Klipsch Corner horns vs Altec lansing VOTT A7'S

[kevin]

Ok... Lets just say you were going to buy some more speakers..... Who has heard both of these and who likes what the best.... I heard the k- horns 35 years ago... I've always wanted a pair of em. When I found out Lee was busting light bulbs with them I got all excited again.... lol. My pal Sutton has the Altec's two min. up the road. Those thing are the loudest and cleanest I think I've ever heard. However.... If I had the altec's I would have to have alot more sub. Lee... I know you have the Crites drivers in yours. Do you use a sub ???? Now I know yall are going to get way over my head REAL fast.... So try and speak english.... lmao... I want some help here !!!!

 

[ksrigg]

Kevin......here is what I had written, but not posted after our hour long phone conversation about KHorns and VOTTs... We both are asking the same thing....


Hope there is some cool discussion....


Kevin and I have been on the phone for the last hour talking speakers. We both wanted to get the general feelings of the Phoenix community on speakers.

If you had $2,500.00 or $5,000.00 burning a hole in your pocket, would you buy a pair of Altec A-7's or a pair of Klipsch Kornerhorns?

I know there are a bunch of different versions of each speaker...416A.....515B.....woofer drivers 811.....511...horn 802....etc compression drivers......and on the other side, you have the Crites, B & O oiginal Klipsch drivers....then there are the crossovers...

I don't know what direction the siscussion will take, but Kevin and I just want to see what everyone thinks...Has anyone heard both speakers? Impressions?

I know the Khorns are designed with corner placement in mind. Is it mandatory? I love my Altecs, but I've never heard the Khorns, so it's really hard to dicuss for me...plus you have room size and wall and ceiling treatments...

Make it simple....what do you choose?

 

[Rex Everything]

Stick to the K-Horns........

 

[kevin]

LOL....Can't get off that easy Rex.... WHY ?

 

[ksrigg]

Rex........Have you heard both?

What are the pros and cons for each?

I'm concerned with the corner requirement. I'm guessing it is for bass loading....but if one has no corner where the speaker will be placed, how much will it diminish the bass response, or is there more to it than that?

How do the Heresay, Cornwall and other Klipsch speakers stack up? Any contenders for the Khorns within Klipsch's own line-up?

 

[laatsch55]

Not even close Sutton. The K's areb the King and have been since the day they were made. They can be very refined or as "IN YOUR FACE " as you want them to be. Skratch is stopping by on his way to Yellowstone in May. He's heard quite a few speakers in his day and I'm looking forward to see how the 'Horns stack up.
Kevin----no sub, would be redundant.

See the freq response on Kev's 700?? I had to TURN DOWN the bass on the tone controls, and who needs the CPR paddles when you can just flop in the sweet spot and have Shpongle do it??

BUT WAIT!! THERE'S MORE!!!! Right before PWK died he was working on a replacement for the K-Horn, called the Jubilee. Everything the K's are AND more. Instead of getting CPR at 20-25 feet away with the Jubes you get that at 50-75 feet away. Price??? A cool 18 grand, 1/2 up front the rest when they are done building them.

 

[ksrigg]

Does your offer to send a copy of the plans still stand? If so, I have a feeling that Kevin and I will be constructing two pairs of Khorns this summer. We have a mutual friend who is truly a Master Carpenter, and he has helped us in the past on the really tough stuff. If you can let us know the best source for the drivers and all the other components, I think we shall build them. And any recommendations from someone who has lived with them would be greatly appreciated. Kevin and I each have ONE corner so I think we can make them work...

I know you have a shi^load of stuff on your plate, so no hurry, and you could put the plans in with the other stuff I had asked about...I'll send some labels for UPS when you say the word..now I wish I had bought the pair of Crites that were on eBay a few months ago...

 

[laatsch55]

jani said she'd be more than happy to do that.

 

[kevin]

COOL !!! COOL!!! COOL !!!! Did'nt think you had a sub on those things. Looking forward to seeing the plans. They will be way over my head but as Sutton said..... We know who can build them !!!

