My father bought these in the 70s. Till this day, he still has them... I grew up listening to these speakers all my life. And they are STILL the best quality speakers I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Thank you for making consistent and lost longing, high quality speakers.
I lived an hour and a half from Hope AR in the late 70s. A friend of mine who was already building his own speakers invited me to go to tour the Klipsch factory (no longer an option). Very impressive. Coolest part was at the end of the tour when we listened to a song thru different Klipsch speakers from low end to Klipschorns. No change in the watts driving the speakers but amazing to hear the volume and fullness increase just thru selecting channels. Even the lower priced Klipsch speakers are amazing, but the Klipschorns are tops! Side note: They gave us a circuit checker designed as a screwdriver with the phrase “Stolen from Paul W. Klipsch” on the handle.
I’ve been listening to my pair of Klipsch K- Horns for over 30 years and the only way to improve them was to put a pair of Klipsch Belle’s in back on B Speaker channel ! They Rock together ! I get club live entertainment out of them ! Fantastic ! 😊
Forty five years of music with my set of Klipshorn speakers, and never dissatisfied. The very early days of digital tech was showing potential, but still unavailable. I began my quest for musical perfection, and spent two years researching high end stereo components and speakers. The two brands that were featured in high fidelity stores (long before package stores), were Klipsch and Sony. I first purchased Kilpsch Heresy's and mass market Japanese receivers, and found the sound to be okay, but tinny, distorted and without full body sound. That led to a complete remake of my collection(s) as I experimented with the electronics, not the speakers. The Heresy's delivered the sound, but the electronics did not. More research and in-studio demo's, led me to discreet amps, preamps and tuners as separate components. The turntable, audio cartridge, and stylus was not the problem... it was the all-in-one receivers that were practical, but imperfect... by a long stretch. In 1974 I purchased the Klipschorn's, and Tandberg 250 watt amp, preamp, and tuner. This was the setup that would create my life long musical experience, and I've not been disappointed one bit. Prior to my first CD player (Sony CDP 101), I played albums on my turntable and used two Nakamichi cassette recorders to play and dupe music. Many CD players over the years have all been fairly equal in presentation, but the real bones of musical perfection was the Klipschorn speakers and the mosfet Tandberg components. Now 45 years later... I'm still convinced that the heart of any system is the speakers, and Klipsh has proven to be the "long term" source for quality engineering, build, and more importantly sound. All others rely on sound processing (equalization), to alter and attempt sound configuration. My experience has led me to believe that the fewer electronic components between the phono stylus or the CD lazer... and the speakers... the better..!
The first time I heard Klipschorns was somewhere around 1976. My friends Dad had a high end audio store in Albuquerque but these were what was in his house. I have been a Klipsch fan ever since, just wish I had room and money for Khorns.
I just got a pair of AK5 with the pie slice logos. The 1st thing I did was to make them have the profile of a Model B with the collar between the bass bin and top hat. I think they look much better than the air gap between the top and bottom. And if memory serves me PWK said they are "Corner Horns". So put them in corners.
