vintage or new?

[enthusiast93]

with help from billybob and The History Kid, i was able to determine that the klipsch speakers i bought back in 1993 were the KG1.2 model. they sounded so great with my denon amp etc.! i only had those speakers for a couple years before i had to sell them to help finance a big move from san francisco to washington state.

around 2004 my dell computer had some decent speakers and i was wooed by the ease and simplicity of the digital age and itunes etc.. about 20 years ago the old system got boxed up and put into storage. however, i am ready to get back into it this year! the only thing missing is the good speakers.

i was considering a pair of new ones, but thought if i could find a nice pair of those ones I had in the 90s that would be sweet.

looking on auctions sites, i see the prices for KG1.2 are as much or more than a new pair of klipsch bookshelf speakers model R-41M.

so the question is this...

is it worth it to spend $150-$250 on a vintage pair of KG1.2 speakers, or just go with the new models for $150?

do the new ones sound like way better?

i was planning on adding a small subwoofer as well to give it that extra boom boom.

any thoughts?

cheers and thanks!

[Peter P.]

Since you're going to have a subwoofer fill in the low end, you could get the R-41M even though it doesn't play

as low as the kg 1.2; the subwoofer will cover the missing Hz and you won't notice a difference.

 

New speakers don't come with the nicks, scratches, and wounds of used speakers, which sometimes

makes buying new worth it.

 

Also, the kg 1.2 comes in a real wood veneer vs. a woodgrain vinyl.

 

I'd pay the premium for a used pair of kg 1.2s if having a speaker that plays lower is of value to you.

[enthusiast93]

14 hours ago, Peter P. said:

Since you're going to have a subwoofer fill in the low end, you could get the R-41M even though it doesn't play

as low as the kg 1.2; the subwoofer will cover the missing Hz and you won't notice a difference.

 

New speakers don't come with the nicks, scratches, and wounds of used speakers, which sometimes

makes buying new worth it.

 

Also, the kg 1.2 comes in a real wood veneer vs. a woodgrain vinyl.

 

I'd pay the premium for a used pair of kg 1.2s if having a speaker that plays lower is of value to you.

great, thanks for that info!

so the KG1.2 is worth it for a fuller sound, and even though they would be 30 years old, they sound better overall than a pair of brand new speakers?

[Peter P.]

4 hours ago, enthusiast93 said:

great, thanks for that info!

so the KG1.2 is worth it for a fuller sound, and even though they would be 30 years old, they sound better overall than a pair of brand new speakers?

Not necessarily. But the kg 1.2 does play lower than the R-41M which might be more easily pushed to its limit when played louder.

That would not be an issue if your Denon amp has a high pass filter, limiting the low frequencies sent to the main speakers. Most

home theater amps and receivers have this feature and would be ideal for your application. That would even be a good idea for the

kg 1.2s as they wouldn't be over-driven trying to reproduce those bass notes, assuming you pair them with a subwoofer.

 

If your amp does NOT have such capabilities, you can always make a cheap high pass filter to limit what goes in to those smaller, main

speakers.

 

Here's what I did to provide a high pass signal to my Klipsch Heresies.

 

I bought a high pass crossover, one for each speaker. Bought a pair of small plastic project boxes, some spade connectors,

and some speaker wire. I can easily disconnect them if I wish, and replace the high pass filter with a pair of homemade

pigtails to return the speakers to full range if I want. The crossovers are held in place with double sticky tape or Velcro.

 

Here's a crossover I would suggest.

 

Here's a box to fit.

 

You'll need both male and female crimp connectors, too- 10 female (8 for the crossover and 2 for connecting to your speaker wires.)

You need a pair of male connectors to put on the speaker wires. You'll also make a pair of pigtail wires if you want to remove the

crossover from the circuit. A basic pair of combo wire strippers/crimpers will do the job.

 

Five to ten feet of 18-16 gauge wire.

 

Except for the crossovers and the boxes, you can buy the rest from your local hardware store.

 

 

[enthusiast93]

5 hours ago, Peter P. said:

Not necessarily. But the kg 1.2 does play lower than the R-41M which might be more easily pushed to its limit when played louder.

That would not be an issue if your Denon amp has a high pass filter, limiting the low frequencies sent to the main speakers. Most

home theater amps and receivers have this feature and would be ideal for your application. That would even be a good idea for the

kg 1.2s as they wouldn't be over-driven trying to reproduce those bass notes, assuming you pair them with a subwoofer.

 

If your amp does NOT have such capabilities, you can always make a cheap high pass filter to limit what goes in to those smaller, main

speakers.

