Khorn Altec driver

[infinityQ2]

I just went to check out a single Klipschorn speaker. Aware of them but don't know much. It's Huge 54"X32"x24". Is this the factory size or a custom, the seller wasn't sure. I didn't have an amp to test the drivers but the seller put a meter on them and said they were active??. The compression driver is an Altec, is that original for a Khorn??it was not attached to the horn!! I don't know why!! I couldn't inspect the woofer cause it's a sealed cabinet. What should be in there, and is there an easy way to check it out??Cabinet and grills in good shape but unattractive, If I buy this I will probably do something to it, is that a veneer or solid wood??O.K. with all that said, what's it worth?? and How will a mismatched pair sound?? Thanks for reading...sorry no pics..

[robertbartsch]

..any pictures?

[grumpy]

Other than the Altec driver question (and possibly even that), you might get
a better response from the Klipsch forum. The dimensions are -roughly- correct
for a Klipschorn, but unless there's a tag on the back or other details a
Klipsch aficionado might recognize, good luck identifying the source (DIY or
otherwise), wood used, drivers inside, age, value etc.

Next time bring an amp and source or even a radio with a speaker
output... a watt or two should be plenty.

AFAIK, Altec drivers were not ever used in stock Klipschorns. K-branded
E-V and Atlas drivers/designs, among others.

Mismatched pairs sounding OK? Depends on how picky you are... it would
drive me bananas... not like this:

[infinityQ2]

I just went to check out a single Klipschorn speaker. Aware of them but don't know much. It's Huge 54"X32"x24". Is this the factory size or a custom, the seller wasn't sure. I didn't have an amp to test the drivers but the seller put a meter on them and said they were active??. The compression driver is an Altec, is that original for a Khorn??it was not attached to the horn!! I don't know why!! I couldn't inspect the woofer cause it's a sealed cabinet. What should be in there, and is there an easy way to check it out??Cabinet and grills in good shape but unattractive, If I buy this I will probably do something to it, is that a veneer or solid wood??O.K. with all that said, what's it worth?? and How will a mismatched pair sound?? Thanks for reading...sorry no pics..

After another viewing I found out this was a dIY project. The Altec is an 802b in good working order. There is a horn but its made of wood. Still no idea whats inside for a woofer other than it works.

[robertbartsch]

...looks like a real Klip corner horn - vintage 1970s or a tad earlier.

I assume these are quite valuable but the Altec compresssion driver does not go with the system. Is the woofer a Klip?

Is there a pair or only one?

[sbjacob]

I just went to check out a single Klipschorn speaker. Aware of them but don't know much. It's Huge 54"X32"x24". Is this the factory size or a custom, the seller wasn't sure. I didn't have an amp to test the drivers but the seller put a meter on them and said they were active??. The compression driver is an Altec, is that original for a Khorn??it was not attached to the horn!! I don't know why!! I couldn't inspect the woofer cause it's a sealed cabinet. What should be in there, and is there an easy way to check it out??Cabinet and grills in good shape but unattractive, If I buy this I will probably do something to it, is that a veneer or solid wood??O.K. with all that said, what's it worth?? and How will a mismatched pair sound?? Thanks for reading...sorry no pics..

Contact Bob Crites he has all the info on all Klipsch models and affordable aftermarket parts at http://www.critesspeakers.com/cornscala.html

[jcrobso]

Can you get picture of the back side?
My K-horns are built from Speaker Lab prints. Real K-horns look different on the back side than do the home made ones.
I used JBL speakers in mine.
Depends on which era they were made on the vendor of the drivers used.

[infinityQ2]

Can you get picture of the back side?
My K-horns are built from Speaker Lab prints. Real K-horns look different on the back side than do the home made ones.
I used JBL speakers in mine.
Depends on which era they were made on the vendor of the drivers used.

This is all I have unless I go back to buy it.. Also, the horn is made of wood.

[Steve Schell]

I would also encourge you to pick the brains over on the Klipsch forum. Here's the little I know...

Paul Klipsch was working on his corner horn concept during WWII, and began marketing them around 1947. The earliest ones were two way, and the midrange / high frequency horn sat out in the open on top of the bass bin. BTW, this "sealed" cabinet is a fairly ambitious front loaded bass horn with sealed rear chamber; the loading provided by the room corner is fully exploited in this design. The natural quality of the bass these produce is possibly better than anything you have ever heard and can be utterly shocking upon first listen. In the early 1950s he began selling a three way furniture cabinet version with an EV tweeter atop the midrange horn. These cabinets looked like the one in your pictures, though usually had a "PWK" metal logo (with the P backwards) attached somewhere on the front. Klipschorns have been copied almost from the beginning. If it is a real one it will have some sort of label that says "Klipsch and Associates, Hope Arkansas" and other stuff somewhere on the rear.

