The genesis of something, very very special occurred in a tiny tin shed in Hope, Arkansas in 1946 when Paul W. Klipsch (PWK) – genius, madman and maverick – designed and hand-built the legendary Klipschorn® speaker with the goal of bringing live music into his living room. He was an American audio pioneer, a true eccentric and a proud member of the engineering and science hall of fame. PWK gave rise to speaker technologies that would forever impact generations of music lovers, and his passion enabled theirs.

It was during his service at the Southwest Proving Grounds located in Hope, Ark. that Paul W. Klipsch refined his corner horn speaker design. Visitors to his officer’s quarters were amazed by the lifelike reproduction and encouraged PWK to start his own manufacturing business. He received a patent on his loudspeaker design in 1945, registered the name Klipsch & Associates in 1946, and began making each loudspeaker with his own two hands until he hired his first employee in 1948.

During a 1999-videotaped interview, Paul W. Klipsch claimed that he did not, in fact, name the Klipschorn himself. He said that he made a sales call to a man in New York City during the first years of operating Klipsch & Associates and, surprisingly, the business prospect already knew about the revolutionary new loudspeaker. “We’ve heard all about your corner horn,” the man said. “We call it the Klipschorn‘.”

The acoustics career of Paul W. Klipsch spanned from 1946 when he founded one of the first U.S. loudspeaker companies, to 2000 when the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society published one of his papers. Over that time he accounted for 23 patents. Paul W. Klipsch died on May 5, 2002 at the age of 98. His enterprising spirit and passion for music live on in every Klipsch speaker.

Four Principles of Klipsch Design

High Efficiency/Low Distortion: Klipsch horn technology is highly efficient, providing a more accurate sound with less power and less distortion — resulting in louder, cleaner audio. Klipsch’s Law: Efficiency is inversely proportional to distortion.

Controlled Directivity: Klipsch horn technology accurately directs sound to the proper locations, which, in turn, creates a more lifelike soundstage without wasting acoustic energy where sound is not needed or desired.

Wide Dynamic Range: The softest sounds are reproduced with remarkable clarity and the loudest sounds are delivered without harshness or distortion — with the greatest possible range between the softest and loudest sounds.

Controlled Frequency Response: Audio is delivered without frequency bias — no unnatural highs, mids, or lows — reproducing recorded sound as accurately as possible without colourization.

Over time, Klipsch speakers have become the stuff of legends. People swear by our breakthroughs in modern acoustics, citing something akin to a religious experience with every listen. In addition to the Klipschorn, the Heresy, Rebel, Shorthorn, Cornwall, La Scala and Belle Klipsch are among the most well-known loudspeakers developed by Paul W. Klipsch. The principles behind these speakers are the basis for all of our speakers today. The Klipsch Heritage Series, which consists of the Klipschorn, La Scala II, Cornwall III and Heresy III, are still manufactured and sold around the world today and are considered among the world’s finest loudspeakers.

The Klipsch Heritage Series are available by special order. Please inquire.