 

Here's what I did to provide a high pass signal to my Klipsch Heresies.

 

I bought a high pass crossover, one for each speaker. Bought a pair of small plastic project boxes, some spade connectors,

and some speaker wire. I can easily disconnect them if I wish, and replace the high pass filter with a pair of homemade

pigtails to return the speakers to full range if I want. The crossovers are held in place with double sticky tape or Velcro.

 

Here's a crossover I would suggest.

 

Here's a box to fit.

 

You'll need both male and female crimp connectors, too- 10 female (8 for the crossover and 2 for connecting to your speaker wires.)

You need a pair of male connectors to put on the speaker wires. You'll also make a pair of pigtail wires if you want to remove the

crossover from the circuit. A basic pair of combo wire strippers/crimpers will do the job.

 

Five to ten feet of 18-16 gauge wire.

 

Except for the crossovers and the boxes, you can buy the rest from your local hardware store.

 

 

wowza! cool mods.

i don't recall having any issues with the denon amp pushing these to their limits. however, i do have a vague memory of them being loud, and so cranking them was never really necessary, for my space back then at least. this denon integrated amp was set up as a video router. i found one on ebay, the pma-700v (not my picture, mine is still in box). i don't think it has a high pass?
anyways, we'll find out! i found a pair of choice KG1.2 online. had to jump on it! i am giving myself until the end of the year to get all the old gear set up and start digging through the record collection. i got a usb turntable a few years back to digitize all my old stuff, so getting it all unpacked has been on the list. an old friend and fellow collector, from when i had my original KG1.2 speakers, is a purist and listens to a lot of vinyl on his old system. this was another inspiration to find the speakers and get full circle after almost 3 decades.

[Peter P.]

That amp has no means of high-pass filtering a signal to the main speakers.

[Iteachstem]

Either find a used set of the KG 1.2's you loved or get something a little bit nicer.  However, the R-41M speakers are NOT it.  I acquired a pair several years ago and after a demo, I couldn't wait to get rid of them as they were the worst pair of Klipsch speakers I've ever listened to. 

 

If you want to buy a new Klipsch bookshelf, I would go with the reference premier line.  Either the RP-600M II or the RP-500M II. 

 

However, my suggestion is check out used gear locally.  Go listen to some bookshelf speakers and let your ears decide for you.  I've found some great speakers and amazing deals doing this.  You can't be in a rush, that's when people tend to make poor decisions just because they have to have something now!  Somehing like this used set of RB3's for $150 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2120614944977220?ref=category_feed&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=listing&tracking={"qid"%3A"-1710403376824693374"%2C"mf_story_key"%3A"7771207059634539"%2C"commerce_rank_obj"%3A"{\"target_id\"%3A7771207059634539%2C\"target_type\"%3A0%2C\"primary_position\"%3A25%2C\"ranking_signature\"%3A3743066048207611826%2C\"commerce_channel\"%3A504%2C\"value\"%3A9.5083848605873e-5%2C\"candidate_retrieval_source_map\"%3A{\"7771207059634539\"%3A3501}}"}

 

If you don't have a receiver/processor with a sub out, you might want to upgrade to something that does, as this will open up a world of possibilities going forward.

[billybob1]

Had a pair of kg 1.5...they were decent sounding, when selling them. All the bookshelf kg models, the .5, 1, 1.2, and 1.5 can be had for a song when available.

Would get the newer models as suggested besides...thank them later.

Welcome again 😊

[enthusiast93]

On 7/2/2024 at 7:47 AM, Iteachstem said:

Either find a used set of the KG 1.2's you loved or get something a little bit nicer.  However, the R-41M speakers are NOT it.  I acquired a pair several years ago and after a demo, I couldn't wait to get rid of them as they were the worst pair of Klipsch speakers I've ever listened to. 

 

If you want to buy a new Klipsch bookshelf, I would go with the reference premier line.  Either the RP-600M II or the RP-500M II. 

 

However, my suggestion is check out used gear locally.  Go listen to some bookshelf speakers and let your ears decide for you.  I've found some great speakers and amazing deals doing this.  You can't be in a rush, that's when people tend to make poor decisions just because they have to have something now!  Somehing like this used set of RB3's for $150

thanks for the heads up on the R-41M. i had a feeling they would not work as well.

others have suggested the RP-600Ms. they must be nice speakers.

i did rush into a deal for some KG 1.2s in excellent condition that i could not pass up.

a poor decision? perhaps. with the shipping, i think these cost more than the ones in had in the 90s.

