Suggestions for higher efficiency speakers

What have you listened to in the Klipsch line ups past and present?

" Thanks for the great replies. I’ve heard a few Klipsch models over the years, never interested me enough to even get the names. One was the big Cornwalls though. Impressive but wasn’t my cup of tea. Granted, I have not heard any of their newer celebrated models. I will be checking them out. "
Until the Cornwall IV came out I was right there with you. Big boomy box. I have to say these db numbers being tossed around are not good at all. I am a Klipsch guy and each time I venture out I am disappointed so my experience is different than others here. I normally never have speakers with less than 101db and some of the used pro gear I have tops 105db. Nothing works hard to produce great sound and you never have to push drivers hard for large volume when you want it. Excursion is way less than many and small wattage amps make for prodigious CLEAN sound levels as nothing gets pushed too hard.
I am not a fan of buying new anything as I figure it is like a car and the second you drive it off the lot there goes half your money. So I look for things like Chorus speakers, which are better than Cornwalls, have nice crisp bass with no boomy box problems. Fortes are not nearly as efficient pegging in at 96 or 97db depending on version I or II.
The secret to good sound with legacy Klipsch though is to recap the crossovers. I have had some sour sounding speakers but I knew what they could sound like and bought them anyway. A fresh set of caps and all the magic is back for the next 30 years. See one of the things about Klipsch is they last as long as you will unless damaged or abused except caps and those make a big difference. Chances are if you heard some you did not like the needing recap issue was there. I am not a fan of La Scalas and if I were looking in your price range I would get a set of Chorus I’s first choice and Chorus II second choice. Chorus I is front ported and does not care where you place it to work right. The II has a passive in the back so it does care where you place it.

One of the nice things about Klipsch test runs is if you don’t like it after having it for a while or run up on something better if you bought them right you will get all your money back out and there are ready buyers out there all the time.
A good Chorus I goes for around $1,000 today + $40 in caps and you are good to go. I listen to pipe organ, cello, rock, blues, bagpipes, and lots of other things and I am never let down by the true to life music I hear. 30 years from now parts will still be out there for Klipsch and not many other speakers can boast this Klipsch longevity which exists for a reason.
Altec VOTT A-7’s are also really nice if you can find them and WAF and space are not problems..

" Klipsch models mahlman recommends, are simply, too large, for a typical living space, both acoustically, and visually, ime and, imo. "
  OK I can understand for some space and esthetics will have as much say as sound quality or even more at times. The problem here is bang for the buck and staying under 2G. All of the following can be had used in good condition for under 2G.

The footprint of the Chorus is 39" T, 18.5"W and 15.5"D
The Heresy is 23.8"T, 15.5"W, 13.25"D
The Forte is 35.375"T, 16.5"W, 12.25"D
The Cornwall is 35.75"T, 25.375"W, 15.5"D
The La Scala is 35.5"T, 23.75"W, 24.5"T
  Of them all the LS is the space hog with the CW next in line. I have seen all of the above in small rooms as small as say 12' x 12' and they all work fine. So say the the people who have bought some from me and invited me over later to hear theis setup.

  There is another option if you are handy and that is to make a set of Super Heresy's and if you type in Super Heresy's at the Klipsch forum you will find all kinds of information on how to take a set of $400 type I Heresy's and make them into something very close to the Heresy IV. I have heard the Heresy IV and have a set of the Super Heresy's in my shop right now and they are very close in sound with both being quite remarkable for their size and much better than all the other Heresy's.
  The idea the Chorus speaker is too big and would "overpower" a room is just plain nonsense and no one I know that has these thinks this is the case. I have sold more of these to seriously ill men living by themselves in small apartments who really don't have gobs of space than any other type of Klipsch. They get them because superb music is one of the very few things they can enjoy in life without physical effort, they can afford them and they simply fit in any space.

   I get speakers and fix them up and sell them so I have actual experience with them and a variety of customers who have bought them and used them in all sizes of rooms. I don't mean just one or two it has sailed past perhaps 100 + sets now. Today in my shop there are two sets of  Heresy's, two sets of La Scalas, and of course some of my favorite Pro gear speakers which don't get mentioned here because they are pretty big. I am hands on and you can choose to believe it or not I don't care. I do how ever like to spare people the path of try this and try that before you find something you like because years and $$$ can surely be wasted before you are happy.
  I also have my personal preferences based on hearing many sets from beginning to end where I get them in and recap them and check drivers and for loose wires and the rest of the potential problems so I know what they normally sound like used. Then I also know what they sound like when fully restored or modified in various ways like in replacing the old tweeters with new ones. I know Klipsch Vintage and Heritage speakers far more than just having bought a set or having sold NIB sets.

