- Klipsch speakers dating back to the 1950s such as the Klipschorn, LaScala, Cornwall, and Heresy were designed with analog sources in mind: turntables, magnetic tape and radio.
After decades of small refinements these models are still sold by Klipsch and are referred to as the "Heritage" series. Yet despite their dynamic sound quality and efficiency some in the audiophile community of the 1970s-80s critiqued them as having a "horn sound" instead of the preferred crystalline "salon" sound.
But Klipsch had the last laugh when the compact disc format appeared in 1982 along with VHS-HIFI and Dolby Surround Sound. Consumers were astonished at the new-found dynamics, low noise, and clarity that digital signals provided. While other companies struggled to achieve better than 93db at 1 watt, Klipsch horn-loaded speakers could manage upwards of 98db at 1 watt. So when multi-speaker Home Theater arrived on the scene in the 1980s Klipsch was already there. Energized, Klipsch went back to the drawing board and began developing new speaker models with improved clarity, bass, and flatter frequency response.
In 1982 the KG2 was released, in 1985 the larger KG4 and Forte, and the Chorus in 1987. The KG2 was originally marketed as a bookshelf speaker but at 18" high and with a rear passive radiator it worked better on short speaker stands or the floor. Almost as an afterthought Klipsch produced the small 13" KG1 in 1990 which enjoyed sales as rear speakers and as small bookshelf models. With the same sharp-edged cabinet, solid construction, and wood veneers as the other Klipsch speakers it made it easy to match this speaker to the existing models.
Frequency Response: 50hz-20khz +-3db
Sensitivity: 90db 1watt/1meter
Power Handling: 50 Watts continuous, 250 watts peak
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
Crossover: 2000 hz
Note the Klipsch badge used on all models of the period including the Klipschorn. It was used on the KG1,KG2,& KG4 grills until 1992 when the KG series were redesigned.
Above is a KG1 I bought new as a pair in 1990. Despite both cabinets having the same serial number the oak veneer was not matched like the other Klipsch models. It has the same "Dhorn" tweeter as its big brother the KG2 making it literally a "baby KG2." Klipsch always produced interesting crossovers implying they spent a lot of time in anechoic chambers tweaking their designsand the KG1 is no exception. Its crossover is very complex for a 2-way speaker: three high quality inductors, four capacitors, and two resistors. Good job Klipsch as other small speakers of the period would have just stuck an electrolytic on the tweeter to block bass and be done with it. Klipsch also made the KG1 in Hope Arkansas in the same factory as their other speakers instead of outsourcing it. The inspection sticker on the back and inside the cabinet are identical to the ones on larger models.
The "Dhorm" tweeter is a fabric dome tweeter with a small horn extension adding efficiency and responsiveness.
A 5-1/2" poly woofer completes the package.
The capacitors used by Klipsch for many years have been the "KSC" brand made by the King-Sun company of China. I've always thought it was unusual that Klipsch never supplied their own in-house brand of capacitors, but Paul Klipsch must have determined that KSC mylar caps provided something he liked. Since the crossovers were dialed in based on the resistance of the KSC caps, be aware that switching the film caps out to lower ESR polypropylenes can have the effect of altering the frequency response.
Below are the 27 year old electrolytic caps from my KG1 crossover (two per woofer). I measured them at 27.4, 27.7, 27.3, and 26.6uf which is high but still within 10% after 27 years. However just because it measures fine on a meter doesn't mean it responds properly to a musical signal. Time to swap them out.
A quality 25uf 100V bi-polar was not a value I could find anywhere. Rather than obsess about it I decided the Klipsch requirement of 10% was good enough. In the past I have had great results with Parts Express bi-polars and find them to have a very tight tolerances so I went with quad set of their 22uf 100V. Three measured at 23.7 and one at 23.6uf, within a tiny fraction of each other. Good job Parts Express!
Below is after the replacement of the bi-polar caps. I was pleased at the tidyness and fit of the new caps. The blue films are 2.5uf and 7.0uf and because of the odd values I decided to keep them.
The crossover is marked for both KG1 and KG3 with values printed for both on the board
- CONCLUSION
Well, nothing too radical occurred with this mod. All I really did was to replace the ancient electrolytics. The rest of the components I left as is. I listen to them on 24" speaker stands using a modified Dynaco ST-70 and they project a seductive soundstage. Treble is clean, bass is tight if not deep. I don't find them to have an airy soundstage with sparkle. Yet they provide a dynamically detailed sound with a musical and realistic character. I find that taking the speaker grills off adds a slight bit of detail which opens up the soundstage.
The KG1 is a bittersweet slice of Klipsch lore. It existed as a one of the final members of the grain-matched speakers overseen by Paul Klipsch. They emerged from an era when he inspected the assembly line and would even sign the labels on the rear of a speaker when asked by a customer. Sadly, just as the KG1 hit the scene in 1990 its larger siblings the Chorus, Forte, Heresy II and Cornwall were being retired. The replacements Forte II and Chorus II only lasted until 1996. Paul Klipsch died soon after in 2002. Klipsch speakers are still produced today of course but as part of a 21st-century international company building dozens of products instead of the small Hope, Arkansas factory that made less than 10 models and took orders by phone.
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