"There are very few companies in this industry that have been around as long as Klipsch has so we are really proud to be celebrating six decades of success and longevity," said Fred S. Klipsch, chairman and CEO of Klipsch Group, Inc. "I believe our accomplishments lie in our ability to continually innovate and find ways to address an ever-broadening range of customers' needs."

To commemorate its 60th anniversary, Klipsch will host a series of year-long activities starting with the introduction of the limited edition 60th Anniversary Klipschorn® at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With only 200 pairs available, this speaker is crafted for high-quality sonic performance and adorned with distinct aesthetic features that make it a collectors' item.

Founded by legendary audio pioneer Paul W. Klipsch in 1946, Klipsch is one of the longest-established North American loudspeaker companies. From humble beginnings in Hope, Ark., the company has evolved into a globally recognized speaker brand that employs 262 employees worldwide and is sold in 75 countries.

The Four Laws of the Klipsch Universe

Klipsch has always been devoted to producing no-compromise, premium-quality audio products. The company has been able to achieve and maintain its superior, best-in-class performance status by consistently following the theory "efficiency is inversely proportional to distortion." As efficiency rises, distortion falls. This classic observation applies to every Klipsch loudspeaker and results in reliable, durable products that deliver powerful, detailed audio performance.

Based on sound acoustical science, Paul W. Klipsch discovered that the use of horn technology was and is the best way to get high efficiency and low distortion from a loudspeaker. In addition, horn technology also brings the added benefits of controlled directivity, flat frequency response and wide dynamic range. Together, these design principles are and will always be the foundation for every Klipsch product.

As Klipsch moves into the future, it will continue to keep an eye on the past. As the industrial design of its products continues to advance to keep up with the times, the foundation of its work - horn-loaded technology - remains constant.

Klipsch History

Paul W. Klipsch founded the company on the promise of a corner, horn-loaded speaker design. Movie theaters and concert halls had long used horns to reproduce motion picture soundtracks, however those horns, at over nine feet long, were much too large for use in the home. Klipsch's solution was to fold the horn back onto itself and place the speaker cabinet in a corner, making the walls of the room an extension of the horn. An unquestionable success, the Klipschorn®, patented in 1945, is still considered by many to be the finest loudspeaker ever made and is the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production for 60 years.

In the mid-80s, Fred Klipsch saw a loudspeaker advertisement in a magazine that bore a familiar name - his. He tore out the then Klipsch & Associates ad and carried it around with him for three years before calling the company's founder. Although they had never met, Fred Klipsch and Paul Klipsch discovered that they were cousins and, without an heir Paul Klipsch began talking about a way to keep his privately held company in the family.

In 1989, Fred Klipsch and his wife Judy bought the promising loudspeaker company and moved the headquarters to their hometown of Indianapolis, Ind., keeping manufacturing in Hope, Ark. Since then, the company has significantly grown its product portfolio and business operations. In fact, last month Fred Klipsch announced a reorganization of the company's operations into five business divisions, each categorized by brand or distribution geography. The two brand management companies are Klipsch Audio Technologies and Jamo International (Klipsch purchased the Jamo brand in February 2005). The three newly formed distribution management divisions are Klipsch Group Americas, Klipsch Group Europe and Klipsch Group Asia. Overseeing these is a new parent company Klipsch Group, Inc.

*Source: NPD Techworld market tracking data Jan. - Nov. 2005.

With a limited run of 200 pairs, the 60th anniversary Klipschorn is crafted for high-quality sonic performance and adorned with distinct aesthetic features that will never be available again.

While each speaker's high-frequency cabinet is decked out in a high gloss black piano finish, the front panel of the low-frequency cabinet comes in a sophisticated Lacewood veneer. The black anodized aluminum kick plate at the bottom of the speaker features a silver PWK logo with a real diamond inset, the stone that represents 60 years.

For the first time ever, the rear of the speaker has received a cosmetic "facelift." Solid panels now enclose the rear high frequency and low frequency cabinets to add a more elegant appearance, eliminate any corner and response issues and allow for toe in or out.

