Holy Heritage! Prices just got nuts!
 

Has anyone seen the new list pricing on Klipsch Heritage speakers? Insane. :no: :tears:

Jon.......Are you going to leave us hanging? . :whistle:

$12,000 for Khorns
$8,000 for LaScala III
$2,000 for Heresy III
$4,400 for Cornwall III

Crazy to me.

Jon.......I don't know how the new Klipsch LaScala's sound. I haven't heard the LaScala or the Cornwall speakers in a long time. Considering other speaker prices, $8K for a pair of LaScala's doesn't seem that steep.


http://www.klipsch.gen.tr/FileUpload...m/10809781.jpg

....plus another $2,000 for a good sub to help them out. Hmmm.... :scratch2:

Especially when you consider that the drivers in the Heresy are either the same or essentially the same as those in the more expensive models.

Agree......just more wood, glue, screws and labor. For the most part, prices are down on commodities. To have an increase NOW is strange (and dangerous) for Klipsch IMHO....

It took a while, but I think you are starting to see Voxx junk up the brand with Chinese speakers galore.

That isn't the case anymore. The la scala and Khorn do have same drivers but the CIII and HIII are different now.

I think the prices are too much. The flagship palladium is too thigh too. I'm a Klipsch fan so I'm not just out to bash. The last several years I have used there pro line stuff....but they aren't lookers.

Here is a Khorn

TWEETER: K-77-D 1" (2.54cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver
MIDRANGE: K-55-X 2" (5.08cm) Phenolic diaphragm compression driver
MID FREQUENCY HORN: Exponential Horn
WOOFER: K-33-E 15" (38.1cm) Fiber-composite cone / horn-loaded with a trihedral exponential folded

Here is a Heresy III

TWEETER: K-107-TI 1" (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: Tractrix Horn
MIDRANGE: K-53-TI 1.75" (4.45 cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
MID FREQUENCY HORN: Exponential Horn
WOOFER: K-28-E 12" (30.48cm) Fiber-composite cone

Here is CWIII

K-107-TI 1" (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
HIGH FREQUENCY HORN: K-79-T Tractrix
MIDRANGE: K-53-TI 1.75" (4.45 cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver
MID FREQUENCY HORN: Exponential Horn
WOOFER: K-33-E 15" (38.1cm) Fiber composite cone (ported not horn loaded like LSII and Khorn)

I looked this up as I forgot the details...but I knew things had changed.

Funny story.....the CW III and the Heresy I,II,III now have the exact same midhorn.... the K700 (crossed at 700Hz) Apparently, Klipsch lost the mold to the K600 found in the CW I and II.

The Heritage series keeps the midrange Exponential horn out of respect for PWK. To me, that is the biggest drawback of the most up to date Heritage version being at their pricepoint.

I have had a La Scala II and loved it mostly, but I would not pay that kinda money. My complaint is the midhorn. The exp mids sound too congested to me. Just My opinion. I sold them. I could of swapped out the midhorn but didn't want to crack open the back chamber and ruin its orginality (sp).

The modern day tractrix technology used in all their other stuff sounds much better. IMO.

jc

JC.......:goodpost:

Well, now, how nice of you to just drop into the Klipsch forum, which I presume you must realize is frequented by many enthusiasts for the brand, and then proceed to dump all over it.

Honestly, what could possibly be the point of your post?

Mike.......I was having similar thoughts.

There will always be someone who likes to rain on a parade. It is the human condition.


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Somehow that post just "disappeared". :scratch2:

Jon.......The last pair of Klipsch speakers I heard were the LaScalla's. They belong to a friend in California who has them set up in a 15' x 22' room with a 9' ceiling. The LaScalla's are on the long wall about 5' in from the side walls and about a foot off the rear wall. The listening couch is about two feet off the opposite wall in the sweet spot with just over 12' to the speakers. There is no real acoustic treatment in the room but there are some large tapestry's hanging on the wall behind the speakers and behind the couch. The system is powered with vintage tube McIntosh gear, a restored C22 preamp and MC275. His only source at that time was a Linn LP12 turntable with a Signet TK9eA moving magnet cartridge. I remember the cartridge because I also had the TK9eA on my Micro Seiki turntable. Two years ago he upgraded the cartridge to the Ortofon 2M Black on the LP12 and also bought a restored Otari reel to reel tape recorder but I haven't heard the system with the new additions.

