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How did you discover Klipsch speakers?


Alexander

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1 hour ago, RandyH 000 said:

to put it simply , when I first bought klipsch speakers , it was based on your posts  , so yeah , I got into klipsch speakers listening to your advice , tx Claude -

Which model and year of Klipsch speakers? Do tell!

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On 6/20/2020 at 6:54 AM, DizRotus said:

I wonder if the market penetration of Klipsch in the greater Hope community is greater than the national average.  

I have no idea but have heard many of the churches had Klipsch.

 

On 6/20/2020 at 6:54 AM, DizRotus said:

“Most of the townsfolk don’t really know what all goes on at Klipsch and Associates, out there down the road a couple miles in the tiny rural town of Oak Haven.

When we have a booth in the watermelon festival it's amazing how many people who live in Hope had no idea they were still in business. 

 

But I think it's partly because the plant is not close to town, you have to be going that way to see it, or to the Tyson chicken plant at the end of the road.  

 

On 6/20/2020 at 6:54 AM, DizRotus said:

‘Them hairy sons of ******* make radios huh,’ is a typical reply.”

Well looking at old pictures hairy sons of ********** was a pretty good description with the long hair and beards.  

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2 hours ago, Marvel said:

 

You know how dangerous it is saying something like that don't you?

Well as far as speakers, electronics who knows, there are maby more different electronics than speakers. But i'm not a gear switcher or tinkerer so it would have to be an obvious improvement and a really good price, or something would have to break. If I turn it on and it works and sounds like i like I'm good.

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My mother got a pair of Heresy E ´s ( in my dining room now), never noticed them much as a kid, they had always been there. Back in 1994 i was ready to spend my first own money on new speakers. A fellow E6 in my first unit, i talked to about it, happened to own Klipsch too,  so took me to a local dealer and i got my KG 1.5s there. Had given those to my sister for severeal years until recently and am just "redicovering" them in my new workroom, hooked up to a Yamaha A-S201 and somehow the feeling i got when first listening to them in store ´94 came back.

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  • 4 weeks later...

In the early 70's, I had an internship at WMOT-FM in Murfreesboro, TN, while  studying for a degree in Recording Industry Management at MTSU.  The chief engineer at the station also worked in several studios in Nashville, and was a member of the Audio Engineering Society.  He invited me to attend an AES meeting with him in Nashville at a studio that had just opened to hear some guy named Paul Klipsch speak.  

 

I now realize what a privilege it was to hear a legend in the industry, really just by happenstance on my part.  Paul spoke for a time about his speaker line and the engineering behind them, and patiently but directly entertained questions from what was a well educated, experienced, and tough crowd to impress.  After he spoke we all went to the control room for a demonstration.  The studio had mounted two Klipshorns upside down in the corners of the control room so that the bottom of the speaker was in the upper ceiling corner, and the mid and tweeter horns were aimed to be at ear level for the engineer sitting at the board.  

 

Paul had set up the Klipschorns to be driven by a 60 watt Crown amp, and had rigged a power meter to show the actual output to the speakers.  All attending were either musicians, producers, or recording engineers who were accustomed to loud playback.  Paul put some program material on, and began at a very soft level, and asked everyone as he slowly increased the volume to cover their ears when the volume became uncomfortable for them.  As he did the the power meter was covered by a cloth, and when all ears were covered, Paul removed the cloth to reveal that the amp was averaging only about 1-3 watts, only occasionally peaking at 10 watts.  His point was that with these speakers, headroom for either the speakers or the amp, would never be an issue in this work environment.  I clearly remember the reactions among the group as they considered the implications of this information and experience.  

 

Egos in the music industry are common, and it was indeed interesting and entertaining to watch the clash of some of these egos in the room with Paul's no-nonsense, no BS demeanor as he confronted myth with fact and knowledge.  After that I acquired a Klipsch belt buckle, which I still have, and also a few of his yellow No Bullshit buttons which sadly got away from me through the years.

.  

