Paul W. Klipsch 06.21.1954 Interview

Honors
In 1978, Paul W. Klipsch was awarded the Audio Engineering Society's second highest honor, the Silver Medal, for his contributions to speaker design and distortion measurement. In 1997, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame.[1] In 2004, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), he was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.[2]
Klipsch received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University in 1926, an EE (Engineer's degree) in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1934, and a Doctor of Laws from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 1981. The NMSU engineering department was renamed the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1995, in honor of Paul W. Klipsch.
Education and career
Klipsch's interest in engineering was influenced by his father, an instructor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Although he was only 12 when his father passed on, Klipsch's interest in science and engineering endured. He built his first speaker using a mailing tube and a pair of earphones at the age of 15, which was a year before the first public radio broadcast.
After graduating from El Paso High School, he enrolled at NMSU where he played cornet in the university band and was an award-winning member of the school rifle team. He credits his four years as a member of the Aggie Band for developing his love and knowledge of music and musical instruments.
Following graduation from New Mexico State University, Klipsch went to work for General Electric designing radios that were then sold to RCA. In 1928, he responded to a notice on the GE bulletin board. This resulted in a new job maintaining electric locomotives in Chile for three years before entering graduate school at Stanford. After receiving his EE Degree, Klipsch worked as a geophysicist for a Texas oil company. He later served in the U.S. Army during World War II, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
It was during his service at the Southwest Proving Grounds located in Hope, Arkansas that Klipsch refined his corner horn speaker design. Visitors to his officer's quarters were amazed by the lifelike reproduction and encouraged Klipsch 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 videotaped interview in 1999, 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."[1]
Eccentricities
The eccentric touch and no-compromise spirit of Paul W. Klipsch has indeed become part of the consumer electronics industry, the practice of engineering, and acoustic research itself. For example, Klipsch related that when he was developing a smaller speaker for use between two Klipschorns, an acquaintance declared that he couldn't possibly introduce it to the public because it was in direct violation of Klipsch's own corner horn principles, and amounted to acoustic heresy. "The hell I can't," Klipsch said. "And that's exactly what I'm going to call it!"[1]
A year later the Klipsch Heresy loudspeaker was introduced and it became a bestseller in the church sound reinforcement market.
While the official company motto is "The Ultimate Sound Experience," the unofficial one is "Bullshit."[1] Klipsch started using the slogan after reading a competitor's loudspeaker ad that made claims of supposed "breakthroughs." After that, he wore a yellow "Bullshit" button behind his lapel and showed it to anyone he felt was making an outlandish claim.
Many of the outrageous, but absolutely true stories of the eccentricities of Paul W. Klipsch were captured by author Jim Shahin in a 1989 interview for American Way Magazine, who told of his taking notes during sermons so as to better take issue with exasperated ministers after the service. Parishioners even remember his walking over pews to get out of church. He also retells of an audio retailer's recollection of Klipsch drilling a hole through the top of his Mercedes to install a gauge of some kind.
Legacy
In addition to the Klipschorn and Heresy, the Klipsch Rebel, Shorthorn, Cornwall, La Scala, and Belle Klipsch are among the most well known loudspeakers developed by Paul W. Klipsch. Many of these models, which are regarded as some of the worlds finest, are still manufactured and sold around the world today.
The Klipschorn is the only speaker in the world that has been in continuous production, relatively unchanged, for over 60 years.

[@julesdumont1492]

I'm surprised about the audio quality of this recorded interview. It's really good for it's age!

[@MickeyMishra]

This may have been the best part of my Saturday. The further I go back in time, the more I reckon I would like to stay there.

[@garronmartin9507]

Wonderful to hear the great man and the quality is superb ! More people would benefit greatly if Audio Engineering were taught in schools, I cannot believe that there are so many people out there who do not know how a Loudspeaker works ! They all seem to have technology that they have not a clue about-Oh well, I suppose that's progress!

[@MoizAudio]

A fine American indeed

[@gibran53]

Great interview with an audio legend. I believe PWK also liked to say ... 'You can't shrink a 32 foot wavefront' !!! Thanks for posting this !!!

[@LG4U]

I sure hope someone does more research on this mysterious man's personal story and his understanding of the world. What a human.

[@jeffw.1854]

I think this man really created a great speaker regardless of what todays audiophile says about the horn speaker. The man was interested in realism and not sales. Todays most expensive speaker (also on youtube) is a khorn in different clothes!

[@bauker.bijma.3660]

Undisminished the nr. One Audio Speaker builder !

[@sitzesdavid2621]

What a great American and great man.

[@karlsonkab51]

wonderful and keenly observant man who would take time out to write back to folks asking questions (sometimes foolish questions ..) IMO his family of exponential horns (K260, K400, K500, K600, K700) was a success and they still make good music today despite fears of "HOM"

[@dougg1075]

Higher efficiency equates to lower distortion.

[@7karlheinz]

I have that Don Gillis 10'' record and the Klipschorns (with full Volti mods!) I love PWK.

[@DannerPlace]

I bet that was recorded straight to vinyl. They had the equipment with them, it was for the demonstration that evening. Very cool.

[@rixtrix9803]

i like this guy

[@troylogan4602]

That was awesome. Pwk willing to do a live vs recording comparison.

[@Acoustic_Theory]

Paul clearly gets it, because he's using all the right metaphors, but he is not really getting his message across to people who aren't already at his level of understanding. It needs to be slowed down/dumbed down for the audience and put in very simple straightforward terms without jargon.

[@7karlheinz]

Interesting newscast at the end, Army McCarthy hearings! Real audio time capsule.

[@MickeyMishra]

I might look into this. Something very interesting in this recording.

[@harpoon_bakery162]

great audio. paul would even be impressed. No BS

[@benrumson1063]

I started with Heresy's and then added Klipschorns and then a center and sub's and finally ceiling beam speakers.for 5.2.2 KHorns now go for over $6K per. La Scala's, Cornwalls, fine speakers, but I wouldn't touch any of the newer ones they make. Shame cause decent speakers cost a fortune now.

[@devinwilliams3489]

They costed a fortune back than as well. The Khorn hasn't changed in price since introduction accounting for inflation

[@nhojcam]

i wanted a high-end cabinet speaker, but couldn't afford the cornwall iii's, so i built a pair of bob crite's "cornscalas" and couldn't be happier. EXACTLY what i was going for.

[@harpoon_bakery162]

@@nhojcam you're right, Klipsch are the best-ever!