WooHoo

[Q-Man]

The bass isn't lacking, your just not used to hearing horn loaded bass. If you still had your Cornwalls to A/B them it would be obvious. The K-Horn has much less distortion and you were hearing

a lot of that distortion with the cornwall.

Give it time, it will grow on you.

[rtaylor]

My khorns did not produce enough bass in my room either, they were too close together like yours even thought the room is 30 feet deep. Went back to lascalas and we are just fine now, thank you! Try a nice tube amp also, they are the **** with klipsch. Randy

[jt1stcav]

Very nice, BB! Those Klipschorns are only several months older than my Cornwalls (see my sig). I think the bass difference between the Cornwalls and the "new" Klipschorns is direct radiating vs. folded horn, and I know for a fact that your Khorn's bass is more accurate and natural sounding (with less distortion) than my CWs. If you can seal the Klipschorns into your corners like others have said, the bass response will open up more. Then again, maybe trying your sub with them is all you really need. Experimentation is the key...enjoy your new horn speakers!

[lynnm]

FWIW

I have come to appreciate the Khorn's bass over time even though I was initially a litle disappointed. The fact is that I had come to see exaggerated and boomy lows as being "good bass".

I find that with my Khorns the bass is not "In your face " - It is ( all of it BTW ) - simply there ). That said if you want "car sound" the Khorn ain't gonna provide it because the Horns are not designed to provide chest thumping hyperbass at 300 hz. unless the music actually contains those nois---errum notes.

I have listened to a little of that crap on my hornz and the young fella who brought his CD by was dazzled by the hornz although he thought the base wuz a little phatter on his bro's car stereo.

I smiled - and told him to take a bath

That wasn't fair because he wasn't in need of a bath as far as I could smell but they won't let ya belt the little buggerz anymore so one must need confine oneself to assaulting their self image 8~0>

[BigBusa]

"I have come to appreciate" is basically saying that you got used to something or settled for something that you didn't like. I could come to appreciate vanilla ice cream if I had to eat it everyday ...but I don't like it.

My cornwalls were much bassier than the khorns. That bass was not distorted boomy "car bass". It was simply hard hitting bass that sounded good. To insinuate that a cornwall might have boomy "car bass" is not very accurate.

Maybe I won't mind having to use the powered subwoofer with my top of the line klipsch speaker-ed stereo system. Maybe I won't be able to annoyingly pinpoint the low bass emitting from the subwoofer on the other side of the room everytime I listen to a song. Maybe the speakers I've lusted after for 20 years will end up on ebay. We'll see.

[garymd]

Busa,

You certainly have a way with words. Tone it down some and you'll get along better with others.

[JCturboT]

BB,

If you remember in your past thread "Which has more bass Cornwall or Klipschorn?" there were several opinions that stated the Klipschorn has natural bass -it doesn't have the slam of the Cornwalls.

I made the comment in past posts that I actually thought the Cornwalls are a better Rock & Roll speakers(having owned both) because of their low end bass suites this style of music.

If the K-horns don't live up to your expectations you can always e-bay 'em and if you want that slam and want to stay with Klipsch I would go the Chorus/Cornwall route.

Jeff

[BigBusa]

Gary youre right ...I'm just slightly disappointed. My expectations were a bit to high.

JT I do remember that post.

[garymd]

BB,

I've now heard 3 khorn systems, one extremely nice. None have bass I would be satisfied with for my listening preferences. You can always add a good sub but I'd rather not need one. Seal the corners and give it some time. You may end up loving them after a while.

If I listened primariy to classical music, I would own nothing else.

[joshnich]

Maybe the speakers I've lusted after for 20 years will end up on ebay. We'll see.

----------------

Please dont start that thread again - offer them to us first!!! Those are some sweet looking speaks. you owe it to yourself to give wm a fair shot before offering them to the masses!

