Klipsch LaScala or Klipschorn

pavulon · 08-14-2007, 05:32 PM

Anyone here own any of the classic Klipsch loudspeakers such as LaScala or Klischorn? I own a craftsman style home and think that these may look right and (hopefully) sound very nice too.

msk1986911 · 08-14-2007, 05:38 PM

I have a set of old-school Heresys from around 1985 (well before Klipsch cannibalized the brand by going to the big box stores) , which I think are a pretty solid speaker. The cabinet work is really nice, which I would expect to be at least as nice, if not better, in their higher end speakers. The Heresys don't provide all that great of a sound stage, although the midrange punch is really nice. If I am not mistaken, the LaScala and the K-horn share the same midrange and tweeter

Rob Channell · 08-14-2007, 07:09 PM

Ya gonna go tube amps with them?

LeeH · 08-14-2007, 07:20 PM

A friend of mine had an older pair of K-horns. After owning them for a while he felt they were more about volume than quality sound.

I had a set of KG-4s that I loved. I sold them when we moved. Now I'm using a set of Polk SDA bookshelf speakers. These silly things cost $1800 when new. I bought them slightly scuffed from a Post Office salvage auction for $50!

kstar · 08-14-2007, 07:55 PM

I had a pair of K-horns for many years - excellent speakers that do play loud, but sound great at moderate levels as well. Powered them with a now extinct hybrid Tandberg amp. I held on to a pair of Heresys which still make great sound after over 20 years of use, three of those years in college.

The K-horns would certainly complement a craftsman style home, just make sure you have "free" corners at the right parts of the room. IIRC my K-horns were walnut and finished in a dark stain.

They hold their value pretty well too, FWIW.

Best,

Kurt

kstar · 08-14-2007, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msk1986911

. . .snip . . .

If I am not mistaken, the LaScala and the K-horn share the same midrange and tweeter

That's right. The "folded horn" bass is the difference!

Best,

Kurt

IROC · IROC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeH

A friend of mine had an older pair of K-horns. After owning them for a while he felt they were more about volume than quality sound.

I had a set of KG-4s that I loved. I sold them when we moved. Now I'm using a set of Polk SDA bookshelf speakers. These silly things cost $1800 when new. I bought them slightly scuffed from a Post Office salvage auction for $50!

I still have a set of KG4s. I love 'em. The first and only time I ever heard some K-horns was in 1978 or so. Amazing experience. I would love to have a pair if I had the room for them. I have read that there are "kits" to allow you to use K-horns without putting them in a corner. Does anyone know about these?

rouxroux · 08-15-2007, 04:12 AM

I used to sell Klipsch in the 70's. Had K-Horns with a Belle Klipsch as a center speaker. GREAT for rock & roll, as they were VERY efficient (I think you could drive them to "crush level" with a clock radio). Also I used 2 pair of LaScalas as PA mains (stacked, top pair inverted) in a rock band when we played small venues. If you could get past the "beamy" EV T-35, then you'd be OK. Great speakers "back in the day".

RoninLB · 08-15-2007, 06:01 AM

I heard K-horns at a high end audio studio.

they were hyptonic.

i proceeded to obtain K's Bell Telephone Labs work papers in the 1930s-1940s

my take for the corner horns is that you need a huge room. If i had a room 30' wide and deep i'd have a set.

carreraken · carreraken's Garage

My Heresy's are almost 30 years old - still sounds great.

pmajka · 08-15-2007, 09:39 AM

Craftsman Home?, well build your own!

I will post some pics of my speakers soon.

also, buddy of mine built a speaker array. Woah did that sound AWESOME. Port size was half the Cabinet.

Mule · 08-15-2007, 10:03 AM

Craftsman home? Put some late model stuff in the walls & enjoy much better quality.

Hetmann · 08-15-2007, 12:41 PM

Klipsch horns put out an incredibly large sound even at moderate volume. The drivers and crossovers are the same in the kHorn and LaScala. There is an enthusiast community for these speakers and you can get upgraded parts as well as plans to build your own.

My understanding is that the drivers are fairly mediocre, even for their time, but in combination sound quite pleasing. They are a big favorite of mine, but I don't have a proper room for them. I do have a set of Heresys.

911s55 · 08-15-2007, 01:55 PM

The biggest drawback of folded horn enclosures is the space rquired for the sound wave to be heard correctly. Close proximity listening under 10-15 feet doesn't do them justice. Klipshorns, nice big cabs, no space in my world, JBL L100's for me, much more efficient.

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

IMHO, Klipsch are great speakers with great history, but they are not for everyone. They are very efficient speakers that are treble heavy as you can imagine. Hardwood floors, bare walls, low flat ceilings can accentuate that to the point of pain at higher volumes. Many use Klipsch with tube amps to deliver a warmer sound for music. Home theater movies would be great with Klipsch.

You may want to test drive a few pairs before buying. In home testing would be even better.

My computer surround system is 2.1 Klipsch THX.

gtc · gtc's Garage

Just ran across this estate auction for a pair of K-Horns in Chicago. Looks like they might need a little work, but could be a good deal for someone local.

https://ctbids.com/#!/description/share/473080

Cajundaddy · Cajundaddy's Garage

K-horns need a large room (600+ sq ft) and good solid corner placement to get the most out of them. Done right they are capable of 120db with legit organ pedal bass down to 30hz. La Scalas cut off around 50hz I believe which is more deep bass than most of us really want or need. They are still somewhat placement critical but don't need as much room for low end development.

I like the sound a lot. They are time-aligned drivers with great imaging and loud as h*ll. I don't currently have a proper large room to enjoy them.

aschen · 07-13-2020, 04:42 PM

My buddy has an 80s pair of Khorns as well as a pair of larger dynaudio contours (slightly cheaper much smaller hi fi speakers) set up in the same room. The room is perfect for the klipsch and they are corner loaded to spec.

No contest to me how much better the dynaudios are than the Klipchhorns. They are cool and all and can play to insane volumes on small power but unless you have diminished high frequency hearing I'd take something more modern every time. Even if you need the SPL you can get higher end horn loaded modern speakers. I suppose they may work well in an extraordinarily dead acoustic environment. Punchyness is in the midbass is fantastic I will admit

908/930 · 908/930's Garage

I have been considering a set of k-horn's for a while, one snag is they sound better placed in the corners of the longer wall, this does not always work for room setup, and yes I think 600sq ft min, high quality class A amp or tubes. Both are not really accurate but they have horn character to them that some like others don't. The last time I listened to La Scala's was prob 12 years ago, less picky for room placement.

What music do you like to listen to?

plain fan · 07-13-2020, 06:01 PM

I highly recommend that you audition them first before buying them. I heard them at RMAF last year in a hotel room and they as stated, they play very loud and are very efficient. Horn drivers aren't for everyone or every room. All that said, the sound of a horn driver really isn't my thing.