It was 1985 and I was in a mid-high end stereo store in So. Cal. I was just goofing around and listened to the music in the store. Then I went to the "back-room" and there to my surprise was this sound like no other. Clear, crisp with loads of warmth and separation. I asked what speakers I was listening to? The guy said these are our Klipsch K-Horns. Hmm, until then, I never heard of them but I quickly fell in love. Back then they cost about 5K or so for the pair. My background...I'm a product of the 60s and have always been a "tube" guy and endured transistors, integrated circuits, hybrids, PC board configurations, just about everything you could imagine...Threshold amps, Macintosh amps, Quicksilver, Conrad Johnson, etc. I've auditioned every loudspeaker imaginable in So. Cal back then. Many guys worked out of their homes because those days, Hi-End audio was so specialized and very, very expensive and it was often by appointment only. But here I was in a strip-mall store-front but heard possibly the purest sound I have ever heard! Ok, to be honest, I've always heard that "horn-loaded" speakers were, well a bit nasally and harsh to the ears. A few friends (I'm sure you've heard this one too) said that the speakers would drive you out of the room. So, proper amplifier/loudspeaker matching was crucial if you used horn-loaded speakers. In my Navy day's I remember hearing a pair of Sansui SPL 800s when I was overseas coupled to a 100 WPC receiver. Back then, receivers were all the rage. (overkill) Yeah, they were loud, but oh so clean! My friend had a pair of JBL Century 100s and they were very nice (but to me, a little "tinny" to the top end). Just my opinion. My bible was TAS (The Audio Sound) magazine and I embraced every word of every article! Harbeths, Spica, Martin Logan plus every exotic product reviewed. To me though, I've always been an analog basic turntable (Linn) and a used pair of Conrad Johnson monoblock 50 WPC and esoteric bi-wiring kind-of-guy. I had a used AR line stage and a Magnum Dynalab FM tuner to tap into KLON (Cal State Long Beach had an amazing jazz station) and I had a brand new TEAC 10" reel-to-reel 2 track (I don't know why I bought a 2 track, I really didn't need it...Nobody else had one so naturally, I had to have one! I'm nuts) Well, I couldn't afford the K-horn's, but I could afford the Klipsch Heresy's so I bought a pair and a year later, another pair. Looking back, I guess I could have financed the K-horns but they do command respect in any room! lol One day I will own a pair of K-horns as they are the "el-supremo" loudspeakers for me. There are so many great modest vacuum tube amps on the new and used market in the 10-65 WPC range that will drive the K-horns perfectly and give you headroom, warmth, truth plus goosebumps. Get an overstuffed chair, place it center and back in your sound room, put on some vinyl of jazz, Linda Rondstadt-Nelson Riddle Skylark, even Brian Setzer Orchestra and you're in heaven! Isn't that what it's all about? Enjoy!
I bought my 1st pair of Khorns when I was 19 for $1654/pair KCBR. I always kicked myself in the butt for getting the model C. They were around $600 cheaper. I gave them to my mother who at 87 uses them every day with a Mc240 and MX110.with a Lab80 mk2 table. Well I am just short of 70 now and just landed a pair of Ak5 in cherry. The 1st thing I did was add the spacers between the top hat and bass bin and now they are Ak5 B. I can choose my Infinity IRS Betas or the Klipschorns. Lately I have been using the Horns and loving it.
I don't think no, I know I've never heard a speaker with better bass that the Klipschorn, my room mate had a pair back in the 70's and the were fantastic, but the rest of the audio spectrum sounded equally great too...very well balanced speaker system and loud (and clean) OMG This is a true full range speaker no subwoofer needed!
Kinda weird though that he only insists on cosmetic changes with those iconic loudspeakers. I’ve heard this new design recently, and they’re capable of changing the air pressure of a large room in an instant! They really do possess crazy dynamics, and this is their forte (no pun intended). They can really make the music “alive”. And, shall I say, at a very competitive price. It’s too bad hearing this guy talking about “bookmatch veneers” and “grille clothes”. Oh well.
Well, we already released a video about the technical updates, with Engineer Roy Delgado. But we also wanted for our Industrial Designer to speak to the cosmetics which is the reason behind the 2 seperate videos =)
Ummm guys, this video is just about the Industrial Design updates to the Klipschorn, not the actual engineering or performance of the speaker itself. ID focuses around aesthetic and artistic design elements. The improvements made to the appearance and visible design and stuff like that. Just want to be clear that the content here is not technical in nature, but visual in nature.
@Earl Dunbar No worries. Most people are confused by the term "Industrial Design". (It was my major in college even though I never ended up working in the field). Industrial Designers probably have an impact on every product you touch every day, and focuses on things like good visual design, ergonomics, colors etc. If we left the world at the hands of the Engineers, everything would still work the same, but it would all look like s**t! ;-)
This was part of video series on the Klipsch website. I believe the technical video, by the much more talented Roy Delgado, is the one you are looking for. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PZ-MX2-3OeE.html
The wood grain is chatoyant... 3:21. The knots near the top of the lower cabinet. That tigers-eye stone effect. They're putting a quality finish on these things, and I love that about them. It's almost as if they were using Waterlox.
