Since I posted my original review of the Klipschorns there was a reorganization of the Audio Review web site and the review disappeared. I just received an e-mail from someone referring to it and now realizing that it is back up again, I feel that I should update it. As I stated in the original review, I have driven these speakers with a number of different combinations of Solid State/Solid State and Tube/Solid State combinations but, I kept hearing about how great Tube amps especially Single Ended Triode sounded with these speakers. Fortunately I had the chance to audition a KR Enterprise 18 BSI, an 18 wpc Swiss/Czech integrated amp using KR 32B output tubes and designed by Dr. Riccardo Kron who along with tube specialists from the former Tesla factory bought and carried through improving the tube designs of Alesa Vaic.
The difference and improvement in the sound that I am getting out of the Klipschorns now is nothing short of amazing. The mid range-upper midrange is superbly detailed and smooth. The bass sounds like real bass, not exaggerated or overblown, but quick and harmonically correct. Speaking of harmonics the upper treble is exceptional and seems to go on forever when the harmonic overtones are present. When listening you get drawn into the Music not the sound. People who have heard my system and the Khorns many times over the years thought the sound was so much improved that these couldn't possibly be the same speakers! I in turn could never have thought that electronics could in any way make THAT great a difference.
What it all comes down to is that these speakers are totally reflective and critically so of what is fed into them and the MATCH of speaker attributes and electronics is critical.
If you have these or any similar (high efficiency) speakers, try and give tubes, especially single ended triode, a chance to see if they can do for you what they have done for me. It took me nearly 20 years to find the proper match for these speakers and I regret the time wasted and wonderful listening lost.

I have a pair of Klipschorns originally owned by the west coast factory rep. for Klipsch. They have custom factory-installed african zebrawood vaneer. I rebuilt the corners in my living room especially to maximize the potential of the amazing K-horn woofers. The accuracy and room shaking ability of these woofers is outstanding. I am addicted to the quality of bass response in my speakers and I can't stand to listen to the "dog barking" in the subwoofers that I hear in the stores. I'm not saying the K-horns reproduce bass below 40-50 hz like a sub. I am saying that all the subs I've heard are highly inaccurate and highly distorted. I find them highly annoying too. I hear arguments to the effect that the K-horn is too big. I respond by asking if they are therefore too good? They're big for a reason! They're size translates into efficiency, and efficiency translates into very low distortion, outstanding accuracy, and unbeatable dynamic range. What more do you want? Are you more concerned about appearance and furniture than you are about musical fidelity. In truth, the most expensive speakers available today are 5 times the size of the K-horn. And 10 times the price. Also, I much prefer to stick the K-horn in a corner where its out of the way, than to have some "dog house" in the middle of the room with snake-like cables to trip over on the floor.

A great speaker first introduced in the late 40s.I have had several classA and B speakers of late put none come close to the K-Horns. The emotional
impact of 104db sensitivity HAS to be heard to be appreciated.I bought mine
mint (89) for $1800.00. These were current but older ones are easy to update
w/o shipping back. I drive them with ARC Classic 120s which are over kill as
10ws is plenty. The factory will send out "The Dope from Hope" over the past 30
30 years for those who wish to track the history. They really make you think
about the Bose fans and what in the world are they thinking-here is a
speaker that really does fill up the room in more ways than one !!
Those with no corners should listen to the Belle or La Scala which have
the same sensitivity and drive selection. Can not speak high enough about
these both as to construction and sound quality.

25 years in the business and I still don't like the term audiophile. I simply like music (preferrably live music) and I just ordered another (owned a pair years ago) pair. These come closer to a live performance than any of the 20 or so pairs of speakers I've owned over the years. Finally...my last pair of speakers. For those so-called audiophiles who feel that horns are harsh I suggest buying a pair and finding a way to hide them so you can't SEE what you are listening to. Then get the wax out of your ears and crank em up. Live music is loud.

