Floorstanding loudspeakers — Klipsch Klipschorn AK7 2025 model

The Klipschorn AK7 is the 2025 generation of the Klipschorn, the fully horn-loaded loudspeaker that Klipsch founder Paul W. Klipsch introduced in 1946 and one of the longest continuously produced speakers in the world. The AK7 keeps the original three-way horn principle but upgrades the midrange and tweeter sections and, for the first time, offers an optional active crossover. It is hand-built to order in Hope, Arkansas and was priced at around 18,000 to 19,000 dollars per pair.

Key specs that matter

The AK7 is a fully horn-loaded three-way passive design. A K-771 1-inch phenolic-diaphragm compression driver with extended phase plug handles the treble, a K-1133-HP 3-inch phenolic compression driver on a K-406M Tractrix horn covers the midrange, and a K-33-E 15-inch fibre-composite woofer works in a horn-loaded vented system. Crossover points are 380Hz and 2,900Hz. Frequency response is 34Hz to 19kHz (+/-4dB), sensitivity is 103dB, maximum SPL is 120dB and impedance is 8 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum. Each speaker measures 135.25 x 80 x 71.5cm and weighs about 118kg.

Engineering and use context

The new 3-inch midrange compression driver has a diaphragm a full inch larger than the AK6's, raising sound pressure at the horn throat so the driver works less hard for the same output. Its K-406M horn uses the Tractrix profile, a mathematically derived flare that controls how the wavefront expands and limits internal reflections, with a shorter 2-inch throat. MUMPS contouring adds small shapes to the horn's outer edge to reduce diffraction and maintain response at wider listening angles. The K-771 tweeter gains a new patented extended phase plug, aimed at a fundamental limitation of conventional compression driver designs at high frequencies. In the bass, the redesigned 15-inch woofer sits in a horn-loaded vented enclosure that no longer depends on tight corner placement, unlike the original corner-horn Klipschorn. Finishes are book-matched veneers in American Walnut, Black Ash and dark cherry, and Klipsch backs the speaker with a 10-year warranty.

Pairing

With 103dB sensitivity, the AK7 reaches very high levels from a few watts, making it one of the most natural partners for low-power single-ended tube amplifiers, including 300B and 2A3 designs. The optional Klipsch Heritage Active Crossover, tuned by acoustician Roy Delgado, replaces the passive network with a DSP crossover that aligns time and phase between the three horns, used with separate amplifiers for each section.

Alternatives

Klipsch's own La Scala AL6 shares the Heritage horn-loaded concept in a more compact enclosure for rooms where the Klipschorn is too large.