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Former “Klipsch Lifer?”


DizRotus

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Back in 2006, I bought a pair of used La Scalas, speakers that I had aspired to own for many years.  I found that the sound wasn’t quite what I expected, a bit too “shouty”, to be exact.  I did a mod of my own that fixed that.

 

A month later, I discovered the Forum, and that was a happy day!  I read it almost daily, and still do, these many years later.  Within two years, based on what I read on the Forum, I bought two pairs of Heresy IIs.  A few years after that, I saw a pair of La Scala IIs for sale in the Garage Sale section, and happily travelled to the mainland to bring them home.

 

That makes three pairs of speakers that I would have neither heard of nor been motivated to buy without the Forum.  That may be a piddling amount of sales in the big picture, but not to me.  Thanks to the Forum, a member saw my mention that one pair of Heresy IIs wasn’t getting any use, so I might sell them.  A couple of weeks later, he was on his way back to his home farther north on Vancouver Island with his new acquisitions, and a few days later I got a message that he “was in Heaven when I listen to these speakers”.

 

Of course, that’s just an anecdotal story.

 

That’s only half the story.  As I’ve described here more than once, I went on to put together a pair of JubScalas, a speaker configuration first put together by Roy himself.  I’m listening to them as I type this, and they still put a smile on my face.  If it wasn’t for the freewheeling discussions on here, they would likely never even happened in the first place, much less a pair end up in my living room.

 

Yes, there are grey areas, and there sometimes are mentions of modded speakers that come across as “the way the speakers should have been built in the first place”, which certainly can’t go over well with Roy, after he has spent months or even years to get a model of speaker sounding really good, within the constraints of cost, build time and difficulty, and final price.  Custom speakers that are built without those constraints are not a fair comparison with production speakers and should never be seen that way.

 

Another point is the upgrade kits.  These are a great idea that should get more publicity, since things like that, which increase an owner’s participation in his or her own speakers, can make a fan into a super-fan for life.

 

Did the Forum veer so far from its original purpose that it was necessary to eliminate and prohibit any mention of 3rd party components?  While it’s great to have Jem and Soldermeister providing the ability to restore vintage speakers to their original performance, did that suddenly make the small operations that provided parts and advice to Heritage owners completely redundant and unneeded?  I’m not so sure.  The enthusiasm they generated was as important as the speakers that they brought back to life, and that should be respected, not tossed aside now that KGI has its own subcontractors.

 

This is just my opinion.  I miss hearing from the members who felt driven away by the new policies.  I don’t see the place as being improved, although that seems to be the intent of the new policies.

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16 hours ago, Travis In Austin said:

KGI trademark stuff. Addressing prefix’s like “Super” [trademarked name of current Heritage Speaker] or suffix’s for a new version like 1.5 preceded by a currently trademarked name, or using portmanteaus with parts of two or more trademarked names.

Keep in mind that my "Super" Heresy, was named because I replaced a [deleted Bullshit Mod talk, there are other forums for this

 

So basically, I never sold any other product [speaker peddlers are not welcome here]

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21 hours ago, Travis In Austin said:

Because it’s an insult to Klipsch fans and a Trademark violation

I have no issue with what you have done, but the Patents on a Khorn ran out decades ago. Even PWK himself, in an interview, said they could build/copy a his corner horn but it was the TRADEMARK that protected the name so they could not call it a Klipshorn, not Patents on the design.

 

BTW, I have no real issue with the changes being made here and have full respect for the Klipsch Engineers, especially the Chief. It's all good in my mind.

 

Time marches on and if tightening the reins makes for better travel, so be it. If I were working for Klipsch, I'd be all for doing the same.

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Ok, so for future discussions on this forum, is there an acceptable terminology to describe the projects or modifications?

 

Homage to the trademarked product followed by dash inspired, eg. Cornwall-inspired?

 

Or cut right to the chase and call it “Bastard-Cornwall”? LOL!

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7 minutes ago, geoff. said:

Ok, so for future discussions on this forum, is there an acceptable terminology to describe the projects or modifications?

 

Homage to the trademarked product followed by dash inspired, eg. Cornwall-inspired?

 

Or cut right to the chase and call it “Bastard-Cornwall”? LOL!

Not to be confused with the Scoop Horn with Wings called "The Little Bastard," by PWK. In more polite circles known as the LB76.

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  • DizRotus changed the title to Former “Klipsch Lifer?”
1 hour ago, geoff. said:

Ok, so for future discussions on this forum, is there an acceptable terminology to describe the projects or modifications?

 

Homage to the trademarked product followed by dash inspired, eg. Cornwall-inspired?

 

Or cut right to the chase and call it “Bastard-Cornwall”? LOL!

 

This has become a bit of a running joke on other forums, what to call our modded stuff (Antifawalls, etc).

 

My understanding is "no non-Klipsch updates". No aftermarket that's not Klipsch. If it is we are to yap about that elsewhere.

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15 hours ago, Travis In Austin said:

The Forum is simply a place for Klipsch Enthusiasts to meet. That’s it. There are probably as many different reasons why people are here as there are fans. To learn, history, equipment synergy, restoration, good LP recommendations, buying and selling, news on meet ups and a hundred more.

 

 

 

 

This, in a nutshell, is why I joined this forum. I want to be able to converse with others who share my interests and learn from veterans and newbies alike. I want to be around people who's eyes don't glaze over when I start to talk about a Class A amp or what tweaks I've been making to my speaker placement.

 

Maybe I jumped in a little too fast and too deep spending hours a day here. I got a bit burned out with controversy and bickering so I've taken a break, but I sincerely hope the forum survives for a long, long time. I've met people here that I really enjoy. I've also encountered some major jerks. Adding some of the most offensive to my Ignore list has helped.

