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David or Goliath - LS3/5As or Klipschorns?

Catalysis

Catalysis

Member
Am considering selling my 15ohm Rogers LS3/5As for a pair of Klipschorns I'm about to demo in a day or two.

Love the Rogers - superlative at what they do, but would like similar transparency, soundstaging and imaging with some more oomph. You just can't play Massive Attack et al on the LS3/5As. I've always known that and have other great speakers I can use when in the mood to listen to the bass heavy stuff, but I am wondering if the Klipschorns might be the best of both worlds?

Have the chance of a very nice pair of 1970s Klipschorns and would welcome opinions from all those of you who are very familiar with owning both speakers.

Thanks.
 
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I don't like little speakers because of the lack of oomph you've mentioned. Khorns are my flagships. Set up right, they are hard to beat for scale and realism. They image very well, however do to their corner location , they don't stage well especially laterally. Apples and oranges. No speaker is perfect, keep them both.
 
Apples and oranges, there are other options, like a pair of e-waved Advents.
I have the "least" of them, e-waved Advent-2, and having owned the LS-3/5A, wouldn't trade the e-waved Advents for them.
 
I'm not a huge K-Horn fan, but between the two I would choose the K-Horn. You say oomph is a consideration, and real music has oomph! I've heard the K-Horms produce some good sounds, and they definitely have oomph! I mean, what good is it to have smooth and pretty sound if you can't, on those occasions when the mood strikes, turn it up and feel like you are at the concert? Since I've never owned Klipsch anything, I can't say, but I would imagine that there are certain amps and speaker wires that have good synergy when paired with the K-Horn such that they would maximize the experience. I'm sure there are a good number of K-Horn aficionados here on AK that can point you in the right direction - should you be so inclined.
 
Well you're going to demo the KHorns, although I assume not in your space with your rig? That should tell you a lot. I had a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls which were great, but in my space I found that smaller speakers work better when it comes to imaging/soundstage. Frankly, my smaller space just didn't seem to give the Cornies the breathing room they needed. I know others have had success using larger speakers in smaller spaces, so it comes down of course to personal preferences. It would be great if you could demo in your space, but I'm assuming that's impossible.

I find it interesting that some people seem to only be able to get "oomph" from larger speakers. While the Cornies certainly delivered big bass in spades, I can and do get plenty of substantial bottom from my smaller speakers, like my Wharfedale W60's, KLH Model 5 and 6, even my Dynaco A25's. And from a 30 watt tube amp. I think a lot of that depends on set up, placement, amp, room size, etc., but I've found that smaller speakers can be plenty dynamic.

The Rogers are legendary speakers as you know. That they can't give you what you want from them for certain types of music is too bad. I have a hunch there may come a time when selling them will cause you some regret, but such is life.


Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
What I remember from the LS-3/5A:
Great imaging and presence with no real lower end and over-etched unnatural detailing, as if each detail is framed with a sonic ink line.
What I remember of the (Heresey) Klipsch sound:
Great impact and 'jump' favoring brass and percussion, poor rendition of acoustic sounds like voice and stringed instruments, rendering them as if from a PA system thanx to the exponential midrange horn. Crossover was primitive, system designed only for even amplitude response. Low end is less-than, true also of the K-horns.
Either system can really initially impress from their respective strengths but for me didn't wear well in the long term and are long gone.
 
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I currently have both, and the khorns can rip your head off at the same time the bass stops your heart while listening to a finer Massive Attack album.

The Rodgers are all about polite, and imaging, the khorns can attack and abuse you. They also can be very light footed and sweet when paired with a superior set amp.

I like being pummeled at times, so the khorns stay downstairs. The 3/5s make their living upstairs in the living room.
 
I would likely go with the Khorns, as they were known for their dynamic oomph all the way back in 1960, when they were doing their own "live versus recorded" demonstrations in large halls, taking a cue from Wharfedale's famous marketing approach. I read an old article in High Fidelity about it, and they noted the dynamic oomph of the Khorn and it's ability to convey true, life-sized impact without breaking a sweat. That's where the Khorns would surely leave my W90's in the dust. That dynamic grunt, which is much like the horsepower & torgue of an automobile.The Bugatti Veyron has that "dynamic grunt" in spades, mainly because it has a supercharged 1200hp mid-engine powerplant and an incredibly-advanced transmission, exhaust, and venting/aerodynamics system, but when you think about it, designing a loudpeaker system is a lot like designing an automobile (Hmm... Which brand best fits Klipsch and the Khorn?).

