Jump to content

Khorn question


svberger

Recommended Posts

A nice pair of '72's have become available locally that I have interest in. My problem is that my corners aren't perfect(windows) and I would prefer to not have to build false corners, or anything  for that matter and just have the speakers basically plug and play.

 

The listing notes that cabinet restoration included sanding, staining, and sealing. These look like normal backs that would still require the above mentioned adjustments to get the full Khorn performance. Am I right, or would these be considered sufficiently sealed to not need perfect corners?

 

What do the experts(meaning everybody that knows more about this then me) have to say?

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, I'm not one of the experts you call. I don't want to be too nosy but I would make it dependent on what these vintage Khorns are going to cost. If it is an attractive price you will always be able to sell them quickly. I personally think that the wood and the carpentry are the biggest value and it looks seriously good. It will come down to you actually having to try it out. If I remember your room correctly from the photos it would be big enough for the khorn and secondly that at least one of the two walls on either side of the corners of the room would allow the speakers to be placed tightly. I built a Khorn myself when I was 19 years old. For little money, out of chipboard. It was a very old drawing, much higher than a Khorn since the 1960s with a 12" driver. But it was always good enough when I had a "good" one of two walls. I had only built one that ran mono for both channels. If it works well in principle, the next step would be to research how good the drivers still are, what xovers it uses, etc. Well...my own interest is to hear your experiences. My gut feeling is that it could work well.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, KT88 said:

Sorry, I'm not one of the experts you call. I don't want to be too nosy but I would make it dependent on what these vintage Khorns are going to cost. If it is an attractive price you will always be able to sell them quickly. I personally think that the wood and the carpentry are the biggest value and it looks seriously good. It will come down to you actually having to try it out. If I remember your room correctly from the photos it would be big enough for the khorn and secondly that at least one of the two walls on either side of the corners of the room would allow the speakers to be placed tightly. I built a Khorn myself when I was 19 years old. For little money, out of chipboard. It was a very old drawing, much higher than a Khorn since the 1960s with a 12" driver. But it was always good enough when I had a "good" one of two walls. I had only built one that ran mono for both channels. If it works well in principle, the next step would be to research how good the drivers still are, what xovers it uses, etc. Well...my own interest is to hear your experiences. My gut feeling is that it could work well.

Hi Heinz,

 

Thanks very much for the encouragement. The reason why I'm particularly interested in these is that they are local with a delivery option, and the seller is open to trades. I have a lot of gear not being used that I can trade, so that this might be a little or no cash outlay.

 

Here's a picture of my room that can give you a good look at the corners. Behind the curtains are windows. So I would be jamming the Khorns there and from everything I've read those would not be sufficient enough without either false corners, or additional wood added to the speakers. Neither option is realistic for me. I just want to move them into the corners and start listening. Since I'm not looking for the last drop of bass(remember, I like my La Scala's without subs and think they have plenty of bass) I would think that I could still get decent performance out of these Khorns without doing a thing. At least performance that would be good enough for me. I have a nice pair of Dean's Jupiter Flat Stacks Type A crossovers that I would use with them. The seller indicates that the drivers are original and sound great. Obviously I would listen before final commitment.

 

spacer.png

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have both LS and Khorns...honestly, in your situation, if you don't want to mess with closed backs, I would just stick with the LaScalas (maybe try the flatcaps in them too). 

 

I wasn't really happy with my Khorn's bass until I added foam pipe insulation to the rear edges and really pushed them tightly into the corners.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, hanksjim1 said:

I have both LS and Khorns...honestly, in your situation, if you don't want to mess with closed backs, I would just stick with the LaScalas (maybe try the flatcaps in them too). 

 

I wasn't really happy with my Khorn's bass until I added foam pipe insulation to the rear edges and really pushed them tightly into the corners.

 

The pipe insulation is easy even for me but is that enough or do I need to do the other enclosures as well?  From my reading I'm under the impression that the pipe insulation is only for a better fit into acceptable corners. But if I'm wrong and they would work in  my situation that would be great.

 

I don't plan on getting rid of my La Scala's, and that's where the flat caps reside at the moment. I'd only get the Khorns if I knew it was doable and I could get them by trading stuff that's just sitting idle.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sam, I haven't said how much I like these 1972 Khorns. It's worth a try if you're not an absolute bass fetishist. I think it might mean a little less sound pressure in the bass if a wall is not absolutely tight, but the depth of the tones will remain there. And also the fullness of sound in the room which is legendary for Khorns. Ok, you have to try it. It's just that you don't often find such a nice old speaker in good condition. An older German Klipsch dealer told me that the wood of the old speakers is of very good quality, as well as the glues used. I can't judge it, I can only tell you.
In case these Khorns sound basically good to you, I would proceed in the following way. But please, I'm just thinking out loud, just a fantasy. I don't want to interfere too much.
So, you have an original Type AA xover and a Crites Type A xover, and this high end Jupiter Type A from deang. Plus, of course, the crossover that comes with the Khorns. Which one is that? Also a type A? So you can try a lot of things. One scenario, you like the AA very much in principle. I think it is not a big effort for deang to transform your Jupiter A into an AA, if you like the AA sound in principle. ...This way the original AA stays in your Lascala and the Khorns would have the free choice. But sorry, just my idea.