 

[laatsch55]

I built mine in a basement with various squares and other geometric tools and a 7" skillsaw. Tedious, but not rocket surgery. Jani will get that done today.

 

[ksrigg]

Found a pair of name brand ones from 1985. What do you think they are worth in "very good" condition? Roughly how much $$ will it cost for materials to build a pair including drivers, crossover components, wood, etc..(rom scratch)

I've built pairs of speakers with a freaking square, a tape measure, and a Skillsaw...but now I have a nice tablesaw, router, circle jig, belt sander and all kinds of cool stuff. Still have to use paperbacked (sticky stuff already on the veneer) veneer as I do not have a vacuum tool or the bags...but the ready to stick shuff works GREAT...

Reason for $$ question is....I found a pair of the real McCoys kinda local and don't want to pass up a great deal...course I don't know what I'll need to replace in the real ones....Crites? or are original woofs good enough? new crossovers, or just replace some caps and coils?

 

[laatsch55]

!,776 for the horns, horn drivers, and tweets. 275 a pair for the woofs, the universal crossovers of Al's come in kit form or I canm send a copy of the assembly manual. He'll let you download the schematic at his site. Figure 4 sheets marine grade 1/2 " plywood and 1 sheet marine grade 3/4 " plywood. The crossovers were 450.00 in kit form for the pair.

2501.00 for out of pocket expense for everything buit the wood. The stock Klipsch drivers can't hold a candle.

 

[Rex Everything]

anywhere from $1k on up for K-horns. Anything under that and you already missed them

 

[laatsch55]

The pre 1975 K-33 woofs were the best. That's what the Crites are based on.

 

[ksrigg]

So do the plans have a parts list, or can you help steer Kevin and me to the source to obtain all the parts at the best costs...depending on what I find out tomorrow, I may try to buy the Klipschorns and replace the woofers and crossovers, etc. with the better parts...if the price is right...and assuming the horns and compression drivers are the RIGHT ones for the project...If this makes any sense....I may be able to buy the "real deal" and replace the woofer with Crites, and the crossovers with Al's.....or am I missing something? Say I could pick up the pair for $1,500-$2,000, would that make sense, or would they need to be at $1,000.00 a pair? Are the stock horns, compression drivers and tweets what you want to use, or do you want to go for something else?

I'm just trying to figure out what a pair of "stock" Khorns in average condition is worth to me...assuming I'm going to upgrade everything....

Does this make any sense?

 

[laatsch55]

Yep, perfect sense. the K-77 ndiaphrams are NLA, that's the stock tweet. Should have a K-55 horn driver for the mids. Not the best , but you can sell the original stuff on E-Bay and do pretty good, crossaovers too.
The 2" wood Trtactix horn, horn driver , tweet, and crossovers came from Al Klappenberger. The woofs from Bob Crites.

See, the plans. Headed your way in the morning.

 

[ksrigg]

Thank you so much Jani and Lee.

Looks like Kevin and I will be busy this summer. I just hope we can source everything needed to make these babies do their thing..

Are the Klipsch cabinets built to the same standard as the plans? Are they worth trying to buy? Or are you better off just building? I guess I'm asking if the original cabs are MDF or chipboard? 1/2" or 3/4 "? I just hate to let the opportunity to buy two pair of KHorns pass by, if there are usable and NLA components in them that we might have a hard time finding, or be paying through the nose for...

Or rather, maybe I tell this guy we want ONLY the horns, and cabs only, etc.....or tweeters and horns only....see what I mean?.

 

[Rex Everything]

There is a great JBL "buttcheek" upgrade for these also. The Klipsch forum is your friend

 

[laatsch55]

Sutton-[-[-----you can buy anything you need for them. The chooices are many and varied. What do they want for them???

 

[kevin]

LMAO... I'll say it Lee Sutton DAMNIT YOU HARD HEAD !!