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Recommendations for vintage speakers for 300B amp

itsikhefez said:
FWIW, the main issue I had with most of my previous speakers was that I thought they were a bit "boring" and lacked dynamics...maybe Klipsch is the answer :)
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The Forte will certainly deliver dynamics...fast and tactile (some of the best reproduction of percussion from a speaker in this price range I've yet to hear) and crystal clear. I don't think you've mentioned room size, but I have to be more than twelve feet from from my Chorus II's before I hear all the drivers integrate into a seamless sonic package. Also, you'll need to be able to allow at least a foot between the front wall and the rear of the cabinet so the passive radiator interacts favorably with the wall.
 
tomlinmgt said:
The drive is a little brutal, granted, but many of us here have made a half- day journey for the right piece of gear.
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Ha Ha, ain't that the truth!
I drove almost 4 hours one way for a set of K-Horns then had to pull the 250lbs a piece monsters upstairs at home with a hand truck by myself.
Yeah,that was a brutal day!
 
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Bodyblue said:
I have heard many different Klipsch speakers and dont like them at all. They are handsome and well made of course but horn drivers are like nails on a chalkboard to me. I wanted to at least own one set so I bought a pair of KG2s last year and hated them.....

Right now my favorites are a pair of Marantz Imperial 6s (and 5s) that have been recapped. I also love the pair of KLH 6s that have had the drivers rebuilt and re coned along with caps that run neck and neck with the Imperials. I also really like my Optimus 5s and 6s.....along with Nova 6s. I also like my two way 8 in Sansui sp70s.

I also have sets of smaller new Polks and Sonys. And I also have had Advents and others. I buy speakers I have not heard but never ever ones with horns.
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I've found that "east coast" speakers, or speakers that have that "east coast" sound, are generally pleasant and polite in sonic character and behavior. To elaborate, they sound good in almost any set up configuration regardless of environment, placement and electronics. Within the realm of that design philosophy one can certainly find some models that have sonic attributes that are preferable to others, but they all tend to be easy to plug and play and get good results. The trade off, compared to what's possible and available when one looks beyond the east coast realm, will be compromises in detail, sound stage/image resolution, dynamics, transient speed, tactile presentation...basically all the stuff that adds up to create something that more closely approaches the real thing. Horns can do this...but generally NOT in a plug and play package. One typically has to work with horns...carefully matching electronics and room acoustics and dialing in placement parameters...and even with that not just any horn speaker can get you there. Like all things, one or two examples doesn't define the entire category, so passing judgement on the entire design concept from experiences one has had with just a few examples is premature and invalid. Finding the magic with horns can take time and be very frustrating....I went through it with Altec 19's. But when you find the synergy of room, electronics and placement it makes all the effort worthwhile and takes you to a level of reproduction that is orders of magnitude beyond something that falls into the pleasant and polite category. That's been my experience, at least. KLH 23 and 6, Dynaco 25, DCM TF600 and Time Window 3 have all passed through my hands and been given ample opportunity to show the best they have to offer with my finest electronics, both tube and SS, and in a room that's been thoroughly tuned with acoustic treatments and measured to create a favorable acoustic profile for most any design. Not a single one of them could come close to attaining the level or realism and overall fidelity I've been able to achieve with a proper horn design. In addition, I've had more than one horn naysayer hear them and conclude that every negative attribute they had ever voiced or thought about horns beforehand had just been decidedly eviscerated.
 
itsikhefez said:
I originally planned on pairing with the Frugal-Horn 3 with Fostex FE126En, but wife is getting annoyed at "projects" so will probably have to hold off on that for a while.
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I would build the Frugal-Horn XL with Mark Audio A10p drivers. They do everything better than the smaller FE126, just lack the all out efficiency of the Fostex driver. If efficiency is a real "must have" , then the Fostex FF165WK drivers in the larger FHXL will work too.

jeff
 
The Yamaha NS-670's are wonderful speakers...my experience suggests having them recapped for even better listening experience!
Also, $150 is more than a fair price for those if they are in good condition...I have two pair that I love and a set of 690's freshly recapped...quite stunning really!
 
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Some 9 years ago I built the Frugal Horn Mk3's and have enjoyed them immensely. A few weeks ago I swapped the Fostex FE126En drivers for a pair of Coral Holey Baskets and the upgrade was not subtle. Loved the Fostex's but the Coral's have taken these folded horns to another level. The Corals are efficient and a couple of SET watts are all they need.

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Weekend was busy, just got caught up with the replies. Thanks again for the all the helpful info, I think I have a few good next steps..
First, I'll try to find a local dealer with Klipsch heritage.. just to get an idea of what they sound like. Maybe I'll bring my amp with me..

There have been more than a few responses to pursue the FH3 or DIY alternative..
If the Klipsch aren't to my tastes I may try and carve out enough time to build the FH3. As mentioned, I bought a flat-pak which should take out most of the hard work.
I may also give those Yamaha's a try as a stop-gap.. if they are in good condition and I can grab them at lower than asking price.

Poultrygeist said:
If you can build a 300B you can build far better speakers than mainstream Klipsch.
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Why do you think?? It comes in a kit.. just some soldering, pretty straightforward project.
Granted, the Tubelab 45 I'm in the middle of now is taking a bit more effort

Poultrygeist said:
A few weeks ago I swapped the Fostex FE126En drivers for a pair of Coral Holey Baskets and the upgrade was not subtle. Loved the Fostex's but the Coral's have taken these folded horns to another level.View attachment 1550569
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First time I've heard of the Coral Holey Baskets. Are those obtainable?
 
Paul Klipsch in his white papers make recommendations for power required for his Heritage speaker systems. Now later Klipsch with same sensitivity. should work, too. But for tube amps with less tan 10 or 5 watts I would limit my self to Corner Horns, La Scala and Cornwall. Early Herseys's are efficient enough, III series is on the ragged edge. I don't like the limited bass performance of a La Scala, so that leaves, two. Corner Horn and Cornwall. Its been a long time since JBL made anything with over a 96 db efficiency rating. Hartsfield Harkness and Paragon are hard to come buy. and are very costly if restored. Altec Model 19 is around the same efficiency as as Newer Hersey and will just barely squeak by. EV Made a Model 6, Georgian, and Patrician thats might work. I don't like any version of Altec A7 for high fidelity, no matter what name you put on it. An Altec 604G and newer can perform very well in a large enclosure. Some folks like to supplement them with a second woofer. Some Frazier and Renkus Heinz professional Speakers might work if you don't mind the looks. Its hard to find speakers with 100+ db sensitivities to day that are full spectrum speakers. Good luck.
 
The carousel keeps going... I loved the Elekit but sold it to fund a different 300B project. I'm in the middle of building a second Tubelab (the first was 45's for headphone use), this one is 300B with ISO (Tango) transformers.
Regarding this thread, as I mentioned earlier the FH3 wouldn't be a good fit in that small-ish room. I have the flat-pak in the garage and hopefully one day they will be used.
I picked up a pair of Klipsch Quartet on CL from the original owner. They are overall in good condition, and am now going to refresh them a bit.
 
I just recently herd some modded LaScalas with a sub in a small room powered by 45's and was floored by the effortless sound. Very nice
 
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