OT Klipsch

[gearfreak]

AFAIK, ALL of the MF and HF components in the heritage series were simply rebadged, off the shelf components from other manufacturers.

I tend to agree afaik, though perhaps specifically not the K400 (MR horn, if I have the model # correct).

[Altec Best]

FWIW Klipsch mainly design's cabinets.Most if not all the speakers in their cabs are manufactured by other companies like Electro-Voice,Eminence,etc.... In their heritage line anyway.

Thanks Bowtie ! That's basically what I have found too WRT the heritage line.My Cornwall II's do now sound decent after the mods.Especially after changing the diaphragms in the tweeter.Funny thing is I thought the original XO's sounded better,maybe I was just used to them, dunno.But I found the Khorns,LaScala's quite fatiguing as well.The Cornwalls I can listen to.They are more efficient than my 19's,with the same amount of power going to both they play louder so I have to adjust the balance to equalize them. I would take my 19's anyday of the week over them.They don't have the clarity of the 19's either.

Altec Lansing !! Period !!

[Nipper]

Just my 02 here. But, if i were stranded on an island and had to pick one pair of speakers to spend the rest of my life with, 901's would be many many entries above anything from the Klipsch heritage line.

For my ears and musical tastes the heritage Klipsch and their patent "cupped hands" vocal reproduction is almost instantaneously fatiguing. Then there's that "thing" they call a tweeter..................

Cornwalls are the only model that deliver anything resembling natural bass, and that i could listen to for any length of time. I expect that with some updating/mods they can be quite satisfying, until we add the sum of the parts to a low tech butt jointed plywood cab, and compare that sum to the MSRP that has historically been many times what it "should" be.

I dont think Bowtie likes Klipsch.

[bowtie427ss]

I dont think Bowtie likes Klipsch.

They're probably not on my top ten list. But, i don't want to give a blanket impression of being a "hater" either. You will in fact find a pair of those bronze badges here if you look long enough, a pair of KG-4's that serve as HT mains. they fit the application well in terms of sound, footprint size, and cosmetics. I have written multiple posts praising the merits of the KG4, and have no problem giving credit where it's due.

If space and money were no object, i might very well also own a pair of Belles just for their beautiful and iconic cosmetic appearance, they appeal to me that much in that respect.

[Altec Best]

If space and money were no object, i might very well also own a pair of Belles just for their beautiful and iconic cosmetic appearance, they appeal to me that much in that respect.

I had a chance to hear a pair of Belles, a friend of mine had 2 pair of LaScalas and a pair of Belles and IMO they sounded a lot like the LaScalas I thought just prettier.

[gearfreak]

I liked the idea of their (more or less) modern production giant pro folded horn wedges. They made some huge stuff .
I forget the model #'s. Never got that far, never heard any, never found any within reasonable distance. User Coyote (sp?) had/has some iirc.

[Ronald Lee]

No offense intended toward anyone, especially our members here.

I'm always at a loss to explain the extreme polarity among those who like and claim to dislike 901's or any other Bose effort. My WAG is that many who claim to dislike them, or outright bash them have never actually listened to them, or had an opportunity to hear them properly set up.

I'm not a big fan of the 901, but it does have it's merits. I've listened to various series 901's on multiple occasions in different systems. But, i've never owned my own. I think i could live with them if i had to. There are a LOT of speakers out there that i cannot say that about.

I believe this is strictly in reference to "bass horns"(anything you could build from plywood). The Klipschorn was successful enough in it's own right that at least a couple companies bought license to it, EV and Speakerlab immediately come to mind.

AFAIK, ALL of the MF and HF components in the heritage series were simply rebadged, off the shelf components from other manufacturers.

Years ago, I had a chance to meet Paul Klispsh when the AES had their convention at the Los Angeles Hilton(it is long gone), he was pretty old back then, and I met his wife Belle. For which these speakers were named after. The finish on the Belle Klipsh was really amazing, mirror smooth. I put my hand on one to feel the finish, and a few seconds later a Klipsch employee came and wipe it.

ETA: I also got one of his yellow "bullshit" buttons.

[SOOTSHE]

I had a chance to hear a pair of Belles, a friend of mine had 2 pair of LaScalas and a pair of Belles and IMO they sounded a lot like the LaScalas I thought just prettier.

The Belles use the same components as the LS except for the mid horn, (that's why it sounds the same) but the cabinet dimensions were changed slightly & it was a completely finished timber work with matching grilles to make it more presentable for home use. At the time the LS was primarily used for voice reproduction in a PA application, but became popular for home use in either raw finish or a number of different stains.

You can now buy the LS in the same completely finished form, as the Belle is no longer available.

If you care to change most of the components, you can turn this design into one of the best sounding speakers available. I wouldn't call it a Klipsch speaker then, but the end result is more than worthwhile.

[SJ David]

Wow! Tell us how you really feel, Bowtie! BTW, does anyone know if these Klipsch heritage speakers have the "bent/curved" horn like the Altec Model 15 horn? Is that what he supposedly invented?
"Paul Wilbur Klipsch (March 9, 1904 – May 5, 2002) was an American engineer and high fidelity audio pioneer, known for developing the high-efficiency folded horn loudspeaker...."

The curved horn of the Model 15 harkens back to the Western Electric theater system and the early phonograph systems. It is a means to fit a horn into a smaller package which is what Klipsch was doing with his folded bass horn design but on a much smaller scale. Bends in a horn have a detrimental effect on the wave transmission. Straight bass horns are not domestically compatible so a compromise is accepted to fit a large horn in a smaller space a la the Klipschhorn. I recall reading somewhere, possibly from Bruce Edgar, is that any such compromise should be to limit the number of bends and limit each bend to not more than 90 degrees. Further, if you have many sharp bends bifurcating the path- splitting larger cross sections into small cross sections- mitigates the effect of the bends on the wave front. The bass horn section of the Klipschorn is split into two paths. So if all this holds up in practice the single 90 degree bend of the Altec 32 horn should have limited effect on the wave front.

I don't recall Klipsch using a curved horn for the mid or high applications, at least for what we now know as the Heritage line. JBL, University and others used a small package curved horn for high frequency applications.