A Legendary Loudspeaker from the 1940s Just Got a Modern Hi-Fi Upgrade

The Klipschorn is true icon. It’s the first loudspeaker that Klipsch ever produced, dating back to the mid-1940s, and today it holds the unique distinction of being the longest continuously produced speaker in history.

That’s right. Klipsch still handcrafts these enormous loudspeakers in its headquarters in Hope, Arkansas.

Over the years, Klipsch has made subtle improvements to these giants — along with its other Heritage loudspeakers — updating their drivers, cabinetry and crossover designs to keep them in tune with modern acoustics.

But this week, it’s gone a step further.

Klipsch Klipschorn AK7

Klipsch

The original corner-horn speaker

First released in 1946, the original Klipschorn was a two-way loudspeaker consisting of a midrange driver and a woofer, each coupled with a horn, making it incredibly efficient and loud.

Each loudspeaker, which stood nearly four-and-a-half feet tall and weighed roughly 160 pounds, was known for delivering a booming and concert-like sound.

One of the things that made the Klipschorn so innovative at the time was its woofer’s cabinet. It was wedge-shaped and open at the back, allowing the woofer to use the room walls to reflect sound and extend its low-frequency range. (This is why the Klipschorn is commonly called the “corner-horn” speaker.)

In recent years, Klipsch has updated the Klipschorn and given it a fully-enclosed woofer cabinet, giving people greater flexibility to place the loudspeaker where they want in the room.

Klipsch

An acoustic upgrade

This week, Klipsch released the Klipschorn AK7, the latest incarnation of the iconic speaker. And from the outside, it doesn’t mess too much with success.

The AK7 has a similar fully horn-loaded, three-way design — Klipsch converted the Klipschorn to a three-way configuration in 1951 — as its predecessor, the AK6. What’s different is that the AK7 has been given updated drivers.

The loudspeaker features a K-771 compression driver that is paired with a patented, wide-dispersion extended phase plug. This according to the brand, allows the Klipschorn “to deliver greater clarity and coverage than ever before.”

It features a 3-inch midrange compression driver, which is a whole inch longer than the one in the AK6, that should improve the speaker’s efficiency and result in a “more natural, immersive sound experience.”

And, for the first, Klipsch is offering optional active crossovers for the Klipschorn AK7. These are meant for audiophiles who want greater control over the sound of their loudspeakers.

Klipsch

Price and availability

The final update is with the color. In addition to the American Walnut and Black Ash finishes, the Klipschorn AK7 comes in a third finish, American Walnut, which you can see throughout this article.

The Klipschorn AK7 is available now and costs $17,998/pair. For those interested in an active crossover — one covers a pair of loudspeakers — that’ll set you back another $3,499.

For most information on the Klipschorn AK7, check out our announcement post, here.

Klipsch

Klipsch Klipschorn AK7 (Pair)

• $17,998 at Klipsch (Pair)

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