A few months later I was in a hi fi shop off Elliston Place in Nashville, and as I walked past a demo room I thought I heard a live piano.  I discovered that it was actually a record being played on Klipsch horns and they had just become a dealer.  I always wanted to have a pair of these but never had a house conducive to their proper placement.  But for the last several years I have enjoyed two different sets of Klipsch Reference and Reference Premier speakers in my home.  For years I searched for the right combination of hifi gear and speakers to recreate the clarity and power of the studio systems I was around in college.  When I was finally able to get my Klipsch towers, the search stopped. The thing I love the most about Klipsch is the nearly limitless, distortion free headroom I enjoy at all volumes I listen to, from whisper-quiet up to my limit of about 100 db, whether listening to music or HT.  

 

And the thing I notice most about my Klipsch speakers, is that I don't notice them.  I'm just immediately absorbed within the acoustic experience itself.  

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Came across my first Klipsch by accident. I was selling a Marantz 8b (didn't really appreciate it at the time because I was too young and inexperienced) and before the buyer left we were talking about the gear he owned. He mentioned a pair of horn speakers and all I "knew" was what I had read - horn spekers colour too much. Well, I asked if I could visit him and listen to those horns. A few days later I saw my previous Marantz connected to a pair of LaScalas. I shall never forget the first music I listend to: a Bernstein recording of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony (on DG). I was stunned - never had I heard music like this before - totally removed from speakers and (to my ears) certainly not coloured (meaning distorted in a way that sounded unnatural). Obviously many different tunes (of different styles) followed and I drove away knowing that this was the sound I wanted to have at home as well. Turned out that this gentleman had a pair of Khorns in the basement as they wouldn't play well in his small living room. Guess who bought them - for his even smaller living room (at the time) - then I joined this forum and my real audio education/journey began - the rest is history (as they say).

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10 hours ago, Raider said:

In the early 70's, I had an internship at WMOT-FM in Murfreesboro, TN, while  studying for a degree in Recording Industry Management at MTSU.  The chief engineer at the station also worked in several studios in Nashville, and was a member of the Audio Engineering Society.  He invited me to attend an AES meeting with him in Nashville at a studio that had just opened to hear some guy named Paul Klipsch speak.  

 

I now realize what a privilege it was to hear a legend in the industry, really just by happenstance on my part.  Paul spoke for a time about his speaker line and the engineering behind them, and patiently but directly entertained questions from what was a well educated, experienced, and tough crowd to impress.  After he spoke we all went to the control room for a demonstration.  The studio had mounted two Klipshorns upside down in the corners of the control room so that the bottom of the speaker was in the upper ceiling corner, and the mid and tweeter horns were aimed to be at ear level for the engineer sitting at the board.  

 

Paul had set up the Klipschorns to be driven by a 60 watt Crown amp, and had rigged a power meter to show the actual output to the speakers.  All attending were either musicians, producers, or recording engineers who were accustomed to loud playback.  Paul put some program material on, and began at a very soft level, and asked everyone as he slowly increased the volume to cover their ears when the volume became uncomfortable for them.  As he did the the power meter was covered by a cloth, and when all ears were covered, Paul removed the cloth to reveal that the amp was averaging only about 1-3 watts, only occasionally peaking at 10 watts.  His point was that with these speakers, headroom for either the speakers or the amp, would never be an issue in this work environment.  I clearly remember the reactions among the group as they considered the implications of this information and experience.  

 

Egos in the music industry are common, and it was indeed interesting and entertaining to watch the clash of some of these egos in the room with Paul's no-nonsense, no BS demeanor as he confronted myth with fact and knowledge.  After that I acquired a Klipsch belt buckle, which I still have, and also a few of his yellow No Bullshit buttons which sadly got away from me through the years.

.  

A few months later I was in a hi fi shop off Elliston Place in Nashville, and as I walked past a demo room I thought I heard a live piano.  I discovered that it was actually a record being played on Klipsch horns and they had just become a dealer.  I always wanted to have a pair of these but never had a house conducive to their proper placement.  But for the last several years I have enjoyed two different sets of Klipsch Reference and Reference Premier speakers in my home.  For years I searched for the right combination of hifi gear and speakers to recreate the clarity and power of the studio systems I was around in college.  When I was finally able to get my Klipsch towers, the search stopped. The thing I love the most about Klipsch is the nearly limitless, distortion free headroom I enjoy at all volumes I listen to, from whisper-quiet up to my limit of about 100 db, whether listening to music or HT.  

 

And the thing I notice most about my Klipsch speakers, is that I don't notice them.  I'm just immediately absorbed within the acoustic experience itself.  