 

All this to say, if there is anything I can do to help the forum survive and thrive, let me know.

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1 hour ago, Audible Nectar said:

This has become a bit of a running joke on other forums, what to call our modded stuff (Antifawalls, etc).

 

My understanding is "no non-Klipsch updates". No aftermarket that's not Klipsch. If it is we are to yap about that elsewhere.


 

This is not complicated. You own “modified Cornwalls”, and there are many places where the mods can be discussed. One in particular is getting some traction, but at the rate you guys are going, that place may not last long. 
 

It’s only a running joke with those who don’t understand why this company has decided to take its IP seriously. 

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2 hours ago, geoff. said:

…see, I had no prior knowledge of this Klipsch product until the last post.


This is the kind of free exchange of information that will be missed the most.


There is nothing going on here that prevents this kind of discussion. In fact, it’s encouraged. 

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2 hours ago, geoff. said:

Ok, so for future discussions on this forum, is there an acceptable terminology to describe the projects or modifications?


Yeah, “modified”. Details can be taken to PM, another message board, or one of several Facebook groups. 
 

John Warren has also opened up his site for this type of discussion.

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On 1/18/2023 at 1:06 AM, John Chi-town said:

In my 13+ years on this forum, I have never seen a post suggesting that someone should alter a "New" Klipsch product.  Nor anyone saying they have.  What I have seen and contributed to myself are ideas and discussions of updating 10–30-year-old plus speakers.  I challenge anyone to post a discussion on tearing apart and modifying a Klipsch product that is new or even recently a former current production. 


Are you sleep walking through this place?

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14 hours ago, MC39693 said:

The two posts by @Travis In Austin make it clear, as we all knew, that the forum is untenable. You cannot promote “free” speech discussions in an OEM controlled forum while protecting IP, trademarks, goodwill etc for the manufacturer’s products. Nor should the OEM do so for a forum so dominated by people who provide such a small revenue stream.

 

post a shutdown date, and turn off the lights.

 

Thanks to one and all, I’ve learned a lot. 


You’re right, it’s irreconcilable. I get this binary way of looking at it, and it’s almost where I’m at. But like Marvel said, it’s a big part of our lives. I think it is better to adapt. 

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He said “free” - it’s in quotes for a reason. It’s not a 1st amendment issue because this site is owned and controlled by corporate entity. However, no one likes their speech constrained, especially if it’s reasonable and not causing any direct harm. 

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3 hours ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

I have no issue with what you have done, but the Patents on a Khorn ran out decades ago. Even PWK himself, in an interview, said they could build/copy a his corner horn but it was the TRADEMARK that protected the name so they could not call it a Klipshorn, not Patents on the design.

Precisely, which is exactly what I said. what you quoted I said in your reply was in the context of a Garage Sale ad for “Klipschorns” in the title. I got mail from a couple of folks who were upset that the title got changed because they had non-Klipsch components which wasn’t the case.
 

The issue on that ad, and a dozen more just like it over the past several years, was never the patents, it was listing something using the registered trademark name, Klipschorn or Khorns for sale that are “home built”. It doesn’t matter who built them, a former Klipsch employee, a master woodworker in Texas, or Joe Smith in his garage. You can’t use a registered trademark to describe them. I left the ad up, caught flack from members for doing that. But Garage Sale is a unique issue and I will work on getting that clearer. I’m also going to push for Garage Sale being for “active”’ members, as opposed to first time posters (about 3 to 5 a month).
 

As a professional photographer you understand the importance of IP like copyright, and trademarks are just as important, but others see no harm is using trademarked names, or combinations  thereof, or making copies of currently patented products (the simple act of making a copy is infringement, doesn’t matter if you never intend to sell it).
 

PWK could call anything he wanted to call with his trademarks, and Roy can as well (JubeScala). Joe Blow can’t. There are dozens of working titles, Montagators, etc. that Klipsch used for products. 
 

Again, I will work on some suggested language to clear some of these things up. I have to make things easy for them to say yes or no. Sometimes they don’t understand that things are not so black and white, when it something a modification, a copy, an update, an upgrade, a restoration, etc., etc.

 

I’m also going to work on creating an archived area for threads going back 20 years that might not currently be Kosher but contain a wealth of information so that if someone is discussing a DIY project in DIY Audio for example, they can do a link to the thread, or they can PM the people in the thread. It involves significant work for that to happen so that will take time. That area would not allow for additional posts, but the info would be preserved forever. This week I got first time post requests for mod project questions that were a couple of years old. It makes it impossible to transition from what was okay many years ago to what might not be okay now.

 

What has happened over the last 5 years is that using a search on various browsers pick up significantly more Forum posts. People who are not members who have no context about different posting rules/policies come in and ask innocent questions in discussions/topics that are no longer welcome. 
 

As you say, we will keep moving forward and improving for all enthusiasts.

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Travis, there is great similarity with our shared passion here.

 

The “DF factor” (restriction) of the lines is critical to the resultant pour. 

 

I may try splicing polyester capacitors into some of the competitors problematic installs, lol

 

 

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4 hours ago, ClaudeJ1 said:

Keep in mind that my "Super" Heresy, was named because I replaced a Super Tweeter ONLY .  . . .

 

So basically, I never sold any other product besides Klipsch Heresy branded stuff while readers had options to do none or all of it and everything in between.

Well Claude that morphed by others into Roy reads all the mod threads to get his ideas for the current updates. Which gets the biggest Bullshit button of all time. 
 

So here we are, about you and your Mods, again.  If your self-importance is derived from your mods and the history of them go to the DIY Audio forum and post away. 
 

Calling it a Super Heresy is a trademark violation pure and simple, doesn’t matter what your rationale was.

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