mistersteve's Full Review: KLIPSCHORN Main / Stereo Speaker
First, a confession - I don't own the K-horns, but have heard them many times over the last 30 years. Since there are currently no reviews on epinions, I'll try to give you something of an introduction.
The Klipsch cornerhorns are the oldest loudspeaker design still in production - they date back to 1947. There have been numerous updates over the years, of course, but still, owning Klipschorns is like talking to a very old, very wise person. There are some things they absolutely NAIL, and other things on which they are completely out to lunch.
PRO: The K-horns are incredibly efficient. That means they are like a very light car (a 427 Cobra, say) with a big engine. Even a 2-3 watt amplifier produces lifelike volumes. Further, their absolute limits are very high - on the order of 120-125db. If you like sitting in the front row at Avery Fisher hall - or Giant's Stadium - while tidal waves of sound wash over you, these are for you. The only speakers which can match them for dynamics (both micro and macro) are other throwback horn systems, like the recently reissued Altec A7, various TAD models, the JBL K2 series, or big Tannoys like the Westminsters or Churchills. Compared to any of those, the K-horns are very reasonably priced. Also the K-horns, though huge by modern standards, are designed to by shoved flush into corners, which makes them more domestically acceptable than designs which require "rule of thirds" placements.
The K-horn's presentation is consistent from top to bottom. This is the result of several factors. Firstly, the midrange covers an unusually wide band. Secondly, the use of horn loading on all three drivers provides good control of off-axis dispersion.
CONS: Imaging, transparency.
Stereo imaging. I have not heard the absolutely newest revision of the K-horn. But historically, the K-horn has not done the stereo soundstage thing at all well. In fact, Paul Klipsch believed stereo required 3 speakers - L, R, C - to image correctly, and introduced the Heresy as a middle, "center fill" speaker.
Transparency. For me, this is the biggest issue with the K-horn. Compared to my reference - Quad ESL 57s, augmented with ribbon supertweeters and a pair of REL subwoofers - which produce airy, liquid, aethereal sounds that materialize out of thin air, the K-horns are mechanical, earthbound, and their sound "sticks" to the front of the speaker.
I note three things that mitigate against these "cons." First, there are at least a gazillion tweaks for the K-horn out there, some of which undoubtedly work. Second, the K-horns are so efficient that amplifier power is irrelevant. Choose the amplifier that sounds the most musical (I'm thinking a single-ended triode amplifier with '45' output tubes) and you can largely remedy the "mechanical" sound you get from a K-horn driven by a modern transistor amp. Three, as I noted above, I've never owned K-horns, only listened to them extensively. This means my ears have never really "broken in." I suspect that if K-horns were my domestic speaker, I'd get used to - and factor out - their flaws.
SUM UP: There are plenty of megabuck minimonitors out there that are accurate, yet dead-sounding. If you like your music life size, the K-horns are your most cost-effective and size-effective options. But DO audition them before you buy.
The Legendary Klipschorn is Klipsch's first ever product Legendary 15-inch folded Horn Compression Loaded Drivers 105dB at 2.83v/meter Made in the USA...More at Amazon
The Legendary Klipschorn is Klipsch's first ever product Legendary 15-inch folded Horn Compression Loaded Drivers 105dB at 2.83v/meter Made in the USA...More at Amazon Marketplace
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