Good, Affordable Horns?

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.

Lonestarblues reminded me that I have heard one good Klipsch/SS combination where the synergy was good: A pair of KHorns with an SS McIntosh amp (can't recall which)...so I do believe it can work, but synergy is critical, and if you go wrong with SS the sound can drive you out of the room looking for the Advil (which seems to be Krellm7's experience of them). They are much more tube-friendly, than with SS amps. I've heard Carver stuff, but never really thought they sounded remotely like tubes in the various systems I've heard them in. I haven't heard your system, of course. I'd strongly disagree with Lonestarblues' opinion that there might be no lack of bass using LaScalas. In my experience with them, which is is pretty extensive (two pairs, many modifications and comparisons, many different amps, various sized rooms), no matter what you do, short of adding a sub, those speakers will drop off sharply around 50hz or just below. You can squeeze a bit more out of them via room placement (corners), but neither system components nor driver replacement will get you much lower. If that's as low as you like your bass to go, then I guess there'd be no lack of bass. Don't get me wrong, I love the Scalas. Their magic midrange does make up for any lacking downstairs. But if you compare them to KlipschHorns (in corners) or Cornwalls you will see just how much bass they are missing. I don't think they do bass "badly", but if you are counting on real-world bass I would look to other choices.

You are talking about Klipschorns I am talking about Klipsch in general. The heritage series is constructed a little better than all of there other stuff.

OK, they ring or resonate like a thin piece of wood, not a bell. They are still in production because people still buy them. People still buy them because they still like them & they bring back that sound people heard as a kid.

Klipschorns can sound very good in the right room with the right equipment, and as long as you have good corners and proper distance between them.

I can think of a few electronics that people still rebuild or you can still by as new that are 50-60+ years old. Dynaco, McIntosh, Eico...ect

Speakers, JBL, Klipsch, Altec...ect

Jax2,

HAving lived with Carver tube simulation technology for many years alongside the solid state, I'd say that it effectively "takes the edge off" the sound, or smooths it out dynamically perhaps as tubes might. It would probably help with horns, but I suspect I'd feel like I'd still be missing something much more enjoyable.