Are the Klipschorns mainly for Classical music ??

I find that classic rock leaves alot to be desired because the recordings seem to be less than what I expected

What amp/source are you running? And have you modified the speakers? It's a must, or they sound only so-so, IMO.

Notwithstanding Porziob's standard drop-a-turd-in-the-punchbowl response, you certainly could find an amplifier more suitable to the revealing sound of the Klipschorns. As far as SS is concerned, McIntosh is an excellent option. If you search the Klipsch forums, you'll find other suggestions. The K-horns also sound terrific with many tube amps. What source are you using? With a speaker as tell-all as the Klipschorn, a good CDP is a must for when the music gets busy. Otherwise, the digititis is enough to send you running.

Updating the crossovers will help dramatically. The Crites are a replica of the original (search bcrites on the Klipsch forum), and we used them for a year or more. We then purchased the heritage crossovers from dgwescott here on Audiogon, and this was the biggest upgrade we have yet made in our system. Other mods I would recommend are re-wiring with silver, and dampening the horns. The former will clean up the highs, and give you better definition, and the latter will eliminate the shout effect of the horns.

Also, good speaker cables make a big, big difference. A thin gauge will get you a thin sound with these speakers, and although some owners will suggest the Home Depot-esque cables, I found them to smear the sound quite dramatically. Bottom line is with the Klipschorns, the music will sound only as good as the upstream equipment & cables. And with the wrong ancillary gear, these speakers will sound poor with many types of music.

Best of luck.

You can dampen the horns with Dynamat, rope caulk, or the like. McMaster-Carr also sells a product that adheres well, and I believe a search on www.audioasylum.com in the hi-eff speakers section will get you the part number. Be advised that although the part is only $14 or so, the shipping is actually more, because it comes in a long box, and the sheet is fairly heavy.

If you have a budget on a CD player, I'd recommend posting a separate thread or searching the archives. Personally, I've yet to hear a player under ~$1500 that effectively maintains the separation and tonal texture of the more layered/complex music, and in particular, multi-track electric guitar.

Boa2, after all those modifications to get a Klipschhorn to sound good, doesn't that say something about Klipschorn?

Indeed. It says that for less than the price of a pair of NOS 6922 tubes, you can take a 28-yr-old speaker from good to phenomenal.

Doesn't sound like you have a Klipshorn anymore.

Yes, we do still have them.

Kind of like an APL Denon 3910 don't you think?There's very little remotely left of the original 3910 sound.

You have a modded 3910 yourself. Did you pay extra for it to sound like the original? I sure hope not.

I'm sure you love your speakers, but spending (I don't know what they cost new) all that money for mediocre speakers, just to add a bunch of mods to make it sound good?

I've spent all of $2200 on the speakers, mods included. And I can count on one finger the only speaker I would consider replacing these with...and it was $58K. For that to even begin to make sense would require you to have actually heard them in a proper set up.

Are they worth $7k new, and you would still have to add the mods?

I think you're referring to the brand new K-horn. I happen to prefer the heritage model. Ours were built in 1978, and we purchased them from the original owner.

Only one $58k speaker that would replace your big Ks?

I'm amazed as much as anyone is, yes. And I go out and listen to 3-4 systems per month, and for the past several years, in fact. In people's homes, dealerships, audio shows, etc. Not with the intention of coming home a winner, but rather with the intention of finding our next speaker. Yet, nothing hits me in the gut like music through the K-horn. There is a sense of expansiveness to the music, and an absence of restriction in the midrange that I find lacking in many other speakers, no matter what else I like about them. The K-horns reproduce music at a life-like stature, so that all of the instruments have a presence that is commensurate with what you know them to be. But again, they are not simply plug 'n play. A few minor tweaks, however, and they are outstanding. Pair them with a good SET amp, and you'll hear the violin playing in the room with you.

Allsmiles, a good tube preamp will elevate your system to a whole new level. Definitely worth trying them. And again, if you would state a budget for a CDP, I'm sure people could help you with your choice.

wwwrecords, the only Altec I've heard for much of an audition was the 1234, AKA the "portable" VOTT. With a pair of 3.5W SET amps in a large loft in San Francisco, they were spine chilling.

Thanks, Albertporter. Glad I could tickle you on an otherwise sedentary Sunday spent glued to the World Cup final.

Allsmiles, you'll want to search the archives or start a separate thread. First, however, you will want to peg a budget for your CDP purchase, as well as determine which formats it must be capable of playing.

Allsmiles,
I don't know if you've checked at Al Klappenberger's site, but if you click on the left hand side, he has upgrade kits for the Klipschorn. Click on "Klipsch", and then "Squawker Horn Upgrades". Dean says that this upgrade kit is the ticket to greater refinement and smoothness in the mids/highs. At $800, it seems a bargain, and it will definitely be our next move with the K-horns.

