What attracted you to Klipsch?

[fotno]

I thought I'd start a thread for Klipsch fans to tell their personal Klipsch stories as it were.

Just as there always seems to be an underlying reason and history for one's love of a car brand, or sports team, there must be some great stories amongst us regarding how each of you came to love Klipsch gear. Please try to think beyond "they sound good", and look at this thread as a campfire (if you will) around which you can tell your story.

Note: This is not a place for Klipsch haters, if you don't have a positive Klipsch story to relate... Move along. I am dead serious on this point, and this will be the one and only warning on that topic.

 

[sberger]

Got back to vinyl about 5 years ago, and decided a couple years after that to switch to tubes. Since I have a small listening space, I went for a low powered setup, specifically a Decware Taboo amp(6wpc) and CSP2 pre. But in order to do this, I needed efficient speakers. One day when I went into my local vintage stereo store, they had a beautiful, late 70's pair of Heresy's on sale. I didn't even blink and grabbed them. I didn't do a thing to them, and had them for 2 years until this January, when an ad popped up on my local Craigslist for a pair of '87 Forte's for $400. I did about an hour of research, and realized that these were the speakers for me. My wife went along with it, and I got them. They hadn't been used for some time, and they actually sounded a bit muddy when I started to listen. I realized after further research that a crossover replacement was in order. Well, after doing that I now own a fantastic, beautiful pair of speakers. And I can't imagine ever owning anything else. I may upgrade my electronics at some point, but these speakers will be here forever.

 

[Tom Brennan]

First heard Khorns at the Hi-Fi Hutch in Villa Park Illinois around 1971 or so. Was immediately struck by their dynamics and clarity. Bought my first LaScalas around 1973, they made the solo on Lakeside Park by Rush jump right out into the room, uncanny.

 

[sssmokin99]

An absolutely glowing review of the original Forte in Stereo Review by Julian Hirsch put this speaker on my short list for the day when I would buy new speakers. Then, in the summer of 1993, I started looking and listening seriously. by then it was Forte II, and when I heard them, I was pretty much sold. Even more so after listening to the others on my list.

 

[KlipschFan61]

A good friend had a pair of Heresys that impressed me a lot so I began to do a little research on the Klipsch name and liked what I saw. My friend used to enlist my help whenever he would find more speakers to buy, always Klipsch. We trekked around Marin county collecting 2 pairs of unwanted KHorns here, a Belle there and multiple pairs of LaScalas. He picked up the pair of LS's I would eventually buy with a different friend and auditioned them for me one Friday afternoon. After a few too many cocktails, I made up my mind that I had to have them. I had already traded my first pair of Heresys and bought his less-than-year-old Choruses so I had to do some serious bargaining to trade the Choruses for the LS's. My ex pretty much went wild ape **** when she came home from her swing shift in a darkened living room only to find two big wooden boxes where the Choruses used to reside and a passed out me lying on the floor in between them (probably with a big smile on my face). She didn't even realize they were speakers.

I eventually got rid of her but I still have the speakers...

 

[fotno]

Now we're cookin'! Keep 'em coming guys!

 

[Alaric]

I eventually got rid of her but I still have the speakers...

Wish I could say the same about my ADS L1530s! I don't own any Klipsch speakers , but I have always liked the LaScala and Klipschorn for screaming , in your face , detail and the ability to make your ears bleed with 40 wpc. If I had the money , I would consider a second system built around a nice , big , pair of K-horns . Properly driven by tubes , of course. :thmbsp:

 

[240sx4u]

I have had several opportunites to hear Klipsch speakers. The only one that stands out was a cheezo 10wpc mixing board patched into a pair of beat up lascallas.

They sounded fantastic, very dynamic with very little power. I am still not a klipsch-aholic but I learned to respect them.

A buddy has a really nice pair of La-Scallas that he has rebuilt, I can't wait to hear em!

Evan

 

[pmsummer]

1972: I went into Hillcrest Hi-Fidelity in Dallas to buy a new stereo system. I had scrimped my money (I was in school and working nights at a movie theater as a projectionist). I intended to get a Sherwood S-7100 and some EPI 100s. But I had a pair of Altec-Lansing "cry room" monitors from the theater to hold me over, so I could spend more on the receiver if need be.

While listening to the recievers, I noticed the new McIntosh MA-6100. I could get the Mac alone for what I intended for the entire system. So I did. But the salesman (Les Sims?) said, "Do you want to hear that Mac REALLY sing? Come in here."

We went into the high-roller listening room (where scruffy art-student types like me felt very uncomfortable), and over the next few hours I heard the Klipschorns for the first time in my life. It was a sound I have never forgotten, and one that I'd never heard "bettered" until I heard the Jubilees.

I'm still aiming to get some K-Horns someday. I'm just eeking by with my Cornwalls (and the growing Frazier horde).

