I've read nothing but the best of reviews for the Klipsch horn loaded speaker range. I do not own one but teh last time I heard them (Belle) I was really impressed. They sounded effortles, involving, reallistic, they just sounded good. It is unfortunate that I cannot own them because these big speakers need room to breathe and here in Singapore the majority live in small flats unlike in the USA. If only Klipsch make smaller horn loaded speakers, wow.

I gave up on my klipschorns about a dozen years ago TO SAVE MY HEARING (switched to the much more demure and sophisticated Acoustat 3). I was younger then and listened to rock and thrash metal as a form of protest against Texas, the Air Force and conformity and had a wonderful time doing it. Mated it with a Sota Sapphire, a Klipsch moving-coil (made by the Koetsu people), a Perreaux 1150 amp (overkill for its use at the time) and a lowly Kenwood preamp that was left over from a rack system I bought at the base exchange. Oh yes, can't forget the DBX Dynamic Range Expander. It was probably the key element in this set-up. It gave me CD-like dynamics at the time when the 1st generation CD junk came out. Since I was listening to rock, I gave up on the soundstaging/imaging department. The sound coming from the system was a rocker's wet dream come true. It lacked the resolving power of finesse speakers, the top end extension of Stereo Review lore, and limited my listening to the aforementioned types of music and to any ensemble with, surprise, HORNS. I loved my Klipsches. It touched my soul. It made me listen to music every time I had spare time. I loved it so much, I ended up not buying a TV. But like any teen infatuation (even love), times and tastes change. But every now and then, I long for some of the magic that it made. For the sake of good ole times, here's to you- 5 stars.

I have no idea how Klipsch obtained such a positive rating. They are even more over-rated than Bose. The Klipsch design philosophy was state-of-the-art 20 years ago, and the sound quality verifies this. Solid bass and high efficiency do not compensate for the obnoxious sound quality of the horns. They should be reserved for PA systems. Klipsch is a success in marketing not high fidelity. If you are considering Klipsch, do yourself a favor and keep looking, you can do much in this price range. 2 Stars is generous.

I have been in love with KHorns from the time I first heard them to the time I bought them. First heard them at a company no longer in business out here called ALCO, and bought them there in 1974, was just 2 years out of highschool. Still have them and they have become the L/R mains for my 5.1 theater, along withKV4 center channel, KTDS dipole sounds, and M&K MX700 sub, all powered by a Denon AVR5600, except the sub. I have friends with very highend audio, and frankly I can bring my self to consider the cost or most of the equipment. Although there are some cool toys. Of course I will stay silent about power cords over 100-bucks. Have been looking and I am working on some designs of my own, but Paul's higher end stuff kicks hinie. The only reason I own a sub is to help with surround detail, and lets face it 5.1 that .1 LFE gets down there 20hz. Your either horny or your not, and will not condem anyone that doesn't like horns.

I agree with Chuck, except that K-horns were state-of-the art more like 35 years ago. The K-horns do two things well: they play LOUD with little power and they reproduce bass transients well (because of their high efficiency). They have always sounded quite colored to me, with a distinct mid-range emphasis and top end roll-off. Their imaging is very poor. (not that anything else of that vintage, other than the KLH electrostatic and the Quad electrostatic, imaged much better) In fact, orginally Klipsch recommended a 3-speaker set up with K-horns (long before the days of home theater). The setup was a K-horn in each corner with a Klipsch "Cornwall" speaker in the center. The "Cornwall" was a 3-way horn loaded speaker that, unlike the K-horn, did not require corner placement. The center speaker was wired to recieve a summed L+R signal. The sole reason for this was so that the listener would hear some sort of stereo, as opposed to a separate left and right, image. I guess its all part of the nostalgia for SE tube amps and vinyl.

I'm in total agreement with Bruce. But the proposed center speaker was called the "Belle" .

First off all lets say that this are the best speakers i have ever heard !!Last 3 reviews got me really upset. I dont understand how can somebody define a $3600 speaker sound with the word "obnoxious"!?!?
Dont get me wrong not all $3600 speakers sound great but at that price range, were real high-end is hiding and i demand a little more complex words. And Yee is even better. Hahaha. I donno why did he even put his review. I bet he never actualy heard them (like Chuck also because anybody who compair this speakers with PA or he've never heard them or he is out of his mind !).

