Thinking about vintage Klipsch speakers...would love advice.

Hi All,

I'm currently running one of Vinyl Nirvana's TD-160 Supers (with 2m blue) through a fully recapped Marantz 2245. I love this front end, could not be more pleased. That said, I feel like my speakers are the weakest link. Currently, they are a pair of Heathkit AS 105's assembled by my Dad back in the 70's. It's a two way system with a 10" woofer and a 3.5" tweeter. I've replaced the crossover in them, but overall the sound just feels dull, like there is a cloud hanging over everything.

As the Marantz is only 45 watts, I've been looking at vintage Klipsch due to their sensitivity. KG4, Heresey, Cornwall, etc. I'm in the Philly area, and Craigslist listings have been a bit sad as of late. My question to everyone here is this: am I heading in the right direction? Is there something else I should be considering?

Thanks all for your advice!

Jeremy

 

How much do you want to spend? If looking for any of the Heritage line think pre-owned...then address the drivers (if needed) and the crossovers. Cornwalls are probably the ticket.....LaScalas take up lots of room......

 

Trying to keep it under a thousand...and definitely looking for preowned. I've looked into the Crites drivers/ crossovers if I can find a pair of speakers to through them into. Just wondering if I'm moving in the right direction.

 

I went through the KG3.2, KG4.2 and finally settled in with the Cornwall with the Heresy as my surrounds when I had a 5.1 setup. I also had a slew of bookshelf types I was using in second systems. Something about the KG4 never clicked with me. It just didn't have that signature Klipsch Heritage sound IMO. I also have had much experience with the Lascala and Klipschorn in others' systems and love them. I know that those Marantz receivers are much-loved but I don't recall ever hearing the combo. If you have the room, Cornwalls are the most practical. I'd also urge you to somehow give them a listen with an EL34-based tube amp. That's where the Heritage line shines.

 

Oh, I know the path i'm going down if i do get into Klipsch. Tubes will be where I end up. But for now, speakers first. That's good info about the KG series. I think Lascala's and Klipschorns will be too large for the space. I'm tending to Cornwalls (or Fortes maybe?). Just have to find that pair out there.

 

My acvice would be to setup an alert for Klipsch Cornwall for your surrounding area. You should be able to find a very nice pair for under $1000. I paid $1000 for a single owner pair that were delivered to the owners house and stood in the exact same spot for 35 years - absolutely mint. I absolutely love them. Tone, scale, dynamics and weight. They are lifers for me.

 

I've had a lot of different speakers over the years. With warm sounding vintage solid state or low watt tube gear I don't think you can go wrong with a pair of Klipsch Heritage speakers. My set before I went with Klipsch Heritage were a pair of Vandersteen 1c. I started with a pair of Heresy and after about 6 months became a little annoyed by that upper bass lower midrange bump. Went to a pair of Cornwall 1s and couldn't be happier. I had planned to go with a wood tractrix horn for the midrange and some ALK crossovers but they sound so good the way they are that I slowed my roll. I am going to recap the crossover with some Jupiter Flat Stacks then maybe get to the horn swap. They just sound great properly positioned.

The positioning is big with Klipsch. If you go Cornwalls the really need to be flat against the wall or in a corner depending on the room. The older Cornwall aren't bright speakers in the traditional sense. They actually roll off well before 20khz. The thing people complain about is really more a problem with the midrange horns. They have a big excess of floor energy, the directivity out of the midrange horn is somewhat poor. If you run them in a room with a hard floor you will run away. I used a good pad and thick area rug and found that to eleviate most of the problems. If you go with the enexpensive Crites tweeter be careful. They're output is about 5db lower than the K77 Klipsch tweeter and I found that to be two laid back.

Anyways they are definitely worth the time to figure out. Great speakers. I'm sure any minute someone will be along to trash them and tell you to buy new speakers because technology is souch better now but give them a chance. I've never heard of anyone losing any money on a pair of Cornwalls.

 

I recently bought a new pair of Heresy 3's and they are paired with a 50 watt Jolida tube amp. This system draws me in every time I play something on it. But I'm in a dilemma because, though I find the Heresy's truly fascinating in their sound signature, I also have a pair of Altec 19's on another system and the large design is simply mind blowing. It's concert level sound.

The Heresy's are in the living room and the Altec's are in the kitchen and I usually play both systems at the same time. The two systems are connected via RCA cables. When I use the TT in the living room, I can really crank the Altec's up when I'm spinning vinyl. I have a 15" sub on this too.

So, I simply walk from room to room and it's amazing how different these two systems sound from one another. The Heresy's are pristine and clear and the Altec's are all balls to the walls.

I would love to hear a pair of Cornwalls.

What I'm getting at is, if you're looking for huge sound, get large cabinets. Even with the Heresy's having 12 woofers, they still can't come close to the dynamic sound of larger boxes and drivers. And, these are horn systems too. I'm so spoiled.

 

I have found Klipsch heritage line speakers really marry well to tube amps. SS can reveal their harsh nature from time to time. I was running a pair of Forte II's, crites upgraded, with a Fisher 400. It was very very good, albeit still shrill from time to time, bad mastering rears it's ugly head too often with them, IMHO. I have since moved on to EPI M180 speakers. Their tweeters are just brilliant....not harsh, but simply excellent. I get all the sizzle I need, yet they handle poor recordings better....they can be had on the cheap as well. For my $$, you can do better as it relates to Klipsch and SS amplification. You may really dig it, but if you are not a fan or bright, move along to something else.

