older klipsch speakers, corner horns,la scala's etc (1 Viewer)

[EvanW]

anyone had good experiances with i guess ud say the heritage line of klipsch, i can probably only afford a old pair but old speakers are no worse than new speakers in anyway as long as they arent fried.

 

[Lee-M]

I have owned a pair of Klipsch Fortes for 17 years; the sound is phenomenal, and auditions of other brands over the past few years, while expanding into HT, have shown me that most new speakers costing two to four times more than the Fortes' original retail ($1200pr) do not come close to the realism and immediacy that the Forte provides me.

The only two models that have come close were a pair of $6,000 Martin-Logans and the mighty Klipschorn (also, coincidentally, around 6K for the new models; used can be had for less that half that amount).

Ever since listening to the Klipschorn, I have been haunted by their glorious sound, and obtaining a pair of fully horn-loaded Klipsch (K-Horn, Belle, or LaScala) has become a gnawing wish for me.

The only drawback of buying the older-model Klipsch speakers is that, if you want to use them for HT, and you plan to use a traditional-style center channel speaker (as opposed to the more ideal full-size mate to the mains), the only center channel that fits that description is the (discontinued) Klipsch Academy, a difficult unit to obtain at a reasonable price (since so many, like myself, have integrated our existing Klipsch into HT, the Academy has been fetching from $400 - $650 each).

Concerning the possible degradation of older speakers; my Fortes drivers show absolutely none, as far as I can tell... the finish, while having a few flaws here and there, has been maintained very well.

Many owners of older Klipsch have upgraded their crossover networks; there are several members of the Klipsch forum who build these, and you can find a lot of information about these in the "Updates and Modifications" section there.

 

[Kenneth Harden]

I got a pair of Chorus II's at a pawn shop for $89.99.

Done.

Game over.

End of story.

Then I got a pair of Heresy II's for $89.99. Not as good, but still awesome.

I love Klipsch, but do listen for yourself, as they are the Dodge Viper of speakers (not very forgiving, but if thats what you like, WOW!!!)

 

[EvanW]

i really want some and i dont do anything but 2 ch so center is not a concern, ive not seen a bad review for old klipsh i dont like the senergys really so this is good.

 

[MikeNg]

I have 2 pairs of Heresy I's. Had them for about 10 years.
Gonna unload them on eBay pretty soon.

First 'serious' set of speakers I've ever owned and loved the presence they brought. They have the same tweet and mid horn as the Forte's (from what I've been told) but the 12" woof leaves something to be desired. I'd use it with a good sub. If you run across Heresy's see if they are the first series or second series. I'm told the first series are better, but I have not heard the II's.

I'd get the La Scala or KHorn if it's in your budget. Phenomenal for music.

Mike

 

[billybob_jcv]

The first really serious system I ever heard was a pair of KHorns when I was about 16 years old that belonged to the grandfather of a girl I was dating. It was unforgetable, and I credit that experience with starting me down the road of really enjoying quality audio. For years I kept an old Klipsch sales brochure I had picked-up in the late 70's at an audio show in San Francisco (where I again heard the KHorns & also the La Scallas). Now, 30 years later, I still compare any system I hear to that distant memory. I haven't heard them in probably 20 years, and I often wonder what I would think of them today. Thanks for the memories!

 

[Bullet Head]

im picking up some fortes next week for my new HT. cant wait to hear them puppies.

 

[kfalls]

Hi all,
Newbie alert! Not to audio, just this site. I've been a fan of the older Klipsch' for many years. I'm the original owner of a pair of Kg4s I love and will never part with. I went on the Klipsch Pilgrimage two years ago in Indianapolis at their Engineering facility. It was pretty cool, but I can't help remembering that I felt the earlier speakers sounded so much better. We listened to their reference systems, professional systems, THX systems, but every one of the newer systems sounded anemic in comparison to the older Klipschorns, LaScalas, Belles, Chorus, Heritage, Fortes, KG4s, Quartets. I was also very disappointed in their multi-media GMX D-5.1 system. The amp pod was very noisy. You could hear loud hiss from across the room. So for the Hetitage system, a big yes. For the newer systems, especially any with plastic, you'll have to convince me.

I currently have two HT systems. I had one in my bedroom the other in the living room. When my son left after college, we moved into his bedroom and combined the two systems in our old bedroom/new 12.5' x 25' family room. The first system is a Klipsch system:

Yamaha RX-V2095 receiver
Pioneer 563A Universal player
Klipsch Kg4 mains
Klipsch RS-3 front and rear surrounds
Klipsch KV3 or KLF-C7 center (whichever suits my taste at the time)
SW-8 sub for upper bass
ACI Saturn sub w/Marantz M-700 mono amp
Dishnetwork Vip622 HD DVR
Hitachi 57S715 HD TV

System 2
Denon AVR-3300 HT Receiver
Sony SACD
Pioneer DVL-700 DVD/LD/CD player
Monster 3500MKII power Conditioner
Legacy Focus mains bi-amp w/Yamaha M-65 170W amp
Legacy Silver Screen center
T&A P-30 3-way direct surrounds

Misc
Audio Control Phase-Coupled Activator
Audio Control Octave EQ
Lexicon CP1+
Yamaha MX-35 amp
Nakamichi BX-1
Blue Room Minipods (two pair)
Insignia NS B2111 speakers
5 - RS LX5
Genesis Genre II speakers
2 - McIntosh M-40 amps

I've enjoyed what I've seen on this site so far and plan to visit often.

Ken