An American Hi-Fi Great Breathes New Life Into Its Legendary Heritage Loudspeakers

Upgraded acoustics and bold new finish, but same iconic loudspeakers.

Published March 25, 2025

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Updated March 28, 2025

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Klipsch has been making its Heritage line of loudspeakers in Hope, Arkansas, ever since Paul Klipsch introduced the first Klipschorn in 1946. In the decades that followed, the iconic American audio brand has added several other speakers to its Heritage line, including Heresy (1957), Cornwall (1959), La Scala (1963), Forte (1985) and Jubilee (2022).

Each of its Heritage loudspeakers features a horn-loading design that Paul Klipsch pioneered, making them incredibly efficient and easy to drive. They are also handcrafted out of high-quality hardwood, which gives them their signature look.

Over the years, Klipsch has improved each Heritage loudspeaker with subtle updates — such as more refined drivers and modern crossovers — to still sound exceptional by today’s standards. As of this week, two of its most iconic loudspeakers, the Klipschorn and the La Scala, are the latest to experience these modern improvements.

But this year’s enhancements go above and beyond.

Klipsch’s Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala AL6

Klipsch Klipschorn 2025 — The new modern Klipschorn.

Klipschorn AK7

The Klipschorn is the company’s oldest and most iconic loudspeaker — in fact, it’s the longest continuously produced speaker in history — and the just-announced Klipschorn AK7 is the most new-age model.

The Klipschorn AK7 doesn’t mess too much with success. It has a similar fully horn-loaded, three-way design as its predecessors. Like the previous AK6, it has a fully enclosed woofer cabinet (instead of the original’s open woofer cabinet, which depended on the speaker being placed in the corner of a room), giving listeners greater flexibility to place the speaker where they want.

However, the Klipschorn AK7 does feature updated drivers.

Its K-771 compression driver has a new wide-dispersion extended phase plug. According to the brand, this provides “a wider, more consistent soundstage and should allow the loudspeaker to greater clarity and coverage than ever before.

Additionally, the AK7 features a new KT-1133-HP midrange driver that’s an inch longer and takes advantage of a modified Tractrix mid-range horn. Klipsch says this should improve the speaker’s efficiency, resulting in a “more natural, immersive sound experience.”

La Scala AL6

Originally released in 1963, the La Scala is quite similar to the Klipschorn. In fact, as described by Roy Delgado, Klipsch’s chief acoustic engineer, the La Scala is basically a Klipschorn “that doesn’t go as low.”

The La Scala has the same fully horn-loaded, three-way design as the Klipscorn. It even has the same midrange horn-and-driver and the same tweeter horn-and-driver. And while the woofer driver is the same, too, the horn is shortened, so it can’t achieve the same levels of bass.

The just-announced La Scala AL6 is the most up-to-date model and, unsurprisingly, Klipsch has given it the same improvements as the Klipschorn AK7. It has the same K-771 compression driver with a new wide-dispersion extended phase plug, as well as the same new KT-1133-HP midrange driver.

However, Klipsch has updated with a La Scala AL6 with a vented cabinet design — a first for a La Scala loudspeaker — which, according to the brand, “maximizes efficiency, extends output and lowers distortion.” Basically, it should help the new loudspeaker deliver richer, deeper bass.

Heritage active crossovers

Maybe the most exciting news with the updated Heritage loudspeakers, both the Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala AL6, is that Klipsch offers each with optional active crossovers for the first time. (This is something that it debuted with the 2022-released Jubilee loudspeakers.)

The active crossovers are designed for audiophiles who want greater control over the sound of their loudspeakers. They bypass the speakers’ passive crossovers and, thanks to their onboard digital signal processing (DSP), allow you to adjust gains to compensate for the amplifier’s sensitivity.

“While we are thrilled with the performance of the passive crossover,” Delgado says in the company’s press release, “the Heritage Active Crossover unlocks performance enhancements that are simply unattainable with a passive design.”

An American Auburn finish

And finally, there’s a new finish.

In addition to the American Walnut and Black Ash finishes, Klipsch has revealed that the Klipschorn AK7 and La Scala AL6 will also be available in American Walnut.

According to the brand, this adds a “bold yet timeless look to the Heritage lineup.”