I mentioned in my Granite Audio interconnect review that I would be
posting a
review of my Klipschorn speakers, which I put aside because of
commitments.
Recently, a reader reignited the flame by inquiring into the status of
that
review. Thank you, reader.

Some of you may have contemplated adding horns to your systems. While
there are magazines trumpeting the unique experiences of horn
proponents,
some high-end establishments remain resistant. One dealer demonstrated
his
idea of a horn's sound by cupping his mouth with both hands. As
advancements have been realized in almost all aspects of modern
playback
systems, horn speakers are often seen as a throwback. However, in spite
of
the horn's century-old operating principle, it continues to offer
advantages: the
simplicity of its technology and an efficiency that permits the use of
low-power
amplifiers.

When Stereophile held its High end Show in San Francisco, I returned to
two
horn exhibitors' rooms three days in a row: Kochel and Tannoy. Kochel
was a
new Korean company making multi-driver horn systems, utilizing the
classic
diaphragm-plus-throat approach, while Tannoy sported their prestigious
dual-
concentric technology in the Churchill enclosure, the core technology
having
been patented before World War II. The East and the West met at a
junction in
the form of the horn. Both exhibitors drove their speakers with
low-output,
single-ended triode amplifiers. Since I couldn't afford either
speaker, I kept
coming back with CDs in order to etch in my mind the two systems'
incomparable sonic attributes. While different sounding, their two
crowning
attributes were dynamic realism and harmonic coherency.

In the spring of 1999, when a pair of used 1993 Klipschorn became
available, I
seized upon the moment and bought them. According to Klipsch, the 1989
and
2001 differ only in an updated crossover, which, so far as I can
determine,
produces no variance in sound. Like the Kochel and the Tannoy systems,
the
Klipschorns, powered by remarkably few watts, can transport you to the
realm
of sonic realism. The Klipschorn exhibits an intensity of dynamic
transients via
tube or solid-state amplification. In fact, I'd been driving my
Klipschorns with
one Monarchy Audio SM-70 with extraordinary results until January 2001,
when
I bought a second SM-70 for monoblock operation.


SOUNDSTAGING

The K-horn is a three-way system consisting of a one-inch compression
tweeter
horn, two-inch compression midrange horn and a fifteen-inch folded bass
horn.

The tweeter's horn sits on top of the midrange horn and covers the
range from
6kHz to 17.5kHz. Centrally situated above the bulk of the cabinet and
below
the tweeter's horn, the midrange's horn runs only about half of the
width of the
cabinet and is the main driver of the system with a specified frequency
range of
400Hz to 6kHz. The main cabinet houses the rear-firing, 15-inch
driver's folded
bass horn, which covers the range from 400Hz to its specified limit of
35Hz.

Most speakers sacrifice soundstaging definition when placed wide apart.
The K-
horns are designed for large rooms and will generally function
satisfactorily in
opposite-corner placement. In a medium-sized room like mine, I had to
make a
few minor adjustments to optimize performance.

Specifically, the K-horns are designed to fit into the corners of the
long wall,
using the adjoining sidewalls as an extension of the bass horn. This
unusual
placement actually creates the Klipschorn's life-size soundstage.
Although the
dimensions of my listening room, at 12' =D7 17' =D7 8' (W =D7 L =D7
H), can
accommodate the recommended long-wall placement, it is an open-ended
rectangle with only one short wall. Since this asymmetry precludes the
recommended placement, I had to use the short walls' corners. At
their initial
setup, the K-horns inevitably became overly "toed-in," both channels
converging into a sweet spot five feet in front of my listening
position, making
the soundstage unfocused and remote-sounding. I toed them out until
each K-
horn's midrange was firing at the listening position. Then I tilted
the speakers
slightly downward to have the midrange fire straight at me. Thus set
up, with
my listening position approximately three meters away, the K-horns
throw a
precise center stage with excellent overall soundstage delineation.

The height of the midrange and tweeter horns further reinforce the
life-size
soundstage. For our readers in San Francisco, it resembles the Premier
Orchestra first floor seating at the San Francisco Symphony's Davis
Hall.

And yet, with their impressive soundstage depth, horns are less than
peerless
in soundstage crystallization. For readers who are adamant about
supreme
image depth, quite a few planar and cone speakers will do a better job,
e=2Eg.,
my Apogee Duetta Signatures. Furthermore, the K-horns' midrange and
tweeter horns are so highly directional that my ASC acoustic treatments
are
largely unnecessary. The Klipschorns sound their best when pointing
directly at
you.


THE SOUND

The K-horns do not possess the timbral finesse of the Audio Note AN-E/D
speakers I recently reviewed, but I do not hear this shortcoming as a
serious
liability. Many describe the horn system's sound as artificial,
congested, flat and
unmusical. In my listening room, the K-horns produce the opposite
effect, and
their unrivaled dynamic realism remains evident and clean even at high
volume
levels.

The K-horn's bass achieves its maximum with modest amplifier power.
The
Audio Review website contains comments from K-horn users, mostly
describing
the bass as natural. Although the low end can be thunderous, it
maintains the
music's critical overtones, a capability that relates to the
naturalness many K-
horn users proclaim. However, larger rooms are a prerequisite for
optimum
bass. Therefore, if good bass is at the top of your sonic priorities,
the K-horn
may not be for you if your room dimensions do not allow for corner
placement.

Regarding the Klipschorn's 17.5kHz roll-off, although I've never
seen such
limited top- end specifications from any speaker, I have always been
happy
with the K-horns' highs. Other speakers in the same room do not
provide more
perceptible top-end information. In addition, the 3dB roll-off slope
may be slow
enough to allow for higher-frequency information at high listening
volumes.
Furthermore, with CD's 20kHz upper limit, the differences may be too
subtle to
be appreciable.