I donno why a lot of u guys are picking on horns ?!?! Sore they have their disadvantages but they also have a lot of advantages. I mean when u go to concert thats what u listen - a Horn. All their advantages can be used at home also. If a horn speaker is build properly the sound is incredible dinamic and fast (like no regular speaker can/will ever be), very neutral, lifevivid, and it literaly sucks u into the music making u forgot everything but it...
That is exacly how Klipshcorn are!
104 dB sensitivity doesnt mean only loudness. It means very fast transient response, lack of distorsion & unlimited dynamics.
In my room (6.5 x 4 metars) there isnt any problems with imaging. Sound stage is very wide and depth as well as properly setuped.
U have to have hard walls/flour to get the proper bass responce.
When we are on the bass subject lets just say that he is going pretty deep and has excellent definition.
The best bass guitar reproduction i've ever heard was on this speaker.
Drum has excelent atack & weight. U can very easly distinguish space between them what is really important for more agressive music like r&r were fast drums are very often.
If i hold my eyes closed (my recomendation because they are pretty ugly) i really feel like i'm on a live concert.
I could speak about this speakers for days but i'm not going to.
I dont mind bad revies about this them (yes i do! ;) but i wont to see some explanations, some arguments not just they sound obnoxious (sorry for picking on u all the times Chuck. Cheers!).
Thats all i'm going to say.

If u have that kind of money i recommend u from all my heart that u listen to this beautifull pair of speakers !!!!

When I first saw the Klipschorns I scoffed, thinking "where in the world does the bass come from in these things?" I dismissed them without even hearing them. Later, when I was finally ready to put together a dream system, I went to an audio store that carried the Klipsch line, heard the Klipschorns, and that was that. I bought my pair in 1988, and now they are part of my 5.1 theater, along with the 15" Klipsch sub and the smallest Klipsch bookshelf speakers for the surround. When I want to turn my home theater area into a dance floor for my friends, I add a pair of big Cerwin Vegas with 15" woofers at the other end of the room and we rock the house!
One very important thing that I haven't seen mentioned in the other reviews: Klipsch is one of the few companies these days who, for my money, is totally dedicated to customer service. A few years after I bought my K-horns the veneer on the top of one of the cabinets developed a crack. I contacted the company, and in checking their records they found that my speakers were part of a run that had probems with the veneer. The company *paid* to have my speakers sent back to them, and they sent me a brand new pair that had been personnally inspected by their chief engineer! Not only do they build reference quality products; they stand behind them, as well. Now, I need to start saving for those new Klipschorn Jubilees ($12,000) that are coming out! :>)

I'm surprised that the K-Horns do not get more positive press for home theatre arrangements. I have a 20 year old pair for the frint of my 5.1 system, along with a Klipsch center speaker and a couple of Van Sweiker's for the back (plus, of course, a 15" Velodyne subwoofer. Is this a system that I'd listen to string quartets on? Probably not. But for movies, I'd put this system (which, by the way can be driven by about 30 watts per channel) against any custom $50,000 job. Now, all I'd like to do is add another pair of K-Horns for the rear surround speakers and let Top Gun roll!

I spent an afternoon at a local high end dealer listening to a pair of K-horns (I'd guess 60's vintage, in excellent condition) that I really wanted to like (and buy). The room was about 18' by 20' with a 10' ceiling, treated with sound absorbing panels here and there. The ancillary equipment was very good - Audio Research CD and pre-amp, McCormack power amp.
What I heard really surprised me, and went against all my preconceptions of what the speaker would be like. The first thing that bowled me over was a big, fat bloated low end that dominated everything I played (popular, classic, jazz, rock...). The K-horns go low, but because of their corner location, they excite every conceivable mode in the room, and in most listening spots, the low end sounded loose and resonant and one-note. Then I discovered that as I moved around the room, the sound changed dramatically. The closer to the front wall I was, the less the bass. At the point where I was directly on axis of both speakers, the balance was much better, but I was only 9 feet from the front wall, less than half the room depth - not a useable listening position in a normal room. Any farther back and the balance went very bass heavy (the bass came up and the highs rolled off).

I was impressed at how smooth the mids and highs were (I was expecting an aggressive, "honky" sound that I have heard in other horn systems - none of that here!), when you are on-axis (again, off axis the highs roll off rapidly). And I was impressed at the sheer energy the K-horns can launch into a room. A New Orleans Mardi Gras band sounded practically real, the dynamics were so good. Vocals were clear and tonally fairly accurate (if you could hear past that woody, resonant low end). I heard subtle textures to sounds I haven't heard before on recordings that are very familiar to me. But spacially everything was really really BIG. The whole room filled with sound from really BIG sources. BIG voices, BIG guitars, BIG everything. Imaging - not that I could hear. Localization - left-to-right was okay, but front-to-back was non-existent. And that fat, bloated low end pervaded everything. Man, that low end...

Compared to their peers when these speakers were new, I can see why the K-horns were so well regarded. I grew up with ElectroVoice corner horns from the same period that sounded thin and lifeless in comparison. The K-horns project real dynamics effortlessly into a room. The mids and highs are really quite good. And they retain that retro-chic style that says "who cares what year it is!" But man, that low end....

Still, for all their faults, I thought the K-horns are better than many current speakers I have listened to. They have more life and fewer mid/high nasties than most. They are truly fun. But man, that low end...