Testing old 1970s Klipschorn today and bass horn coloration.

[CrazySpaceMonkey]

Hi all,

I came across an old pair of raw Klipschorns for a decent price circa 1980

 

Unfortunately, although I have a multimeter I could not measure much. So I will come another time to measure and hopefully listen.

 

What would be the woofer bin resistance then 4 Ohms?

 

Now, I have a dilemma. I really like the idea of khorns and I would like to get them but I am concerned that currently I can't use them properly due to space limitation and whether they will match my music requirements. I can't even do proper listening test as these are in the storage and withowner we ca test maybe that woofers work.

 

So I need collective guidance.

 

My current preferred speakers are Yamaha NS1000M. Other speakers that I find great are something like Kii Three and Avantgarde Duo XD.

 

So I wanted to ask what resistance should i obtain:

 

1. Woofer bin

2. on K55-M input posts

3. on K77-M input posts

 

And my biggest question:

 

Do you think that folded horn of khorn adds coloration to 50-400 Hz range? is it perceptible? I am very much used to sealed bass of yamaha ns1000m and It is my preferred option. So something that resonates and sticks out is a no-no.

In all reviews people might complain about midrange or high frequencies but I am not so concerned about these as I want to use fully active setup.

 

Thank you, all.

 

 

 

[Shakeydeal]

I think horn loaded bass is one of the best types available. The other being open baffle bass. Both are extremely good.

[wuzzzer]

Coloration?  Horn loaded bass is essentially the most accurate bass you can have due to is extremely low distortion.  I have horn loaded subwoofers and they’re unlike any direct radiator subwoofer I’ve ever owned or heard.  Effortless.

[billybob]

No coloration, think decent bass...

Welcome @CrazySpaceMonkey !

[hanksjim1]

5 hours ago, CrazySpaceMonkey said:

So I wanted to ask what resistance should i obtain:

 

1. Woofer bin

2. on K55-M input posts

3. on K77-M input posts

I'd just check to see if they are open circuit or not...depending on price and condition...none of the stock drivers are very expensive IMO...

[Klipschguy]

Nominal impedance: The woofer is 4 ohms, the mid is 16 ohms, the tweeter is 8 ohms. The DC resistance will measure lower: 3.2 ohms, 10.6 ohms, 6.2 ohms respectively, would be fairly typical. 

A well designed folded bass horn is beautifully accurate. The bass also has a coupling effect in the room giving it a clean, tactile feel; in a sense you are standing in the mouth of the bass horn.  One of my favorite things about Khorns is the way the sound carries out into the room without “dying out”; the sound will even follow you into another room - it must be some kind of acoustic coupling phenomenon (I hear it, but I never seen anything written about it). 
 

In my opinion, a Klipschorn which is not properly setup in corner (not perfect, but reasonably well) will not sound very good. A big rectangular room with the Khorns on the long wall is ideal. Placing on the short wall will dramatically reduce the performance, but may be acceptable for some. 
 

I personally think the worst setup for Khorns is a room that is too small (say 10’ x 12’). Khorns need some room to breathe. Others may disagree, but these are my personal findings. 
 

Big room, corners, long wall = audio bliss. Compromises begin as each parameter is violated. 

[OO1]

11 hours ago, CrazySpaceMonkey said:

My current preferred speakers are Yamaha NS1000M.

the closest to the NS1000M  is the klipsch Heresy IV  so a Monitor style speaker  , the Khorns are horn loaded speakers

- you might actually enjoy  the Cornwall IV or  the Forte IV  

 

 

 

[Klipschguy]

A couple more thoughts….

 

Klipschorns and your Yamaha speakers are much different speakers serving different applications. If setup properly, the Klipschorn will approximate live music at low to high levels with dynamic realism and very low distortion. They are accurate and well balanced, but are certainly not near-field “ruler flat” monitors one might use for mixing a recording. Klipschorns are quite room dependent because the room itself actually becomes part of the speaker; the corner of the room becomes the mouth of the bass horn. The deepest frequencies need some room before the best (and deepest) sound is realized. 
 

As a musician and long time audio enthusiast: Many speakers offer a quality listening experience, but typically “Speakers sound like speakers, but Klipsch sounds like music, especially the Klipschorn.” 
 

I think it is important to understand exactly what type of listening experience you are after. 
 

Warm regards,

 

Andy

[CrazySpaceMonkey]

Thanks all. Overall, a very interesting design. we switched them on in the storage room without corner loading. although very much non-optimal setting there was a sense of effortless sound. All drivers worked and it didnt sound harsh at all.
Also, an interesting bit of info. Apparently, it was Yamaha who imported Klipschorn to Japan.

Edited February 19, 2023 by CrazySpaceMonkey