I agree ? disagree ? I purchased my first set from Paul himself when I was an car audio installer for the number one klipsch dealer in the US at the time . I say the review is modest because nothing is the same When I sold audio equipment back in 1978 . The improvements are constant like a turtle and we all know the turtle wins the race . Many say these speakers are overpriced but I say they are a bargain . Forget cost of living and price adjustments over time because it about what the market will bear . Over the years I have modified mine and if you really knew Klipsch ( he hated mods) . So I have been a bad boy . Nothing crazy all Bob Crites mods and my speakers sound amazing but the never ones sound even better . I say google Klipschorn upgrades and you will see nobody has been sleeping at the wheel . That said My La Scala speaker are my favorites as the great William Wallace / Mel Gibson said They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our Klipschorns !
Quick story....decades ago, I was fortunate enough to have a friend play the "1812 overture"....with actual cannon being fired.....thru a pair of Klipshorns.....NOTHING.in those decades has even come close them....decades of sonic disappointment...LOL
I like your idea but unfortunately, the interior bracing and horn passages would require significantly more labor and time, being on a smaller scale. Which, of course, would raise the price. A mini Khorn would effectively cost more to produce than the full size version.
I like how you guys dont overprice the Heritage series unlike so many manufacturers do nowdays with their speakers just for greed. Also the efficiency is very high like the old days, so many manufacturers make power hungry speakers now on purpose just that you have to buy a more powerful amp. My early 60s 3 watt per channel tube receiver could power them, and I paid $25 for it.
Siempre estube enamorado de esta marca u el sonido sin palabras vusque incansablemente estos bafles aca por la.argentina parece que jamas llegaron a este pais donde podria consegir planos de fabricasion o algun lugar para vajar por pdf medidas para poderlos clonar es para uso personal desde ya gracias
@@johnsweda2999 Hmmm. "much More" and "4th place" (love the 4RD misspelling) is a strong statement to make. I would love to know who and where the source of information comes from. Also, what are we talking for price points ? DO TELL !
@@garysmith8455 I checked and found that "Westminster Prestige Royal" speakers sell for 25K-30K a piece. At that price, they'd better sound superior to the Klipschorn which sells are 5K - 8K a piece. I don't think that you can find a better sounding speaker than the Klipschorn for the same price.
@@johnbenischek5622 Agreed sir! Yes, Klipschorns are at $16k for the pair.... According to inflation ratings, the cost is just below pricing by today's standards. That is great considering made in the USA ((O: Thanks for responding to the comment...
essentially ANY amplifier can drive these! ... from the (under $200!) 3.5w/ch Tube Cube, to whatever 5805 you're referring to. Oddly, isn't there a lot of amps with the 5805 designation? I believe there are multiple small chip amps, an old Adcom, Denon, Onkyo, the new Mark Levinson, interesting...
Let us tell you for half the advertisement about how we use a cheap laminate cover on our really expensive speaker. Why on earth are you not using quality solid wood? Makes no sense to me. Most technological advancements for sound equipment were achieved almost 80 years ago and the khorn is proof of that.
Solid wood is not better, it's worse. Plywood is stronger & more stable and less resonant than solid wood. It's easier to work with and purchase. And veneer creates a better & more perfect exterior than solid wood. The idea that you build the internals of a machine out of walnut or cherry is something people who know nothing about woodworking might expect, but fine craftsmen know better. This is why so many great speakers are made of MDF, it's less resonant and more consistent.
@@johnsmith1474 A veneer finish is a fake visual representation of real wood. The reason it is used is so that cheap MDF, particle board, or plywood can be used. Because MDF, particle board and most plywood is ugly, and a veneer finish is required. Today the woodworking standard might be as you suggest but it is the cheap easy way out. You mention, "The idea that you build the internals of a machine out of walnut or cherry is something people who know nothing about woodworking might expect, but fine craftsmen know better." I have never heard of a loud speaker referred to as a machine before, that is interesting. No one said anything about the internals. We are talking about the exterior finish of the cabinet. A fine craftsman would be using Baltic birch and would never touch MDF. Particle board and MDF does not handle moisture very well or take screws or nails very well. Glue works across all wood mediums sure I will give you that, but a price tag associated with the K-horn series from Klipcsh, it better not have MDF anywhere. As far as MDF having better acoustical qualities than solid wood or quality Baltic birch, that is something people who know nothing about sound equipment might expect, but a veteran sound technician and speaker builder knows better.
