The latest incarnation in an ever-changing array of equipment. The Majestics are the finest speakers I have ever owned (and I've owned PLENTY!) Detailed with the purest, most natural bass I've ever experienced. These are not dynamic like the big Wilsons, but they produce harmonics and textures like no cone speaker can, especially when driven by the Levinson electronics. The big Lev #33s are still the finest amps I have used (this is my 2nd pair) and do not leave me missing tube amps. The Lev. #40 is a wonderful 2-channel preamp, though I am wasting most of its considerable abilities in a mere 2-channel system. The DACS in the 40 are world-class, and sound heavenly mated to the Lev 31.5 transport. VPI's HRX is easy to use and absolute world-class! Analog rules!! I will be selling the 40 to go back to a pure 2-channel pre. My room is 21 x 18 with 11.5' ceilings and is treated with bass traps and panels. I am very happy with the sound from this system, having recently sold an entire Mcintosh reference system, which was, iteslf, awesome, but a touch more "clinical" than the Levinson setup. Frankly, I could have (and should have!) lived with the Mac stuff forever, but the Levinson gear is just a little more textured and natural to my ears.
Bob, thanks for the lead. I have done quite a bit of reading on tweaks & ALK crossover and I'm quite anxious to try them out. I didn't ask the question properly though.....has anyone out there listened to the "new & improved Klipschorn 2002" vs. any older prior years with their ALK installed?
Bob, thanks for the lead. I have done quite a bit of reading on tweaks & ALK crossover and I'm quite anxious to try them out. I didn't ask the question properly though.....has anyone out there listened to the "new & improved Klipschorn 2002" vs. any older prior years with their ALK installed?
contact Audiogon membername = cylinderking_1 he has upgraded a pair of Lascala's with the ALK crossovers & other suggested tweaks & loves the improvements.
Jmslaw, have your ever had the opportunity to compare your new K-horns with a pair of older K-horns using Al Klappenberger's x-over? If not, anyone else had the chance to do this comparison? I bought Al's crossover's, but unfortunately my K-horns are sitting in storage in Altanta and I'm living in Pennsylvania waiting to buy a house someday.
Thanks for the specs. My speakers came without even a manual, much less a spec sheet. Whatever the changes made, I can tell you that these new Khorns are extraordinary speakers. I am extremely picky, having gone through MANY high end speakers over the past 5 years and feel that these are among the best available at ANY price. I have heard better staging, bass extension, even "airiness" of treble, but never a speaker that puts it all together so musically.
Congrats on your new KHorns! I imagine that the Mondial gang may have perceived the need for improved crossovers & internal wiring; perhaps they have even attacked the infamous resonance issues. I did all of that when I tweaked my vintage Belles (now only 25 years young, half of my age & still going strong) which are KHorns internally but without the corner shaped cabinet. Wish that they'd get that consumer model Jubilee out to market; I'd really like to hear what they've accomplished based upon your report.
No, they are the same size, but my wife loves them because they don't stick out into the room. Given their bulk, they are fairly unobtrusive. Bass is not a problem in these new Khorns. They don't go as low as some reference speakers, but I have no desire to add a sub.
The problem with the old Klipsch horns was that you had to have a correctly shaped room with two unused corners. They dominate most rooms. And, I never could get any real bass power despite their efficiency. Eventually I took out the factory speakers and replaced every thing with JBL professional speakers and horns (LE15A,75 & 075). The sound was awesome but the wife vetoed the massive corner furniture. Are the new K-horns any smaller?
I heard a pair of allegedly "new" Khorns being demo'ed, incidentally, with cj amplification -- but that was some time ago (5-6 months?)... also, this was a demo situation where set-up was obviously less than ideal. The sound, as I remember it there, was quite open, a bit forward in the lower mids that seemed to cover the bass. I was more struck by rich detail and tonal accuracy than the proverbial K horn"dynamics" I had expected to hear -- so maybe this is the same model?
BTW, your system has a few other drool-worthy items: those Jadis & the Audiomeca probably come in handy for producing musical sound too! Cheers
I am not referring to the Jubilee. That is a prototype which has yet to make it to commercial production, and it is doubtful it ever will. Klipsch has a Jubilee speaker in its "pro audio" line, designed for theaters, not a home environment, but that is not the Jubilee for which Klipsch afficianados have been longing. The speaker to which I refer is the classic Klipschorn which was redesigned and re-introduced only a few months ago. Apparently production of the Khorns ceased for a year or two while the engineers at Aragon (Klipsch purchased Mondial which makes Aragon) fiddled with the design. From what I understand, changes were made to the midrange horn and the crossover was modified. Klipsch has provided no information regarding the changes, but an engineer there told me they were significant. I can tell you from my own listening, that they are dramatic in their effect. The speaker looks exactly the same as it has for over 50 years, but the sound is much improved.
