Triode Pete Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Received my 2 bumper stickers in the mail from Klipsch for entering the Storyteller contest. I asked the better half what I should do with the stickers. After hearing that I didn't win the contest, she said "Throw em away". I had a better idea so I threw one of them on the back glass of my minivan next to a sticker I picked up at the Stereophile (NYC) show in May. See attached jpeg. I think they go together well! Audios, Pete For those who are bored or are slightly interested in my true Storyteller story, here it is; The K-horn Road Trip! Im a licensed Professional Engineer. Im supposed to think and act in a conservative, logical and effective manner. How do you explain the reason for travelling 2,500 miles round trip in a cramped minivan to pick-up a pair of speakers? Not any ordinary pair of speakers, but a pair of mighty Klipschorns! I guess it started when I was about 8 years old and my older brothers (age 18 & 19) were into hi-fi. They each had purchased a pair of JBL L-100 monitors hooked up to massive Mac & Crown gear. One of their friends then purchased a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls and they compared the two models side by side. Sitting in the background as a casual observer, after numerous offerings of music, the judgment was determined; Klipsch is Best! As time went by and I grew into my late teens, my brothers friend upgraded to Rosewood Klipschorns. I will never forget hearing that magical K-horn sound the very first time, Wow, Live Music! When I graduated from Engineering School, I purchased my brothers friends Cornwalls from him and picked up some decent used gear to power them. Fellow employees & friends, including my future brother-in-law George, would come over to my apartment just to hear that life-like Klipsch sound. Also, the best parties and party music would be pumped from that Klipsch Cornwall system. As time ticked away, I found myself to be a very fortunate person with a beautiful wife, three great children (with another one on the way!) and a decent career. I had Klipsch Cornwalls in two nice corners for good sound reproduction and dreamed how good Klipschorns would sound in my living room. I reminisced on listening to my brothers friends Klipschorns. Playing around on the computer, I searched the web for Klipschorns. In an obscure posting on a loudspeaker forum, I found a pair of K-horns in excellent condition for sale. Being curious, I e-mailed an inquiry on the corner horns. I received a reply back from a gentleman named Marty stating the K-horns were rosewood, in mint condition, located in Jupiter, Florida. Marty was selling the K-horns for an elderly friend. What a bummer! Jupiter is about 1250 miles from my home in Long Island, NY. I wrote back to Marty saying that I was in NY and that shipping the heavy behemoths would be cost prohibitive. Marty and I corresponded back numerous times and found out we had a lot in common. We both had relatives on Long Island, our grandmothers lived in Schenectady, NY and we both vacationed at Lake George. Marty also wrote that Karen, the elderly widow and original owner of the K-horns wanted to sell them to me since her husband was also an engineer who appreciated good sound. Unfortunately, when they moved from their home in Michigan to a small condo in Florida 12 years prior, he never set-up his K-horns and kept them in the original 1974 packing boxes with all paperwork and paper wrappings. That weekend, I passionately explained the Florida Klipschorn saga to my brother-in-law George and my wife, Erin. Out of the blue, Erin (who was pregnant at the time) said, If you really want them, go get them. I looked at George and told him he could have my Cornwalls if he accompanied me to Florida. George (whos married with 4 young kids) smiled and said two words, Road Trip! The following Friday, George and I were heading down I-95 South with Erins minivan (minus the middle & rear seats). As Murphys Law would have it, I was sick as a dog and on antibiotics to battle the illness. Nothing would dampen my spirits to get those mighty Klipschorns! Driving straight through the night, we arrived at our destination about 24 hours later. We checked-in to a nearby hotel and I called Marty. Marty arrived at the hotel with his son and the four of us headed to a local restaurant for dinner. We spoke & reminisced like old friends. When we were through with dinner, we headed over to Karens to scope-out the K-horns. We arrived at Karens 2nd floor condominium. Karen greeted us at the door and invited us in. There stood a dark rosewood Klipschorn centered in Karens living room. It was in showroom condition and appeared much larger than I remembered. It was hooked up to a receiver and the sound emanating from it was amazing, even though it was situated in the middle of the room. The other K-horn was in its original two-piece shipping box located in a spare bedroom. Karen asked, Do you still want them? I replied, Absolutely! We packaged the K-horn into its original boxes and began to dolly the heavy behemoths down the condominium stairs. As we approached the minivan, George quipped, Are they gonna fit? I did not