 

[wizargoz]

Like you, pmsummer, I am still awaiting the mighty Horns and love the Frazier's, too. I found my first pair of Cornwalls in a thrift store for $125. I knew they were "high-end" but had never heard any of the older Klipsch models. And they were BIG. So I got them home and replaced a pair of Fraziers with them- and never went back. Then I traded a Perreaux power amp for another nice pair of Cornies. I have 2 pair now- and haven't bought another pair of speakers since.
I still need to recap them (one pair 77', the other '79), but they still sound sweet! I got out of SS (except for a pre-amp) and went to tubes, and could not be happier (OK- a MAC or Citation tube would make me a bit happier)....:tresbon:

 

[Andyman]

Back in the 70s, my buddy split from the pack and bought Hereseys when we were buying JBL L-88+s and Marantz Imperial 7s. I would on occasion hear the K-Horns at the local audio shop, but they were way out of reach for a poor college student.


Fast forward 30 years and I'm out scrounging gear for my new self supporting audio hobby and I find a pair of fully grilled La Scalas for $300. I jump on them fully expecting to clean and flip them, even though shipping would be a huge PITA. After making 2 trips in my father-in-laws Escort wagon to get them home, they go out in the garage. Then I start researching on them and find guys claiming that they want to be buried with them, so I decide to hook them up and see what happens. Well, that was the straw that broke the camels' back.
I usually make my musical judgments on a bit of a visceral. emotional level; musical epiphanies, I call them. Those little moments when something happens that makes one pause and listen because what you are hearing is so sweet and natural you know you need to stop and savor the moment. Well that;s what happened with the La Scalas. Sitting about 30" off the ground, one on a bench and the other on my table saw, the music just seemed so life like, full, and real I thought I was in a club with the band playing a few feet away.

The previous summer i sold off a set of Altec Carmels because I "didn't have the room". Once those La Scalas started playing, I knew I wasn't going to make that mistake a second time. I bought them an HK 430 receiver for amplification based upon the recommendations on the Klipsch Forums, and finally got them some tubes from BrianB at AKFest 2005, maybe 2006.
I currently have them shoehorned against a basement wall about 8" from where I sit and someday will be able to position them better, but they sure make me smile (and still take pause occasionally) even in this less than optimal setting.

Maybe someday I'll build some nice K-Horn cabs for them and roll the drivers, but they certainly are just fine as they are right now too. :thmbsp:

 

[barrynsue]

I stumbled upon a pair of Heresy speakers at the local thrift. The guy would post big prices on the 80's-90's speakers that were worth little. He had a nice pair of the Heresy's come in and priced them @ $20.00.

That was the beginning but have since owned Cornwalls, La Scala's, nad Khorns, the latter of which I kept as I had the room and was drawn in by the music produced through them.

While I have had many of the best vintage speakers, I stick with the Khorns. The sound is what I expect and is pleasant to my ears.

Barry

 

[Coytee]

Year was about 1978. I walked into Carlon Audio in Fairfield Ohio. I was 18 at the time.

saw Khorns over the way and was fascenated at not only what they looked like and how they sounded but also...how in the WORLD did they work??? I had never seen a speaker with no drivers in the front :scratch2:

Heading off to college, I knew those weren't for me...(also I was a poor teenager). I saw the LaScalas on another wall with some Heresy's sitting on top of them.

I said I wanted to hear those and he turned it up....loud. I was pretty floored at what I heard but my friend and I could NOT get over how LITTLE bass was coming from that huge box (LaScala).

My face must of said it all... I turned to Jeff (the Salesman who's name I still remember) and it was freaking beet red. He punched another button on his control panel and finally turned the LaScalas on.... He was playing his dirty little trick on me and was playing the Heresy's even though I pointed to the LaScalas.

My friend & I were floored...walked out and I patted the LaScala on the head muttering to my friend..."some day....." I bought them a year later in 1979 and own them to this day.

My wife thinks all these huge speaker boxes are 'teenager speakers'

 

[thedruid]

I was stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA about 1978 and lived in Tacoma. Directly across the street was a stereo shop with a high-end listening room. I used to spend a lot of time there listening to Klipschorns driven by Crown tube amps and dreaming of the day I might own a pair. Of course, being a young enlisted man with a wife and two young children living in an apartment and never knowing where I might move next made this a pipe dream.

Flash forward to 1980 and I'm single and stationed in Germany. Directly behind my living quarters was the base audio club. I went browsing there and saw my first Heresy's. They went home with me that day. There were two other guys sharing an eight man room with me. One guy had his gear set up already. A nice Technics system driving a pair of Bose 901's. He was leaving in a couple weeks so I set my system up in anticipation. I dropped the stylus on an album and cranked the volume up slightly. Before the side was through he was packing his Bose for shipment.

Those Heresy's are sitting in the living room now and sound as nice as the day I first heard them. I had to replace one tweeter after they were shipped to the USA and that's all I've done to them. Perhaps one day I'll do the x-over upgrade but I like to go by the old rule of, "If it ain't broke......"

 

[hammertop]

Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa, Wi. 1974, all top end MAC, Polk, B&O, Klispch, Crown, ect......
Could'nt afford "Ks", Wife (at the time) did'nt like scalas, got the corns, still are my main 2 channel speakers. Room freindly. Although, its only been 33years.
Enjoy!

