How much of High End Audio is Horn Speakers?


An audio friend of mine had been discussing my future speaker purchase. We discussed, Harbeth, Devore, Spendor, Audio Note and other more traditional speaker brands. A week or two later he called an asked me what speakers I had purchased. When I told him Klipsch, there was a little silence on the other end of the line. Our call probably ended a little sooner then usual. I could tell he was disappointed in my purchase. Is it the Klipsch name that illicits this type of response or is it Horn speakers in general? After thinking about some of the other Audiophiles in town, a good deal of them are on the low power high efficiency speaker route and more than a few I know are using Horns. Does anyone know how the high end market share is divided? Is there a stigma associated with certain lower cost Horn speakers? Or is this just Klipsch? I now own a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls and am enjoying the journey associated with tweaking the sound to my taste. Is there an unwritten rule that friends don’t let friends buy Klipsch?

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Showing 4 responses by femoore12

I have always preferred high sensitivity speakers and built my own cabinets. That lead me to trying horn speakers. I acquired a pair of Klipsch La Scala AL5s this year. The La Scala’s paired with tubes are simply stunning. To me these are my final speakers (at least until I get bored and start building more 😂). 
 

There is zero wrong with Klipsch speakers. Their speakers can hold their own with any brand out there. In every hobby or interest there are people who are “snobs” when it comes to what you own. Ignore them and enjoy those fantastic horn speakers. 
 

The speakers your friend is building with the field coil drivers will be really cool. The next set of speakers I build will use field coil drivers. They won’t replace my La Scalas, but I want to pair them with tubes. 

@sns 

but I assume this uncanny sense of live performers in room is initial fascination with the line. 
 

This is exactly what sold me on the La Scalas. The Klipschhorns were even better, but I don’t have the space for those monsters. I would need to build a new house with a space to support that sound field. The Klipsch heritage line is stunning. 

Is there an unwritten rule that friends don’t let friends buy Klipsch? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes, this is true.
 

That is rude.