Klipschorns...and naim odd combo? any thoughts

Horns are normally regarded as being symbiotic with valve amps.

They do absolutely nothing for me, and lack most of the virtues of what a Naim system does well.

That said; they have a sound and character loved by many.

Up to you.

JN took a shot I will give you mine, your right they usually go well with tubes. I have had my Khorns(signed by Mr. Paul Klipsch himself) for around 10 years..many components have come and gone...these aint going nowhere..why? for me its not that they are the "best speaker" they probably aren't BUT what they do no other speaker does...not even close...to me they reach out to the listener and grab him...in a good way...you know somethings going on...actually i tried my newish read not run in naim gear on them...sounded quite good cant say that about other sstate stuff...my tubes really make them fly which is what they were designed around...I am so sick of hiend speakers..that are impossible to drive and or dip down to 1 ohm and create havoc with the amp or worse blow it up,or also need 500 watts just to get going, to me the majic of his design is partly the high efficiency. It lets me try small but high quality amps and get a great sound..Mr. Klipsch once said what the world needs is a great sounding 5 watt amp.. I have heard megabuck systems where the speaker is so hard to drive and inefficient it sounds strained like the music never gets going(but the singer is right in the middle of the speakers wow...big deal)
I put on my Khorns...that never happens, true they have a signature and if that bothers you they wont work...personally I like it....you want it big, full and real..they deliver, thinking of getting a nait to go with them...may have too much power though Ha...you know I have brought home some speakers lately and thought where is the news? you put on Khorns you got news and then some...just venting a little here...personally the genius of Mr. Klipsch sometimes goes overlooked (although the engineering and science hall of fame didn/t overlook him..I hear he is there with other notables like T. Edison and Jonas Salk) in the audio world. Stereophile did a 100 greatest audio components of all time a few years ago and the Khorn wasn't even in there...an absolute insult...love them or hate them without ANY QUESTION I would put them at number 1...how many other audio components have been around for around 50 yrs...like NONE! so thats my soapbox, love to hear any thoughts....just so you dont think I think its Khorns and nothing else...not at all, love my linn Ninkas and tukans, have enjoyed many B&Ws, the Snell type A was and is a great speaker (had those miss them alot) rogers ls35a great speaker DQ 10s also...so just my thoughts,thanks for reading, Ben r

My advice is to go try different speakers and see which one does it for you. I have heard good solid state amps driving old JBL monitors 43XX series which uses horn and compression drivers for their mid and high. Sounds great, changed my perception of ported speakers permanently. Its not boomy even with a 15" woofer and lots of slam. An the way it did vocals is slightly better than my 6 pack DBLs. And I agree with Ben that horn speakers are usually very efficient and less demanding on the electronics!

Have not really heard Klipsch and Altec though.

david

J.N - I have to disagree there - to my own surprise! I run a pair of Impulse H5s off a Nait2, and the combo absolutely rocks.

Choosing to go this route was one of those 'got to try that' things; but I think I'll be staying here for a long while yet. Dynamics, control and timing - those Flat Earth cornerstones - are there in spades, and the continual ability to surprise on just a handful of watts even at low levels makes other systems sound rather...dull.

M.

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how many other audio components have been around for around 50 yrs...like NONE!

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I think P.J. Walker would have disagreed with you

I have heard a pair of tube-amped (McIntosh) Klipschorns a few years ago. Their power and sheer energy was impressive, but on the whole it wasn't music, it was an aggression to the ear.

Perfect for headbanging to the Young Brothers but one track was enough.

Oh and there are two types of Klipschorns: the actual 'legendary' one and the new type. The engineers tried to soften the sound in comprison to the old one, but again, people criticised the new model for being too 'soft'.

Difficult to make it good for everyone !

Cheese

J.N.,

Is speaking from experience!!

He comes over to my place to liaten to my CARY valve pre and CARY 2A3 pse valve amp 7wpc into my large corner horns. These are based o the Khorns but use Fostex drive units.

Now i visit J.N.'s place to listen to his NAIM system.

Lets just say that we agree to differ on our preferences for sound presentation.

I am right and he is wrong!!!

John would say that he is right and i am wrong.

This is what makes this hobby fun.

Different systems with different sounds.

The more the merrier in my book.

I love panels as well and have a large pair of panels too.

I also build my own speakers and am hoping that John will come over soon to hear the latest ones .

A photo of them is on this forum under new speaker project.

a photo of my horns is attached.

regards David

Hello I have never heard them with a Mac tube amp, Iuse a radii set with a whopping 3 count em 3 watts/ch sound great, also have a VTL 2.5/st85 also sound great with good solid bass and I have a completely restored Dynaco st 70 also work very well, if their sound has softened, that probably is a boon. When I first got them I said to myself if I dont like them after awhile I can always sell them....10 yrs later they are still here....like I said my definition of a system that is musical is one that makes you want to listen and not fiddle, they do that for me,make me want to listen...I am just saying these things because I have heard some speakers lately and they are starting to sound well not too different, maybe the audio world needs a new speaker that really takes it up a few notches, like the Snell type A did and the Dahlquist DQ 10s and of course the Khorns did....I mean the Quads are in the same vein...they certainly do things differently and many people love them...Ben r

Funnily enough the picture I have of my horns has a guitar in shot as well...ah well, fools seldom differ.

I like those klipschcornerhorns with nad, accuphhase or better with audioresearch or other valve amps.But the problem was for me
always the tonal colouration of natural instruments like violins,or voices.things became better with a modified stöcker crossover.concerning loudspeakers klipsch seems to be prat king,but imo it is soundwise
easier to go the way with an ohm stable powerful ,fast amplifier(maybe a naim and a more natural sounding sealed dynamic loudspeaker.(specially if you want to listen to all different kinds of music)
O.J.

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I think P.J. Walker would have disagreed with you

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Yes indeed Martin. That nicely brings in a sort of parallel with electrostatics.

I love my ESL 57's on the end my Naim system, but after a while I hanker after my SBL's.

Which is the more accurate, natural speaker?

And which one do I really miss?

Weird, ain't it?

I thought this thread might rouse you Mr C. Nice picture of the horns.

I must get over and hear your new creations.

OJ I like your ideas on a sealed speaker, the world has gone too much the other way, ported column design etc. The other super legend in audio Mr. Henry Kloss to the best of my know how always preferred a sealed speaker, and I know he thought a well designed 2 way was a very good way to go....I guess I am too frustrated with the abundance of the ported design.... I am not totally against it, but too many of them make the bass lines sound like rubber...anyway always willing to listen to anything...cause you never know....Ben r

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That nicely brings in a sort of parallel with electrostatics.
I love my ESL 57's on the end my Naim system, but after a while I hanker after my SBL's.

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The funny thing is I bought the Impulses while on a hunt for some ESL57s! I'm still (idly) looking for a pair of Quads, but some high-sensitivty speakers were on the 'to do' list, and came up first. Surprise, surprise they are quite 'transparent', though not necessarily 'accurate'; you can hear the casework.

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Which is the more accurate, natural speaker?

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9 months ago I'd have not thought twice before answering. Now I think that when I find 'my' Quads..I'll be keeping the H5s on hand as well. There are things that Quads (and only Quads, in my experience) do, but there are also just a few things that Quads elide completely... which I would miss.

Nice Acoustic Bass, Martin!
I've got a Tacoma Thunderchief Fretless Acoustic and I really dig it.
David