Few speakers have ever made me drop my jaw with fascination (actually, only two have). The first was the Magnepan M20 Magneplanar speakers. The second was the Klipschorn.
Never have I heard such up-front, bold, effortless sound quality from a speaker (with the Magnepan exception). The efficiency, construction quality, and appearance are nothing to thumb your nose at, either. I sometimes wonder why people worldwide settle for "boomboxes," shelf ystem," and "rack systems." Once your hear what MUSIC atually sounds like, those honking pieces of crap make your toes curl.

I cannot give enough praise to Klipsch for manufacturing such a high-quality product. Too bad five stars is the limit.

MD? Do you always WEAR your title? Man! An MD. WOW! I am impressed with such an accomplishment (if in fact you're telling the truth, which is obviously not the case). How does it feel to be of a higher standard than all us other peons? We are merely AUDIO ENTHUSIASTS OR CASUAL LISTENERS, for the most part. The AUDIOPHILES have something in common with you. ALL of them think they know what they're writing about without regard for others' opinions. They are quick to pass judgement on a speaker or receiver, even quicker to write about what it is they have that is superior (of course whatever it is they have or can afford is the best - at that particular time, anyway) and quicker still to point out the perceived faults they have identified in the equipment owned by someone else or equipment they cannot afford (this is usually the case).
How are they similar to you, Dr? Simple! They are full of themselves (usually called S _ _ T) with the need to display a "title". In your case, you probably have a M.A. and are working on your thesis, as I write, in some Godforsaken (sp?)subject like "ANCIENT ART and ARTISTS of CZECHOSLAVAKIAN HERITAGE LIVING IN ROME DURING THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR OF 1898"! Very interesting subject, you buffoon. Note the "audiophile" always is sure to label himself/herself just that. They immediately write about ridiculous aspects of A/V quality. They ALWAYS seem to find a speaker "too bright" - whatever the hell that means - and a receiver that is "not as good as what I have, so I'll stick to it". They love telling us what it is they have by including the brand names of what they own when comparing two "HYPOTHETICAL" A/V scenarios! Who the hell cares what these audiophiles think?

I have owned nothing but klipsch for 20 years. As a matter of fact I only became interested in high fidelity because a friend introduced me to Klipsch. After owning corner horns for 10 years they still are the only speaker I have heard that does anything for me. And I have taken my audiophile CDs down to the local high end store and listened to the $50,000 plus speakers like Wilson Audio & Genesis, and B&W, Thiel, etc., etc., and listened to those outrageously priced speakers through outrageously priced electonics and they still don't do goose bumps like klipsch corner horns driven by modestly priced quality components like my $500 modified B&K 100 watt amplifier. I do agree that properly mating these speakers with honest quality electronics (not necessarily expensive) will give you life like performance without fatigue. I am yet to here a piano cut on any other speaker that sounds like a piano. Everything else sounds small, non dimensional and electronic. I personally have had no problem with imaging, sound depth, megaphone sounding, harsh (with the exception of poor electronics), or any other supposed weakness that the so called expert critics have been pointing out for years. These speakers are not perfect but the closest thing to perfection I have heard and as I mentioned earlier I have listened to the most raved about speakers of the decade. And frankly I could give a rats butt whether it did this or that because the most important thing which most of these so called experts miss is whether it moves you emotionally, causes you to tap your foot, and yes gives you goose bumps because that is what music is about. Music is an emotional experience not an analytical evaluation, and no one understands that most important principle better than klipsch. Obviously the critics don't. If you are honest you cannot find a more overall involving speaker on the planet.