 

[Andyman]

Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa, Wi. 1974, all top end MAC, Polk, B&O, Klispch, Crown, ect......
Could'nt afford "Ks", Wife (at the time) did'nt like scalas, got the corns, still are my main 2 channel speakers. Room freindly. Although, its only been 33years.
Enjoy!

Yep, good old Flanner and Hafsoos.
I still remember hearing something on K-Horns and a Dbx 3BX out there as being magic.
Those were the days.............

 

[Brian]

A customer traded in a pair of Cornwalls and I decided to try them against my other speakers at home. They did not go back to the store and when I sold the business they were part of the deal. I now have a set of Heresy IIs and have no physical room for a set of Cornwalls but I do miss them, one of the few audio components I regret selling.

 

[snowdownunder]

I was going for an extended run on my motorbike; an old mate of mine insisted that I visit a friend of his who lived in the hills overlooking the east coast of Australia. He took us in for the night, after dinner I asked him if he had a stereo, he looked at his wife with a bit of a grin, I was sitting in-between a pair of Belle's, he had a phase Liner power amp which had a couple of VU meters on it. I was blown away, I was 18, I was impressed and it was all on vinyl. I headed back there about 6 months latter and took some of my own records. I couldn't believe what I was missing. A few years latter he got an ME pre & power amp, can't remember the model but it was a 100 watt'a, talk about power. But I also remember listening to the Belle's at a low volume, what detail.

So I knew that there were Klipsch speakers and that was it, no internet for me back then. So when I got a bit older about 23 I had spent some money on hi-fi items but I didn’t have the same impact as the Belle's.

My now wife, then girlfriend was away with work and I happened to buy a trading post and there was a set of La-scalas for sale not to far away, so I went and had a listen, and purchased them. Still have them today and the same girl. The La-scala's are now fitted with ES networks and I use a custom made 300b Valve amp. They're bad news for house work, I keep stopping to listen. They still get me going to answer the door or phone at times; I do love my La-scalas and have only see and heard another 2 sets.

I ended up buying the Belle's but the cabinets were knocked about, I sold them to a mate who done a perfect job on the cabinets and I still get to have a listen about once a year.

I’d love to listen to some of the other Klipsch heritage speakers but they're a bit rare down here, I may have to make a trip to the states at sometime in my life.

snow

 

[fotno]

Thanks for stepping up guys... I'll take my swing at this.

This story is colored with nostalgia so forgive me for inaccuracies...

In junior high ('77-'78) a time in my life when my exposure to hi-fi was limited to my Mom's B3/Leslie combo, and the various console stereos that I had heard, I became friends with kid who kept asking me to come over and hear his stereo.

I accepted, and he ushered me into his room where he had crammed both open corners full of Klipschorns! Turns out his brother had worked for Klipsch after leaving the USAF, and built himself four (FOUR!) Klipschorns while he was there. He later moved into a smaller house and loaned two of them to his younger brother, as he didn't have room for all four. They weren't the prettiest things (plain ply, no veneer), and looking back now his source gear and amplification wasn't great; but I can remember sitting there stunned, hearing detail that I had never heard before, in songs I knew by heart.

So I guess my Klipsch story is two-fold, as that experience began not only my appreciation for Klipsch, but my love and pursuit of better audio gear.

 

[silversport]

...growing up in the '60's...our house didn't have stereos everywhere and a TV in every room like today ...in fact if you listened to radio you had a transistor handheld or usually a Tube'd tabletop...Dad had the "Hi Fi" in the basement and it was a monaural that played though one speaker...Dad, listened to a lot of Marching Band stuff (he had been in the Army since 1944) and always talked about Klipsch (Klipschorns specifically...which sounded like a funny name to this 'lil boy...)
I bought my first "nice" stereo as I was entering college wanted Klipsch but I just couldn't swing the cash but a few years after college when all the bills were paid, my older brother asked me to help him decide on stereo equipment...he wanted Klipsch like Dad had talked about and picked Klipsch Heresy II...I loved 'em but they were still too rich for me but I heard kg2s and kg4s as well as the Heritage (they weren't called that then) up to Klipschorns at HiFi Hutch in Villa Park (probably saw Tom Brennan there a time or two and just didn't know it)...I picked the kg2s...
Several years ago when I decided to finally go "Home Theater" after several false starts I found the Klipsch Forum and while asking for information about the new Synergy line at Best Buy...I had someone rekindle the desire for Heritage and the Heresys I always wanted...then it was another pair...then a Center channel...then upgrade...then a deal on what turned out to be a pair of Klipschorn cabinets as the innards were pretty abused...I bought the "upgrade" kit from Klipsch and all new drivers and my 1983 vintage "C" Klipschorns became 2004 AK-4 models...
I found you all here and along with Klipsch, I returned to Tubes too (Thanks Craig and JMA) picking up an EICO HF81 as well and mating them to Klipsch Quartets...now I have music in every room playing through Klipsch including my computer and television...even the one without Home Theater attached...
Bill