Great story. My first experience with Klipsch speakers was at the very place you heard them, Audio Systems on 22nd Ave. my favorite haunt for years. I heard the BEE GEES Stayin Alive playing on K horns and fell in love. It was several years on before I bought a pair used...from John Prine. 

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23 minutes ago, Ol_mcdonald said:

Great story. My first experience with Klipsch speakers was at the very place you heard them, Audio Systems on 22nd Ave. my favorite haunt for years. I heard the BEE GEES Stayin Alive playing on K horns and fell in love. It was several years on before I bought a pair used...from John Prine. 

 

Yes, Audio Systems, couldn't remember the name of the place last night...I haunted there as well, no doubt we may have passed each other at some point.

 

Wow, to have bought a legendary set of speakers from a legendary man in the music industry, priceless.  Sorry to hear about John Prine's passing.  His loss resonated deeply within songwriters community in Nashville, he was well respected and enjoyed, with a greater reach than many realized.  

 

That's the thing about Nashville in that era, it wasn't unusual to run across artists and key figures in the music industry on a day to day basis, and the unwritten rule was that you gave them space and respected their privacy.  I had breakfast one day at Pancake Pantry, and Lyle Lovett and Ashley Judd sat at the table nest to us; no one bothered them the whole time they were there.  

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I'm surprised that I didn't find Klipsch earlier than I did, to be honest.

 

My brother in law (think well to do lawyer) was going to donate everything in a storage unit, and told us if we wanted anything, take it.  There was a pair of KG4 in pristine shape, so I got them to try out. 

 

Wow, was I glad I did.  They sounded better than nearly everything I've ever heard in the "home speaker" category (and better than a lot of "pro" gear).  I bought a second pair of them, also in perfect condition.  The Bose 901's went bye-bye very quickly.   I'm now listening to Fleetwood Mac on a fully Klipsch Pro 7.1 system in my office as I type this.  My wife loves the Epic CF3's.  The list keeps getting longer.  *<;o)

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On 6/21/2020 at 11:53 PM, dtel said:

I have no idea but have heard many of the churches had Klipsch.

 

When we have a booth in the watermelon festival it's amazing how many people who live in Hope had no idea they were still in business. 

 

 

Churches in our area all have klipsch products , 

ee

-Elden ,   you mentionned watermelons , do you still have the  seeded kind ,  we can't find them anywhere , and watermelon without seeds  tastes very different - 

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Quirky little store in upstate NY, they sold lots of a few year old small amps from Japan, closeouts I assume. I knew very little about audio, they would advertise in our small paper with goofey pictures slogans and cartoons. The store was only 30' by 20' and was set up like a store from the past.. Heard Cornwalls and they had a well rounded very pleasing sound..... Low and behold, they turned their corporation into a monster just by customer service... Return anything, fix all things for free..... They ended up in Audio, real estate, clothing, food, spas, and development... There were lines to check out in this tiny little store, lots of klipsch buyers also!

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On 6/7/2020 at 10:22 AM, Alexander said:

How did you discover Klipsch speakers?

From birth--as it turns out. (And my condolences if you've read this story before):

 

My father built a single Klipschorn from scratch in the mid 1950s when he was a starving professor in electrical engineering at SMU.  He apparently had the help of graduate students and pointers from PWK who was located about a 3-hour drive up what is now I-30 while building that Khorn from scratch.  So we had this mono Klipschorn that basically served as a room-corner table for my mothers nick-knacks.  During my early childhood, we had stereo (early 1960s) such that the Khorn sat basically unused, although I had listened to it many times as a young child.  When I wanted a telescope, dad made a deal to sell that DIY Khorn.  But I remember the sound of the Khorn throughout my early childhood.  My mother was a graduate student in classical organ performance, so I also listened to a lot of Bach organ and other acoustic instrumentation and voice majors at TCU, all before turning 10. 

