Klipschorns

[kman1752]

How much should one pay for a new set of Klipchorns? Also what should you look for when purchasing a used set? And last are they really as awesome as everyone says? Thanks Jim

[IndyKlipschFan]

Hmm... How much to pay for K horns, is a question often asked on here. I think if you look at Ebay you will find once in every say 4-6 months someone selling/stealing a pair for under 800.00. I would assume, in these cases, they are not well taken care of, very old, and scratched, and generally sub par. (condition wise)

More realistically they go between 1,200 on the low side to 2,600 + - on Ebay quite regularly.

If you mean new, as in Bought NEW from a dealer.... Open your wallet, because I, too, bought mine new (never been heard by anyone else but me..LOL..) from my dealer some years ago. This was before Ebay, before most local dealers here didn't carry them anymore. (Because the footprint was too big in their stores.) Some would claim you can't have those big K Horns blowing away the esoteric equipment costing 10's of thousand of dollars more too.

Look for a good finish on the wood. Also any info like the serial numbers to determine the year they were made, and of course the most obvious when possible, what do they sound like too? My love affair with the K Horns started when I was 15 years old and finally allowed in the "ADULT's ONLY" section of the big Hi Fi Buys Store. <<You know where they kick you out if you do not look the part, or have enough money, or just plain are not snobby enough to spend time with you. hahahahahaha.>> I vowed by the time I was 30 I would own these. On my 30th birthday it was a reality. So it is good to dream the dreams you have as a kid, and live up to them too.

Last but not least, YES they are. With the only caveat being this... they will either be the most incredible speaker you have EVER and I mean EVER heard, or they will be so so. Also, remember that what goes in comes out in these too. Bad recordings will sound terrible. Great ones will blow you away. Get the Dire Straits CD "Brothers In Arms" (the UK version is even better..crank it up and enjoy..) What I am trying to say is this Rock n roll, Jazz, pop, Ska reggae, symphonic really anything that is really well recorded, will sound incredible. Some of the pop stuff really synthed out, made for radio, might not. I could go on and on... Use your own judgment and listen to different stuff and just enjoy em. Hope this helps.

This message has been edited by IndyKlipschFan on 12-10-2001 at 12:25 PM

[soundog]

Klipsch is not producing them currently due to difficulty in finding a new parts provider. Used is the way to go. I got mine from an audioreview.com classified ad for $1500 but had to rent a truck (which I used for some other purposes, also) and drive to western Mass. to pick them up. I had to replace one tweeter ( will replace the diaphram someday and have a spare) and I replaced the crossovers with Al's ALK crossover upgrades found on this BB. So for a little over $2000 I now have better than new Khorns.

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Soundog's HT Systems

[JohnA]

The Klipschorn, Belle and La Scala are currently out of production. Klipsch is looking for new squawker drivers and maybe new tweeters. You might find a new pair in a warehouse somewhere or by dealer transfer. Ebay is also a pretty good place to look for used ones. I'd drive to where ever to pick them up if I bought a used pair. They're too valuable to risk in shipping. Now that Tweeter has opened in Hamilton Place, you could try to see if they can find you a new set. They are pretty big Klipsch customers. I want to get over there myself.

If I bought used, I'd be looking for the late 70s/early 80s models. They have the solder terminal K-55-V squawker and the ceramic magnet tweeter. This is my favorite configuration. The latest models with the K-55-M MAY be smoother in the midrange, and my La Scalas with those squawkers don't sound much different from the ones with the -Vs, but for some reason I prefer the -Vs. If you buy a set with Type AK networks in them, plan on replacing the Type AK. The Type AK/AB/AL network was the first one used with the K-55-M begining in 1982. It is essentially the same as the Type AL and should sound just as awful. ALK networks or Klipsch Type AK-3 would be a good upgrade. I have a pair of the ALKs and love them.

When was the last time you heard the Klipsch Heritage series?

John

[bigdnfay]

I consider myself lucky. I bought a pair of k-horns and a belle on ebay for $1300 and only had to drive 3 hours to pick them up. They were in good shape and all original (1976 vintage and all 3 factory white). I have a pair of ALK crossovers that I built to put in a pair I'm planning to build but couldn't wait. What a difference. Opened up the highs and mids. Well worth the effort. Get k-horns anyway you can...their worth it. You won't regret it.

Happy Listening

[Colin]

The big old horns of Klipsch's Heritage series "does sound different from just about any other line of speakers, from Klipsch or from anyone else." But that difference is a matter of taste. One man's wine is another's vinegar.

The Khorn has two horns and a horn-loaded bass woofer, making the huge triangular beast incredibly sensitive to input. Its awesome efficiency puts the big old horns into an entirely different league than regular cone and dome boxes.

The Khorns are rated at 104 decibels (dB) per one watt, when measured at about three feet (one meter). This means the unusual style of stereo speaker will need only about 0.00196 of a watt to reprise an average slow C weighted 73 sound pressure level (SPL) in a carpeted 14 by 17 room with eight foot ceilings. Typical music peaks 15 dB higher than that average SPL will require all of 0.063 watts, depending on the frequency.

Theoretical microsecond pulses up to 103 dB, like a gut punch from a kick drum, for example, will require a mere 2 watts. Listening at painful loud levels requires surprising little power. A mind numbing level of 118 dB, certainly beyond the limits of UN guidelines for torture, needs only a brief spurge of 64 watts to reproduce. Even the momentary 127-dB pulse of a live orchestra at full crescendo takes only about 512 watts. What this means is that Khorns do not need awesome power, but they do need really good power at low levels. Almost all normal listening will be done with less than one watt. Their sensitivity reveals all front-end flaws. Because of their ultra-low power requirements and reveling nature, big old horns are very favorably matched to flea powered tube equipment. It is a classic combination dating back decades.

It is not fair to any speaker, really, to compare it to another speaker of another kind. To say that electrostatics are light and clean is to diminish some very notable qualities that they have. But in the absence of accurate measurements, which captures at least a few of the features of speakers, tweaking audiophiles are left with little but flowery words to describe some very obvious characteristics.

Big old horns have wonderful musical qualities. They are much better at reproducing important qualities such as dynamic range, air, tone, space, and clarity with lower distortion than the typical radiator cone speakers.

The larger Klipsch Heritage series speakers are beloved by many musicians. Acoustic instruments sound quite real on big old horns. The full range and dynamics of the piano, for example, is better and easier reproduced, for less money, than many other high-end systems. Drums have thump and snap, horns have blat and blare, and vocals are crisp and clear. Cymbals clang and sizzle like few other systems. As the bow strokes the taught strings of the cello, the Khorn cabinet vibrates like a hummingbird in flight. No other speaker makes pianos, drums, horns and cymbals sound so real.

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Lights out & tubes glowing! (See Acolin's AColin - tweaking audiophile's big old horns at inmate systems at audioasylum.com)

[Conductor]

Excellent description of the Klipschorn sound.