Josh

[JBryan]

Congratulations on the Khorns. I was just reading through your posts and realized that you've had them in house for about 24 hrs and were initially" impressed" with the bass and a few hours later you were somewhat disappointed with the bass. Its perfectly understandable that your opinions can vacillate so quickly and I imagine it will continue for a while yet given your anticipation and expectations that have developed since you started looking for Khorns.

I have a friend who gets way too excited about audio gear. When he buys a component, he thinks its the best he's ever heard and he just gushes over it for days. Then he's silent for a week or so and suddenly, he has to get rid of it. At first, I had no idea what this was about and I scored several sweet deals before I caught on. Now I try to make him keep whatever it is for a few days more until he snaps out of his funk or remorse. I usually offer to buy it so he doesn't feel the urge to pawn it off on the first person who shows interest. I also tell him to hang onto it until I can come over and then I'll just sit on my hands for a while. Once the cycle is broken, he's pretty calm and can rationally contemplate his purchase. He still may get rid of the gear but at least its a choice rather than a reaction.

I'm not necessarily comparing the two of you or suggesting you share his audio anxiety. What I am saying is that it is possible that eventually your emotions will settle a bit and you will be able to evaluate the Khorns with a more even disposition. I will point out that given your set up, I'm sure the bass can be improved upon with a few minor tweaks and a pr of false corners. I think the Khorn is a great speaker but its very system-dependent and definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

Have fun and as you said, thank gawd for patience! - Bryan

[steve]

Hey Don

it's me...Steve..the guy who bought your Cornwalls..listen..we're going thru the same thing..I thought I had a need for "more" bass, than what I thought my Khorns of 20 years should be putting out. That's why I jumped on your Cornies..and when I got them, I had visions of not being tied to the corners with Khorns, maybe selling them etc. Well, I think the Cornwalls are marvelous speakers! BUT! When I A/B'd them both..I gotta tell ya..the Klipschorns are definitely the leader of the pack! The accuracy of the Horn, and the clarity is more detailed than the Cornwall..they are two different sounds..like QMan said..the bass is a lot more accurate! I feel the Cornwall can be a "set anywhere sound great" speaker, but when you have the placement, and room for the proper setup, there's no comparison to the KHorn. In my humble opinion, you need a lot bigger room. I actually bought a house for my Khorns 20 years ago, as they wouldn't fit in my apartment. I too was very disappointed in the sound what with a small room. Let me add this..after we moved into the new house I originally had the speaks in a living room with a raised floor i.e. crawlspace underneath, and the room resonated with bass! Almost too much! As not to disturb my wife when sleeping, we built an outboard dedicated music room, approx. 15 x 21 feet, where all the music gear resides now. However, this was constructed on a concrete foundation, with berber carpet overlaid..I must admit I was disappointed at first, as the bass wasn't anywhere close to the sound it had in the living room. However...it was a lot more accurate! And yes I too "grew accustomed" to it..and yes, I (at first) shared your opinion that I was settling for less. But after hearing "more bass" from the Cornwalls then switching back to the Klipschorns, it wasn't "more" but more distorted i.e. less accurate. It was like the difference I heard from the KHorns alone from different room placement! And after A/Bing, I realized I like the clarity of the Khorns better than the Cornwalls. Not to say that both speakers aren't some of the best out there..they are, as all Heritage speakers are..

Now for the bad news..I sold my Assemblage tube amp a few months ago, thinking I needed solid state for better sound..what a mistake that was! See above posts! I am definitely going back to tubes..after I save up a bit more..

Now for the good news..I ahave found a happy medium for the Khorns and the Cornwalls..I run them both off the same taps, and with the efficiency difference of 104db/98.5 db they sound great together..the bass on the cornwalls isn't overbearing, but the highs go a bit higher than the Khorns..they really compliment each other.

Don, I must say that if I had to make a choice, I'd take the Khorns..hands down (in a proper room) I have to admit I'm glad you didn't AB them, coz if you did, you'd have done the same..keep em both!

Come on up and listen to them!

Best Regards,

Steve

[lynnm]

"I have come to appreciate" is basically saying that you got used to something or settled for something that you didn't like. I could come to appreciate vanilla ice cream if I had to eat it everyday ...but I don't like it. "

Sheesh !!

