Got a pair of KLF-30's last night

[greg928gts]

and I can't wait to try them out, hopefully later tonight. I bought these to try out for a while and then eventually sell.

I'm wondering what these speakers are worth if I decide to sell them. I've heard a lot of different figures for what people paid for them, anywhere from $1800 down to $900 for a pair. That's quite a wide range. Is it the different finishes that made for a big difference in price, or did the price change over the years that they were sold?

My pair are mahogany, and the only problems are some very light scratches on the tops, everything else is in perfect condition. I need help figuring out how much I should be looking to get for them.

I got them into the living room without too much trouble from the wife. Don't know how long I'll be able to keep them there before I start getting the little comments. I've got them next to my Khorns and I'll be powering them with my McIntosh 2205. I'll post back here and let you all know my impressions of them compared to the Khorns. They are sitting in the same place I had my AR-9's and AR90's in and I'm using the same amp, so I can make comparisons to those too.

Greg

P.S. - also got a pair of RB5II's in mahogany and a C7 center (black) that I'll be selling too.

[hightone]

Let us know what you think of them. Then let me know when your going to sell them.

[lynnm]

The current price of a pair of KLF30's ranges from 800 +/- to about 1200.00 - seems to depend on the phase of the moon.

I recently eBayed a mahogany pair in pristine condition and got 810 ( wrong phase I guess).

The mahogany finish is delicious. Then only reason mine were sold was to make way for a pair of Khorns.

I will be interested in hearing your impressions of the 30's vs. the Khorns. I admit I took a little time to adjust but wouldn't go back:

My impressions

Bass - KLF 30 more pronounced, more punch

Klipschorn more subtle - every bit as powerful but more integrated.

Midrange KLF open,clean

Khorn more open almost liquid sounding very smooth and well integrated.

Top end Can't say because I can't hear dick over 8 K. (Getting old can be a ***** but consider the alternative.

I loved my 30's and never regretted owning them for an instant. At the time they were the best speaker I could possibly afford and it was only because I was able to get a good price on a pair of fixer-upper Khorns that I made the switch.

[greg928gts]

Just got done with a 40 minute listen. It took me a while to get them hooked up because the jumpers were missing between the upper and lower inputs, so I had to make some with spade connectors and 8 guage solid copper wire. Seemed to work fine.

hightone - I'll post them on the forum before putting them on ebay. I think I would sell these any time if someone was seriously interested. email me glroberts@prexar.com

lynnm - I think your description of the sound of the KLF-30's compared to the Khorns are pretty close to what I'm hearing too.

First let me say that these speakers sound much nicer in my living room than I remember them sounding in the dealer's showroom. I think my DAC has much to do with that though. These are very nice sounding speakers and any criticism written below needs to be put into the context of what they are being compared to. I can say that they are much clearer in the midrange and high end compared to my AR speakers, there's really no comparison. The bass of the AR-90's or AR-9's I think compares favorably to the KLF-30's. I think I actually prefer the sound quality of the bass from my AR-90's (2 - 10's per cabinet) to these others.

Comparing to the Khorns, I don't know that I would describe the bass from the 30's as having more punch, but rather that it is more compact. Yes, more pronounced bass, but from a much smaller point in the room. With my eyes closed, I can point to where the bass is coming from with the 30's, whereas with the Khorns, when you put the power to them, the kickdrum and low bass guitar notes go "around" you. It seems to me that the Khorns work much less to fill the room with bass. When you put the power to Khorns, the room seems to move with every kick of the kickdrum. I didn't get the same physical reaction to the 30's.

The midrange was wonderful on the 30's, it seemed to open right up, smooth (except at higher volumes), and I enjoyed a wide soundstage. Being very critical, I would have liked a little more mid-bass, which of course would come from the woofers. I think the Khorns have greater depth to the soundstage though, especially with my tube amp, but I think front-to-back soundstage in a 2 channel system is rare. A tractix horn in a box cabinet is no match for the physical size of the midrange horn in the Khorn and their placement in the corners of the room. The Khorn wins the soundstage battle and just plain makes the music sound twice as big. I noticed this same thing with my AR's.

I thought the highs were o.k. on the 30's. They remind me too much of my KSB3.1's though, a little harsh, especially at higher volumes. In fact, I like the 30's less as I put more power into them. At 100db or so, they sound their best. I would have to say that the Khorns have another gear or two over the 30's. I tried maxing out the 30's during a Dire Straits song and could easily hear them strain, the bass leaned out, and the sound compressed and became harsh (probably about 150 watt peaks with my 200 wpc McIntosh 2205, no powergard lights came on).

I think the 30's are very nice speakers and the mahogany is sweet. If I didn't have Khorns, I could be very happy with these.

Greg

[speed3]

Greg,

Where are you located in Maine? I am in southern Maine and might be curious about how much you are looking for for the 30's or even the RB5's.

[greg928gts]

I'm in Benton, just a few miles above Waterville. Easy off the highway, come on up and listen to them. We were just cranking the Dixie Chicks sp? on them and then switched over the Khorns. Wow, what a difference. At the same volume the Khorns sounded twice as big. Like popping the top off a jar and letting the music flow out all over the room!

Greg