  OP if you do not make the time to research these and go hear them and go to the Klipsch forum and ask what people who live and breathe Klipsch think of sizes of speakers VS room size and what they are capable of doing you are making a big mistake. You CAN find people over there who will invite you over for a listen in the real world and not a showroom and they will not be too far away. Don't take my word or any one else's here but take it as potential worthwhile advice and then go verify IN PERSON. Talk is cheap and the web is full of wannabe sound sages.

I have no serious don't buy complaints about vintage or Heritage and listen to every set I fix for a while before selling them off. But if pure sound quality is the main criteria the Pro stuff wins hands down. Most of the time the topic of what sounds the best is what is discussed and I have an opinion there many might disagree with. Theexception to this is the older Cornwalls which I think sound very boxy and after only two sets never bought any more.

The problem is those who have not actually heard better pro gear don’t know how good it is. It was funny to see expressions on peoples faces when I had sets of KPT-456’s for sale as they heard them for the first time. I had a really sweet Chorus I with upgraded crossovers and a MAHL tweeter in there. Normally they would have sold quick. I also had the KPT-456’s at the time ready to go and I play whatever I have on hand for Craigslist people that come over. They would hear the Chorus which they came there for and then ask "what is THAT?". So with a grin on my face I would tell them and then play them. The Chorus was $1,200 and the 456’s were $1500 and that set of Chorus speakers sold four sets of KPT-456’s before they left.

That set of 456’s was 18" deep, 27.75" wide and 55.75" tall. So little more than a Cornwall on footprint although much taller. Total cubic inch footprint less than a La Scala. 800 watts output on bass bin and 75 watts on the 2" horn top and unbelievable fidelity. It beats ALL the Heritage including the KHorn and this is why I talk so much about pro. At any volume these just sounded much bigger and better. My normal listening level by the way is about 80db. When I want to sit next to the 32’ organ pipes it gets louder. No veneer and scant WAF and I get all that I just don’t have to abide by that.

Heritage and Vintage Klipsch is the real deal compared to the rest of the market in value for dollar spent I believe. Once you step up to Klipsch Pro though it is a different ball game.
Considering the OP’s original inquiry here is something to think about. The KPT-456 is 104DB efficient and the newer version of the same which is the KPT-904 is 105db efficient.

Way beyond the OP’s amount to spend but have you heard the Cornwall IV yet?

A group of us met with Roy Delgado in October at the Klipsch factory for a teaching session on why PW Klipsch did what he did and why Roy does what he does regarding speaker design. One of the sessions had the new Heresy, a vast improvement, the new Forte, some improvement, the Cornwall 4, an unbelievable improvement and last the newest La Scala which was basically the same old same old but very pretty.
  The speaker that really ruled the roost though was that yummy Jubilee and we heard all of them in Roy's sound lab. Same room same everything with the speakers being played one after the other and pro gear ruled that day.


   Roy's comment on pro gear vs home owner gear as he stated himself on the klipsch forum goes like this.  11-24-18  "

Definitely not helping to make your point. It’s obvious that you did not understand what I wrote. In case you don’t know, Paul’s four points; high efficiency, low distortion, controlled directivity, and controlled freq response. That’s what I am for and as long as I can help it, that will be the case. Will a Cornwall sound good in a typical living room?  Yep. Will a ki396, 904 or even a grand system......you betcha. You gain headroom, headroom, headroom. Did I mention headroom?  There is no compromise on the acoustic goals but only with what physics and economics limits us. Like bass extension and price points. So before you categorically decide that pro speakers are lacking the attributes of a home system, go listen to one. And now I really hope you get it.......meanwhile back to bass fishing.

"

Oh I can agree with we have different preferences and you are an evangelist for your flavor as I am for mine. I mostly want people to listen to my suggestions before making choices they spend money on because a fully informed buyer who has listened to speakers in question is able to make a good choice. My main gripe is the pro stuff is dismissed by way to many who have never heard them and have a bias against them because they were told they were bad. Not because they listened and decided they were bad. IF you have heard them all and make a decision based upon that that's one thing I can respect.

  I meet very few who do make the time to listen though and I think it is a shame for so much uninformed reasoning to be so prevalent.

" If talking about professional speakers why don't mention Altecs 604 and 605 "
 I don't know about those but I have had VOTT 1234 and A-7's and the A-7's are very nice and not thirsty for watts. Big though.
 @phusis,  Interesting you mentioning that. On the Klipsch forum about six years ago pro was a dirty word and the veneer guys would gang up on us for the heresy of pro gear. Today after enough people became curious enough to actually try what we were talking about this is no longer true and the commercial speakers are sought after.

Had a chance to work on some Klipsch KPT-904's this past week. The next iteration of the KPT-456's mentioned above with a different horn but still the same bass bin. 105db efficient and with a footprint a bit larger than a Cornwall. They play anything effortlessly and precisely and you have the best seat in the house. These 2" throat horns with good drivers for mid and high ranges are just ten times what the smaller ones are.