I could not agree more with Dan's review. I however came to Klipsch kicking and screaming! I was a guy who'd owned a pair of Vandersteen 3As, three different pair of Magneplanars, etc., etc. Typically, in the audio snob circle I hung out with, one proved his "audiophileness" by slamming Klipsch and horns in general. This changed after listening to the big cornerhorns driven with an old Dynaco tube amp.There were problems with several aspects of that system but it also had a tonal and spatial rightness.And a midrange I couldn't believe.I purchased a pair of new K-horns and currently use them with an Audio Research VT-60 tube amp, Audio Research LS-7 tube preamp and a Thorens TD3320MKIII turntable with Ortofon X5MC. This is an amazing system and simply sounds like live music. If you want female vocals that have a presence to the extent that they drop in your lap, this is your speak. If, like me, you lust after Tori Amos, this speak allows you to get her in the room! Want a realistic reproduction of a drum kit or a bass guitar? This is the speaker that comes closest. (Try the Sheffield Drum Albumn for a verification of this).
I agree that these speakers are not perfect. As they come from the factory they can be upgraded and improved (the x-over still uses an elliptical filter (EF) that the current tweeter doesn't need, and the EF rings like crazy causing vocalists to spit "S" sounds. If you have a K-horn with an AK3 balancing network, cut either of the leads going to the black cap nearest the front-grille side of the cabinet)And not matter what generation of K-horn you own, stuff your high horn section with as much polyfill as they'll take.
Having said that, I will not own another speaker. Paul Klisch is a genius and an American Hero. As he is fond of saying, K-horns will be out of date only when the laws of physics change the length of bass waves (My paraphrase).
And as Dan alluded to, the big dollar speakers may boost your ego but they do not convey the impact of live music near what the K-horns are cabable of. And because the K-horns are so efficient and use such a simple x-over simple amplifiers can be used. Simpler in audio translates to better as a general rule and very much so in the case of the K-horn!
One caveat: Well recorded analog music on my system is pure magic, it really sings and transcends the equipment reproducing it. Digital on the other hand, in the very best case, is tolerable and in the worst, unlistenable! (I own a Pioneer Elite cd player.)
It is simply a crime that these speaks are not, at least in the realm of the audiophool intelligencia--read STEREOBILE, the standard by which all others are judged. Then again, with the bar raised that high, few others are capable of even entering the arena...

Re Klipschorns.Have owned K-Horns since 1969 and have purchased my second set with a matching Belle Klipsch as a center channel in 1994.These speakers are set up in a dedicated listening room designed according to recommendations set forth by F.A Everest in his Master Handbook of Acoustics.The advantages of a center channel are clearly stated in publications of Klipsch,Steinberg and Snow.For those of us that attend live concerts,a 3 channel K Horn system is one of very few speaker systems that comes close in recreating the real event.Their dynamic range,effortless sound reproduction,lack of distortion and realistic bass are awsome!These speakers will ruthlessly expose colorations, noise,distortions in associated electronic equipment!They clearly delinate differences in recording locales and digital vs. analog sources.For those who have been fortunate to own K-Horns-a bargain-should pay tribute to the genius of Paul Klipsch who has given us so many hours of great listening pleasures!

I have been an avid Klipsch fan since first hearing K-horns in 1970. In 1971 I purchased my first pair while attending college for Electrical Engineering.I wrote to Paul Klipsch to tell him how much I enjoyed the speakers, and he sent me a package of technical papers he had written throughout his lifetime.
I now have a 'pair' of vintage (1953/1954) Klipschorns with the wooden midrange horn, and Stephens woofers (I updated the tweeters). These speakers sound right... I have listened to many highly raited loudspeakers, but nothing I have heard can creat the dynamics of live music better than Klipschorns.
I have the speakers set up on the long wall with a bridged center, driven by single ended MOS-FET amplifier. At 8 watts, they can produce very high levels (input sensitivity is 104 dB!). I also like 2A3 SE tube amps, as well as vintage Marantz, such as 8b or 9's. They have a very complex impedance curve, which can make some less than stable amplifiers sound harsh. I agree with Manfred Albrecht that the best setup is a dedicated listening room of proper dimensions. These monsters are worth the trouble of setting them up properly, and choosing or constructing suitable electronics.
In summary... as close to audio nervana as I have heard.