Klipsch announces limited run of updated 80th Anniversary Klipschorn Heritage speaker

Klipsch has marked its 80th anniversary with a limited‑edition Klipschorn that revisits one of the brand’s most enduring designs.

The Klipschorn has been in continuous production since 1946, and the new anniversary model is presented as both a tribute to Paul W. Klipsch’s original concept and a modernised interpretation for today’s high‑performance systems. Only 280 pairs will be available worldwide, each hand‑built to order in Hope, Arkansas.

At its core, the Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn retains the fully horn‑loaded architecture that defined PWK’s early work. The design has been re‑engineered as a two‑way system with an active crossover, giving the loudspeaker greater dynamic capability and improved clarity.

Klipsch has introduced a new K‑5‑K high‑frequency horn with a 2‑inch throat, paired with a 4‑inch compression driver derived from the Klipsch Jubilee. The combination is intended to deliver high output with low distortion.

The folded‑horn bass cabinet remains central to the design. It uses a powerful K‑33‑E 15‑inch woofer in a fully enclosed chamber. Klipsch says the result is deep, controlled low‑frequency performance with notable impact and definition.

The active crossover continues PWK’s early thinking. Although his original 1946 schematics included active network concepts that were never commercialised, the new model brings that idea forward with an external DSP crossover that manages phase and time alignment.
EQ and gain adjustments are integrated, and installers can fine‑tune low‑ and high‑frequency trims to suit room conditions. The crossover unit is finished in matching Tigerwood veneer and designed for shelf or rack placement.

The loudspeaker itself is finished in a striking Tigerwood veneer with brass inlay tracing the contour of the folded horn. Sandcast aluminium horn components complete the presentation.

As with all Heritage Series models, each pair is book‑matched to ensure a mirrored grain pattern across both speakers.

Klipsch is also using the anniversary to highlight its heritage. Buyers will receive a complimentary membership to the Klipsch Museum of Audio History, which preserves PWK’s work and early hi‑fi artefacts. Each system includes a 180‑gram vinyl pressing of tracks from the KlipschTape archives, including previously unheard recordings used by PWK for demonstrations in the 1950s.

The Limited Edition 80th Anniversary Klipschorn forms part of a wider Klipsch x Onkyo 80th Anniversary Heritage System. The Klipschorn pair carries an MSRP of $24,998, with the Heritage Active Crossover included.

Onkyo’s Icon P‑80 preamplifier is priced at $1,999, and two Icon M‑80 power amplifiers at $1,999 each. The complete AA Live System package is listed at $32,000.