I had considered the LS50, which would likely/bbbb/ + suit me better than any of the faithful LS3/5a-types, although that's more about personal tastes than performance. The LS50 is supposed to be quite the speaker though, and I'll likely get a pair eventually. But I would LOVE a pair of LS5/8's or especially that Harbeth Monitor 40.1 (I could deal with one of the Graham Audio models). For that kind of money though, they better part the red carpet (Actually, my carpet is an off-white, but you get the idea). My Dentons are about the same size and go deeper than the Harbeth P3ESR, so I wouldn't be able to do a pair of LS3/5a's unless I was using a sub or two. That bass-depth issue would weigh on me. The mids and highs of the P3ESR's are clearer and more-detailed (and therefore, probably clearer and more-detailed in the Rogers LS3/5a as well), but I don't think that would be enough, at least for me.
 
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sberger said:
The Rogers are legendary speakers as you know. That they can't give you what you want from them for certain types of music is too bad. I have a hunch there may come a time when selling them will cause you some regret, but such is life.
Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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Thanks for your kind thoughts and input. I'm more likely to stay with the LS3/5As, but because a pair of K-horns is available local to me and also due to their awesome reputation, I'm indulging the idea of making the change. Unfortunately I can't keep the Rogers if I want the K-horns, so it's a matter of either/or - a dilemma I've been in before and, I confess, have regretted the decision on more than one occasion. It all depends if I'm blown away or not. The Rogers constantly astonish, but if I could find similar qualities with more all round performance, well, that would be persuasive.
 
To say it's rare that a large scale, well respected speaker comes up in my neck of the woods is a big understatement.

I am therefore just considering the option and grateful for comments so far and hopefully those to come.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
The LS50 is supposed to be quite the speaker though.
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They are definitely an option I've considered and, ironically, I could probably afford a pair if I sold the Rogers...

The problem with that equation for me, however, is that I am a total sucker for the more traditional British sound and its neutrality and transparency etc, etc.

No matter how many times I go away from it, I always seem to return for more. The K-horns will need to knock me off my seat if I'm going to pull the trigger.

K-horn demo has been delayed until next week, so more time to ponder.
 
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Royzilla said:
I would consider a trade of my K-horns for some Rogers, but I am pretty sure you're not in the SF Bay.
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Sadly many hours away. I'm naturally intrigued as to why you'd consider it a good swap, as that's pretty much the decision I have to make, thanks.
 
sheltie dave said:
I currently have both, and the khorns can rip your head off at the same time the bass stops your heart while listening to a finer Massive Attack album.

The Rodgers are all about polite, and imaging, the khorns can attack and abuse you. They also can be very light footed and sweet when paired with a superior set amp.

I like being pummeled at times, so the khorns stay downstairs. The 3/5s make their living upstairs in the living room.
Click to expand...

Appreciate your input. Could I press you to say which you'd give up if you had to and why? Thanks.
 
My experience was going from Hereseys to Dahlquist DQ-10 for less "character" and better sonic honesty, tho' lacking the impact of the horns. Due to making a move overseas, I sold the DQ-10s for LS-3/5A as they were the closest thing sonically at the time in a shoebox size package. Coming back, I met a speaker designer in Atlanta and asked about a sub for the Rogers, his advice was to compare them to a 3-way he was working with and then decide what I wanted to do. I still own and use his 3-way 5 driver speakers, they beat the Rogers every way imaginable.
Do some more auditioning before committing yourself, the Rogers should bring a reasonable working kitty.
 
Another observation, AR also famously did successful live vs speaker auditorium demos with their air suspension speakers.
 
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Catalysis said:
Sadly many hours away. I'm naturally intrigued as to why you'd consider it a good swap, as that's pretty much the decision I have to make, thanks.
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Size. I love my K-horns but I also have a pair of DQ-30's, Altec Valencias, 604's and DCM TF2000's in a San Francisco flat. So adding something small would be a plus.
 
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