The 2015 Klipsch design is great value

So, where did you find them for $1K a pair?

Everywhere I found they were $1350.

"The main issue is the lack of dispersion at only 90x90 degrees."

So what do you think a 1" dome tweeter is at 16Khz? (try about 60°) Properly designed horns beat cones and domes every time, especially when it comes to power response.

" Also, I don't believe it's anywhere near 98db efficient in real usage, more like 94/5db."

It's not 98dB, Klipsch adds 3dB~4dB for room gain, and then it's really 4Ω at midband where the most program material is, so it's really 91dB~92dB/W (referenced to its actual impedance, especially with a tube amp).

I really like the way the marketing department can get away with calling a horn that is round, with what appears to be straight sides, in the most important parts of its expansion, and then call it "Hybrid Cross-Section Tractrix Horn"

"Dual spun copper Cerametallic woofers"

GMAFB, they're color anodised aluminum.

"The compressed molded rubber construction adds high-frequency damping to reduce harshness and improve detail."

That should be better than the cheap plastic they currently use in most of their line (if they have done the compressed rubber correctly).

At
HEIGHT: 43.06" (109.4 cm)
WIDTH: 10.55" (26.8 cm)
DEPTH: 18.32" (46.5 cm)
that's about 3.5 cu ft internal, not allowing for the displacement of the horn, drivers, port, bracing, etc.

A 2 cu ft 2nd order sealed box with an F3 of 30hz can only be 0.18% efficient (84.55dB).
A 2 cu ft 4th order vented box with an F3 of 30hz can only be 0.36% efficient (87.56dB).
A 2 cu ft 6th order vented box with an F3 of 30hz can only be 0.90% efficient (91.54dB).

So the 32-25kHz +/- 3dB is clearly a lie (for the claimed efficiency and box size).

All this said and done, I'm sure it is a fine speaker, and it looks like it may be worth its $1350 a pair price.

RE: The 2015 Klipsch design is great value , posted on May 2, 2015 at 20:41:32
coli	d

RE: The 2015 Klipsch design is great value , posted on May 3, 2015 at 02:01:09
djk Manufacturer Posts: 6135 Joined: June 17, 2000	I have some JBL 2435HPL beryllium drivers, they sound incredible, much, much better than the titanium Klipsch uses. "the only difference is in dispersion " What you don't like wide dispersion? Horns have better dispersion in the top octave than domes do.

RE: The 2015 Klipsch design is great value , posted on May 3, 2015 at 12:58:52

Don Reid
Audiophile

Posts: 891
Location: Rural NW Georgia
Joined: February 2, 2001
Contributor
Since: April 1, 2010

I like speakers with narrower dispersion characteristics. When I was putting together my present horn system my goal was a 90 degree conical dispersion. The best of the old systems I owned years ago was flat panel Acoustat 2+2 electrostatics combined with two subs using JBL 2245H 18" drivers. The electrostats were very narrow dispersion speakers, but in the sweet spot they could stir the soul.
I dream of an America where a chicken can cross the road without having it's motives questioned.

Don't understand the "circular horn throat to square horn mouth", posted on May 3, 2015 at 13:01:36

Jon L
Audiophile

Posts: 6065
Joined: April 6, 2000

"Reegineered Tactrix® Horn utilizes a circular horn throat coupled to a square horn mouth to further improve high-frequency response and extension, while enhancing imaging and dynamics."

Personally I've always preferred the sound of circular horns, e.g. Edgarhorn salad bowl, but I don't get why Klipsch bothered to design the horn throat to be round, just to connect them to square mouth. IMO, they should have kept it circular all the way.

RE: The 2015 Klipsch design is great value , posted on May 3, 2015 at 23:06:09
moray james Manufacturer Posts: 1599 Location: Calgary on the Bow Joined: May 19, 2002	no kidding ran 2+2 and 3 and 1+1 for a long time. moray james

RE: Don't understand the "circular horn throat to square horn mouth", posted on May 4, 2015 at 14:55:27
djk Manufacturer Posts: 6135 Joined: June 17, 2000	" I don't get why Klipsch bothered to design the horn throat to be round," They did, for the parts that mattered. If they had brought it out to the front as circular they would have had a pinch (narrowing of the dispersion) just above the crossover point. This actually looks like a well designed horn (ignoring the marketing BS about it).

RE: Don't understand the "circular horn throat to square horn mouth", posted on May 12, 2015 at 15:23:53
coli	d

RE: The 2015 Klipsch design is great value , posted on May 17, 2015 at 09:25:07

Head_Unit
Audiophile

Posts: 269
Location: Los Angeles
Joined: February 5, 2004

RE "It's not 98dB, Klipsch adds 3dB~4dB for room gain, and then it's really 4Ω at midband where the most program material is, so it's really 91dB~92dB/W (referenced to its actual impedance, especially with a tube amp). "
Ahhhh, I have been wondering about that. I'm a speaker engineer, and just by looks, those did not SEEM like 98 dB woofers. Possible, but very unlikely using those materials.
So, they are liars. Too bad, because it would be cool to have even a true 95 (or even 94) dB sensitivity tower. But at that size yes the bass would probably droop and need boost and then sound thin without boost in a showroom (if such exist any more).
I'd still like to see a test though. I don't see any on the web. If you want sensitivity, probably MTX are still the kings. I 'd like to see a test of the Klipschorn as far as sensitivity. It's always quoted so high but my listening experience a long time ago was that is was sensitive but didn't seem as much as they claim. One old test (http://www.audio.de/testbericht/klipschorn-ak5-im-test-1507016.html) seems to indicate 96 dB which, especially in a corner, is not really very high. For the size you could get a pro cone box with that kind of sensitivity.

dual 12 tower, posted on May 17, 2015 at 21:25:20

djk
Manufacturer

Posts: 6135
Joined: June 17, 2000

"because it would be cool to have even a true 95 (or even 94) dB sensitivity tower"

I used to build a dual 12 tower, 44" tall, 17" wide, 19" deep. It was 101dB/2.83V/1M (2W at 4R) in 2Pi.

With a Q=2 high-pass filter at 33hz it was -3dB at 33hz, not considering room gain.

I used passive all-pass delay on the woofers, so the impact in the midrange was astonishing!

RE: dual 12 tower, posted on May 24, 2015 at 09:28:10
Head_Unit Audiophile Posts: 269 Location: Los Angeles Joined: February 5, 2004	Really? With what components? Did you use a horn? Because all the cone mids I've seen (Which are few) seem to top out around 96 I'd really like to do high sensitivity in-walls, which is a challenge. Needs some kind of high sensitivity cone mid, because horns that go low are just too deep. I can have a sub for lows, or even maybe woofers mounted in the ceiling (into an attic crawl space)

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The 2015 Klipsch design is great value

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