Closed back? No need to be in the corner? Oh oh…. I do not believe it. This is not heritage.. This is a tinkle around the tree by smiling young elder haters… destroying the folded horn extension (wall), attempts at tinkling on the scared Paul Klipsch folded horn..
@@klipsch give the customers a choice. Purchase True open folded horn original.. or pick the supposed faux closed boom zoom closed box woofers like the cars of the hood. Publish Paul’s original signed design drawings, and journal notes/entries of this version come to life in AK6. That might cure doubts from non kool-aid drinkers… this is a design from Paul. More than a back room intern science project. Shows he really wanted this new design to Replace the original. Thanks for replying.
Not as good as Tannoy Westminster Royals But I thought of an idea you might like to try. Have a massive horn bigger than the piston driver say 12" and seat the driver inside the horn? a square or rectangle horn with a round driver flush or protruding an inch in front of the horn with its face of the horn. but make sure the driver is suspended buy rubber or chord not hard fixed to the horn. and possibly a tapir tear parabolic or more likely hyperboloid tapered shape cone, on the back of the piston driver on the back of the magnet made out of felt or rubber extending right back just in front of the Horn diaphragm or near to. Make slits on the horn fled, protruding past the driver motor as well ? so are protruded through the cabinet out the back? And the horn extends from back to front So you create a [Venturi this could actually be done just with the horn itself.(c).] and will produce a better sound more powerful as well. Like an open baffle. Some enclosure on the piston driver might be needed or just filtering gauze?. (c) all rights reserved only to be used for research purposes without my knowledge, any commercial production has to be approved by me first. My first introduction concept was in 2014 Patent pending on a horn loaded driver what is open at both ends, and for a piston driver to be inserted into the horn itself.
You can get 2 Khorns for the price of one Royal. Kind like saying the Khorn sounds better than my RF7s, well they should! As for the rest you stepped off on the deep end.
The corner was the ultimate flare for the LF horn. That's the whole point of that speaker. Acoustical impedance matching. Amazing efficiency. Definitely not fine furniture but will rock on 10W.
Dude, this is the WORST video for Kliisch, ever. You are telling us the only updates were purely cosmetic and style, there was no attention to sound. And yet now the K horns don’t have to be set up in a corner. What?????
When you're talking more about how the speaker looks, than about the elements used and the sound - you're full of shit and you know your product isn't worth the price so you're talking about what's not important.
Just save your money and buy Volti Horn Speaker, this dude puts Klipch to shame with his Khorn upgrades, and his own designs are harloom quality the Klipch cannot match.
Heard them at audio show in montreal. I found them pretty flat sounding. Not exciting sound kind of an old man sound if you ask me. The type of speaker you read a book too. The people in the room where also all old geezers. They seamed to really love them. Vocals where good but the most disappointing was the bass I didn't hear any deep bass at all.
You should get your ears checked dude, fast! “Flat sounding” is an adjective you could use with Magnepans or Martin-Logans, but NOT with these. Go get yourself 2 SVS PB-16 Ultra if you want to get 20 Hz bloated and artificial bass “pumping” around your ears (!). If you wanna hear “fast” bass that relate to key musical instruments, the K-Horns are basically it, and at a very competitive price. Btw, I was there too in Montreal (Gentec Distributor), and far from being an “old geezer”. The Klipsch Heritage Line basically made the Montreal show.
@@OMDF01 the bamboo system with open baffle had more bass! The guy controlling the klipsch horns was always promising us he would play something with bass telling us always to come back in 20mins we came back twice and everytime, he said he had to play music for the old geezers yeah cause we all know they don't produce any bass. All five of us just felt they didn't have any life.