AFAIK, Klipsch never used Altec drivers. He did use Stephens Tru-sonic and Electro-voice in the early days, and a variety of *ahem* inexpensive Atlas, CTS etc. drivers in later years. The copycats of course stuffed their creations with everything under the sun, including Altec and JBL.

If the seller isn't asking more than a few hundred bucks I would advise swooping on it. At the very least it will provide an audio adventure which may provide an education and raise your expectations further down the line.

Edit: I'll bet it is a knockoff; those filled nail holes don't look like Klipsch, as Paul always insisted on impeccable cabinet work. That is not to say that it isn't a good speaker. If it is a close copy it may be very good indeed.

[sbjacob]

I would also encourge you to pick the brains over on the Klipsch forum. Here's the little I know...

Paul Klipsch was working on his corner horn concept during WWII, and began marketing them around 1947. The earliest ones were two way, and the midrange / high frequency horn sat out in the open on top of the bass bin. BTW, this "sealed" cabinet is a fairly ambitious front loaded bass horn with sealed rear chamber; the loading provided by the room corner is fully exploited in this design. The natural quality of the bass these produce is possibly better than anything you have ever heard and can be utterly shocking upon first listen. In the early 1950s he began selling a three way furniture cabinet version with an EV tweeter atop the midrange horn. These cabinets looked like the one in your pictures, though usually had a "PWK" metal logo (with the P backwards) attached somewhere on the front. Klipschorns have been copied almost from the beginning. If it is a real one it will have some sort of label that says "Klipsch and Associates, Hope Arkansas" and other stuff somewhere on the rear.

AFAIK, Klipsch never used Altec drivers. He did use Stephens Tru-sonic and Electro-voice in the early days, and a variety of *ahem* inexpensive Atlas, CTS etc. drivers in later years. The copycats of course stuffed their creations with everything under the sun, including Altec and JBL.

If the seller isn't asking more than a few hundred bucks I would advise swooping on it. At the very least it will provide an audio adventure which may provide an education and raise your expectations further down the line.

Edit: I'll bet it is a knockoff; those filled nail holes don't look like Klipsch, as Paul always insisted on impeccable cabinet work. That is not to say that it isn't a good speaker. If it is a close copy it may be very good indeed.

If this has a Altec driver that is a nice upgrade to the K-55. The K-55 is a Atlas PD-5VH driver.If you wanted a stock Klipschorn you can get a Atlas driver from Northern Sound and Light for around $100. each. Klipsch sells the K-33 woofers for $125. each and the K-401 midrange horns for $110. a pair you can contact Bob Crites and he has Aftermarket woofers for about the same price.Also the Eminence APT 50 tweeter is a drop in replacement for the K-77 and also a nice upgrade as it extends to 20KHz as the K-77 is limited to 17KHz and it handles more power than the K-77.You can put together a Klipsch Type A crossover for around $100. ALK Engineering has alot of high end upgrades ESN for use with a Altec 902 driver .The photo is the schematic for Type A crossover that was used in the Klipschorn and La scalas. I have built a few pair of Klipsch La scalas from scratch so I know alittle about the speakers.You can contact me at [email protected] for more options

[sbjacob]

If this has a Altec driver that is a nice upgrade to the K-55. The K-55 is a Atlas PD-5VH driver.If you wanted a stock Klipschorn you can get a Atlas driver from Northern Sound and Light for around $100. each. Klipsch sells the K-33 woofers for $125. each or you can contact Bob Crites and he has Aftermarket ones for about the same price.Also the Eminence APT 50 tweeter is a drop in replacement for the K-77 and also a nice upgrade as it extends to 20KHz as the K-77 is limited to 17KHz.You can put together a Klipsch Type A crossover for around $100. ALK Engineering has alot of high end upgrades ESN for use with a Altec 902 driver .The photo is the schematic for Type A crossover. I have built a few pair of Klipsch La scalas from scratch so I know alittle about the speakers.

This a pair of La scalas I built out of Red Oak with mahogany trim

[sbjacob]

This a pair of La scalas I built out of Red Oak with mahogany trim

This is the pair I built out of Cherry with Bubinga trim

[sbjacob]

This is the pair I built out of Cherry with Bubinga trim

This is the Type A crossover I built for these

[sbjacob]

This is the Type A crossover I built for these

Check this thread out http://www.volvotreter.de/khorn.htm

[sbjacob]

Check this thread out http://www.volvotreter.de/khorn.htm

Here is the plans for the Klipschorn http://www.volvotreter.de/downloads/klipschorn.pdf