90-92 Klipschorn's

[rsp1068]

I found a set of clean Klipschorn's about an hours drive away. I run the RF7's as of right now, am very happy with them, and am curious if anyone has done an A/B of these as I don't want to waste the time of a 2+ hour road trip plus fuel to come home empty handed. The bulk of my 7's use is 2 channel as would be the Klipschorns. Thanks in advance.

[J.4knee]

OK your 7's will have a little more top end clarity and definition, and some like their imaging a little better. That said I'd take the K-Horns hands down. To me the K-Horns disappear like no other speaker. Their midrange is better. IMO the 7's top end is a little thin yet detailed. The K-Horn top end is slightly less detailed but it is more robust and integrates well into the mid range. The K-Horn bass is as musically accurate as it gets. The K-Horn dynamics are simply superior IMO. A lot of it will depend on your individual tastes though. Some like 7's better, I just am not one of them. The 7's are an excellent speaker system but to me the K-Horns just offer more and I prefer the "heritage" sound. I am sure others will chime in and dispute my position. The thing here is you are the one who has to be satisfied. Can you listen to them before you commit to them? IMO I don't think you be even remotely disappointed but here is the beauty, if you don't like them you will most assuredly be able to resell them.

[Ki Choi]

In another forty years, people will still desire Khorns along with Marantz 8B and other classic audio gear for certain. On the other hand, the RF7s...probably not. IMHO

[rsp1068]

Thanks guys, another question I have is would $1800 be in line? I am led to believe they are all stock, untouched so.......

[J.4knee]

13 -15 years old , they will need crossover updates/upgrades at least the caps should be replaced. I would assume they have either AK 3 or AK 2 networks in them. That said $1800 for a pristine pair is within reason IMO.

[LarryC]

I think that hearing a pair of K-horns is WELL worth a 2-hr road round trip, especially if you haven't heard them before, whether you come home empty-armed or not.

Transporting them is another story, of course.

A two-hour trip around here gets you to the grocery store and back.

Pics and tag numbers would be helpful.

[mustang1]

In my opinion, two hours is nothing to be an owner of the great klipschorn. I just sold a pair of 7's to fund Khorns, there is no comparison between the two. $1800 is a very good price, I've seen $2700 on ebay recently. Make sure you move carefully, and pack well when in transport.

[Tom Mobley]

What Larry said. Be aware though, that Khorns are merciless to

poor quality electronics upstream. If you get there and the guy

has them hooked up to some cheap solid-state they won't sound anything

like what they will when hooked up to some decent source and

amps. Most of the low end HT receivers out there fit into this

class. $1800, no shipping and only a two hour drive is pretty

good. No truck freight guy pushing them off the back of a truck,

saves lots of hassle. Take cash and a pickup or van. Take a

couple screwdrivers and a pair of pliers so you can pull the tops off

along with the side grills before moving them. If they're decent

hardwood take a bunch of old blankets or furniture pads.

[rsp1068]

Sweet, thanx again for the quick responses. Now I have to head there saturday and check them out. On a side note, Mustang1, could you explain "no comparison"? As said b-4, I really like the 7's, and will probably do as you had done with your'es and pedal them to fund the Klipschorns if they come home with me. Also, Tom, I have experienced that with my RF3's as well as my 7's, demoing them in a retail store was hidious, the main stream recievers made even the RF's sound bad to me.

[Seadog]

When you audition the K-horns, make sure they are tightly fit into their corners or they won't sound right. They will sound thin and you will be underwhelmed. If you can't get them in a corner for the audition, buy them anyway if they are in good condition.

[rockbobmel]

I traded up to K-Horns from a pair of Forte IIs, then after a half year of tweaking, false corners, I sold the horns for RF-7s. The horns are a fine speaker, but for me, I wanted a speaker with more slam and punch. I think my 15 x 15 room was too small for them as they need room to breathe. Everyone here told me to buy em and don't look back, but they ended up not being what I really was looking for. I got Dean's cap mods for the 7s, and I think that I am at my last speaker choice. For ME, the 7s are king and they fit my room better. AND you can move them around to get the best imaging. You can always sell them if they are not your bag. At least for me, I am no longer wondering what "THE MIGHTY HORNS" would be like.

They really did impress me when I hooked them to my Fisher X-100 tube amp.!!!