Macallan Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I am an RF-7 owner and have a question about the Heritage line. i would love to "upgrade" to either Khorns or Cornwalls at some point but have read that exponential horns are not as open sounding as tractrix? Is this true? I know the Khorn is known for its bass but do they lack in any way compared to the RF-7? What about RF-7s vs CWIII? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Pretty good questions but what the speakers are really different flavors. You should listen to each and decide. Shooting from the hip I would say cornwalls are not really an upgrade from rf-7, but khorns probably are, if you have the right room with good corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 The Jubilees have Tractix horns, AFAIK, and are the top of the Heritage line, if you have room for them. Everyone who has them loves them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Another thought... if you want a hot-rod Klipschorn you can contact Al Klappenberg at http://alkeng.com/ and replace the K401 horn with his aftermarket tratrix horn. Though I've never heard it, those that have, have said nothing but raving things about the upgrade. Then again, if you want a fully Klipsch engineered solution... the planned replacement to the Khorn which also uses a tratrix horn, then find out about the Jubilee. Unfortunately, when PWK passed away, the plans for making the Jubilee in a 'pretty' version went away with him and today, you can find out about it under the cinema portion of the forum http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/kpt-jubilee-535.aspx Realize though that for home use, it's being ordered in a 2-way format and NOT the 3 way format you see in the link. It's avilable in black. If you're considering a new (Khorn) purchase, then I'd urge you to do a search on "Jubilee" and brew a fresh pot....(putting on a flack jacket might also be an interesting idea?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macallan Posted July 30, 2008 Author Share Posted July 30, 2008 I don't think the Jubs would ever fly in my house, the Khorn look somewhat like furniture and tuck into the corners but the Jubs look crazy big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 That is one nice thing about the Khorns, once tucked in, they sort of disappear into the corners. I have heard Khorns with the tractrix horn and to my ears it's an improvement, but not to the level of make or break. The Khorn already sounds really good. I think it's one of the mods to keep in mind as you go along. My take is that you wouldn't appreciate the difference of the tractrix mid horn without hearing the K400/401 and knowing that sound as a reference. If you are thinking about buying new Khorns, I wouldn't recommend changing anything. If you get a vintage pair, there are a few things you'll need to do anyway, like drop in fresh caps in the crossovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Here is what I did. I replaced the Mid-Range with an Altec 1005B horn and 288-16K Driver. A small mod to the Type "A' crossover with Deans help. This is a Jaw Dropping Improvement over the Standard Khorns, And cost about $1200 for the Altec Horns and Drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 The tractrix is said to sound clearer due to a more controlled (direct) dispersion pattern creating less reflections that cause smear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Yeh but louie Armstrong,s trumpet wasnt TrackTrix and it didnt smear. I would take the TrackTrix line with a large block of salt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Yeh but louie Armstrong,s trumpet wasnt TrackTrix and it didnt smear. I would take the TrackTrix line with a large block of salt. Sure, try and downplay the beloved "TrackTrix." JBL lover [:$] Are you sure that you can discern an improvement, even if if was there was one????[] You still haven't heard mine yet............. Carl. P.S. Lest it be misconstrued, the above post was made in jest and was not intended to offend anyone................. P.S.II I would consider Al's "Trachorn" - the"TrackTrix" type horn - more of a considerable upgrade than was previously suggested. To my ears, it was a better upgrade than different crossovers. Of course, YMMV. The difference with the Trachorns becomes even greater once you swap out the K55s. P.S. III Having owned both, I would consider the move from RF-7s to Cornwalls a lateral move at best - and more likely, a step backwards. I would consider the move from RF-7s to Khorns an upgrade - even with exponential in place (and with the caveat of freshened caps). Of course, YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 No Carl as yet i havent heard yours, but i have heard heard Bruce Edgers and Martinelli,s.... Yes the first step is a good driver feeding a horn... You and i have found that out early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldamar Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 IMO The Cornwall III is a nice upgrade from FR-7's. Details are far clearer from top to bottom. I'v had RF-7's for about years and Cornwall's for a month or so. I'v switched between the 2 a few times and at first I missed the bass of the RF-7's but now the Cornwall's are clearly better allround. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 The Cornwall III uses a tractrix high frequency horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldamar Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 That they do. So I guess what im trying to say is that while older Corrnwalls may not be that much of an upgrade, I concider the III to be quite a nice upgrade from RF-7's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted July 31, 2008 Share Posted July 31, 2008 Where are the acoustic center and acoustic origin of the tractrix horns? Is it astigmatic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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