Jareb Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Picked up a pair of Klipschorns yesterday at the thrift store. It appears they are a 1960 set. Took them home and hooked up to my McIntosh 275 and all I can say is wow! I have been listening to a pair of Bozak Concert Grands for several years so I'm used to pretty good sonics, but these things blew me away. I dont even have them in corners yet-just out in the middle of the room. They are a little dirty and the cloth is shot but I'm liking them a lot. Can anybody shed any light on how they compare to newer models. Serial numbers: 1534 & 1536 Type: K357 Style: C Finish: FR I cant read the inspection signature on either label-its too faded Mid Range Horn: Type: K-5-J Serial numbers: 1701 & 1698 Date: 21 Mar 60 By: PG-TP I havent opened them up to look at the tweeter or woofers. thanks John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 DETAILS ! WE WANT DETAILS!!!!! How did you find them? How much did you pay? How was the trip home? Do you have good corners for them? How about some pics?! Welcome to the board, not a bad way to start really, right at the top! You indeed have a great set of speakers on your hands, ENJOY!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 1960 Fir-Raw, doesn't get much more basic than that. You've got a couple naked beauties there. I've seen some lovely stains on the Fir, it's a very interesting wood compared to Birch. Yes we'd love to see photos of the new babies if you please. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareb Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 My neighbor is the warehouse manager for the Habitat for Humanity thrift store. He came to my house on Sunday and says "I've got a big pair of speakers you might be interested in". "Ever heard of Klipschorns?" They are yours if you want em" I had to wait until yesterday because the store is closed Mon & Tues. I really thought that someone else would grab them by the time I got there, But they were there at 3pm. I paid $150 for the pair! I dont really have a good corner set up so I'm just going to use the wall and the backs of the Concert Grands to make a 90 degree wall for now. I dont have a digital camera so I cant post pictures yet. The finish on these things looks like formica [oak]. I feel really lucky to have snagged them. Supposedly they belonged to the same guy since new and when he died his kids just cleaned out the house and gave everything to charity. Santa came a little early this year for me!! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareb Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Michael, Looks like the original owner put oak formica over the fir. What a bummer. I dont know if I can get it off. They dont look so good but man they sound great! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal Blacksmith Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Santa indeed came early! Those are worth 10 times what you paid for them, even in rough shape! You have a MAJOR score on your hands!!!! Wait till they are setup properly, ............. you think you are blown away now!! AWESOME score! Buy your buddy something nice for CHRISTmas! He earned it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 For $150, that's a steal in any shape. But you can get that formica off, and I would. There will likely be to much glue resin and damage underneath to restore the original wood. However, you can buy sheets of veneer and re-veneer them. There have been a good number of threads with people posting some photos of their DIY re-veneer jobs. Folks, you know who you are. Why don't you post your pics for John? Congratulations and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 KHorns for $150. Whatever the state of them - that is a STEAL and a half. Oh - and get them into corners - false or otherwise - you will notice a BIG difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 pretty much the deal of the century there. Suggest you consult member FORMICA (yup we've got a specialist) on how to get that stuff off of there (probably a heat gun and peeeeelll geeeennnntttllyyy). Then we'll get you fixed up with upgrades and veneer. You've got a fun summer ahead of you. But for now, just enjoy the tunes. How do they sound? Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I can't believe you paid that much for a pair of Khorns!!! Just kidding.[] Great score! What are you driving them with? We can certainly help you spend the money you saved on the speakers. We're very good at that here. Ask just about anyone whose been here more than a week. The Khorn hasn't changed much since its inception, however there are a few things you can do to make them sound better once you have everything set up to your liking and you have them in proper corners. The first thing most of us do is update the crossovers. They can drift way out of spec over the years and there are a few forum members who build excellent networks for very reasonable prices. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareb Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Michael, They sound great! I have them sitting out in front of The Bozaks right now, but plan to make fake corners out of the bozaks and the wall to get a more realistic picture of how they should sound. I had the Mc275 cranked a little bit last night and I really couldnt believe how good they are. Like I said -The Concert Grands are nothing to sneeze at, but I feel the horns might be better. The condition of the speakers is quite good except for thick layer of dust on everything and the formica issue but otherwise very solid. The wood horn blows me away too-they just dont make stuff like they used too! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAPTORMAN Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Picked up a pair of Klipschorns yesterday at the thrift store. It appears they are a 1960 set. Took them home and hooked up to my McIntosh 275 and all I can say is wow! I have been listening to a pair of Bozak Concert Grands for several years so I'm used to pretty good sonics, but these things blew me away. I dont even have them in corners yet-just out in the middle of the room. They are a little dirty and the cloth is shot but I'm liking them a lot. Can anybody shed any light on how they compare to newer models. Serial numbers: 1534 & 1536 Type: K357 Style: C Finish: FR I cant read the inspection signature on either label-its too faded Mid Range Horn: Type: K-5-J Serial numbers: 1701 & 1698 Date: 21 Mar 60 By: PG-TP I havent opened them up to look at the tweeter or woofers. thanks John WOW!!!!!!!! I'd be happy to get even a beat pair of BOSE in my neighborhood thrifstore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ygmn Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 WOW!!!!!!!! I'd be happy to get even a beat pair of BOSE in my neighborhood thriftstore Agree.... our local thrift stores (side by side) were flooded out by Katrina... Heck they will be donw for long time.... and when they were open....pure crap... You are a lucky man to pay $150 for those..... Find a neighbor with digital camera...we need pics of this...as it is the deal of the century! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieboy Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Stories like this are the ONLY reason I tag along with my wife to the thrift stores! That and finding some decent records every once in a while. GREAT FIND! Gongrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 "...but plan to make fake corners out of the bozaks..." Now THAT's a conversion. I have some neat plans for making bookends from Bose using nothing more than a couple of common bricks, but FALSE CORNERS from Bozak Concert Grands!!! Klipsch Konquers, indeed. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisaire Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Superb find!! Just another example of the the "hit thrift stores/charities where old people retire in droves" theory. They had the stuff, enjoyed it, now it's your turn all these years later. You did very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareb Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 Dave, LOL- Only temporary corners !! I figure I can use the back of the CG's and the wall to make a sufficient corner just to hear how they might sound in a true corner set up. I wont be chopping up the CG's for the wood though! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 John, This is almost an urban legend: picking up a pair of K-Horns for next to nothing. I agree with Jeff about removing the formica and applying some veneer. There are a number of choices and finishes that will make them look absolutely beautiful. If you have never done this before, it is not that difficult. Practice on something else first. There will some effort involved in getting the surface smooth and the corners & edges to have nice square & crisp surfaces. But it would be a fun project. You will surely get advice about updating the crossovers. This can be as simple as a straight replacement of the capacitors, which is not that expensive. Additionally, and I am not sure about the vintage or how to test, sometimes the magnets may need to be re-charged. This seems to be especially true for the Alnico magnets on the tweeters. There are places who can do perform this. Others can chime in on this issue also. But I am being pessimistic and I don't mean to be. These are a fantastic find, enjoy them. Imagine, something that is over 45 years old and all the excitement it is generating. Good Luck, -Tom Forgot to mention - corners are critical (they will sound even better). If none are available, then building a false corner (or a half corner) is a good option. There are various plans/designs available that range from the simple to the more complex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flason Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Congrats on the Khorns. Excellent find and killer deal. I found a pair in rough shape a few years back for $400 and with a little elbow greese and Bob Crites, fixed them up and they are looking and sounding great. I opted to go to JoAnn Fabric for grill cloth vice going through Klipsch so I saved quite a bit of money on that. I posted a pic of what they look like now. I still enjoy them everyday as I am sure you will too. Get some pics posted as I'd like to see what $150 Khorns look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranjith Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 $150 for Khorns, wow! I've been going to various thrift stores and second hand shops for the past few years and the best I've found was a TT for $15... you are living any klipschian's dream I bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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