The last time I visited was 10 years ago but as memory serves me the sound of the Klipsch LaScalla speakers with the vintage McIntosh gear and the analog source was very good. I recall the bottom was rich and full with plenty of punch. I had no sense the system needed a subwoofer. The midrange was clean with a crisp presentation not uncommon to horns and compression drivers, very similar to a live performance. I remember the Klipsch LaScalla's impressed me. The room came alive with a nice presentation.

You need to have a fairly large room to accommodate the LaScalla's. They are not monitor size speakers by any stretch of the imagination. After all these years my friend still has this same system with the addition of the 2M Black cartridge and a Otari tape machine. He doesn't do digital but he has one heck of a vinyl collection. I'd sure love to hear that Otari on the Klipsch LaScalla speakers.

Like all sound systems it is important to have synergy between electronics, sources, speakers, and the room. Setup is equally important and often overlooked, or at least not given the care and attention to get the best from speakers in a given room. I know my friend is very happy with his system and has owned the same basic setup for as long as I have known him. That says a lot about of his satisfaction with his gear and his speakers.

what were the previous prices?

The 2013 HT Buyer's Guide shows Heritage pricing was:

Klipschhorn $9000 pair
LaScala II $7000 pair
Cornwall III $4000 pair
Heresy III $1700 pair

Dan, I agree, the original La Scala's are a tremendous speaker when set up properly. I don't have a pair, but I sure would like to.

I remember the K-horns being about $3000 a pair in 1980.

Wasn't that when...

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/...yez52kojpg.jpg

:D

It was about a year later when the comet that killed them entered the picture! :D :D

I recall them at $4K/pr late 80s.

In a previous thread I had remarked that I was surprised at the trend of increasing prices for audio equipment... http://www.audioaficionado.org/gener...ng-unreal.html..

Guess, I wasn't dreaming... :D

The increase in prices is probably due to an increase in labor cost? These are hand made products...

Forte II's from the extended Heritage line were $700 each in the 90's when I got mine. Now they are $1800 each for new Forte III's. Will probably see price increase to $2K each in 2018, but still getting a pair eventually regardless. You get what you paid for with Klipsch Heritage, their price to performance and build ratio has always been outstanding IMO

I'm looking forward to getting my Cornwall IIIs very soon.

Orders can take up to 6-8 weeks, hopefully you're not jonesin' yet...

It's going to be a long wait...

If you have priced other top of the line speakers from JBL, B&W, Magico, Mcintosh, etc you will find Klispch Heritage is still a great bargain and worthwhile investment. When you get to this level of performance you have to realize there are costs involved. You just don't go out and buy top of the line at the drop of the hat. You should only have to buy your new Khorns and a nice pre-owned Belle or new La Scala just once. Its like buying a MC 275 with a MC 75 for the center, all you need to do is buy them once. If you have any reservations, don't!

Is there much interest in the Heritage line?

I am thinking about buying a pair for display in Cape Cod.

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Ivan, I think so.

I don't know what you are cry about. Have you priced JBL's DD67000, or Magicos S7 or new M6. B&W's aren't cheap either. How about Macs new 2.1k speaker at 130,000 a pair. Some of Sonus Fabers are over 100,000. How about MBL or Steinway Lyngdorf Speakers?. Let face it Klipsch still gives the best performance for the price. Even the latest Magnepans are $30,000 a pair. And they are very dynamically challenged. So hang in there. I can remember saving money and choosing between Concert Grands and Klipschorns, They were under a $1000 each back in 65.

I bought Heresy 1's in 1978 for $600. The dealer had a 100% trade in credit if you went up the line within a year. I traded them plus $300 for LaScalas in unfinished Birch. Spent countless hours applying many coats of tung oil. I kept them for 23 years and wish I still had them. :tears:

I don't remember what K-horns cost but I do remember hearing them at the dealer driven by McIntosh. My jaw dropped.

In '68 I chose Bozak B-4000A Symphony over Klipschorn which was a mistake. Bozak is long gone but Klipsch is still relevant. Since horns are designed using sound science and physics the sound is much more dynamic and closer to the original performance.