About your corners in the room. If it doesn't produce enough sound pressure in the bass, isn't it enough to put an additional wooden board on the wall of the window? You wouldn't see it, it wouldn't be bigger than the Khorn itself.

All just fantasies

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the idea  that if one  side of the speaker is sealed to the wall and the other side is at least close to  the wall, then that  would be a reasonable compromise . I’ve used my Khorns tightly sealed  into the corner and into a  corner not sealed and toed out , not easy to distinguish the sound difference, but It is measurable . My  bigger concern would be your satisfaction  with the appearance of the Khorns  not being fitted  into “the proper corner”  . Personally I like the look of a Klipschorn fitting tight into the corner, and unfortunately the intention of the design is kinda obvious.Good luck , I don’t blame you for trying to fit them into your room 🤓

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you gentlemen for your comments. Both very helpful.

 

I'm not concerned with how they'll look in the room, just how they'll sound. But the wood on the window would be easy enough to achieve, so another good idea to try.

 

Heinz the Khorn's are AA's. I already have an original pair of AA's that came with my La Scala's, plus now the two Type A aftermarket. I doubt I would get another or ask Dean to transform the one's I have. I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

I agree that these look great, and I'm really leaning on getting them if I"m able to. I've had one brief conversation with the seller, and now I'm waiting for him reply back to new query I made today. So these are not definite by any stretch yet. I'll let you know if things progress.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the photo of these khorns from behind, it is blurred, it looks like there are two 2uF caps installed vertically and one 13 uF cap horizontally. That means it's an AA crossover.

 

Visually, I can well imagine that the curtains in front of the window only reach up to the upper edge of the khorne, i.e. are cut off from there, at least in the area where the khorne takes up space. In the end, it would even make your room appear larger. It's crazy how much a khorn actually disappears because it doesn't take up space "around itself".

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

the fun part of  enclosed backs is that you dont need perfect corners or even corners , and it's really not that complex to do -

 

Older khorns require    3/4 inch plywood , 3 braces for the tail piece ,  4 braces for each side ,  and screws , that's it .

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, svberger said:

Thank you gentlemen for your comments. Both very helpful.

 

I'm not concerned with how they'll look in the room, just how they'll sound. But the wood on the window would be easy enough to achieve, so another good idea to try.

 

Heinz the Khorn's are AA's. I already have an original pair of AA's that came with my La Scala's, plus now the two Type A aftermarket. I doubt I would get another or ask Dean to transform the one's I have. I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

I agree that these look great, and I'm really leaning on getting them if I"m able to. I've had one brief conversation with the seller, and now I'm waiting for him reply back to new query I made today. So these are not definite by any stretch yet. I'll let you know if things progress.

I think they would  sound awesome in your room 🤓

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, OO1 said:

the fun part of  enclosed backs is that you dont need perfect corners or even corners , and it's really not that complex to do -

 

Older khorns require    3/4 inch plywood , 3 braces for the tail piece ,  4 braces for each side ,  and screws , that's it .

 

FWIW that would be complex for me, and more then I want to take on. That's why I'm hoping that my corners, and a little simpler maneuvering if really necessary will still provide good taste.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First time I heard KHorns, was at a co-workers home, mid '70s. Be had them pulled a good two feet into the room. They still sounded pretty incredible, plenty of bass. It wasn't until years later that I found out they were supposed to be in corners.

 

Do the windows go to the floor or stop part way down the wall?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Marvel said:

First time I heard KHorns, was at a co-workers home, mid '70s. Be had them pulled a good two feet into the room. They still sounded pretty incredible, plenty of bass. It wasn't until years later that I found out they were supposed to be in corners.

 

Do the windws go to the floor or stop partway down the wall?

The windows start about 40" above the floor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me it's one of those situations where there are so many variables at play that to make an accurate assessment on if the sound will be adequate for your personal tastes or not is to try them. If you don't mind putting in some effort and at worst case scenario you can sell them without it being a big financial burden then I'd say grab em and don't let the opportunity pass you by.

 

When we moved to a ranch my listening room is now half the size as with the previous cape we owned. I just couldn't get my La Scala's to disappear in regard to achieving a phantom auditory scene; e.g. imaging and soundstage. I waited for a very long time for Heresy's to come up for sale in my area and very happy I pulled the trigger when they did. The Heresy just fits the room better where they are better able to perform a magic trick for the ears - a trick where the speakers disappear and a phantom auditory scene comes alive. There was no other way to know for certain if they were going to work well enough for me.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oooh, about 12 inches too low. What's ths space between the left and right walls to the mantel on the FP?. You should use some cardboard/heavy paper to draw the dimensions and cut it out to see how it would fit on the floor. It's hard to picture with the other speakers sitting there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't want to mess with enclosed backs and are looking for 'plug and play' do not buy K Horns.  They take some work to get right and you will just get frustrated.  Room also looks kind of narrow and you will likely have to sit too close because the drivers fire out from the corners at 45 degrees.  Narrow room means a smaller triangle and you need to sit a decent distance back for the drovers to converge.

 

Stick with La Scalas and if some Cornwalls or Chorus pop up, or even better Fortes, they should work very well in your room and be plug and play. 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...