answer. For the next hour, we tried aimlessly to fit the 4 Klipschorn boxes but to no avail. Marty suggested removing the K-horn components from the boxes in order to fit them. After another hour of trying, with the minivans front seats pushed all the way forward, we barely fit our precious cargo. We then flattened the original and dusty K-horn packing materials and squeezed them into minivan. I exuberantly thanked Karen and Marty numerous times, saying the K-horns are greatly appreciated! The next challenge was for the driver and navigator to fit into the cramped minivan. George, being 6 4 and built like a linebacker, and myself being 6 2 with girth, made this task nearly impossible. Wedging ourselves into the seats around 1 AM, we drove back to the hotel to get a couple hours sleep. With a few winks of sleep in the past 48 hours, we reluctantly, but enthusiastically wedged ourselves back into the minivan to head back home. With the pedal on the metal, we were making great time when we encountered a skunk in southern Georgia. George yelled, Roll down the windows! When we did that, the inside of the car became a musty, dust-bowl from the old Klipschorn boxes! Believe me when I say the skunk smelled better than the nasal-clogging box dust! Another road trip event was encountered in South Carolina. Due to inclement weather, a sedan went off interstate I-95, went airborne, NASCAR-style, and wedged itself between two trees, located about 15 feet from ground level. I wish I had a camera to note the expressions on the tow truck operator and state troopers faces thinking on how they were going to remove the vehicle from the trees! After encountering heavy rains, leg & body cramps throughout the trip, we arrived in Long Island in a record 21 hours. Tired, but excited, we were home safe with a pair of the greatest speakers ever made Klipschorns! George was very happy too, since he earned his mini-Klipschorns, the Cornwalls! Its been 3 ½ years since George & I made that famous Road Trip. George and I were recently asked if we would make that Klipschorn trip again. Simultaneously we responded, Absolutely! It may not be logical for an engineer like me to drive a painful 2,500 miles to get a set of Klipschorns, but it sure is passionate. Passion is living! Logic is logicand with Klipschorns, There is no substitute! Cosmic Sidebar to the story After hooking up my new K-horns, I decided to get new speaker wire. I heard good things about DH Labs cabling. I phoned DH Labs and spoke to DH, Darren Hovsepian. I found out he was a huge Klipsch fan and was looking for a pair of Klipschorns. I told him I just picked up a pair in Jupiter, Florida and drove 2500 miles roundtrip to get them. There was momentary silence on the phone. Darren explained that his home and business is located in Jupiter, Florida. I told him that he would probably have to drive to New York to get a pair of Klipschorns! Ha-Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Pete Great Story I've only seen pictures of Khorns in Rosewood although I have seen them in Oak and Walnut. The Roseys are glorious to look at and listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCturboT Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Pete, Remember reading your story before-Great story! I was gonna ask Manley Labs for a couple of those very same stickers myself in one of my previous e-mails. Where'd you get yours? Jeff Edit:Forget that question-reread your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Pete, this is a great story! It may not be logical for an engineer like me to drive a painful 2,500 miles to get a set of Klipschorns, but it sure is passionate. Passion is living! Logic is logicand with Klipschorns, There is no substitute! But it IS logical! How often do you find rosewood Khorns...in their original boxes...mint???!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I got the consolation prize, too...now what to do with them? I don't think they belong on my TR. Below is a link to a lot of great looking TR3s: http://www.classic-british-cars.com/triumph-tr3-pics.html My wife's SUV already has stickers with the kid's names and their TKO school...not Soccer Mom, but Karate Mom. -Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Good story, Pete. Can you believe someone would keep Klipschorns in their boxes for 12 years without setting them up? Man!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Andy's right, It IS logical. Nice story, decals, and speakers, leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Great Story Pete! And as an engineer, some days you just to have to say "Screw Spock". An added benifit its to catch the wife/ or significant other off guard, great entertainment value -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 great story Pete! and I love the sticker combo on the van! warm regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triode Pete Posted February 8, 2003 Author Share Posted February 8, 2003 Thanks guys for the kind comments. If any of you are in the NYC-LI area, look me up & we can have a music appreciation session! Audios, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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