Boa2, I'm confused. You obviously love your speakers, yet you spend a good deal of time searching for your next speaker. Please explain.

Sorry for the confusion, Ohhwy61. First, I like hearing different systems. Second, I do in fact love our speakers. Third, my hope is to be living in a larger space before too long, with enough room for two systems. We'll keep the K-horns with a pair of SET amps for active listening, and a SS amp/tube preamp set up for a hard-drive system that we can leave on all the time, and listen to all day. With such a system in mind, I've been out listening to many different speakers...not to replace the K-horns, but to broaden the spectrum, as it were.

Hope that clarifies things.

Fitting old systems into new spaces can be a humbling experience.

I'm sure you're absolutely right. I'm hoping that as much as we like the sound of our system in our current poorly designed, cheaply constructed, smallish, second-floor listening room, that we'll experience a foot up in the acoustical department with an amelioration of these shortcomings. We'll see what happens when the time comes.

If some cds sound great and others sounds pathetic, I am sure it has to be the cd that IS the problem...that is just common sense.

Allsmiles, I was under the same impression until we upgraded the CDP, cables, and found an amp/preamp combo that mated so well with the Klipschorn that literally every CD in our 1500+ CD collection sounds rich, musical, and full. Sure, you can hear that some are not as well produced as others, but none sound less than good. And we play everything from jazz vocalists to heavy metal.

Number one, if you like the Carver, then by all means stick with it. On the other hand, I don't believe that lousy sounding CDs can automatically be attributed to a truth-telling system. In other words, how can you determine that the shortcomings you are hearing are due to the recording, and not to the inability of the amplifier or CDP to flesh out certain recordings? I'm of the opinion that if you feed a full-range speaker what it likes, the system can suitably cover all of the musical genres. Naturally, some recordings are better supported by a 400W amp than a 4W amp, but it all comes down to personal choice. That said, the combination of SS, a modest CDP, and an undampened K-horn will only exacerbate the worst of the 1980s recordings...and don't forget that Bon Jovi and Def Leppard will chew right through any audiophile system. :-)

Macrojack,
Your post is off topic, hypocritical, and like Warren's, clearly intended only as bait. Perhaps we cultists (read: former musicians) can move on with the topic at hand without any further interference from the ZU peanut gallery, huh?

Boa2, that was unfair.

If so, I apologize.

There is no mod in this world that could get me to purchase or enjoy your Klipschorn.

Personally, I'd have to hear a speaker first before drawing such a conclusion.

I cannot figure out your Klipschorn obsession for a minute.

Perhaps because it isn't an obsession.

Again, I apologize for causing a stir with my comment about the Zu peanut gallery. As Warrenh said, it was unfair, and indeed it was.

The principal issue here is the condamnation of a product that one has never heard. There is simply no reason for it, and such claims are categorically refuted upon the same grounds by many on this site, including those who have posted here. Most of us would not stand for an apples and oranges comparison of a product if the one referred to is a single iteration old, let alone one you've never heard at all. Upon what basis do you dismiss an unknown, especially when you yourself would defend against such conjecture? The bottom line is a Cornwall is not a Klipschorn, and a stock Klipschorn sounds nothing like a modded one. If you have no experience with the product or process being discussed, then your commentary is inapplicable at best, antagonistic at worst.

Again, sorry Warrenh. You're right, my comment was unfair, and I should have made my point in a more diplomatic manner.

Finally, thanks for the thread, Allsmiles. Please let us know how your experimentation settles.

If you have the original crossovers in those 78 K-horns, the caps are surely as dry as the Atacama Desert, making the speakers sound thin and edgy. Doing the mods (re-wiring with silver, updating the crossovers, installing the horn/tweeter kit from ALK OR dampening the original horns) are all transformational upgrades for the K-horn.

Enjoy!

I vote to overlook your wiring faux pas, as long as you don't tell anyone that I once installed a 300B tube incorrectly. Boom boom, out goes the amp!

Like I said before I have no desire to own a 50,000-100,000 dollar system.

You can spend less than $10K and have mind-blowing sound. Given that you like hard rock, I'd suggest a McIntosh SS amp, which mates well with Klipsch. Add a good tube preamp, some decent cabling, and a good source, and you're done. Like many others, I'm a huge fan of SET amps, but they do not push metal and hard rock like SS does.

Darkmoebius, there is a familiar house sound between the K-horns, La Scala's and Belle's. However, there is a significant difference in the low-end response. I found the La Scala's to benefit tremendously with the addition of a subwoofer. They are rated down to 53Hz, and obviously, there is a lot to be heard (and felt) below that point. In addition, the K-horns expand the intimacy of the La Scala (and Belle) to concert size. They play much larger, and the instruments stage at a size that is more true to life.

Hope that helps.

Get well quickly, Allsmiles. And no moving speakers around during recovery! :-)