Klipsch Employees Trey Cannon Posted October 22, 2004 Klipsch Employees Share Posted October 22, 2004 What PWK and Klipsch today has to say on the topic of Look-A-Likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 We're Klipscher's and we accept no stinkin imitations! We speeet on them!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 I've always liked that last line. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 There shall be no imitation in my Klipsch arsenal! There shall be no Klipsch Reference replacement for my Klipsch Heritage! . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 We need more Dope from Hope! He must have been such a treat to spend time with. Nothing better than having a passion for being a Market leader for decades. Comes to mind Bozak and Altec have not introduced any new models lately. They must have lost the passion or made poor decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Well, the look-a-like thread I started a while back lead to a long-ago reply from PWK himself. And I wasn't even aware this was already issue 30 years ago. I guess that problem is here to stay. I for one won't be saving a few bucks to get the cheap imitation. The initial temptation to save a few dollars is gone. I'd rather buy used than do that. Thanks for the post Trey! It was indeed informative. I'm not sure I would have removed the initial thread though. I think it's good to leave a google trace for potential buyers of the look-a-likes to find so they can be better informed. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg928gts Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 My parents once bought a Granada. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IB Slammin Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 ---------------- On 10/22/2004 7:06:05 PM neo33 wrote: There shall be no imitation in my Klipsch arsenal! There shall be no Klipsch Reference replacement for my Klipsch Heritage! . ---------------- Well neo....I, ah.....I try to be diplomatic......I do mods, but...Ah, I.. Ah.....well, IMHO this is your best post...... Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 The DfH is, naturally, worth taking to heart. I wonder whether there are copies on the market today. In 1975, SpeakerLab was putting out a kit called the SK. At least some used fir ply, and others, apparently, went to MDF. Some of their midrange horns were fiberglass, and others metal. There was also a Swiss outfit selling Eck (corner) horns as kits. SpeakerLab also sold some box speakers with midrange horns and tweeters. For good or bad, PWK's comments were a bit unfortunate and not up to his usual level of science. He criticizes MDF as being tough to work with. But these issues can be overcome. He criticizes the other manufacture's descriptions of damping, without saying that there is anything wrong with the use of plastic. Apparently the present K-Horn uses MDF in the bass horn. All but the real Heritage line uses MDF too. I don't take issue with the integrity of the Klipsch construction. Still, it looked like an economic sell out. Don Keele was working at Klipsch and designed the K-401 which is a composite form of the metal K-400. Much more sturdy than the SpeakerLab fiberglass. But again this could look like a sell out. = = = = PWK's comments on QC are naturally on point. This mixes with the issue of plastic and MDF and "high quality components." If you can get good performance from MDF, less than super caps and super inductors, and plastic horns, at a lower cost, what is wrong with that? As long as they meet Klipsch QC in performance. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Phillips Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Gil, only the cosmetics are MDF, still real ply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 Thanks for the great pics, Stephen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyT Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 ---------------- On 10/22/2004 8:19:56 PM greg928s4 wrote: My parents once bought a Granada. Greg ---------------- Don't feel bad. My grandmother still has one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 I once drove an hour to look at some la scalas but when i got there it was made of bad plywood and not a single original klipsch part in it. There was no identifier as to who made it but fortunately I could tell it was a cheap knock off ooh I was mad. When I left the conartists house I was pulled over by the police and asked how much meth I bought lol I laughed at and said not enough. He did not laugh. I got searched but after he was finished and heard my story he just laughed and told me to go to hope. I drove to Fayetteville, AR the next weekend and bought some beautiful Belle's and a walnut custom made isobaric sub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 I stand corrected about the use of MDF in the bass horn. Thanks for the pictures. I used plywood everywhere. The bass horn is 3/4 ply! One interesting project was the midrange. It is modeled on the K-400 with the same Fc and mouth. The top and bottom walls are flat plywood. This is unlike the K-400 which is curved exponentially. Then thin ply was bent in to shape against the top and bottom to form the side walls. There was much glue and force involved followed by a lot of trimming. Best, Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 Quality is evident in this 1957 brochure, imitated but apparently never quite duplicated.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 ---------------- On 10/22/2004 7:17:55 PM psg wrote: I'm not sure I would have removed the initial thread though. I think it's good to leave a google trace for potential buyers of the look-a-likes to find so they can be better informed. ---------------- I'm also a little disappointed that the original thread got canned. I know it's a "Klipsch" forum with lots of loyal members questioning some subwoofer forum posts... but I think this (was) as valid a topic as some interconnect threads. I read the beginning of the thead, but unfortunately did not catch it's eventual progression... and whether a true comparison was posted. The BIC Acoustech speakers are without a doubt very different from the Klipsch Reference series, which their promotional text aspires too. Having the same colour woofers do not make them sound similar. The colouring, even in the Reference series, is much more about marketing than performance. These seem to aim the RF-25 Ht setup with dual 6-1/2 woofers, which according to their ad saves you a whopping 225$?? Without doing a numerical analysis, the BIC enclosure size is much smaller... almost 40% smaller... yet they still manage to have a better (only according to their data) bass response... extending 10Hz lower. They obviously don't pretend to use the same components. As stated by Hoffmans iron law; efficiency, bass extension, and enclosure size are mutually exclusive interrelated factors. In other words, improving performance in one will decrease performance in the others. Yet BIC has managed to SIGNIFICANTLY improve enclosure size (it's smaller) and bass response... but defied physics by only loosing a SINGLE db of efficiency?? Another item that jumps to the eye is the LARGE port in the front of the enclosure. The larger the port, the longer it needs to be to achieve a tuning. Given the enclosure is only 8" deep... I'm really unsure how they managed to tune it to the 35Hz range?? These are obviously very different speakers, with their own sound and questionable specs... but share nothing in common with the Klipsch Reference. The way I see it... you could be comparing the latest Toshiba or Sony or even TheatreResearch speakers, selling for only 225$ less. Where are those yellow B?LL$HIT buttons when you need one? Can someone post an image for me here? Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powdermnky007 Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 So would it be better to build a subwoofer box out of 3/4 mdf or 3/4 plywood. Sorry for semi OT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 ---------------- On 10/23/2004 1:16:04 PM coda wrote: Quality is evident in this 1957 brochure, imitated but apparently never quite duplicated.. ---------------- I agree -- I think PWK was a genius in marketing and cosmetic design as well as speaker system engineering and manufacturing. The timeless look of all his products puts others' to shame even today. Pics of 1950s-1960s competitors look laughable (Patrician), frightening (Hartsfield), or both. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 I am always looking a speakers, and another brand name came up here that looks (from the outide) like most of the Heritage line. Their prices are lower. I wrote to them (I won't put their name here) and asked about construction, parts, etc. Got a nice reply. Pretty much top drawer parts, not exceptional, but good. I believe it is a pretty small shop, and they don't ship. This could account for much of the lower price all by itself. They build in plywood, not MDF, use screws and cleats. Can anyone with a good woodshop build a set of KHorns cheaper than purchasing from Klipsch. Sure, if you don't count the hours of labor involved. Will they be as good or better? I can't answer that. Even though this is the Klipsch forum, I can honestly say I would still probably buy Klipsch products. I know them and I like them. If I lived close to the other company in Texas, I might have a look, but I also dream of the day I an afford some KHorns (new or used) and have a room to put them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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