 

[enthusiast93]

On 7/2/2024 at 7:47 AM, Iteachstem said:

If you don't have a receiver/processor with a sub out, you might want to upgrade to something that does, as this will open up a world of possibilities going forward.

i got this amp in 1987 at the PX in schwabach, germany. actually this pic is from interwebs, my amp is in it's box.

it does not have a subwoofer channel. however, i have read that it is fine to hook up the subwoofer to the B speaker output and listen using A & B. does that pose any issues?

[82 Cornwalls]

3 minutes ago, enthusiast93 said:

i got this amp in 1987 at the PX in schwabach, germany. actually this pic is from interwebs, my amp is in it's box.

it does not have a subwoofer channel. however, i have read that it is fine to hook up the subwoofer to the B speaker output and listen using A & B. does that pose any issues?

 

If the subwoofer has speaker wire inputs or you use a converter no issues.

[enthusiast93]

1 minute ago, opnly bafld said:

 

If the subwoofer has speaker wire inputs or you use a converter no issues.

any suggestions for a smaller moderately priced subwoofer to pair with the KG 1.2s and the denon intergrated amp?

[82 Cornwalls]

1 hour ago, enthusiast93 said:

any suggestions for a smaller moderately priced subwoofer to pair with the KG 1.2s and the denon intergrated amp?

 

$2,000? $1,000? $500?

[Iteachstem]

3 hours ago, enthusiast93 said:

i did rush into a deal for some KG 1.2s in excellent condition that i could not pass up.

Yes you did.  Those speakers commonly sell for half what you paid with shipping.  But, like I said, don't rush into anything or else people make stupid decisions...

[billybob1]

4 hours ago, enthusiast93 said:

thanks for the heads up on the R-41M. i had a feeling they would not work as well.

others have suggested the RP-600Ms. they must be nice speakers.

i did rush into a deal for some KG 1.2s in excellent condition that i could not pass up.

a poor decision? perhaps. with the shipping, i think these cost more than the ones in had in the 90s.

 

 

4 hours ago, enthusiast93 said:

thanks for the heads up on the R-41M. i had a feeling they would not work as well.

others have suggested the RP-600Ms. they must be nice speakers.

i did rush into a deal for some KG 1.2s in excellent condition that i could not pass up.

a poor decision? perhaps. with the shipping, i think these cost more than the ones in had in the 90s.

 

Yes,abit rich but, you will have them now.

That Denon may have preouts to sub... check it out. 

Let us know...

[enthusiast93]

On 7/3/2024 at 7:07 PM, Iteachstem said:

Yes you did.  Those speakers commonly sell for half what you paid with shipping.  But, like I said, don't rush into anything or else people make stupid decisions...

yeah, i saw plenty of KG 1.2s for less money, but none in this condition. most were pretty trashed, some in good condition, but these actually look better than the ones i had 30 years ago, close to like new.

Edited July 10, 2024 by enthusiast93

[enthusiast93]

On 7/3/2024 at 8:27 PM, billybob1 said:

 

Yes,abit rich but, you will have them now.

That Denon may have preouts to sub... check it out. 

Let us know...

i don't think there are preouts, but here is what it looks like. not my pic, my amp is in it's box.

[enthusiast93]

On 7/3/2024 at 5:30 PM, opnly bafld said:

 

$2,000? $1,000? $500?

less than $500, nothing fancy.

[billybob1]

2 hours ago, enthusiast93 said:

less than $500, nothing fancy.

Yes that Denon  has 2 tape loops and a processor loop, besides 4 speaker connectors. Would refer to a user's manual for your Denon to explore a little. If using only 2 speakers, the other 2 could be used for signal to a powered subwoofer with s hf input.

While we are talking, I trust others here who may say different. Questions?

[enthusiast93]

On 7/10/2024 at 1:21 PM, billybob1 said:

Yes that Denon  has 2 tape loops and a processor loop, besides 4 speaker connectors. Would refer to a user's manual for your Denon to explore a little. If using only 2 speakers, the other 2 could be used for signal to a powered subwoofer with s hf input.

While we are talking, I trust others here who may say different. Questions?

only using the two speakers, klipsch 1.2V. so the B speaker outputs will go to the subwoofer.

so the question is, what will pair well with the speakers and denon integrated amp to give the low end a bit more kick for less than $500.

i see the Klipsch R-100SW 10" for $179 on amazon, or the Klipsch KD-10SW 10" for $171 on walmart. that's about how much i am prepared to spend.

are either of these any good, worth the money, compatible with current configuration?