Two display windows are also included on the back of each anniversary Klipschorn to show off an updated crossover network and a silver, engraved plaque that honors PWK and lists the speaker's production number.

For signal purity and perfect driver integration, the crossovers are made with premium components and feature high-end Van den Hul internal wiring. Magnetic grille posts allow for secure attachment and easy removal of the low-frequency grilles, while top-grade WBT binding posts ensure secure connection to any type of cable.

"Even though the Klipschorn has been around since the early days of Hi-Fi, it is still one of the best performing speakers on the market," said Mark Kauffman, senior product specialist. "Aside from contributing to the birth of the Hi-Fi era, it is the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production for 60 years."

Sold in pairs, customers will receive a certificate of authenticity signed by Klipsch Chairman and CEO Fred Klipsch for their limited-edition speakers. 

Klipschorn History

Unsatisfied with the sound quality of phonographs and early speaker systems, Paul W. Klipsch used scientific principles to develop a "corner horn" speaker that sounded more lifelike. He called it the Klipschorn.

Movie theaters and concert halls had long used horns to reproduce motion picture soundtracks, however those horns, at over nine feet long, were much too large for use in the home. PWK's solution was to fold the horn back onto itself and place the speaker cabinet in a corner, making the walls of the room an extension of the horn.

An unquestionable success, the Klipschorn, patented in 1945, represents a legacy that has guided Klipsch speaker engineering throughout the years. Every Klipsch loudspeaker is designed to the same live-sound philosophy that inspired the Klipschorn.

Patented in 1945, the Klipschorn is still considered by many to be the finest loudspeaker ever made and is the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production for almost 60 years. While maintaining its classic look and performance, the Klipschorn has a restructured high-frequency cabinet that eliminates the inset collar, or spacer, between upper and lower cabinets for a cleaner aesthetic appearance. A horizontal wall seal has also been added to improve the low frequency horn's connection to the wall.

When the La Scala first launched in 1963, it was not designed for home use. Paul Klipsch made it for Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Winthrop Rockefeller to use as a public address speaker. However, because some considered it a "portable" and more affordable version of the revolutionary Klipschorn, the La Scala found success beyond the campaign. Despite its raw, unfinished look, the fully horn-loaded, three-way La Scala sounded so good that people still wanted to put it in their living rooms.

Virtually unchanged since those campaign days, Klipsch decided to cosmetically improve the La Scala by making it available in a variety of wood veneer finishes, including cherry, walnut and black ash. The La Scala II also has a grille to cover the mid and high frequency horns. The bass horn cabinet walls are now constructed of 1-inch thick MDF rather than ¾-inch plywood to offer more support, resulting in decreased resonance and cleaner bass response.

First introduced in 1957, the Heresy, a three-way design, started out as a compact center channel speaker to accompany the Klipschorn in three-speaker stereo arrays. In 1985, Klipsch made some changes and improvements to this model and re-released it as the Heresy II. Today, Klipsch has given the Heresy a bi-wire network, titanium diaphragm tweeter and larger magnet assembly. The midrange has moved from a phenolic to a titanium diaphragm. All of these changes result in improved tonal balance and increased output. In fact, the Heresy III is two decibels louder (96 to 98dB), improving on its already high sensitivity. The Heresy III ships with a slant riser that can be removed for cabinet installations. Because of its relatively "compact" size, this model offers the greatest degree of placement flexibility in the Heritage Series line.

"The Klipschorn, La Scala and Heresy are among the most revered and highly acclaimed loudspeakers in the history of high fidelity audio," said Paul Jacobs, president of Klipsch Group, Inc. "These three classic speakers are a big part of what has made our company the success story it is today."

The new Heritage Series speakers are available in cherry, walnut and black ash wood veneer finishes and can be ordered through a Klipsch specialty A/V retailer at U.S. MSRPs of $3,750 for each Klipschorn, $2,750 for each La Scala II and $750 for each Heresy III. Orders for the soon-to-be discontinued Belle Klipsch can also be placed through a Klipsch specialty A/V retailer while supplies last. The Belle Klipsch carries a U.S. MSRP of $3,000 each. To locate a Klipsch retailer near you, visit www.klipsch.com and click on "Find a Dealer."