Kilpsch KG4s or JBL L40s?

Go for the KG4s.

The KG4's work very well with ( tubes ) and Vintage Marantz,.The Early ( 80's ) KG4's actually sound better than the newer ones.. If my memory serves me they went from a metal to plastic horns........I do remember though that I prefered the older KG4's.......If you could find an Original JBL 100 pair,that might be different.......Have fun.......

I have an appointment to hear the KG4s later today. I have read that people run KG4's with SS Marantz and Tube equipment together? My Marantz is late 70's but in great shape. I have read lots of great reviews of the KG4s and many of them warn against SS amps and recommend tube. I do not have a Tube amp yet but will end up with one eventually considering all my travels and Thrift Store shopping. Is the Marantz 2252b a fair match with the KG4s? I am assuming when you say JBL 100 pair , you are talking about a separate set of speakers entirely? I have also heard placement is key with KG4s. Although some people claim Bass is tighter when closer to the wall and others say to place them at least 2 feet away from the wall? Thoughts on placement? If I place them 2 feet away from the wall they will be a bit in my face so to speak as far as my listening room goes. A foot would be easy to do. I am interested to see if the Klipsch & Marantz marriage will create somethiong special.

The Vintage Marantz ( 70's ) are all warm ( like tubes ) and mate very well..My guess is the you Marantz is just as warm ( or more warm ) then many new tube amps of today..The Marantz 2252 will be fine for the KG'4's
I mentioned that the JBL 100's ( originals ) would also work well with the Marantz ( just as well as the KG4's ),because I owned both speakers and enjoyed them both very much...Stick with the KG4's and you 2252 Marantz..Live with it for awhile and learn....Take one step at a time........Feel free to e-mail if you wish....

I'm looking forward to potentially buying these and checking them out tonight. The owner thinks the speakers are from 84. I'll update later. Thanks for the info. This is a slippery slope but every inch you drop sounds better...

I picked up the Klipsch speakers. I didn't get a "deal" but so far I am pleased. I'll have to play with placement but I would describe them as sounding rather "Lush" with nice separation. Bass is good so far. I expected less tightness (not to say they are super tight but better than I expected). Vocals seem to be the best improvement so far but I've only had time to play a few things. The horns are not at all "harsh" or "bright" to my ears. Vinyl is sounding good. I'll have to some CD tests later. I like the way the look too. Simple and kinda smart looking. Look forward to many more hours of listening. After spending 25 years digging up records, it's about time I really get to actually sit back and enjoy them!

While I can't say I am done with placement my only complaint would be that the bass is a bit tricky to nail down. My ears would like it to be perhaps a bit more "clear" but I realize that my ears are not settled with these yet and my listening room is not too large, so I'll have to keep playing around with placement a bit.

I can say I just had my face nearly melted off listening to RAM... I heard some details I have never heard before. What a great LP.

I have some Kg4's....I like mine a lot. I also have some Klipsch Forte, and I like them even better.

In truth, like many long term audiophiles, I have to many speakers...so sadly, I don't listen to some of them as much as I should.

I haven't listened to my kg4's in a while...I think I'll do that now.........thanks for the reminder.

Dave

My system consisted of a 2252B and KG4's for a while. I enjoyed them until I stumbled across something better. I imagine you will likely travel a similar path.

Enjoy!!

KG4's and Marantz 2252B is a great match. I had the KG4's until I upgraded to the Forte's. As mentioned, warm tube-like sound with either speaker.

Bill

I bought a pair of KG4s for one of my daughters. They sounded very good mated to an old Luxman receiver. They sounded better after I switched her to a Golden Tube Audio SE-40. The sound improved even more significantly after I rebuilt the crossovers.

Look here: Klipsch Speakers - Crossover repair Kit Prices

Highly recommended.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that speaker placement is critical for good bass response with the KG4s (as with all Klipsch Heritage speakers). Start about 6'-7' apart and about 1' out from the back wall. They can be tiltled back a little if you are listening near field. In my experience, no rack or gear between these speakers makes a big difference.

So far I must say I am falling in love with them. It would be difficult to remove gear from between them but maybe with some reshuffling it could be done. Either way as of now I am a happy camper enjoying these speakers. If something better finds its way into my world then it will have to a lucky and cheap score but it could happen...