Your interpretation of my statement ( Leaving aside the unnecessary hostility ) is nonsense. I did find that the horns bottom was not quite what I expected but that over a very short time I came to really appreciate and prefer the sound.

The notion that I find the Cornwalls or my former KLF30's boomy and distorted is also not a reasonable interpretation.

[NOSValves]

The Bass on the Khorn with the proper amplification is nothing short of breath taking ! My Lascalas do a wonderful job and are a great compromise when you do not have the room for the Khorn. But Khorn bass is the ultimate. Don get the proper amp and source !! You will never look back folded horn all the way for me.

Craig

[ricktate]

Hey big busa i got some OILED OAK CORNWALLs for you ,i would let you have your Cornwall bass back and some cash for your lousy K-HORNS....just say the word dude.....im in KC,MO area and these Cornwalls i got have risers and i would rate them atleast a 9 on condition.....rick...little guy on your shoulder says...do it,do it...let rick have those no bass K-HORNS..

[tillmbil]

Great looking speakers, they look like furniture. I am sure the price you paid you would allow you to keep them and still contnue to buy and sell. Take everyones advice and keep them for awhile, and I am sure they will grow on you.

Get a NOSvalves, or someones, tube amp and demo it with tubes. There will definitely be a different sound with a tube amp. I have four different Klipsch systems, three SS and one tube and I like the tube better. JMO

[ben.]

Disclaimer: This post is not written in a confrontational tone. I am not flaming anyone. It is written with a smile.

Don-

It is a physical FACT that direct radiating speakers exhibit much more harmonic distortion than horn loaded designs. Will a 15" speaker in a box give you more bass content? Generally, yes. It's just that much of it is harmonics not present in the source material. Is this "better" bass? To me, no. If it is to you, that's fine, but (I'm repeating myself here) YOU OWE IT TO (at least) YOURSELF TO TRY THESE SPEAKER WITH AN AMPLIFIER THEY WERE DESIGNED FOR!!

It's not we Khorn owners being defensive, it's just a fact that we all warned you about in the first place. Don't get pissy with us. EVERYONE warned you that it would not be what you expected. Did you try just boosting the bass? It's not like you're a purist, so I don't mind recommending this route to you. Maybe it will introduce enough distortion so you like what you hear!

Regards,

Ben

[sunnysal]

big, before you decide on whether the k-horns can produce the bass you crave you need to set them up properly.

the bad news is that the one you have with a door as one "wall" may never seal sufficently to make the bass horn, however seal the two backboards as best you can and listen some more.

I think perhaps you were doomed from the start since the greatest weakness of the k-horns is that they are merciless with equipment and environment, you need the right electronics and right room or they will NOT give you the k-horn experience we all rave about.

one other thing, if you decide you want to keep them I suggest you build some false corners, this will give you the best bass horn seal and allow you to toe them out just a bit to improve imaging.

regards, tony

[3dzapper]

BB, In one of my houses I had a doorway where yours is. What I did was to put a piece of paneled plywood over the door. Then I could get a good seal.

Everyones idea of adequate bass is different. If there isn't enough just give that little knob a twist and it will appear I usually have a couple of db of boost for my liking. I know the purists disagree but we are the ones that we must please not them. Also make doubly sure the bottoms are in phase. It's not hard to wire them out( I just did when I hooked up my new biwires and I've had these for twenty five years.)

Rick

[BigBusa]

Guys thanks for all the advice. I'll be doing some of the suggested placement tweaks soon for better bass. I just boxed up a Scott 340B to send off to Craig. Like most of you said, I gotta try tubes with these khorns.

Didn't mean to sound pissy.

EDIT: more listening is proving that the khorns do indeed have a powerful low end but it's definately different than most other speakers ...like you guys said.

It is more realistic and less exaggerated I believe. Like you'd hear in concert maybe. It's hard to pinpoint. I can seriously shake the house but it's a tighter, less vibraty (is that a word?) bass.