Are you guys talking about the Jubilee?! If so, indeed Paul designed it, but it I was under the impression that it is an entirely different speaker (certainly on the same scale), and not a redesign of the K'horn. Going to the Klipsch website the K-horn appears to be unchanged. Use the search engine on the site and type in "Jubilee" and see if that is what you are referring to?! Love to see what you are speaking of!
PS I own LaScala's and Heresy's (both vintage with the original metal drivers damped with Dynamat). Absolutely LOVE these speakers with tubes!! I've also owned two sets of Forte's in the past and those were great as well. Of the three, the LaScala sing the sweetest! All are tremendous bargains on the used market.
Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find a pair on display. Tweeter, for one, carries Klipsch speakers, but they do not even sell the Klipschorns. There is a dealer in Chicago who reportedly has a new pair on display. The problem is that these speakers are back-ordered at least 6 months, so every pair is already spoken for. I bought mine from Audio Classics in NY. I was fortunate that someone changed orders to a different finish, so I was able to purchase these without much wait. Klipsch has a FANTASTIC website that has, among many other things, a list of dealers and even a forum for Klipsch devotees to exchange ideas.
Actually, I owned the 8xs(triode version) for a few years before I sold them and replaced them with the pentode 8A. I recently borrowed a pair from a buddy, but the bias circuit on one of the amps needs replacement, so I haven't had a chance to A/B triode vs. pentode.
Yes, these new Khorns are a VERY special speaker. I used to own an older pair from the 70's and was never very impressed. They always did dynamics and were easy to drive, but they were opaque when compared to most good modern designs. I ordered the new Khorns after hearing about the changes (I have precious little info regarding the technical changes and Klipsch has provided NO information) I have always favored planar speakers and figured I would miss the transparency of my Maggies and Logans, but I must say that the new Khorns are damn near as airy as the Maggie ribbon tweeter, and the way they energize a room is something special. I very carefully A/B'd back and forth between them and ML Prodigys and ultimately settled on the Khorns. The Prodigys were probably more transparent and imaged more precisely, but there is something so musical about the Khorns that is hard to describe- You just have to experience them. Voices are extremely natural, and the bass is not boomy or muddy, just natural and very planar-like. If you listen to the Maggies, the bass is natural and harmonically right. The Khorns are similar in this respect, but with much more "ooomph". They don't image with the razor-sharp, incisive precision of the Logans, but the soundstage is HUGE!! Since they run from corner to corner, the staging may be exaggerated in its width, but I can live with this. Another interesting thing to note is how natural these speakers sound from outside the room. When listening from another room, they still sound amazingly lifelike. I have yet to experience this phenomenon from another speaker. At $7500 retail, these speakers are an incredible bargain and will last FOREVER! If Klipsch could just produce them with any speed, more music lovers could enjoy them as I do.
If you like the CJ amps you may wish to consider having them converted to triode mode. You lose half the power but you will still have waaaaaaaaay more than required for the Khorns and gain a lot of transparency and resolution. One of the nice things about high efficiency speakers is that it opens a lot of doors in the amplifier category. If cash is not a problem, pick up a used pair of SET amps and give them a try. Hang on to the CJ amps and sell the SET for what you paid if you prefer the CJ sound.
Very interesting. I owned Klispch La Scalas and Hereseys. I almost bought some K-horns, but never really had the right room for them. These were the originals when Paul Klipsch still owned the company. I thought the subsequent versions of the classic line were inferior and not by a small degree. I wound up replacing my Klispch speakers with Martin Logans. I always felt that Klipsch and Martin Logan were at the opposite ends of the poles. One favored dynamics the other imaging, transparency, and low level detail. One needed about 3 watts of power, the other --a bunch and bi-amping was almost necessary. At any rate, your comments tell me I need to listen to the new K-horns. It sounds from your comments it is not anything like the speaker it once was (it was always a very good speaker--but never had the transparency and air of any planar). One question I do have is how loud do you normally listen?