Klipschorns, La Scalas and Cornwalls all kick sonic a$$! Very dynamic indeed. :yes: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

They go great with tubes!

Once my wife decides on our future living circumstances (house, condo, whatever.......... wish she would make up our minds) a pair of Forte IIIs are, hopefully, in my future. When I visit my brother I'm always smitten by the dynamics & detailed sound of his Forte IIs driven by a Dynaco ST-70. Can't imagine the Forte IIIs not being at least as good. They'll cost what they cost.

When you consider that you get the latest and best horn design from Klipsch for less than $4k, it is a bargain compared to alternative expensive direct-reflecting choices, especially two-way offerings from 'brand image' US and European makers.

in 1981 the cornwall's cost $1600.. i still have, enjoy, love as much now as then
.. mine too raw birch, never stained'm, they have age nicely, they turn 38 this yr and are currently hooked up to a Mcintosh MA252 :)

Hbar

Have you guys priced pick- up trucks lately. I can remember them costing under 2500 dollars in the 60's. You can't touch a full size pick up for less than 10 to 12 times that amount today. And if you want a top of the line pickup $70,000 is not uncommon. So if a klipschorn cost 1/4 of the price of a pickup in the 60's it would only cost 1/12 the price today. Remember Klipsch speakers are hand built, and labor is not cheap. The price of wood has sky rocketed over the years. And I guarantee using Titanium drivers and better cone materials and improved adhesives is not cheap. I imagine if you would convince all your friends to buy Klipschorns instead of toys and spending outrages money on electronics and the sales numbers increased then Klipsch could keep a lid on the prices longer. But with out support just be thankful they are still making the heritage series. JBL and Klipsch are the only two left. Other companies making custom horn loaded speakers make Klipsch prices seem like bargain basement prices. Especially those in Europe. Price a Magico horn loaded speaker lately. Or a pair of JBL dd67000. They pushing $45000 a pair and are 9 DB less efficient, which means you need to buy big 500 watt mono amps, that aren't cheap either. I guess you could buy some Altec 604's built by Great Plains audio for a $1000 bucks each and build really nice cabinets for another $1000. but you would be 5 db short and the 604 won't handle the power to make up the difference. Shure you could use a great 10 watt amp with your klipschorn and a 40 watt amp with the Altec. But without the horns, you wouldn't have the low distortion of a Klipschorn. Hw do you put a value on that. Magico says they build a speaker that can produce 120 db with less than 2 % distortion down to 50 HZ. They cost $58,000 a pair, don't have horns, which means a room compromises the sound sooner and faster and you will need 1000 watts a channel. Mac MC 1.25K amp aren't cheap. Any one want to pay for an ARC 750 watt tube amps if you like tube sound. Just thank God Klipsch is still in business. There are always a few used nice Klipschorns available on the world wide net. Buy those , work with the factory or Bob Crites to make them better than new. Where there is a will you will find the Corner Horns or Cornwalls you can afford..

Compared to other top of the line speakers from JBL, Magico, Wilson, and European speakers Klipsch speakers are a great bargain. Got $38,000 for lower middle of the line pair of Magico s5 Mk II speakers, or 68,000 for a pair of S7. We haven't even looked at the prices of the M series. Which can easily reach over $150,000 for a pair. Wilson is almost as Bad. Sonus Faber and Mac speakers can easily reach over $100,000. Steinway Lyngforf have systems that reach over a Million Dollars. Klipsch still gives more value per dollar than anyone else out there. At least you don't have to pay over $30,000 for a pair of 1000 watt amps to power them either. Thats important, too. Klipsch is still a bargain if you are trying to produce live concert levels. And if you love small tube amps they are really the only affordable choice. Have you priced a Pair of JBL DD67000 lately that require 8 times the power lately. $75,000 a pair. Big Tannoys aren't cheap either. Only the West minster can compete with the Corner horn and it cost many more times the price of a Klipschorns, B&W makes some speakers that are closely priced but require 20 times the power. Do your research before condemning Klipsch Heritage prices. A new Diesel pick up can easily reach over $60,000 and Chevy's new top of the line pickup for 2020 will be over $100,000. Its all relative and in another 20 years prices will more than double again.

It’s bad - I’m not surprised by the speaker prices, but I am surprised by the prices of those trucks.