 

Much later when I graduated from college in engineering, I had disposable income living in Houston/Galveston.  My best buddy was an EE major.  He was also an audio fanatic like me. So we toured the brick-and-mortar audio stores in Houston over a couple of weekends.  One place was called Sheffield Audio.  They had two Khorns and a center blended Belle set up in a very wide but short listening room with a full wall of glass on one side facing the balance of the shop.  It was powered by Phase Linear electronics and a nice audiophile turntable (Shure Brothers arm, etc.).  I remember listening to some Sheffield Audio phonograph records (which were very audiophile-ish at that time) particularly those of Harry James.  There was no contest to my ears.  All the loudspeakers were level matched (SPL).  It was easy to see the big power meters on the Phase Linear amplifier go from perhaps 10-50 W movement to the power meter needles almost not moving when switched to the Khorns/Belle.  I was impressed.  My buddy was not as impressed (there were no music majors in his childhood).  He was convinced that they had a "colored sound".  Bottom line: I bought AR90s instead of the Khorns...which was the biggest audio investment mistake I made.  

 

After ~25 years that included marriage, two kids, soccer, band, college degrees, etc., and then empty nesting, I found this forum...and Jubilees.  (I owned Magnepan MG-IIIa's and Carver electronics for those 25 years-periodically having to replace the ribbons in the full-length tweeters.) The rest you know. There weren't any operating instructions with those Jubs so it took me ~12 years to figure them out.  I share those experiences with their setup and what I found that works and doesn't work with them.

 

Just as important (or even more important) as the loudspeakers, I believe, is what I listen to.  Here are the percentages of my music library by genre as compared to the percentages in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (which turns out isn't a very good or balanced book on the subject of music).  I guess my upbringing had an effect on what I listen to and on what I'm trying to achieve with my setup, i.e., accurate reproduction--just like PWK said was his goal. [I found that the author of 1001 Albums apparently didn't have a very broad exposure to music growing up. Rolling Stone magazine also has the same problem.]  My percentages are represented by the blue bars:

 

1001 Albums Genre Comparison.gif

 

Presently I run Jubilees in the front corners, a center K-402-MEH, surround AMT-1/Belles, and dual DIY tapped horn subs based on the Danley SPUD design, in an "audiophile" 5.1 setup.

 

Chris

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Visited my friend in South Carolina while we were home from college for the weekend in 1978. Al Stewart was playing through some La Scalas, and I was blown away.
 

I had always been into music and had a Kenwood system at the time. It was what I could buy with the money I scraped together during summers, and it was great. But Klipsch and Al Stewart introduced me to a whole new world. 

 

It was years before I could purchase my own Klipsch speakers, but I’ve been a loyal owner ever since. I have two systems with four and six speakers, and I still have the Klipsch bug. The biggest problem is that I have a terminal case of upgrade fever. Simply put, I love Klipsch.

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My first exposure to klipsch would have been in the mid-70's at "The House of Sound" in Springfield, MO.  I'm sure I'd never even heard of them until then.  Back then, "Heritage" was all klipsch made (but it wasn't called "Heritage" yet).  One wall of the House of Sound's main room always had a pair of klipschorns  flanking a pair of la scalas and/or belles, which in turn flanked a pair of cornwalls and heresy's.

 

Now it's 45 years later and I've owned all the Heritage models at one time or another:  cornwalls, k-horns (AK3), heresy II's, a single belle, la scala II's and soon, cornwall IV's.  It's been fun, for sure!  I'm planning for my cherry C4's to be my last ride...and I'm looking forward to it!

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On 7/28/2020 at 11:22 AM, Chris A said:

I guess my upbringing had an effect on what I listen to

 

I'm going to add on to my earlier posts...

My first good speakers (always debatable...) were JBL 4311s, which I purchased through a recording studio/pro gear sales place in the small town of South Pekin, Illinois. I had a nice JVC integrated and Philips GA 212 TT. My wife worked at the main P.O. in Peoria and one of the other clerks purchased the entire Nonesuch record catalog. He would loan us 20 or so albums at a time, and we would listen, often under the influence... This was in the early '70s. It was later when our younger son followed the trumpet path that we really got deeper into orchestral music.

 

Current music would be C/W, Classical/orchestral, Jazz, Bluegrass, Ambient... Depends on what I am doing in the house, but time for music is sparse. Still working full time and the wife and I keep busy with other things. Would love to chill out more...

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  • 3 years later...
On 7/24/2020 at 10:52 AM, Ol_mcdonald said:

It was several years on before I bought a pair used...from John Prine. 

How cool is that! May he rest in peace.

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