Some studies show that our brains can process ultra-high frequencies
although
our auditory senses cannot seeming hear beyond 20kHz, even in our
youth,
when our hearing is at its best. Certain theories further claim that
our well
being depends on this ultra-high-frequency information, in that it
stimulates the
secretion of a relaxation-inducing chemical. This may be significant
when
playing SACD's or LPs. Perhaps some day Klipsch will better address
this design
aspect.


AMPLIFICATION

Although the Klipschorn's high sensitivity invites the use of
low-power, single-
ended triode amplifiers, care must be taken in choosing a quiet preamp
and a
power amp with low idling noise. The Wadia 27's versatile,
user-adjustable
output level and digital volume control are supremely quiet, making it
an ideal
candidate in driving most tube amplifiers. The Audio Note Western
Electric 300B
Quest monoblocks (review in progress), as driven directly by the Wadia
27
Decoding Computer, produced a minute level of non-intrusive idling
hiss. The
Decware SE84C (review in progress) also mated well with the Wadia.

The 125-wpc, EL-34-based Music Reference RM9 II was inappropriate, in
that it
must be set to the highest feedback/lowest output position in
conjunction with
the Wadia to keep the idling noise down. At this setting, the RM9 II
lost its
transparency.

Solid-state amplifiers are quiet during idling. Both my relatively
high-powered
Aragon 2004 and Monarchy Audio SM70 produced very satisfying results.
The
2004 rendered a less energetic presentation, with a softer top end,
smoother
midrange and thicker bass, versus the SM70's crystalline top end,
detailed yet
slightly forward midrange, and dynamic lower midrange and bass.

The Decware SE84C, AN Quest and MR RM9 II amplifiers exhibited
increased
idling noise when a Krell KRC-2 preamp replaced the Wadia 27.
Therefore, the
otherwise excellent Krell, with its high output capabilities, is
inappropriate for
driving the Klipschorn with some tube amps.


COEXISTENCE WITH SIGNIFICANT OTHERS

my wife welcomed the Klipschorns positioned in their corners. She
deplores the
imposing presence of all other speakers, complaining regularly about my
room-
dividing Apogees and Genesis, and even the mini-monitor Celestion
SL700s, as
they must all be positioned well into the listening room.

The Klipschorns will coexist with your other speaker system in other
ways. You
can position new speakers in front of them with no negative
consequences. For
example, to minimize early reflections from the rear wall and the
sidewalls, I
usually place other speaker systems about one-third into the room. The
rear
radiation of other speakers will engage the front of the Klipschorn.
Since each
Klipschorn is now angled at 30 to 45 degrees from the long walls,
corner
standing waves are mostly diffused, with the remaining reflections from
the
front of the K-horns returning to the rear of the freestanding
speakers.
Therefore, you need only treat the sidewalls. I have obtained excellent
results
using other speaker systems in the presence of the Klipschorns. As I
never felt
the need to move the Klipschorns while using other speakers, you should
beware that the K-horns' majestic yet unobtrusive presence may grow
on you.


CONCLUSION

The Klipschorns tower over my other speakers in their dynamic realism
and
sheer listenability. CDs played through them possess lifelike,
compression-free
qualities. Furthermore, the horn midrange and tweeter are impressively
devoid
of chaos in the midst of instrumental outbursts. Although Klipschorn
possesses
impressive detailing, realism and musicality, perfection doesn't
exist in any
loudspeaker system. While its extreme sensitivity permits the use of
low-power
purist amplifiers, mating it to a suitable amp is crucial.

Even after careful consideration, it may require a leap of faith to
acquire a horn
system, since to do so may alienate you from orthodox audiophiles. To
return
to the High End Show I mention above, I was able to loiter for long
periods of
time in the Kochel and Tannoy sound rooms because neither room ever got
crowded. The true believers stayed away. Even stepping in for a peek
would
mean excommunication. That was about three years ago. With recent rave
reviews for the European Avante Garde horn systems, a heightened
awareness of a well-designed horn's strengths may have changed
High-end
sentiments.

When driven by my 25-wpc, solid-state single-ended class A Monarchy
Audio
SM-70, the K-horns delivered full-blown dynamics and convincing
dimensionality. Tube amplifiers, like the Audio Note Quest monoblocks
(see my
recent review) and the Decware SE84C (review in progress), provide a
mellower, more musical sonic signature without dynamic sacrifice. The
technically capable purist can replace the original crossover with an
external
three-way unit, the doing of which might elevate timbre accuracy and
dimensionality, among other performance aspects.

My sincerest thanks go to Trey Cannon of Klipsch for his responsive
replies to
my many background inquiries.

wrote in message
oups.com...

I mentioned in my Granite Audio interconnect review that I would be
posting a
review of my Klipschorn speakers, which I put aside because of
commitments.
Recently, a reader reignited the flame by inquiring into the status of
that
review. Thank you, reader.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
I learned quite suddenly that the evaluation of a speaker is incomplete
unless it includes a test of vocal clarity.
We can prefer or disregard many loudspeaker "faults" in music reproduction,
as a consequence of fondness for actual venues that have similar faults.
Indeed, the "symphonic sound" is a result of incoherent blending of many
secondary sound sources.

However, vocal clarity, for at least the individual, is less liable to
romantic distortion. Either one can make out the words, or one can't. And I
find that many speakers that I adore for music are not tops at this.

For several years, I had a Klipsch center channel, with a small Tractrix
horn. Only when I replaced it did I realize that the speaker was far from a
paragon at reproducing words distinctly. One characteristic of the horn
might be relevant: lack of phase coherence.

The center was replaced by an MB Quart in a cheap cabinet, with a bare
titanium tweeter. I can actually hear the dialog.