mink70 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Hello-- I'm rather new to the forum and to Klipsch in general, but I have an urgent question that I would appreciate help with. I have an opportunity to acquire a pair of late 70's Klipschorns locally. I love big speakers and the Tannoy Ardens I have now are great, but in my 17 by 20 foot living room they need at least 75-100 watts to come to life. Currently I'm driving them with a Mac MC275, and the combination works pretty well. The problem is that I love the sound of low-powered tube amps, and would love to find a big, dynamic speaker that can run on 8-15 watts. So here's the question: do Klipschorns actually need to be positioned in room corners, or can they sound as good standing out in the open (2-3 feet from the rear wall in the case of my room?) Also, how big does a room have to be for K-horns to work optimally? I don't have the corners available, so would I be better off with a Cornwall? I've never actually heard a K-horn, but am going on their reputation (despite audiophiles who tend to frown on Klipsch). I know they sound different from vintage Tannoys but I'm hopeful they would work. Any help would be much appreciated. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 The walls actually form the outside of the last section of the bass horn. There are significant losses involved with not having the speakers fitted tightly into corners. However, there is a workaround, which is building a false corner. It needs to be about 40" high and the sides need to extend about three feet (at least) out from the corner. There's actually docs on this somewhere around here, or maybe somebody will be kind enough to post a link or a picture. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Do a search on "false corners" and .pdf files will be in abundance. Be sure to search various forums within the BB, as you must search each section individually. Your room size is fine. I get nice bass even with compromised corner placements and a bit smaller room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 If you love big ole horns, you should jump on the classic Klipsch corner Khorns, you will love them, yes, they need to go in the corners, this helps not only with the bass, but also with the imaging and soundstage (which is shallow, but still wide and focused), at 340 square feet, your room is big enough, mine is only 238, but open at the back, the entertainment center takes up one wall, since the corners point the horns into the listener, you need to sit about 9 to 11 feet away, farther back is OK, Khorns are much better in the bass, mid-range and treble than Cornwall, they are larger soundstage and far more sensitive, nonetheless, you have to hear them with the right equipment, when I saw mine, they were hooked up to a typical modern chintzy piece of tin solid-state receiver and sounded horrible, bigger is better with horns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Apparently the false corners can be a viable alternative. Edster00 has some very nice versions in his dedicated listening room. This obviously gives one far more flexibility in setup. I imagine the quality of bass will come from the quality of construction as well. I think it will ultimately be less solid than wall but a good compromise and surely preferable to either no Khorns at all. Here is a nice shot of Klipschorns with home built false corners. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mink70 Posted December 5, 2003 Author Share Posted December 5, 2003 Thanks to everyone for the good advice. It sounds like the K-horns are probably a pretty bad idea for my room, since the corners are not available and the false corners would take up more room than I've got (I have 3 7-foot tall windows on the available wall, and need access to them). Would I be giving up much in terms of dynamics, sensitivity, and presence with Cornwalls? Are the early, vertical-horn ones much better? Thanks again, Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I'd go with La Scalas. Greater efficiency than the Cornwalls, and with fairly low powered amps, that will help. But if you've heard the Cornwalls and like their presentation better, they'd be fine instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 mink70 Arrange a listen to the LaScala. If you prefer the Cornwall, you are in good company-many here do. I use LaScalas in conjunction with Khorns, but also enjoy the Cornwall sound. I think Paul is also saying to at least listen to the LaS, even if you have heard & liked the Cornwalls. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzmansound Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 hi ,this is john in mi..yes they must be the corner of the room .use large good speaker wire like 12 or 10 it is good for the amp. make sure you have the seal on the back of the speakers. jazzmansound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 ---------------- On 12/5/2003 4:17:37 PM mink70 wrote: Hello-- I'm rather new to the forum and to Klipsch in general, but I have an urgent question that I would appreciate help with. I have an opportunity to acquire a pair of late 70's Klipschorns locally. I love big speakers and the Tannoy Ardens I have now are great, but in my 17 by 20 foot living room they need at least 75-100 watts to come to life. Currently I'm driving them with a Mac MC275, and the combination works pretty well. The problem is that I love the sound of low-powered tube amps, and would love to find a big, dynamic speaker that can run on 8-15 watts. So here's the question: do Klipschorns actually need to be positioned in room corners, or can they sound as good standing out in the open (2-3 feet from the rear wall in the case of my room?) Also, how big does a room have to be for K-horns to work optimally? I don't have the corners available, so would I be better off with a Cornwall? I've never actually heard a K-horn, but am going on their reputation (despite audiophiles who tend to frown on Klipsch). I know they sound different from vintage Tannoys but I'm hopeful they would work. Any help would be much appreciated. Alex ---------------- Audiophiles tend to frown on Klipsch???? Huh? This is news to me. Bose for sure. But Klipsch? Say it ain't so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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