KLF 20's

[joeward]

I've never written a review on any forum but the KLF 20's prompted me to do so. I've settled in on a McIntosh 2100 solid state amp and Conrad Johnson PV2 pre to run my Klipsch speakers in my listening room so that's the electronics I'm reviewing the KLF's with. Previous speakers were Klipsch Forte 2's with Bob Crites rebuilt crossovers and titanium tweeters. This combination was very nice and enjoyable but a pair of the KLF's came up for sale and I've always wanted to try them. As far as I know the KLF's are not upgraded in any way. I've been listening to a variety of material the last few days and the Forte's have been moved to a different location in the house where they may stay for awhile. They're too good to let go of. But the Legend series KLF's have a bass slam (and what seems to me to be a more accurate sounding bass) over the Forte's that they're a real joy to listen to. They don't seem to give up much in the mids to the Forte's which may have a little better sound stage and presence in the mids. Highs seem about equal, but the KLF's are taller and the mids and highs seem to integrate better over the span to my listening area. Maybe it's just the positioning. These speakers are not just rock and roll monsters but seem capable of delicate nuances in jazz and classical music also.  IMHO they're not just home theater speakers either which is what a lot of folks use them for. They sure do that job well but they're also a very, very capable 2 channel transducer. I'm enjoying the heck out of these right now.....next stop might be Cornscalas but for now these will do nicely. If anyone's been on the fence about trying the Legend series I can't recommend them highly enough.

Edited May 31, 2021 by joeward
misspell

[dtr20]

I liked my klf20s a lot, the only reason why I let them go is because I got my klf30s. If you liked the Crites titanium tweeter upgrade in your fortes, I think you'll like the upgrade on the klf20s.

[tickertape]

Some review said the KLF-20 had better bass definition than the KLF-30, and something for certain is that bass players like 10" woofers in their cabinets for a reason. The punch of the 10" is used in most all bass cabinet makers when they aren't using the common 15". You almost never find a 12". If you do it's something old and didn't last long in production. Some bass players use a cabinet with eight 10" woofers only.

 

I did a dirty comparison of one KLF-30 beside one Chorus II (both stock with obvious age), I like the KLF-30. The bass definition stood out to me. The horn is positioned a little too high as others have said. The KLF-20 is a shorter cabinet, I believe and if so it's probably about the right height.

But my room is also small. With upgrades to the Chorus II x-over and tweeters of both I might change my mind, obviously. Comping some 20s against 30s would be nice to do.

Edited June 11, 2021 by tickertape

[SWL]

Yeah at one point I had 20's and 30's in the same room/same time. I thought the 20's had a sweeter sound with a better/punchier bass.

Fast forward to upgrading the 30's as noted in the 'Ultimate Upgrades' thread on the 30's......the 30's sound like 20's on steroids. Bigger, better everything. The Ciare 12" woofers gave them tighter 'KLF-20 like bass' and like I said.....on steroids.

They excel with low powered ss or tubes playing delicate music or high powered ss playing the heaviest stuff you can throw at them. They love it and IMO probably where they shine the brightest. They do not sound like a tall, skinny speaker.

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