Good, Affordable Horns?

i get bored with my hi fi stuff all the time....i do like the klipsch cornwalls and heresys, but i know those ohms have that magic balance that many agoners have yet to find, regardless of speaker type or cost.

The Ohms are a great value. They do tend to take somewhat of a bashing on this site though. Many purists who know the history of this line can't get over the fact the current CLS drivers used aren't as sexy as the older, problematic Walsh drivers and have to be hidden in a metal can because they are ugly otherwise.

I do tend to listen to speakers, not look at them. Those JAdis Eurythmies are so cool looking though!!! I think I like the distinctive looks of horn speakers and as a speaker affectionado, I want to have a pair to look at almost as much as to listen to. For example, I would love to have an old Victrola just because of what it represents from an audio engineering sense even though the technology is antiquated in a sound quality sense.

Anyone want to sell me a pair of Eurythmies in my price range?????

Well OK, if you are comparing the Klipsch cabinet quality with new Polks, Bose, KLH then yes they have good cabinet construction. If you compare them to B&W, NHT, Dynaudio ect..then they are built rather poorly.

As a matter of fact, no, I was not comparing the Klipsch cabinets to any of those speakers you mention. I did not comment on the cabinet 'quality' at all, except to say that they could benefit from some additional internal bracing. I also questioned how a wood cabinet could 'ring like a bell', as you suggested. More importantly, regarding the Klipsch speakers, what I said was that the horns that are being used in the Klipsch Heritage line do not depend at all upon the cabinets for any aspect of how they perform (other than being held in position). The midhorn and tweeter would sound the same whether or not they were held inside a cabinet, or supported firmly in space by a simple stand. The folded horn and bass drivers are the only aspect of the performance of those speakers that would be effected by cabinet 'quality'. If you are referring to visual and aesthetic 'quality' I agree with you completely: there are many other speakers that are built and finished better and are more pleasing to most folks in comparison to the rather utilitarian (deliberately so) look of the Klipsch Heritage speakers. As far as how they sound, it's largely a matter of synergy and personal tastes. The bass response could be improved upon by better bracing and more solid cabinets. Most of the magic of the horn speakers are in that midrange though.

It does not surprise me one bit that there are those who do not like how they sound, nor does it surprise me that there are just as many who do. I would say the same thing about any speaker or component. You'll always find someone who likes it and someone who doesn't.

The Klipschorn was designed back in 1945

And it is still in production! Continuously....for over 60 years! Why, I wonder? How many other speakers can claim that longevity? I can't think of any others, can you? I can't really think of any electronic product that can make that claim. We've come a long way since then, yet a 60 year-old design can still wow quite a few very serious music lovers. It ain't perfect..plenty to improve upon, but a damn find foundation IMO. If there were one perfect speaker, wouldn't all of us agree and covet the exact same thing?

Marco

I am a major league Klipsch Heritage fan as I own3 pair. 1981 Cornwalls, 1983 Cornwalls & 1989 Industrial La Scalas. One key in my opinion to improving the sonics of Klipsch Heritage speakers are installing new after market crossovers. I have 3 pair of DeanG(Klipsch Forum) crossovers.Type B in the 1981 Cornwalls using Auricaps. Type B in the 1983 Cornwalls using Jensen Aluminum PIOcaps. And type A using Jenesen Aluminum PIO caps in the 1989 Industrial La Scalas. Bob Crites & Al K also make aftermarket crossovers for Klipsch Heritage speakers.I realize that Klipsch Heritage speakers are not eveyone's cup of tea and like their sonic flavor.I use both SET amps & solid state amps with my Klipsch Heritage speakers. Welborne Labs Moondog 2A3 SET amps with the 1981 Cornwalls. deHavillandAries 845 SET amps with the 1983 Cornwalls. I have to disagree about the use of solid state amps with Klipsch Heritage speakers. In my opinion, using the right sonic flavor of SS amp will mate very well with Klipsch Heritage speakers. Mcintosh autoformer SS amps sound excellent with Klipsch Heritage speakers. I have a Mcintosh MC 7150 amp and have used it with my Cornwalls.I use a Llano Phoenix CAS 300/VA2 Mosfet SS/Tube Hybrid amp on my 1989 Industrial La Scalas. The separate VA2 voltage amp uses either 6N7, 6SL7 or 12SN7 tubes. Have a pair of 12SX7 tubes in the VA2. I have a George Wright AU1000 12BH7 tube preamp with the Llano amp. The Wright AU100 preamp has tone controls like my Mcintosh C38 preamp which I like. My other two preamps are purist-no tone controls-Welborne Labs Reveille 6SN7 tube preamp & deHavilland Verve 6SN7 tube preamp.I am a music lover and the Llano/Wright combo sounds excellent to my ears. I am not an audio purist and I do use the tone controls on the Wright preamp to my liking. Some people do complain about the lack of bass in La Scalas. There is no lack of bass with with this combo.Excellent dynamics with glorious midrange.

Seriously, the appeal of a horn loaded speaker to me are those things that make them distinct and unique, ie the design and nature of the midrange. I don't necessarily need a pair of horns that best my Ohms or other speakers, as long as they do not do the other things badly and infringe upon the strengths.