klipsch speakers?


Alexander

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Bach in ~1990-91 I had just updated my gear to a Denon dap-2500, poa4400s & dcd2560. The old stuff was a cobbled collection of gear that was pieced together with stuff I got as money would allow at that time and it was not all that great other than the rt909 open reel. All the new gear was a big night & day upgrade from the old but I still had Marantz Imperial 7(b?) speakers that were 'OK'.

 

Then ~1991-92 there was a program at a local audio store that allowed you to take speakers home to audition. A friend pointed out that they had Klipsch speakers and to give them a try so I thought why not, after all it would only cost me time and gas.

 

Well I took home a pair of new-in-the-box forte IIs and dropped in my (at the time) reference music, a Sting CD. What cam out of those forte IIs was totally magical, I could not believe what my ears were hearing. I must had gone through fifty CDs and I could not get over my new found sound and the wife was glad it was finally over.. I am sure many of you out there have been there with your wives too. But sadly the wife did not see the justification for that price point. So back went the forte IIs and bought the Quartets in stead. But once I had a taste of that Klipsch sound I was hooked for life.

 

 

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My late uncle purchased a Carver rack set with the TFM-45 amp along with a pair of forte II's in the early '90's from Magnolia Hi-fi I still remember hearing Joe Walsh "Life's Been Good" I thought the kick drum was going to break the very large picture window in the living room it flexed so much sound was crystal clear at insane volumes and the bass had no problem pressurizing the whole room I was sold on Carver and Klipsch that day though I have moved along to Sunfire products (still Carver) some years back.  

 

 

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I first heard Klipsch speakers in a dealer showroom in the mid 1980's. A pair of Brand new LaScala pair. Wow!  At that time I ended up purchasing DCM Time Window pair. My first Klisch pair was the modest KG 2.2 model in the mid 1990's. Then I spent several years using various high end "studio monitors. In 2014 I bought a Heresy III pair. I have not changed out speakers since buying the Heresy III model...but I still love the sound of the LaScala the best.

 

Buck

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1978, I was a year out of high school and had already read more than my share of articles in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. I knew of Paul Klipsch by name and reputation, but had never heard any Klipsch loudspeakers. Finally visited Don and Kathy's House of Music in St. Louis and listened to Klipschorns. I was dumbfounded.

 

BTW, @buckaroo, I still have a working pair of DCM Time Windows, and also a pair of DCM QED.

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I didn't really know about them until I started my teaching career in 1984.  We had Heresy speakers mounted in the band hall.  During conference periods I would play some records that I brought from home and started to really notice some mid range that I hadn't heard before.  I was also surprised that a speaker with a woofer that large would have so little bass.  Still, I appreciated them for what they were.  I've never purchased any Heritage model speakers because I just can't justify the cost, but I do really enjoy my RP-280f's.

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Nice thread!

 

For the last couple decades I have been a service rep to the bar business, any place that is licensed. I usually spend a minimum of an hour at each call and often have the bar to myself prior to opening.

 

Without exception, there is a sound system. Some are better than others.

 

One day, early on in this career, a Creedence Clearwater Revival song came on quietly yet ever so clearly, and present, in the background. Having grown up with CCR at every turn of my life I was dumbfounded by what I was hearing. I had never heard what I was hearing like this before.

 

I dropped what I was doing and began the investigation.

 

Up under the ceiling in each corner of the bar, inverted, was a pair of original Heresys.

 

That was it. The very first pair of Heresys I ever heard was the gateway drug that got me hooked on Klipsch.

 

 

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Its complicated...

My father & PWK received their EE together at Stanford. Dad was with Jensen & CTS and followed what PWK was doing. I grew up with a loaded horn in the living room...  

Then I married a gal from El Dorado (two counties SE of Hope); her parents were from Hope & I met PWK in 70 or 71. Heard K'horns then and have never forgotten my fascination with their sound.

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We lived in Patmos, Arkansas and I went to school in Hope, Arkansas (7th through the 9th grades), this was about 1957-60. I heard about Klipsch, but wasn't into audio gear at the time; I was into hunting and fishing. When I finally got serious about music and audio equipment, I wanted a pair of Klipsch speakers, but started out with Sansui speakers that I bought while I was in the Navy. I finally satisfied my Klipsch itch in 1998 when I bought my KLF-20's and hooked them up to my Carver CT-7 preamp and M1.0t amp. I still have them in my 2-Channel system and my Home Theater system is all Klipsch in a 5.1.2 setup.