 

I think you are on a wonderful path and think that of the various heritage offerings I gravitate to the Cornwalls. However, there are other paths. I took the Tekton path. I find the Tektons very easy to locate. Their footprints are small. They would love your front end.

 

Thank you all for your comments/ advice. I do need to take the room into account. I'm in a row home, so the first floor is open design, hardwood floors, but we do have rugs down in places. I do have room to put Cornwalls against the long wall, so that is not an issue. More of a concern would be things being too harsh. I've got a CL alert for Cornwalls, Heresys and Fortes. Just not much out there right now, I guess.

 

Any specific model you would look out for?

 

Just so that you have another perspective, I despise Klipsch speakers. They're typically harsh, in-your-face, and way too bright. If you like that kind of sound, Klispch will certainly wake up your system. The only Klipsch product I have any appreciation for is the Khorn, which can sound pretty decent under the right circumstances.

 

In the under $1000 range I'd look at the various Lore models. They get wonderful reviews, but I acknowledge there are some out there who are not as enamored. It would admittedly be a hassle to send them back but they do have a return option. I got Pendragons and absolutely love them. Last night I was listening to Kind of Blue on the couch with my eyes closed and it was truly as if Miles, John, et al. were in my room. Call Eric and ask him what he thinks. Nice guy.

 

The Cornwall has the same midrange & high frequency drivers as the KHorn. Harsh, in your face? No, frankly, they are a bit laid back in my room.

 

Laid back? You must have them face down on the carpet, I'm assuming? Or behind the curtains? Regardless of whether or not they have the same mid and tweeter, they have completely different crossovers and cabinets, which makes them completely different speakers. As you probably know, there are many speaker systems throughout the course of history that share drivers in common. Think of all the many British speakers that use KEF drivers, for example, but different cabinetry and different crossovers. Even so, the Khorn is harsh and in your face also when you start to turn the volume up. It falls apart and starts screaming, just like all other Klipsh speakers. There is only one iteration of the Khorn crossover that I like. I have it written down somewhere in my notes because I have a pending job to rebuild a pair soon, but can't recall off the top of my head. I know that it's a less common version. The only reason I pay attention is because a client of mine has Khorns and I've been building a system around them. They're a difficult beast to tame, but can sound very good when everything is optimized. They're fast, dynamic, clean, sensitive, and throw a massive sound. I like a big sound, so that part is cool.

 

I have a pair of Tekton Lores.......they have replaced the LaScalas in the listening room.....my highest recommendation if you want to leave the Klipsch line-up.

Oh, power is from a Pass First Watt J2 at this moment...25 mighty watts per channel.....yummy!

 

I don't share your statement, unless we are talking about the Heresy driven by the wrong amp and placed in the wrong spot.

I strongly endorse Cornwalls for the OP, a very musical set, a lifetime keeper, well suited to a vintage Marantz receiver.

 

Doing a google search using the terms "klipsch speakers harsh" produces over 45,000 results, page after page of people discussing how aggressive and excruciating the sound of Klipsch speakers are. Apparently I am not alone in my opinion of them.

Everyone has different tastes and varying levels of hearing sensitivity. I can only conclude that Klipsch are speakers for people who either do not hear very well or hear just fine, but are much less sensitive to brutality than I am. For example, I would be very irritated by sitting in the stands at a motorcycle race or monster truck pull. I don't like the sound of guns at a shooting range. Bungee jumping or skydiving do not appeal to me. I'm not interested in training pit bulls. I think MMA tournaments are repulsive. I don't drink beer and get drunk every night, though I know from past experience that alcohol does make Klipsch horn speakers sound better. Klipsch speakers to me are extreme systems that seem to coincide with a particular lifestyle. The exception would be taking the Khorn, modifying it extensively, and listening at low to moderate levels with extremely refined, low-wattage tube amps and mellow, high-resolution recordings. That's a nice experience. Otherwise, totally not for me. The OP will have to decide if he wants the Klipsch experience or if he prefers a more civilized approach.

 

The woman I bought my Cornwalls from is a professor at Columbia and a concert violinist. I was really surprised when she said to me "we need to move this along, I have a dog fight to get to".

 

I have owned Klipsch speakers and can see why people would like them.They are not about high fidelity though and tend to impose a lot of their own sound on whatever you play. For example voices have too much vibrato and violins sound terrible-that is the horns resonating and adding stuff that should not be there.
The La Scalas are truly dreadful with too much midrange coming out of the horns and 180 degrees out of phase with what is coming out of the midrange horn.

 

The Horn loaded design isn't for everyone, it can sound a bit bright. With vintage gear or tubes it sounds much better but it is always there when compared to other designs. I am looking for a pair of used cornwalls at the moment so I'm not a hater but I do know what I'm getting. Miles Davis from a Heritage can sound a bit too hot.

 

Why go tubes when you can go tubelike?

 

It is a mythconception that tube gear and/or vintage gear is categorically warm and smooth or that these components will tame bright speakers. In fact, most vintage gear is pretty nasty sounding.

 

Try the Klipsch forums.

The Klipsch Audio Community »

jerol