Why not horns?

Go Altec pass up Klipsch. Why pay more for cheaper build poor design and lower performing transducers. To me Klipschs are responsible for much of the negatives tossed about by non horn owners. When folks not in the know think horn Klipsch is whats on there mind. When the uninformed think speaker Bose is on there mind. Sure a K horns far better than bose but the analogy holds true.

If you are thinking of Klipsch, it seems the older they are the better they are. But if the price is right, what the heck. They work OK next to the wall. I think I would go for Altecs first as well.

A few years ago I found a set of Electro Voice Regency 3s for cheap. They needed new wiring and new crossover controls. They are designed to use the corner of the room, that is, you put them all the way into the corner. If you don't do that they will not play bass as the cabinet and corner form a sort of horn. Anyway, I just set them up by the Snell Bs I had at the time. They were immediately more spacious, more dynamic. I expected the greater impact, but the increased resolution and depth of the soundstage floored me. Instruments hung in the air, expressed with great timbrel accuracy, delicacy where it was needed and power where needed as well. In short, played every aspect you wanted out of a speaker better than the Snells, except for the bass.

Since I was never able to put them in the corners, I never found out if that was still true when they were properly set up, but this experience let me know in spades that horns had something to offer.

My room is 12X12 with listening locations out of the typical sweet spot.

This has swayed me away from considering corner horns (Klipschorns mainly) in that room in that speaker locations cannot be tweaked and you generally want to listen from the sweet spot?

Although tucking a pair of big horns into the corners out of the way is the only way big horns would ever make it into my wifes room and even that might be a stretch.

Thanks for the advice.

I'll see what happens this weekend when the auction ends. I can pick up locally and not worry about shipping damage and if the price stays where I think it will, I will be tempted to test the waters perhaps. I'm sure I can find something to do with them. Its fun to experiment and play! I'm lucky I have several rooms wired for sound that I can work with as needed in order to get a good feel for a new pair of speakers.

Mapman - If you have the corners, K-horns would very possibly be welcomed by you wife because they will be out of the way with no wires running across the floor, they look like furniture with lots of wood and little grill, and they have a large flat space on top of each for knickknacks, etc. Learn how they work in the corners and shop for a deal. Sometimes a decent pair can be found for $2K or less and they will not depreciate if you maintain them properly.

If you see promise in them, there are many simple, cost effective mods available.
Because they are extremely efficient, the amplification options are many and small power amplifiers can be had for less money. If tubes aren't your thing, there are many interesting Class A SS amps to consider. I have a Rawson Aleph J Mini clone that sounds great with my horns. It cost me $275 from a guy at Audio Circle, as an example.

I too would choose Altec first but they are not so available as K-horns, and might not please your wife or resell as well. So, for your specific circumstances, I think the K-horns are a cool idea.