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I've told this several times.  In about 1977 (the days of quad and bell bottoms), while owning Marantz Imperial 7s, I went into Audio Systems, near the Exit/In, in Nashville.  While looking at stuff I could actually afford, I heard a thunderstorm.  "Can't be", I said to myself!  Even went outside to look and found a blue sky.  Went back in and found the high end room playing "Tales Of Mystery And Imagination" through Klipschorns.  😳  Next was some live Charlie Daniels, in quad, with Belle Klipsch rears.  Felt just like the Volunteer Jam!  Finally, they played Santa Esmerelda's "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".  "What's wrong with my leg?!"  The bass drum was flapping my bell bottoms!!!!  The volume was loud, but not so loud you couldn't talk over it.  Not subtle.  It took college and 20 years to afford La Scalas, but I finally got 'em!

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Upper Ear, Las Vegas NV. around 1988 or 1989. Heard the entire Heritage line-up, from the mighty K-horn on down to the original Forte's. I was hooked. Through the help of a friend, I managed to pick-up a pair of Forte's. The store had an awesome program and within a year, I traded-up and exchanged my Forte's for a Chorus II. Since then, I've bought and still own three LS1s and currently trying to dial in a pair of Jubes. While currently working abroad, I have three cherry Heresy IIIs to try and satisfy that itch while I'm away from home.

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I read the test of K-horns and A Cornwall center at bell labs in the early 1960's. If it was good enough for Bell labs it  was good enough for me. I ordered them as soon as I could afford them never having heard them.

JJK

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 the klipsch  home speakers are legendary because of PWK's novel sound  designs that were unique ,  anyone who heard a klipsch speaker can remember that first time   , but the Commercial Theatre series are also now world leaders ,in  big halls and theatres ,and bigger installed venues  ,  klipsch is superior in sound quality with the  best cabinet construction , of the industry , and anytime you are in a theatre ----1 in every 2 theatres is equipped with Klipsch speakers   -  

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3 hours ago, geoff. said:

Nice thread!

 

For the last couple decades I have been a service rep to the bar business, any place that is licensed. I usually spend a minimum of an hour at each call and often have the bar to myself prior to opening.

 

Without exception, there is a sound system. Some are better than others.

 

One day, early on in this career, a Creedence Clearwater Revival song came on quietly yet ever so clearly, and present, in the background. Having grown up with CCR at every turn of my life I was dumbfounded by what I was hearing. I had never heard what I was hearing like this before.

 

I dropped what I was doing and began the investigation.

 

Up under the ceiling in each corner of the bar, inverted, was a pair of original Heresys.

 

That was it. The very first pair of Heresys I ever heard was the gateway drug that got me hooked on Klipsch.

 

 

 

In your case I believe CCR shares in responsibility. 

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28 minutes ago, JJkizak said:

I read the test of K-horns and A Cornwall center at bell labs in the early 1960's. If it was good enough for Bell labs it  was good enough for me. I ordered them as soon as I could afford them never having heard them.

JJK

Which facility, lab? Do you remember what they said they used that set up for?

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In the early 90s, my friend and roommate went to the local Klipsch dealer and came back with a brochure of the Klipsch Heritage models. He raved about it. A year or two later, I went  to a store and heard Klipschorns. Unfortunately, they had it hooked up to some dreadful solid state amp. It sounded really bad.

 

Many years later, I was reading a book on guitar tube amps and it mentioned Klipsch speakers with tube amps sounding wonderful. Finally, this year I got Cornwall IIIs and a SET amp.

Edited by VNC Studio
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  I was sitting in a friends apartment in maybe 1971. Read an article in a Rolling  Stone  magazine about how good the Heritage line of speakers were. I did not have space for speakers this large and expensive. High school kid. 

  After reading the article touting Klipsch as the worlds best loudspeakers it took 45 years for me to come around. 

  Grew up in Nashville, no one I knew had Klipsch. Japanese main brands mostly, but some JBL and Altecs. Carried and set up a lot of PA cabinets, no Klipsch. I would hear about Klipsch, just never saw any. 

  Would check out bar speakers and saw more Bose. Especially 901’s turned around backwards. 

  A friend in 1982 had a pair of Heresy’s. Liked my big Altecs better. 

  Finally purchased a pair of Klipsch Epic  to pair with tube amps. This was late nineties. Took a month to find a buyer. 

  The Texas Bottlehead group had many La Scala owners. All heavily modified. One even had new, more rigid cabinets. All had crossover and driver mods. None a sub. Listened to the many variations. All needed a sub. 

  The turning point for me was buying a pair H III’s. Liked them so much I bought La Scala ii. Read that if you like H III, you will love LS II.

  Feel like the Bottlehead guys. Finally got around to pulling the DaveA MWHL for LS II and installed the SMWHL ((Super Machined Walnut Horn Lens) this last week. 

  Cannot help tinkering. Roy now is partially my inspiration. Whatever he updates in new models I try to follow his lead in mine. 

  

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